A Question of Honor Read Online Free Page A

that, Aly.”
    “How are things with you? Are they still putting pressure on you?”
    Noah managed a choked laugh. “Yeah, same old stuff.” And then he told her about Detective Anderson and his latest assignment.
    “Maybe this week off will get her in shape to be an asset instead of a problem for you,” Aly offered.
    Rubbing his face, Noah said, “God, I hope so. If she screws up, my career will be torpedoed. I fought so damned hard to get this SES billet. And now I’ve got a woman with a chip on her shoulder toward men.”
    “Just turn on some of that famous Noah Trayhern charm and she’ll come around. I know she will.”
    He closed his eyes, buoyed by Aly’s teasing warmth. “I hope you’re right. I’m going over to her house on Friday and lay out the basic assignment to her.”
    “She’ll be fine by then.”
    “Oh? You a psychic now?” he asked, chuckling.
    “I’ve got a good feeling about her, Noah. Don’t know why, but I just do. You’ll know Friday for sure….”
    There was no answer at Kit Anderson’s bungalow door. Noah stood and listened, then rang the bell again. He’d tried to call earlier, but there’d been no response. Walking around the stucco one-story home, he spotted a high-walled wooden fence. Maybe she was in back, getting that suntan. Taking a chance, he opened the gate and moved quietly inside the closure.
    Over the past few days Noah had tried to reconcile himself to the fact that Kit Anderson was going to be a part of his hardworking crew. Although still unconvinced that assigning a woman to this project was a good idea, Noah realized he’d treated her poorly upon first meeting her, and owed her an apology. Getting off on the wrong foot was no help to either of them. Gazing across the lawn, he spotted Kit in a lavender bathing suit, lying on a chaise lounge. His hand tightened automatically around the briefcase he carried.
    The late-morning sun had lulled Kit into a twilight of peace. Fragrant oleanders ringed the yard, scenting the late-morning air. Idly she ran her fingers across her lower arm, amazed at how deeply tanned she had become. Closing her eyes again, Kit enjoyed the call of the birds that made their homes in those ten-foot-high flowery bushes. In the years she had spent living at night, she’d missed their melodic songs.
    Her languor ended at the sound of approaching footsteps. Instantly alert, Kit jerked into a sitting position, on guard. Noah Trayhern looked devastatingly handsome in his light blue shirt and dark blue slacks and garrison cap. He carried a briefcase in his left hand. Kit searched his face for signs of anger but saw none.
    “I called earlier, but there wasn’t any answer,” Noah offered. “I thought I’d take a chance you might be back here.” She looked slim and elegant in the revealing bathing suit. Puzzled as to why he hadn’t realized how pretty Kit really was, Noah realized she was no longer in the baggy clothes that hid her innate femininity. His heart thudded hard in his chest, and he felt that familiar stirring that was beginning to seem inevitable whenever her name or face came to mind. And that had been often. Too damned often.
    Kit lowered her lashes, hotly aware of a strange intensity to his inspection of her. She reached for her light blue beach jacket, quickly shrugging it across her shoulders. “It’s better to get a tan in the morning,” she said. Tying the sash, Kit stood. “I thought you’d conveniently forgotten about me.”
    Noah managed a crooked smile. “I had that coming, didn’t I?”
    Nervous beneath his continued stare, she crossed her arms. “Yes, you did.”
    “I’ll try to change that.”
    Relief swept through Kit. There was something in his voice that said he was telling her the truth. “All I want to do is catch Garcia and survive this year with you, Lieutenant. I don’t want any battles. I’m tired of fighting.”
    “I don’t like to fight, either. Well,” he amended, “only druggies. I