Ice (3 page)

One night, after Paige had come back from a night on the town, they sat and talked honestly about their relationship. They decided that they would always be friends, but their romance had come to an end. After making love one last time, they held each other close, both wondering where their lives would take them, and in the morning, they parted as friends. Neither ever regretted their decision, and over the years, they rejoiced in the other’s accomplishments and love affairs, and offered comfort when things didn’t go as planned.

Standing in Alex’s bedroom, watching as her friend’s face seemed to get redder by the minute, Paige decided to try to offer comfort.

“Maybe you should have taken me up on my suggestion to come to the club last night. It might have helped you unwind.”

“Oh, that would have been a great fucking idea!” Alex yelled as she threw her backpack on the floor. “That’s all I would have needed today! Go to work with a hangover. Great idea, Paige! Bloody marvelous!”

Taken aback by Alex’s outburst, Paige tilted her head as she stared back at her. Crossing her arms, she waited patiently until Alex, in all her fury, returned to earth.

A few minutes passed before Alex finally looked up, and seeing the expression on Paige’s face, her shoulder’s fell. Realizing that she was being a prat, she walked over and kissed Paige lightly on the cheek.

“I’m sorry, babe. That was wrong. I didn’t mean to take it out on you.”

“It’s only for two days, Alex,” Paige said. “I don’t see why you’re so wound up about it.”

Glancing at the bed in the corner, Alex sighed. “I wanted to be here for Sandy.”

Smiling, Paige said, “Alex, I’ve already said that I’d stay and keep an eye on her. I promise not to leave the flat until you get back tomorrow night.”

A weak grin appeared on Alex’s face as she walked over and retrieved the backpack. With a loud sigh, she began stuffing it with the clothing that she had tossed on the bed.

Chuckling to herself as she watched Alex push the wadded up clothes in the black satchel, Paige asked, “Does this have anything to do with Campbell being assigned to the same case?”

“I don’t give a toss about her! It’s Sandy I’m worried about.”

“I just remember the last time—”

“Paige, that was three years ago.”

“Yeah, but you two didn’t exactly get along, now did you?”

“I don’t know how
anyone
can get along with her!” Alex said in a huff. “She’s so by-the-book it’s fucking unbelievable. She’s got to have that bloody thing shoved up her ass, as much as she can quote it, chapter and verse, all the while prancing around in her sensible shoes and power suits like she’s about to be made Chief or something!”

If there was one person on the planet that knew Alex Blake, it was Paige Harrison. She had seen all of Alex’s moods through the years. She had seen her high on life and down on love. She had seen her smile wide when a case had been solved, and she had seen her cry like a baby when a victim had been found just a little too late. There wasn’t much that Alex could hide from Paige, no matter how hard she tried, and right now, Alex was as transparent as glass.

“You like her, don’t you?”

“What?” Alex blurted as she looked up. “Who?”

“You know
who
…Campbell.”

“Paige, you’re daft! She’s a pain in the arse, and if she was any straighter, she’d be a fucking lightning rod!”

Paige’s eyes went wide. Snickering, she said, “Oh, she must be gorgeous to get you this worked up.”

“Fuck off, Paige,” Alex said as she disappeared into the bathroom to gather her toiletries. Emerging a few minutes later, when Alex saw the knowing expression on Paige’s face, her mood softened. Paige was right, and they both knew it. Preferring not to talk about the woman who she would be spending the next two days with, Alex quickly changed the subject.

“You’re going to take care of Sandy for me, right? I mean, don’t leave her alone or anything, and don’t forget the doctor’s number is on the fridge.”

Rolling her eyes, Paige said, “Alex, I know where the phone number is, and I already said that I wouldn’t go anywhere until you get home. She’ll be fine. I promise.”

Seeing Alex pull yet another sweater from her wardrobe, along with a long, black leather coat, Paige asked, “What the hell are you doing? It’s not that cold outside.”

“I was told to bring a warm coat and pack for cold weather,” Alex replied, stomping out of the room.

“Where are you going anyway?” Paige called out as she walked to the corner of the bedroom and knelt by the small bed on the floor.

“I’ve got no fucking idea!” Alex yelled back from the lounge.

Grinning, Paige leaned over and patted the head of a very pregnant five-pound Yorkshire terrier named Sandy. Giggling as the dog returned her affection with a few quick kisses, Paige whispered to the black and tan ball of fur, “Your mum is a complete nutter, but one thing’s for sure, she loves you more than anything else in the world.” Pausing for a moment, she remembered Alex’s tirade when Detective Inspector Campbell’s name had been mentioned. Smiling to herself, Paige leaned over to place a kiss on Sandy’s head. “At least, I think she does.”

Once again, the little dog anointed Paige’s face with lick after lick of love, before putting her head down and covering her nose with a paw.

Walking through the concourse, Alex ran her fingers through her short black hair. As directed by her chief, she had taken a taxi to the airport, and once passing through security, she had been escorted down several corridors to a small lounge and was instructed to sit and wait. Noticing the vending machines, she quickly ordered up a large black coffee, and since no one was around to tell her different, defiantly lit a cigarette. Although Alex was certain that smoking was not allowed, she inhaled the mentholated smoke and smiled, enjoying the fact that she was knowingly breaking a rule…just for the sake of breaking it.

It wasn’t long before boredom set in, and with nothing but housekeeping and gardening magazines to read, she walked to the windows which ran the length of the back wall of the room. Taking a seat, she mindlessly watched as the workers on the tarmac loaded and off-loaded luggage. About to have the last drag of her cigarette, Alex heard the door open, and glancing over her shoulder, she watched as Maggie Campbell walked into the room.

During the ride to the airport, Alex Blake had made herself a promise. She would not push buttons. She would not start an argument, cast a dirty look, or make a derogatory comment. However, defense mechanisms are just that: ways of preventing people from getting too close or from seeing the truth, and as far as Alex was concerned, she had no intention of allowing Campbell to do either. Alex had learned her lesson the hard way, and even though she thought Maggie was the most beautiful woman that she had ever laid eyes on, the woman was undeniably straight. End of subject. Time to push buttons.

Quickly giving her the once over, Alex held back a snicker. Matching the description that Alex had given Paige earlier that morning, Detective Inspector Maggie Campbell’s choice in clothing defined the word nondescript. Wearing a dark-gray jacket with trousers to match, and a pair of black, ankle-high, featureless boots, the only bit of color
not
in the shade of mourning was the maroon cowl neck sweater that Campbell wore underneath the suit.

Curling her lip in disgust at the smell of cigarette smoke in the air, Maggie cast a dirty look in Blake’s direction. Having enjoyed an occasional cigarette during her days at university, Maggie had never been offended by the smell, but smoking in public places was now against the law. She knew it, and so did Alex Blake.

Unable to hold back a smirk at the silent reprimand she was being given, Alex took one final drag before dropping the remainder of her cigarette into her half-empty coffee cup. Tossing it in a nearby rubbish container, she returned to her seat near the window. Glaring back at Maggie, Alex slowly blew the smoke above her head.

Despite being bothered by Blake’s total disregard of the law, the dull throb between Maggie’s temples was all the headache that she could handle at the moment. Simply shaking her head in disgust, she placed her coat and handbag on a nearby chair and headed to the vending machine to get a cup of tea. Pulling a bottle of over-the-counter painkillers from her pocket, she tapped out two, and as soon as her tea was cool enough to drink, she quickly washed them down. Closing her eyes for a moment as if hoping they would work instantaneously, when they didn’t, she let out a long breath and pocketed the bottle. Refusing to look in Alex’s direction, Maggie walked to the small seating area in the middle of the room, picked up a magazine and sat down.

Alex stopped just short of laughing out loud at the cold shoulder she was being given, but after three years, she had become somewhat used to it. Working in the same department, it was inevitable that they’d occasionally see each other during the morning meetings, or while refilling their coffee mugs, but in all that time, Maggie had never said a word, and Alex had been thankful for the silence. She regretted what she had said that fateful night, but every time she found herself wanting to apologize, Maggie would throw one of her patented condescending looks in Alex’s direction. Without saying a word, Alex would walk away, all the while telling herself it was the way it had to be.

Sitting quietly by the window, Alex had observed Campbell take the medication. Deciding that it would be a very long two days if someone didn’t at least try to make an effort, she rose to her feet and walked across the room. Sitting in a chair across from Campbell, Alex debated for a minute before politely asking, “Are you afraid of flying?”

Up until that moment, the only sound in the room had been the hum of the vending machine. Startled by the interruption, it took Maggie a few seconds before she finally managed to blurt, “No, of course not!”

Amused by Campbell’s obvious indignation at her innocent question, Alex tried to explain. “I’m sorry. I just thought…well, I noticed you taking the painkillers, and I thought that maybe you didn’t like to fly.”

“I’ve got a bloody headache, if you must know,” Maggie snapped back. “It’s got nothing to do with flying, and it has absolutely nothing to with
you
!”

Without waiting for a response, Maggie stared back at the magazine in her lap. Embarrassed by her own outburst, and shocked that she had felt the need to tell the woman that her headache wasn’t due to anything Alex had done, Maggie began flipping through the magazine at breakneck speed.

A few minutes later, reaching the end of the boring periodical, Maggie tossed it aside. Casting a quick glance in Blake’s direction, she breathed a sigh of relief, seeing that the woman was no longer paying her any attention.

With her eyes closed, Alex was leaning back in her chair seemingly oblivious to her surroundings
and
to her company. Her long legs, encased in black denim, were stretched across the coffee table, and as Maggie looked at the woman, she couldn’t help but notice the knee-high leather boots that Alex was wearing. Glancing at her own pair of ankle-high, Maggie frowned. Although technically it had only been her superior’s suggestion to wear her warmest winter clothes, as far as Maggie was concerned, it had been a directive. Unfortunately, she hadn’t planned to spend the entire morning in a knock-down, drag-out fight with Glenn, but it was time well spent. She was now without a flat-mate
and
a boyfriend, and not having the time to hunt down her winter boots seemed a small price to pay for the luxury of being single again.

Turning her attention back to Alex, Maggie studied her for a moment. Alex Blake hadn’t really changed much in the past three years. Her hair was still worn short, and her fondness for simplistic, yet stylish clothing was more than obvious. The straight-leg designer jeans and turtleneck jersey she wore appeared new, as the color of both had yet to be washed out by dozens of cleanings. However, in contrast, the fabric of the oxford shirt covering the black turtleneck was frayed a bit at the cuffs, and the once crisp, white Pima cotton had been softened by age.

Noticing that Alex was beginning to stir, Maggie was about to reach for another magazine when she heard the door behind her open. Glancing over her shoulder, she watched as a tall, balding man with wire-rimmed glasses walked into the room. Placing a large shopping bag on the floor, he removed his raincoat, and tossing it on a chair, he retrieved the bag and approached the Inspectors.

“My name is John Harper,” he began, handing Maggie the bag. “You’ll need to put these on.”

Raising an eyebrow, Maggie glanced into the bag. Seeing that it contained what appeared to be old and ragged clothing, she looked up at Harper and said, “Excuse me?”

“I know you were told that you’d be escorting a witness today, but that’s not entirely the case.”

Taking a step closer to the man, Blake asked, “Who the hell are you?”

With a snort, he pulled out his identification, and flipping it open, he stated, “John Harper, Interpol.”

“Interpol?” Alex asked.

“Like I was saying, you weren’t exactly given all the facts,” he said, slipping his identification back into his pocket.

Confused, Alex leaned over and looked into the bag. Seeing the clothing inside, she quickly added two and two.

“Christ, we’re decoys, aren’t we?” Alex said, trying to keep her temper in check.

Nodding, Harper said, “I’m afraid so. Normally, this type of thing would be handled by our own people, but we believe we might have a leak in our department, so we asked the Met for help. We have a woman in custody that we need to keep out of harm’s way. In order to get her out of the country in one piece, I’ve arranged for three teams of officers to pose as the woman and her escort. Each team will leave here today on separate flights, all of which will be heading in different directions. You and DI Campbell will be one of those teams.”

Accustomed to following orders, without saying a word, Maggie headed to the ladies’ room to change her clothes, leaving Harper alone with Alex…and her temper.