Vortex (SAI Book 1) (4 page)

Joel flipped his friend off and strode upstairs. “I’m going to take a shower. Help yourself to a beer.” As he made his way down the hall, he knew what Grady had said was true. He was becoming more of a hard-ass, and his sense of humor was long gone.

After dropping his clothes into the hamper, he stepped into the shower. As the warm spray hit his back, he tried to relax his muscles. The idea of being stuck with Vivi and resisting his attraction was going to be all kinds of hell. And that’s what he was going to have to do. She was a forever kind of person, and he definitely wasn’t.  

Dipping his head under the water, he knew this was probably as good as it was going to get for him. The idea of taking a chance and opening himself up again wasn’t something he was willing to do. Even with a woman like Vivi. No way. She had heartbreak written all over her, and he didn’t have another one left in him.

Joel walked into his kitchen and noticed Grady had made himself comfortable. He had a beer in his hand and was watching Sports Center. They were doing a review of the upcoming NFL Honors Award show, and a picture of Chase Bedford flashed on the screen. “He came with Ronnie to the office today. You missed seeing your favorite player.”

Grady turned in his chair and shrugged. “Carly told me already. I wish he was still playing. My team needs him. I think he retired too early.”

“That may be true, but you have to admire the guy for knowing when it was time to let someone else have a chance. The young kid that SF has now is doing okay.”

“Okay doesn’t take you to the championship game,” Grady grunted.

Joel grabbed a beer out of the fridge as well as a couple of steaks and flipped on his indoor grill. “Tell me about the case you’re on.” He walked around the counter, slid into a chair, and studied his friend.

“I’ve only been on it for a couple of days, and I still don’t have a complete picture. I’m working with the daughter of the owner of the trucking company. She runs the show for the most part, and she’s working her ass off to make sure that everyone thinks she’s capable.”

“Is she capable?” Joel asked.

“Yeah, definitely. She is smart, tenacious, and fucking beautiful. We irritate the crap out of one another. I can’t tell if it’s because we’re so much alike or because we’re attracted to each another. If we don’t kill one another, then we’re probably going to end up married.”

Letting out a bark of laughter, Joel tipped back in his chair. “Well, at least it won’t be boring.”

“I don’t know why you think it’s so funny. You have the same thing with Vivi. I’ve seen the two of you together, and there are sparks flying as you guys trade insults.”

Standing slowly, Joel felt his muscles tense. “I don’t know why everyone thinks she’s so sweet. All I get from her is disapproval.” He walked over to the counter and started preparing the steaks for the grill. The way he was slamming the salt and pepper on the counter might be an indication of how much Vivi DuMond affected him. Whether he admitted it or not.

“You’re always giving her a hard time and snarling at her while your eyes undress her. No wonder she behaves the way she does.”

He ignored Grady and decided to change the subject. There was no way that he wanted to discuss his mixed-up feelings for the doctor. “Tell me why you think the theft of the cargo and what’s happening with Vivi’s clinic is connected.” Joel put the steaks on the grill, and the scent filled the kitchen.

“Prescription drug theft is on the rise. It’s happening at small clinics, drug stores, and doctor’s offices all across the country. Now warehouses are being targeted as well as trucking companies that transport the drugs. The group of people who are targeting the trucking company are into some serious shit. My contact at the DEA is suggesting that large sophisticated crime syndicates are behind the heists. It’s not a group of local thugs who are pulling off the major thefts. When Carly told me that Vivi’s clinic has been targeted, it made me realize that something big is happening. All I have right now is a bunch of puzzle pieces, and I don’t know how they fit together yet.”

Pulling potato salad out of the fridge, Joel contemplated how much danger Vivi was in. The picture that was starting to form made him realize it was graver than he initially thought. “I’m heading up there tomorrow with Dane and Ben. Let’s stay in contact, and hopefully we can solve the case before the body count becomes too high.”

“Agreed,” Grady confirmed.

CHAPTER THREE

Vivi sat in her office and tried to concentrate on the paperwork in front of her. It was vital that they didn’t lose the funding for the free prescriptions they offered. It seemed that news of what was happening at the clinic had caught the attention of the directors of the Federal Healthcare Program. Their funding made the program possible, and she needed to find a way to reassure them that they had things under control. Rubbing her temples, she let out a sigh. There had to be a way to spin this that didn’t make it appear as bad as it was. Straightening the corners of the paperwork, she tried to think of a way to explain the two bodies that had ended up inside their doors.

Just as she was about to start on the forms again, her door flew open and Trinity came barreling in. “Sweet Lord of mercy…there are three
very
good-looking men in our waiting room. They said that Ronnie sent them. Apparently, we need help.” Sweeping her hand over her hair, Trinity beamed at Vivi. “I think the help that I have in mind is much different than theirs.”

“Here…to help us with what? Are they football players, or baseball players? Does my baby sister think that we’re so desperate that she needs to send us dates? If that doesn’t beat all…”

“Quit whining and put some lipstick on. You look tired.” Digging through the purse that sat on the corner of the desk, Trinity found a tube and shoved it at Vivi. “Hurry up, Ruby is practically drooling over the one with blond hair and a beard. If we don’t get out there quickly, then she may drag him off to an exam room.”

Vivi slid some color on her lips and straightened her scrubs. “Did they say who they were?”

“The one who seems to be in charge said he has a company called SAI.”

Vivi quit fussing with her clothes, and her shoulders slumped. “Darn. It must be Joel. He doesn’t like me and is always giving me a hard time.”

Trinity dragged her out of the office and moved toward the front of the clinic. “There isn’t a person alive who doesn’t like you.”

“Oh, yes there is, and his name is Joel McDade.” Walking as slowly as she could, she tried to come up with a plan to get rid of him. As quickly as possible. There was no way she wanted to handle the problems with her clinic, the Feds, the DEA, and Joel. There was only so much that a person could be expected to deal with. Having
him
hang around and growl at her would tip her over the edge of sanity. “I’m going to get rid of them. We don’t need any help. We have Gideon, the FBI, and Uncle Buck.”

“You may have to convince Ruby of that, because it looks like she wants to keep Ben around for a while.”

“I’ve met Ben. He can stay. Let’s just get rid of Joel.”

Trinity swiveled and stared at her. “What?” Vivi said.

Tossing her hair over her shoulder, Trinity shrugged. “Nothing. I haven’t seen you react so negatively to someone since Timmy Budrow in fifth grade. And that was only because you had a crush on him.”

“This is nothing like Timmy,” Vivi replied sternly.

They both entered the waiting room and were greeted by three big men who appeared like they were capable of taking over a small country before lunchtime. Ruby sat at her desk with a look of awe as she studied Ben. It seemed that he was harboring similar feelings, because he was looking back at her the same way. 

“Hey, you all, what brings you to our little corner of the world?” Vivi called out. She thought if she killed them with kindness, then she might be able to get rid of them faster.

“Hey there, Dane.” Vivi leaned up on her tiptoes and offered the strikingly handsome man a hug. He gave her a good squeeze and smiled down at her.

“You always promised to make me dinner, so here I am,” Dane replied.

“Oh, you devil, that is a long way to come for some of my jambalaya.” Tipping her chin toward Ben, she laughed. “It seems that Ben is already under the spell of one of my best friends.”

Joel stepped toward her, and she girded herself for what was about to happen. She didn’t think it was going to be anything good, so she plastered a friendly smile on her face. “Hello, Joel.” She put out her hand and had to wait a second before he grasped it. “Did you need a flu shot?”

The way his eyes scrunched up told her he was about to blast her with a nasty reply. Squaring her shoulders, she tried to appear unfazed.

“No, Vivi. I didn’t come up here for a flu shot. We came because Ronnie told us you’ve been having some trouble.” Rolling his shoulders, he exhaled. “She asked us to help you out and make sure that you’re safe.”

Crossing her arms over her chest, she tried to keep the fake smile on her face. “I appreciate you all coming over, but I think you made the trip for nothing. We have the NOPD and the FBI working on the case, so were in good hands. I do appreciate it, though. We’ll make you all dinner tonight, and then you all are free to go home. No need to hang around here.”

“Oh, yes, there is,” Ruby replied. “We could use a real security system and maybe some good locks and those cameras on the outside, so we know who is after us.”

Ben leaned against the desk and gave Ruby an approving nod. “I like the way you think, Ruby. You can never have enough safety measures in place. We have to make sure you three girls are safe.”

“Oh, yes, Ben. I couldn’t agree more.” She rested her cheek on her fist and stared up at the big man in front of her. “You smell so good, my goodness.”

Dane leaned over and spoke quietly to Trinity. “I bet you a hundred bucks that they have their tongues down one another’s throats by dinnertime.”

Smirking, Trinity shook her head. “That’s a sucker’s bet. They’re not going to make it an hour. Those two are going to be in an exam room in thirty minutes. Ruby’s been a widow for five years, and she’s been operating on an extremely thin thread lately. I hope to God that your friend has taken his vitamins, because he’s going to need them.”

Throwing his head back, Dane let out a big laugh. “I like you, Trinity. And I look forward to making sure that you’re
safe
as well.”

Stepping back, she let her eyes drag slowly over Dane from the tip of his full head of dark hair, over his large shoulders and even larger chest, and all the way down to his feet. “Well, I don’t usually go for men who are better looking than me, but I may decide to make an exception with you.”

“A man can only dream,” he replied.

***

Uncle Buck tottered through the front door and stopped in the center of the room. “Who in the hell are these men? I can’t be gone for an hour without the three of you getting into trouble.”

Vivi moved toward him and took his arm. “Quit fussing, old man. Ronnie sent them up from Florida. Apparently, we need protecting.”

Settling himself into a chair, he studied the men again. “I told Ronnie about what was happening here, and she must have contacted them.” Sitting back, he smiled smugly at the group. “I’m glad to know that someone in the family takes me seriously. And I thank you for coming up to make sure my girls are safe.”

“No problem, sir. We are happy to do this,” Ben replied, as he grinned at Ruby.

“Oh…my…Gawd! Why are you always interfering? You made these poor men come all the way over here because Ronnie thought we needed it. Lord save me from the good intentions of my family,” Vivi snapped. “I apologize that you all made the trip unnecessarily.”

“Have you told them that the three of you are the Bermuda Triangle of women?” Buck inquired. He lifted his bushy white eyebrows and gave his niece a disapproving look. “You should warn them just in case.”

“We haven’t gotten to that part of the program yet. We like to know people for longer than five minutes before we start exposing our deep dark secrets,” Vivi replied.

Slapping his knee, Uncle Buck let out a snort and addressed the men before him. “The three lovely women before you each have a husband dead and buried. This right here is the widows’ club. Enter at your own risk.”

Trinity stepped forward before Vivi’s head blew off and she lost her mind. “Let’s not worry about none of
that…yet
. They’re not staying, and we’re not marrying again, so everyone should come out of this little encounter just fine.”

Vivi stared at the door longingly and calculated how quickly she could get through it and into her car.
I could just get in and drive to the closest airport and fly back to Yemen.
The people who said that being with MSF was dangerous clearly had never met her family and friends.

Before she could fully formulate a plan, two large boots appeared in her line of vision.
Damn!

“Vivi, can I speak with you in your office for a few minutes?” Joel inquired.

Raising her eyes slowly, she shrugged. “Sure.” She should have just made a break for it when she had the chance. Now she was stuck.

Vivi entered her office, took a deep breath, and let her lungs fill with the calming scent of lavender. She had a big pot of it on her bookshelves and hoped it was going to give her the peace she needed to get through the next ten minutes. Settling into her chair, she crossed her legs and pasted a pleasant expression on her face. “Thank you for coming down. Sorry to waste your time.”

“No time has been wasted. This is a serious situation, whether you realize it or not.”

Vivi sat forward, and her smile slipped slightly. “I do realize it, and I trust that the NOPD and the FBI are going to solve the problem.”

“Why would you settle for amateurs when you have three SEALs who are willing to take care of you? I have never met a more stubborn woman in my life. You clearly care about the people who work here. Why would you put them in danger?”