Guardian by Catherine Mann Read Free Book Online Page B

of the last round on the range to the firing of the round which caused the mishap.
    TATE: After the last round on the range, I placed the master arm switch to
Off
and verified the safe light was green, showing the gun was disarmed. We received clearance to exit the range, at which point I verified again that the gun was not armed. And we exited the range and headed back toward Nellis Air Force Base. Approximately ten minutes later, there was a very loud sound that came from behind me, which apparently was the cannon firing off a round. I verified again that my switches were all in
Safe
and reported the incident over the radio to Nellis Command Post.
    CAMPBELL: So you’re telling me the gun just went off on its own. You didn’t touch any switches, turn any dials, push any buttons, nothing, nothing at all?
    TATE: I just said that, didn’t I?
    CAMPBELL: Would there be a way to prove that you didn’t pull the trigger on that gun by mistake? Any printouts? Any recording that would show that?
    TATE: Yes, ma’am, if we were on the range, we would have had all of that. But because the test was complete, we had turned off all the data recorders that would have shown that information.
    Her eyes halted on the middle of the page. Hairs on the back of her neck rose along with the sense that she was being watched. It was late. And she was almost certainly alone. Uneasiness settled over her and she checked out of the corner of her eye.
    David Berg filled her doorway. Silently, he stood watching her. God only knew how long he’d been there. Anger stirred—at him for not announcing his arrival and at herself for even caring.
    Well, he could just wait until she was ready to talk.
    *    *    *
    David stood in the half-open door of Sophie’s office. After the way she had raced to leave his place yesterday, he figured he might not be welcome here. But he had to address the bad, bad idea of their kids hanging out together. He needed to have that talk away from his daughter’s little listening ears. He also wanted her to take a second look at Caleb Tate’s training records, to fully grasp his top-notch aviator skills.
    All the same, he intended to keep a solid thirty-six inches between himself and Sophie at all times. No standing close enough for him to catch a whiff of hershampoo. He’d already determined her perfume only had a radius of twenty-four inches as long as the ceiling fan didn’t swirl the air around too much in her little office. He spent a lot of time analyzing every detail of how Sophie affected him so he could do his best to resist.
    With her prestigious diplomas on the wall, including a law degree from Duke, she could have worked at a high-powered firm and instead she’d chosen to serve in uniform. He had to respect that, even if she was on the opposite side with her current case.
    Maybe she didn’t need the money, if her husband left a hefty estate. She radiated the perfect image of simple refinement, one he burned to muss.
    Her hair was pinned up in a twist, no doubt to hide the bandage beneath. What other surprises did Sophie have hidden under that cool facade? The glimpses of her with her son still rocked his preconceptions of the killer shark of a counselor.
    Thirty-six inches apart.
David rapped a knuckle against the door.
    Sophie held up a quick hand for him to wait and finished reading the paper in front of her. “Be right with you.”
    A scattering of books and folders littered her desk, proclaiming productivity without chaos. She restacked the sheaf of papers and set it aside.
    The leather chair squeaked as she shifted to face him. “Hello, Major Berg.”
    She spoke with a professional tone he appreciated, needed.
    “Major Campbell.”
    Rolling back her chair, she motioned for him to sit in one of the two chairs across from her desk. A full desk between them. Good.
    “I’ll get to my questions about Captain Tate in a minute. But first, we need to get something else out of the way.” He needed to