A Question of Honor by Lindsay McKenna Read Free Book Online Page B

recuperation time before we initiate Storm.”
    “Three weeks?” he cried. “You’re out of your mind!”
    “Three weeks,” Noah ground out, “or she’ll be dead on this bust and we both know that.” He rested his hands against the desk, hovering over the narc supervisor. “And I’m not going to allow that to happen, Cordeman. You hear me? Either you side with me, or I’ll throw so many wrenches into this operation that you’ll scream like a stuck hog. I know your captain is going up for promotion soon. And I suspect he’s counting on Storm to make him look like a regular tin god in front of the good city fathers. I carry weight over at the CG. I’ll screw your department so damn hard that your captain will bury you so deep you’ll never see the light of day.”
    Cordeman’s eyes grew round. “Do you know how hard it is to get something like that approved? The paperwork alone will weigh ten pounds!”
    “I refuse to knowingly put one of my people’s lives on the line. Kit is part of my team, Cordeman. Side with me or else. Her life is more important than any drug bust or captain’s promotion.”
    Cordeman continued to glower at Noah, but his tone admitted defeat. “You’ve got balls, Trayhern.”
    “See that Kit gets those three weeks,” Noah repeated grimly.
    “If it will make you feel any better, I tried to get Kit off this assignment.”
    Noah was sure his eyes indicated his distrust. He had worked with Cordeman from a distance on several occasions in the past. He knew the man’s reputation for integrity and an unwavering attitude toward drug smugglers. Cordeman also ran one of the toughest narc divisions in the country. He was good at his job and had a decided talent for getting the best out of the people who worked under him. Maybe a little too good, Noah decided. Kit had returned to work instead of taking time off to adjust to the death of her partner. “Just how hard did you try?”
    Cordeman motioned him toward the chair. “Sit down,” he growled, his blue eyes narrow. “You’re gonna find out, Trayhern, that I do take a great deal of interest in my people.” He paused as Noah sat. “I had plans to force Kit to take a leave of absence from the department before Operation Storm was created by DEA. I knew she was hurting, and I tried a number of times to persuade her to talk about it. But she wouldn’t. She kept insisting she was all right. About six months ago, she began to make mistakes. It was little things, but she realized as well as any of us that in this business details can get you killed. Finally she came and asked me for a transfer out of the department.”
    Noah frowned. “Out of narc completely?”
    “Yeah. Kit admitted to me that she’d had it. She wanted a desk job—anything to get her off the streets. I promised her I’d do my damnedest.”
    “With her record of commendations, it should have been easy,” Noah pointed out tightly.
    Cordeman met his glare. “I went straight to the captain with it. I told him she was at the end of the line emotionally and needed the rest. That was when he told me about Storm.” He shook his head sadly. “You know how important Kit is to the success of this operation. If we can get Garcia out of the picture, the Colombian government will cooperate with us in prosecuting him. Garcia’s smart—he stays out of the limelight. Anybody trying to take a photo of him can kiss his life goodbye.”
    Noah rubbed his jaw. “So what kind of deal did you wrangle for her?”
    “A lateral transfer to your ship as a liaison observer.”
    “And after that?”
    “After Storm’s completed, Kit gets her wish. She gets a cushy desk job as a detective in homicide upstairs.”
    “Maybe I’ve misjudged you, Cordeman. And maybe I haven’t.”
    The supervisor sank wearily back into his frayed leather chair. He mopped his brow with a limp white handkerchief. “I’ll get Kit those three weeks. Somehow.”
    Rising, Noah muttered, “Call me as soon