Once Bitten, Twice Dead - By Bianca D'Arc Page 0,15

when you handle the dart rounds. I’m authorizing you to carry and use them on this mission, but otherwise, the ammo is to be kept under lock and key at all times. It’s a highly controlled substance.”

Sarah could easily understand how something as dangerous as what he’d just described needed to be carefully controlled. Who knew what could happen if such a substance fell into the wrong hands.

Xavier drove with competent skill. The more she was around him, the more she realized he did everything with an air of confidence most men couldn’t quite pull off. He didn’t need directions, which surprised her. She knew darn well he wasn’t from around here.

“Have you spent much time on Long Island?” she asked, curious.

“This is my first time here. I was called in last Thursday, after news of your attack made it down the chain of command. They pulled me off the detail I was working on at another base and flew me up here with a small squad to check things out. We had to determine if what happened to you was related to our mission.”

“I guess you needed me to wake up for confirmation.”

“I had confirmation from your blood tests on Thursday night. What I didn’t know was the exact circumstances of the attack until you woke up and told me. I’ve been keeping my superiors up-to-date and am authorized at the highest levels to do whatever is necessary to contain this outbreak. After your disclosures yesterday, we all realized the problem was even larger than we’d feared.”

She thought about that for a moment as he continued on to the scene of her attack.

“You checked the site already?” He wouldn’t have known exactly where to go if he hadn’t.

“I went in and took a quick look, but I didn’t want to disturb the scene until you were available to walk me through the sequence of events.”

She understood his reasoning but, suddenly, going back to the scene made her feel odd. They pulled up in front of the abandoned building, and Sarah fought against a pang of anxiety. It was a short-lived burst, but it was strong.

Xavier’s big hand covered hers, drawing her attention.

“You okay?”

She read real concern in his expression, tempered with understanding. It gave her strength.

“I’m fine.” She took a deep breath and tried to focus her thoughts.

“I remember my first time back on duty after a sniper almost took my arm off. Hit me from the side. An inch either way and it would’ve been a really bad day for me. As it was, I was out of commission for a couple of months. When I finally got back to my unit, it was hard to get out into the real world again. We were still deployed in the same hellhole of a country, in the same area where the sniper had taken potshots at me. He hadn’t been caught or killed to our knowledge. I kept wondering if he was still out there, still gunning for me from the invisibility of distance. My head was on a swivel those first few hours, but eventually I got back into the swing of things. Give yourself time, Sarah. It’s understandable to be a little jumpy after what you’ve been through.”

“I’m not jumpy. I’m scared shitless.” She figured he’d earned a bit of honesty with the sympathetic story, even if it was just a story. She didn’t think he’d lie about being injured, but she wouldn’t put it past him to exaggerate the true level of his postinjury anxiety in order to make her feel better. Come to think of it, that was a nice quality. One of many she was discovering he had.

Better not to go there. They had a job to do, and she had a quiet life to get back to once the horror-show portion of the festivities was over.

Xavier laughed outright at her statement and she joined him. The mere action of laughing helped her nerves settle. She turned her hand over under his and gripped his fingers for a quick squeeze.

“Thanks, Captain. I’m good to go now.”

“You’re a trouper, Officer Petit.”

He winked at her—there was that charm again—and let go of her hand. He opened his door and slid out of the high vehicle while she jumped down from her side.

“So let’s start this from the beginning. When you rolled up, where did you park?”

He towered over her, but she didn’t mind. His height and size made her feel safe in an odd way. There