Act Of Valor. Dana Mentink
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of course. He just knocked me over, that’s all. Did you...?”
“He made it out of the terminal, but we’ve got officers looking for him, canvassing bus and subway stations, alerting the taxi cabs, et cetera. We’ll get him.”
“What about the other guy? Bill walked him to security. I don’t know if he boarded or not.”
“Looks like he ran, too. We’re going over the camera footage. Don’t worry.”
She caught her lip between her teeth in that way that meant she was thinking. Violet was smart, so much smarter than he’d ever be. She’d been working on a college business degree in the evenings before her father broke his ankle last summer. Then she’d stepped in to help at the family restaurant, putting aside her college work for a while. Though her school was on a break for the next two weeks, she’d reenrolled in classes again, determined to finish this time. Smart, steel-tough, sassy, loyal as the day was long; that was Violet Griffin.
Bill finished with the officer and walked to them. “I am glad you’re okay, Vi. I was worried.”
A shower of sparks lit her eyes from coffee to caramel. “Don’t bother with the pleasantries. You let the guy with the braid bypass security and you would have done the same with Joe Brown if I hadn’t intervened. What gives?”
He shook his head. “Absolutely not. You misunderstood what you saw. I didn’t know that TSA agent was gonna pass him through.” He looked at Zach. “The guy with a long braid, acting shifty. I walked him to security personally. I figured he’d be scanned and detained if there was cause. That’s a TSA responsibility.”
“Just ID’d him from security footage. Roger Talmadge, goes by Roach. He’s got a rap sheet—petty stuff, DUI, possession,” Zach said.
Bill nodded. “I delivered him right to screening but there must have been something shady between this Roach and the TSA guy.”
“Yeah,” Zach said. “Agent’s name is Jeb Leak. At the moment, he’s missing.”
“See?” Bill sighed. “On the take. New guy. I should have suspected, but...” He shrugged. “Well frankly, I was preoccupied. The wife’s been sick, you know, and she’s got a checkup today to see how the treatment’s been working.” His forehead was creased with deep grooves. “She’s been in the hospital more than she’s been out.”
Though it looked as if her ire dulled a fraction, Violet was not about to be appeased. “What about Joe Brown? He had drugs in his suitcase. I saw it before he moved it to his pocket, and the chest rub was extra protection against the dogs.”
“I agreed with you. He was probably smuggling something.” Bill fixed her with a look. “Vi, you’re killing me. We’ve worked together for ten years now, and I didn’t want you involved if things were gonna get ugly, which is why I walked him there myself, just like the first guy. I was trying to protect you and you’re practically accusing me of being in cahoots with a smuggler. How could you possibly think that?”
Violet didn’t reply.
“Dump the guilt trip. Your behavior was suspicious,” Zach said. “She was right about both men.”
“I was trying to do my job and keep her out of trouble. I’d think that would garner a little appreciation.” He sighed. “If you two are done interrogating me, I’ve got a mess of people at the ticket counter to sort through.”
Violet started to follow him.
“No, no,” Bill said, holding up a hand. “You go on home now. You’ve had a bad day and Liz is here to start her shift. Go get some rest.”
Vi watched him leave, a troubled crimp on her mouth.
“You believe him?” Zach asked.
“I’ve known them for a long time. His wife, Rory, has been sick—breast cancer—and she hasn’t responded well to treatments. He’s shouldered a lot of the load with his two boys. Maybe he really was preoccupied, trying to keep me out of it.” She broke off to look at Zach. “Do you trust him?”
“I’m not wired to trust people. Occupational hazard, but I do agree with him that you should go home. I’ll take you.”
She brushed back her hair with an impatient hand. “I don’t need a chaperone. I can take the bus home or call a car service.”
He braced himself for battle. “My car’s faster. I have a shiny red siren.”
“Your seats smell like a wet beagle, and you have a shift to finish. Go back to work.”
He folded his arms. “My vehicle was detailed yesterday, and Eddie has recently been bathed with special shampoo. He practically reeks with the scent of a spring meadow. I’m walking you to my car and driving you home. You don’t get to have a say in that, so grab your bag and let’s go.”
Her nostrils flared. “You’re pushy.”
“I’m right, as usual.”
Vi arched an eyebrow. “Pretty high-and-mighty for a guy who can’t ride a bike and breaks things on a regular basis.”
“I can ride a bike, I just don’t want to, and it’s been two whole days since I busted anything.”
“Uh-huh, but the last one at the diner was a doozy. You knocked over a wait stand and broke six dishes and a coffeepot.”
“Four. Your mother said it was four dishes.”
“My mother lied to make you feel better. I’m not as kind as she is.”
“Get your bag, Vi,” he said with a chuckle. He felt her staring at him. “What is it now?”
A gentle smile lit her face. “You laughed. I haven’t heard you laugh since...” The smile faded. “I mean...for weeks.”
He lifted a shoulder and grabbed for Eddie’s leash. Violet had always been able to make him laugh with that combination of edgy humor and intelligence, matching him tease for tease. He knew a lot of great women—pretty, smart, ambitious—dated many of them, but none like her. There was something just...better about her, which he could not pin down. Probably she seemed different because he’d known her since she was a gap-toothed first-grader. Still, Violet was irreplaceable and if he and God were on speaking terms, he’d say a prayer of thanks that she was unharmed. Anger bit hard at him.
He and God weren’t friends anymore. Zach deserved to encounter shipwrecks in his life, he’d probably caused most of them with his combination of impulsivity and stubbornness, but Jordy... God should have looked out for Jordy. No, he and God were no longer on speaking terms.
Shoving on his hat, he strode out of the room, grateful to have Vi clipping along in her pumps right next to him.
* * *
Violet kept her pace quick in spite of the twinges in her back and her throbbing cheekbone. She would not let Zach see her discomfort, especially the inner turmoil simmering below the surface like a monster fish ready to suck her under. She didn’t want to speak of her feelings, not the real, raw, deep-down ones. Not to Zach.
He has too much on his heart already. I can’t add to his burdens. Besides, they had their roles: he the jokester, overprotective big-brother type, and she the in-control, stand-up-to-anyone tough girl. She intended to keep it that way for both their sakes.
Bad enough that everyone was no doubt waiting at the diner, talking about what had happened. Her father would press for her to move into the cramped bedroom at the house in Rego Park where she’d grown up, but that would be going backward and she would not allow herself to give in to the fear. The airport attack was upsetting, traumatic, but it wasn’t going to derail her progress. Her college classes were starting up again in a matter of weeks, and this time she wasn’t going to take a break until she had that business degree firmly in her possession.
She was grateful that Zach did not seem to