Devil’s in the Details (59 page)

She shook her head curtly, "No, I was just invited to tea by a mutual friend in the corner. Seems they happened to be in the area and stopped by to say hello to the Academy Superintendent." She pulled out a small matchbook from her inside pocket, reaching over to jam it into mine. "They wanted me to give you this."

My jaw was clenched tightly, along with my free hand hearing Dani's code phrase for the old man, "Did they say if they were staying? Maybe I could catch them before dinner."

Dani shook her head, smiling painfully, "Nope, rushed out on a phone call. Also had a copy of Dante’s Inferno in their pocket." She held my eyes, silently communicating that she wanted to get the hell out of here now that the old man had made a surprise appearance with my least favorite plumber, Dante. I scanned the room, looking for either the old man or Dante’s smug face peering out from a shadow. I didn’t like that the old man and Dante were growing closer, it meant many things. One of them being that my time frame to ask for retirement was growing smaller.

I saw the impromptu appearance of the old man and Dante rattled Dani as much as it enraged me. "This place is too stuffy for me and Lieutenant Cable keeps hitting on me. I’m about to slug him." Dani smirked, rolling her eyes for Alex's benefit, "You think these uniforms would come with manners, but they clearly don't."

I knew in the tone of Dani's voice, the old man had seen Alex with me, picked up on our interactions. The note on the matchbook would be a code phrase that would lead to an interesting conversation at Voltaire's evaluation Dani and I were two weeks out from. I could deal with the old man then, I just had to figure out how Dante fit into the picture.

"Anyway, I’m heading to Goaties over by the rower's quad to be amongst normal pigs." She looked at Bo, throwing on a genuine smile, "Alex, you look stunning and forgive my loose boozy lips. I seem to forget my manners regardless of the fact that I look like a butler in this outfit." She motioned over her dress uniform, "Take care of the Professor here." She then looked at me, her green eyes always telling me a thousand things in one glance. "Professor, enjoy the rest of your night."

I nodded, "Thank you, Dani." As she took a step away, I grabbed her arm, "Take it easy at Goaties and call a cab."

Dani laughed, patting my hand, "I will." She glanced at Alex, before whispering so only the two of us could hear, "I will work faster on getting you out and why the fuck Dante is suddenly in the family picture." Dani turned and walked out of my grasp.

"She's very aggressive and uptight, two things that I never thought I would see in one person at the same time." Alex's voice drew me back into the present reality. I faced her, she had a soft smile on her face, shaking her head at Dani's departure like a confused parent of a teenager.

I sighed, drawing a calming breath in, "The military does that to a person, plus she was already uptight when the Navy trained her to be aggressive." I slid my hand up to the crook of Alex's elbow, "Shall we go to our table? I see Ward waving us over."

Alex nodded, taking my lead and with every step we took to the dining room, I took one more calming breath in. Desperate to calm my rushing blood and pounding heart down.

If the old man had seen what I know he did, Alex was now exactly where I never wanted her to be.

On Voltaire's radar.

I chalked it up to Victoria being worried about Dani, the quick change in her demeanor when the semi-drunk redhead strutted over to us, rambling about a mutual friend stopping by. I would have asked more about it, but Victoria's eyes told me it was nothing more than her annoying Navy buddy being annoying and she returned to the attentive woman I began the night with.

Plus, I wasn't going to let Dani and her weirdness ruin this amazing night. I was truly enjoying being around all of Victoria's fellow officers, especially Ward who was sitting next to me. He was a witty, intelligent and kind man that engaged me in conversation, making me feel like an equal in the room full of gold bars and stiff uniforms.

He seemed to bring out a side of Victoria that was one I only saw in the bedroom first thing in the morning when she woke up and had little time to fall into her head, or whatever thoughts that had her often creasing her brow as the clouds filled those beautiful eyes of hers.

I could see Ward was a father figure to Victoria and it made me happy to see another side of her that didn't only exist in the walls of her home.

Throughout the dinner, she laughed, cracked jokes and never let her hand leave me unless it was to grab salt or to refill my water glass. It all made me smile and my heart swell to the size of Texas of how much I loved her and loved every single side I was slowly getting to see of the blonde.

Then dessert came and Victoria went into her jacket pocket to grab my lipstick I had asked her to carry when I ran out of room in the tiny thing, filling it with Ward’s business card and a handful of mints I took from the bathroom. Along with the lipstick, Victoria also pulled out the matchbook Dani shoved in there. I caught a glimpse of her reading the inside flap of it while handing me the lipstick.

Her face changed, her jaw twitched and the clouds swarmed in like a quick squall. I leaned over, whispering to her over Ward speaking up at the front of the room announcing it was that time of the evening to hand out this year's faculty awards, "Are you okay?"

Victoria smiled tightly, shoving the matchbook back in her pocket. "Of course." She turned her attention to Ward.

I knew what was happening, she was retreating. Whatever was written on that matchbook had disturbed her happiness and brought out the cold, careful woman I had spent a year trying to break through to.

Placing a hand on her leg, I squeezed, "What's wrong? I know something is up. What did Dani write on that matchbook?"

Victoria shook her head, eyes still forward, "It's nothing, Alex." She motioned to the half-eaten cheesecake in front of me. "You should eat the rest, it's the best in Maryland."

I sighed hard, "Victoria, don't do this."

She faced me, "I'm not doing anything." She tried to smile around the dark clouds swallowing up her irises, "I just find this part of the evening boring." She then patted my hand on her leg, turning back to listen to Ward’s speech.

I slid my hand from her leg, I was irritated now. Pissed off. She was falling back into her old habits, the ones that almost tore us apart and I didn't want to make a scene, but I wasn't going to put up with it.

I looked at her, deciding to ask her to go to the bathroom with me so we could talk without so many ears around us, when the sound of her name coming from the front of the room caught my attention.

"As you all know, Commander Victoria Bancroft has been the academy's military history and tactics Professor for the last few years now. She has managed to keep the midshipmen entertained as well as bringing up the overall class scores in that program curriculum that has us all astounded. I remember how utterly bored I was in that class as a midshipmen and having to struggle to stay awake and not drool on my desk." Ward chuckled with the room, "Aside from her magical gift of keeping students awake, she is alumni, she is a hero, a veteran and my friend. Now, this is normally where I close up the awards portion of the evening and call upon us all to head to the dance floor with full drinks, but tonight I have one last thing before we dance the night away."

He cleared his throat. "I spent a lot of time with the Commander on a boat, taking her back home from the desert. I learned a million things about her, her incredible brilliant mind for detail, her quiet kindness and fierce courage that saved many lives over a few days in May." Ward paused, his eyes turning glassy, "I also learned that her biggest regret was missing her graduation ring ceremony because she had chosen to take an immediate duty station the day after graduation. Hence never receiving her class ring."

I turned to look at Victoria, wiping a tear from moving father down her cheek. I watched as she hung her head down, lost in memories that weren't good memories. I was still irritated with her, but it was fading fast as I watched the woman struggle silently. I reached for her hand when Ward called for her to come up, "Victoria, if you would join me up here, I have something I want to give you."

Victoria moved to stand from her seat, when she looked right at me, her face softening ever so slightly, but the storm in her eyes was still present and starting to frighten me.

Before I could say anything, Victoria suddenly leaned over, kissing me on the cheek and whispered right under my ear, "I love you, Alex."

She looked away from me, leaving the table and me completely dumbfounded at what she just said. I knew I should have been feeling ecstatic that Victoria finally said it, but instead I was angry. Angry that it literally fell out of her mouth like Dani said it would. Falling out of her mouth like she was asking me to pass her the salt and it felt like she had to say it, not because she wanted to.

Chapter 19

I was overwhelmed. Lost in my head trying to sort out why the hell the old man would be here, while trying not to fall apart at the gesture Ward had presented me with. My head was jumbled and a twisted ball of emotions and I barely heard the applause or acknowledged Ward handing me the class ring. All I could do was stand there, smile and bite the inside of my cheek to hold back from crying.

I held it together as Ward and I took the photographs, and when he shook my hand and hugged me. I kept my composure shaking hands with most of the faculty and other esteemed guests. By the time I returned to the table, I had almost recovered to continue showing no emotion other than what I wanted others to see.

Then I looked up, my view falling right on Alex sitting at the table, holding her water glass and talking to Ward's wife next to her. She glanced at me, and I saw the fire in her eyes. It wasn't the bright fire, born of love and lust. It was one that telegraphed implicitly that she was angry, very angry.

I reached the table as the others stood up to make their way to the dance floor and the bar, patting my back with smiles as they passed. I went to sit down, clutching the burgundy ring box in my palm. "Alex, would you like to dance?" I swallowed hard, noticing the waver in my voice. I was struggling with keeping it together and it was difficult to hold up the steel walls with her.

She shook her head, smiling tightly, "I'm okay. I think I’m going to step outside for some fresh air, it's warm in here." Pushing the chair back before I could get it for her, she wouldn't look at me, "I'll be back inside in a few minutes. You should go and mingle with the others."

I bent my head down, confused at the sudden change in Alex. "Alex? What's wrong?" I looked over my shoulder at the flood of white and black moving out of the room, "I had no idea Ward was going to do this, it caught me off guard." I took in a deep breath, thinking about Ward’s gesture and how the old man crashed the party.

Alex shook her head, "I just need a minute or two to clear my head from the cocktails." She walked away before I could stop her, heading towards the double doors that led to the front courtyard.

I was completely confused now. I knew I had shut down after reading the old man's note. Opting to burrow deep into my internal cave and reel in the ultimate desire to destroy Voltaire before the night was over.