Stop it.
His radio crackled. "Chief, Jenks' lawyer is threatening to file a complaint about the delay."
"On my way, Graceline."
He pulled into the station's lot, but his mind kept circling back to two questions: Why could Spike Jenks suddenly afford a Sacramento lawyer? And why couldn't he stop thinking about Izzy’s defiant eyes?
He locked the watch in evidence, filled out the chain of custody paperwork with his usual precision. At least Eugene would sleep tonight knowing he wasn't harboring stolen property. The thought almost made him smile.
Cory straightened his uniform and headed for the interview room. Time to deal with actual criminals instead of lost watches and beautiful women who protected vigilantes. Even if those women had the kind of courage he secretly admired.
Even if they were magnificent when angry.
4
The late afternoonsun slanted through the hangar doors at Hope Landing's volunteer medical evacuation facility, Mountain Angel Air Medical, painting golden stripes across the concrete floor. Izzy lay on her mechanic's creeper underneath the Bell 407, checking hydraulic lines for the third time in twenty minutes. The familiar scent of aviation oil and the rhythmic clink of tools should have been soothing, but her mind kept wandering to ice-blue eyes and rigid principles.
"You planning to marry that hydraulic line, or just date it exclusively?"
Martha's voice made Izzy roll out from under the helicopter. The seventy-two-year-old mechanic stood above her, holding two cups of coffee and wearing her trademark smirk. Martha had been one of the first female A&Ps in California, and she could still diagnose an engine problem faster than mechanics half her age.
"Just being thorough." Izzy accepted the coffee gratefully, sitting up on the creeper.
"Uh-huh." Bill wandered over from the fixed-wing he'd been inspecting. The former Navy pilot moved with the careful shuffle of someone whose knees had seen better decades."That's the third time you've been thorough with that same line. What's eating you, kid?"
"Nothing. Just missing my team. They're in Alaska dealing with an avalanche situation."
Martha and Bill exchanged one of those looks that made Izzy feel like she was sixteen again, getting caught sneaking in after curfew.
"So..." Martha's tone shifted to something sly and dangerous. "Heard you had breakfast with Cory Fraser at Tailwinds this morning."
Izzy nearly dropped her coffee. "What? How did you?—"
"Marge saw you two." Bill's grin widened. "Said it looked pretty cozy."
"Cozy?" Izzy sputtered, heat rising in her cheeks. "He practically arrested me for eating eggs. It was an interrogation, not a date."
"Mmm-hmm." Martha's eyes danced with mischief. "The lady doth protest too much, methinks."
"Besides," Izzy set her mug down with more force than necessary, "dating Cory Fraser would be like dating a parking meter—rigid, inflexible, and always demanding exact change."
Martha snorted. "Parking meters don't look that good in uniform."
"You're not helping." Izzy glared at him, but her traitorous mind conjured up the memory of Cory's broad shoulders, the way his uniform fit just right?—
Her phone buzzed, saving her from further interrogation. She grabbed it eagerly, expecting an update from her team.
Ronan: Alaska is FREEZING. How's paradise?
She smiled, typing back quickly.
Paradise is great if you enjoy Axel's empty snack drawer mocking you.
Another text popped up before she could pocket her phone. Unknown number, but something about it made her stomach clench.
Can't wait to see MY daughter. See you soon
The world tilted.
