Free Flame's Dawn by Jillian David Page A

to complete the mission? DEA would’ve loved that slick move. They had no idea what she’d told Thompson.
    Jane didn’t know what she’d said either, and that scared the hell out of her. Not to mention this assignment had nearly killed her.
    So much for her having a purpose in this world.
    What could she tell Barnaby?
    For his heroics this evening, she’d tell him anything he wanted to know. Like it even mattered anymore.
    She took a sip from the water glass Barnaby had proffered before he perched on the edge of the plain coffee table.
    She handed him back the glass. “So. A lot has changed since Vietnam.”
    “I’ll say.”
    “You remember that last night?”
    The light in his blue eyes took her breath away, but she truly shivered when those eyes turned an odd black color. She could barely hear his low response.
    “Impossible to forget.”
    Maybe the warmth up her neck had to do with another wave of fever? “The helicopter took me to one of the ships in the South China Sea. From there, all evacuees were transported to Guam, then flown back to the U.S.”
    Sinews flexed as he rested his elbows on his knees and leaned forward. “I wondered where you’d gone.” His eyes faded to normal blue.
    “Once back in the United States, I was given two choices: finish out my tour in the typing pool or join a new organization, the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, which recently became the DEA, to fight the growing drug problem here in the country. You see, I wanted a career. I wanted something to call my own. I wanted to make a difference. The army wasn’t going to do that for me.”
    “And this did?” His wry grin took the sting away from the truth.
    She studied the brown-on-brown flannel blanket. “At first, I thought so. Unfortunately, the DEA didn’t know exactly how to train women for the missions. Even women coming out of the army.”
    “Did your background in the military help?”
    “Not much. No one knew how to set rules for operation in these types of unconventional situations. But because this People’s Palace stuff was on the top of the DEA’s radar and they were desperate for a high-profile bust, my training got fast-tracked, which is to say, cut short. Once I infiltrated the organization, I tried my best to complete the mission, but things didn’t go as planned. The DEA fired me.” Shame warmed her face. “So I went back to complete the mission on my own. Best laid plans, right?”
    “What about your family? Aren’t they worried about you?”
    Stupid tears pricked, and she blinked hard. “They’re all gone. No siblings. Parents died shortly before I went into the army. No one would have cared if I disappeared.”
    “I cared.”
    No way would she touch that comment. “Which brings up some questions. I saw you die on that rooftop in Saigon. What happened?”
    Odd that he didn’t meet her gaze.
    “I had just stepped into the stairwell when the explosion hit.”
    “No. That’s not right. I saw you standing right there on the roof.”
    His voice went hard and sharp, like the edge of a knife. “It was a crazy night. You must have been mistaken in what you saw.”
    But at his narrowed glare, she snapped her mouth shut on a follow-up question. Message received. “What about tonight? How did you end up at that hospital, Barnaby? Damned convenient if you ask me.”
    His wry smile twisted something both hopeful and uncomfortable deep in her belly.
    “I’m a lucky guy. I’ve been spending some time in San Francisco for the past few years.”
    “You just happened to be working at the hospital where I was treated?”
    “Stranger things have occurred.”
    “Let me get this straight: You didn’t blow up on the roof where an explosion went off. And you’re just hanging out in San Francisco for the hell of it?”
    He glanced at the beige shag carpet. “I, ah, had a lot of time on my hands. Why not spend it in San Francisco?”
    A heavy weight of sadness pressed on her ribcage. “Time. Got