Free Linda Kay Silva - Delta Stevens 3 - Weathering the Storm by Linda Kay Silva Page A

really? And just how successful have you been in that venture?”
    Connie’s eyes glistened. “I’ve had better successes.”
    “I’ll bet.” Releasing Connie’s hand, Delta patted her on the top of the head. “And how successful have you been with yourself on those Elson nightmares?”
    “Much better. Gina has been a big help. Once we established that they weren’t guilt-induced, they disappeared. He only appears after late night Mexican food or David Lettermen reruns.”
    “Good for you.”
    “And yours?”
    Delta shrugged. “Every night. It hasn’t stopped. Even after two weeks off, I’m exhausted. I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in a long time.” Seeing Tony approach them, Delta inhaled slowly and felt the muscles in her shoulders tighten. Everything about him made her cringe.
    “Hey, pard, you ready to roll?”
    Delta and Connie exchanged pitiful glances. No cops they knew called their partners, “pard.”
    Turning to him, Delta smelled the powerful scent of Brut aftershave hovering about him like an invisible cloud. “We’ll roll, Carducci, when I tell you we’ll roll. I don’t know what they’re teaching in the academy these days, but here, we muster before we hit the streets. You do know what muster is, don’t you?”
    Bowing his head, Tony pulled his hands out of his pockets and ran them over his slick black hair. He was as Italian as his name: dark brown eyes set against olive skin and black wavy hair that swirled down the back of his neck. His shoulders were broad and tapered down to a flat stomach and small waist. Delta would never admit it, but he was a handsome young man who had turned many heads in Harry’s Bar the other night. Still...
    “Cut me some slack here, okay? I’m just a little excited about my first night, that’s all.” Tony smiled one of his patented grins.
    “Well, hose yourself down, because if we’re going to do this, we’re going to do it right.”
    “Fine by me. I’ll see you at muster then.” Turning on his heels,
    Tony Carducci disappeared into the adjoining room.
    “Think you were a little hard on him?”
    “You heard him. You saw how he operates. You tell me.”
    Connie turned back to the monitor and shrugged. “I think you have your work cut out for you. He’s definitely going to be a challenge.”
    Delta looked at the invisible trail left by her new partner. She imagined the trail to be the fumes of his potent cologne. “Thanks. I don’t like the idea of going out to the streets with such a loose cannon. The challenge won’t be how to train him.”
    “It won’t?”
    Delta shook her head and started for the muster room. “Nope. The challenge will be how to keep us both alive.”
    “Then it’s up to us to keep your hunk of manly man on the up-andup.”
    Delta turned her head and grinned. “Us?”
    Connie nodded. “But of course. You do what you need to do on the streets and I’ll dig and see what I can come up with. Trust me on this, Del.”
    “Why? Another aura?”
    Connie laughed. “Something like that.”
    Before Delta could reply, the door to the muster room opened and Tony stuck his head out. “Muster’s about to start. You coming?”
    Delta sighed loudly and nodded before turning back to Connie. “The Boy Blunder awaits. Any last minute advice?”
    “Yep. Keep him in front of you whenever he has his gun drawn. I hate the thought of finding out he inadvertently blew the back of your head off.”
    “Nice thought.”
    Reaching out to Delta, Connie lightly touched her shoulder. “Be careful out there, Storm. He makes me nervous.”
    “Affirmative.” Wheeling around, Delta was surprised to find Tony’s head still sticking out the door.
    “Did she call you Storm?”
    Delta only nodded as she brushed by him through the door.
    “Cool. What a great handle. I thought my nickname was bad, but yours is really cool. Well, Storm, let’s r—”
    Turning on him and finding his height equal to hers, Delta went nose-to-nose with