Deviation by A.J. Maguire Read Free Book Online

her. Spry was a good word for her. She had a competence to her form - the result of several years as an instructor in Kenpo Karate - and a soft, open face.
    The girl was a walking contradiction. Someone who wasn't paying attention would say she had dishwater hair, but Reesa had always described it as a maple color, not the leaves but the bark. There were pool cues that had the exact same tint to them. On the surface Kate looked every inch the happy home-wifey mother. When she smiled it was wide and happy, infectious even. Her eyes were sparkly hazel, leaning on the olive green side. But underneath all of that, Kate was a puzzle. Reesa could not understand why such a soft, charismatic, and joyful person had ever chosen the military life. And she hadn't been Air force or Navy either. For four years, Kate had been a supply sergeant in the Army.
    Reesa had pictures of the woman in uniform and she still didn't believe it.
    In fact, Kate was such an oddity that Reesa had based the character of Mesa off her. Physical appearance and all, though Kate hadn't noticed while reading the series. Reesa wasn't certain how she might react if she ever figured it out either. She really should have asked permission from Kate before it was published, but since Kate was her "alpha reader" and saw every rough draft as it passed her desk, Reesa had figured she was safe.
    "Well, if you're not blaming yourself, why are we out here?" Kate asked, her voice muffled because her face was against the crook of her arm.
    "You're out here because you're a stubborn brat with nothing better to do than worry over my mental health," Reesa grinned at the snort of laughter from her friend. "And I'm here because I feel safer away from land."
    They fell into a restful silence. Reesa sighed and closed her eyes, allowing the familiar wet slap of water against the boat assuage her. But try as she might she could not get Tattoo's face out of her mind. There were such striking features and such a hard, clear command in her voice, and damnit all if Reesa didn't feel a sense of familiarity with the woman. It was maddening and weird and she couldn't shake it.
    A name teased at the back of her mind. It took a moment of concentration for Reesa to catch it and when she did she wished she hadn't.
    Rebecca.
    Tattoo had looked like Rebecca from the books. A minor character at best, but because she crossed paths with Celeocia so often, Reesa had taken the time to write a full description. Elegant, smooth features, flawless skin; Reesa frowned, squeezing her eyes shut to capture the picture more firmly. Had there been a freckle just beside the left corner of her mouth? She couldn't remember if that had been part of the description or not. She would have to look it up when they made their way home.
    Opening her eyes again, Reesa sat up. That was the path to insanity. There was no possible way Tattoo was Rebecca. Just like there was no way that Tattoo had a metal leg. It had been a figment of her imagination, a desperate attempt of her mind to make sense of the situation as it had happened.
    Brushing hair away from her face, Reesa took a deep breath and glanced at where Kate had dozed off beside her.
    Some people just don't see the bridge between fiction and reality.
    Grimacing, she reached for her Dr. Pepper again. Some days, she thought with another frown, she was one of those people.
    ***
    Alarms screamed to life faster than Hedric could silence them, several screens around his chair flashing red and yellow. The pilot's chair leaned from side to side on its gyrating point, following Myron's commands the instant the man gave them. Hedric stole a glance at Myron, whose face was twisted in concentration, his scarred upper lip curling into a scowl as he avoided an alarmingly large bit of marine life. Whatever the creature was - something whalish by the size - seemed just as startled to see them because it veered away. As much as a creature that size could "veer", but it did make the