Off Limits

by Jordan Summers

• ISBN13: 9780373793877
• ISBN10: 0373793871
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-03-01
• Publisher: Harlequin

Excerpts

"I don't fly," Delaney Carter stated as she stood in her group supervisor's utilitarian office. She glanced out the windows at the cloudless blue sky. The Phoenix sun glared back, baking the room and its two occupants as if they were a couple of Poppin' Fresh rolls. Sweat broke out across her brow and the muscles in her chest tensed at the thought of being airborne.Roger McMillan cocked his corpulent head as if he hadn't heard her correctly. "I need hardly remind you about the geographic mobility agreement you signed."She couldn't really blame him for being astonished. This was the first time she'd ever turned down an assignment, especially one of this magnitude, but it couldn't be helped. She'd managed to avoid air travel thus far and had no wish to end her no-fly streak. Delaney pulled at her starched shirt collar in an attempt to get more air into her lungs.His penetrating brown eyes narrowed. Delaney fought the urge to shift under his steely regard. McMillan was a bull of a man--thick, balding and heavily muscled. It was difficult to tell where his neck ended and his barrel-shaped chest began. Most people simply followed the mustard stains on his tie."I don't have a problem with traveling, sir. I just prefer to do it on the ground.""Are you afraid?" The last word slipped from his lips like a curse.Delaney flushed, crossing her arms over her less-than-ample chest. She hated that she felt the need to defend her stance. She knew she was an exemplary agent without a single blemish in her file, and she intended for it to stay that way. The Bureau shouldn't hold her fear of flying against her, but Delaney knew it would, if she didn't take this mission."I asked you a question, Carter. Are you afraid to fly?""I didn't say that," she gritted out between clenched teeth. He knew damn well she was afraid to fly. He was just baiting her with the question."Well, then, what's the problem?" he bellowed, slapping an open folder down onto his oak desk."I'm not convinced things that heavy should be in the sky.""What? Do you hear what you're saying?You do know what year it is, right?" He clutched his head in frustration. "Explain.""I think the wings on the damn things are going to fall off midflight, and we'll plummet to the earth, bursting into a ball of flames.""That's ridiculous! Besides, if it happened, you wouldn't feel a thing."Delaney remained resolutely straight-faced. "Wow, that's comforting, and makes that whole burning-up part all better.""You can check the attitude," he said, leveling his gaze."Yes, sir.""Do you have any idea how many planes are in the sky at any given hour?"Delaney took a deep breath, attempting to steady her nerves. It didn't matter if there were a million aircraft circling above their building right at this moment, as long as she didn't have to be on one of them. "The number of planes doesn't change how I feel about flying. I've read the stats. I understand the risks.""So what's the problem with catching a flight tomorrow morning?" Roger McMillan's Roman features solidified and his lips thinned, nearly disappearing into his mouth. He picked up a pen and began tapping an angry staccato beat against his desktop. "Do you want this assignment or not? Keep in mind, I'm not really asking. I went to a lot of trouble to get you here. Your father and I go way back, you know.""I know, sir, and I appreciate that." Her father had phoned his old marine buddy McMillan to ensure she'd be assigned to his team. It was his way of keeping tabs on her without appearing to do so. At first, Delaney had resented the move, but later she'd discovered that McMillan was a fair man and didn't kowtow to anyone--and that included her father."Obviously you don't appreciate the opportunity enough to buck up and act like a GS-7 special agent. I don't have to remind you that someATF agents wait their entire careers for an opportunity like this. We're talking about bu