Lindsay McKenna – Mission: Christmas: The Christmas Wild Bunch / Snowbound with a Prince (страница 2)

“I see,” Dallas murmured. “So it’s just as you said—a wild woman to tame a wild bunch.”

Carl chuckled. “Sort of, but your record is impressive and impeccable. You helped to create the BJS without any blueprint, without any help from our government. And you did it successfully. I believe you have exactly what it takes to manhandle these three rogue pilots of mine. Otherwise, I’m going to have to get rid of them, and that would be a terrible loss. In particular, Agent Mike Murdoch has helped shape how we hunt and halt the air-to-ground smuggling originating out of the state of Sonora. He and his buddies just need, well, I’m hoping, a woman’s touch to bring them around.”

“What was your last X.O. like?”

“Agent Bailey Turner was a hard-nosed and by-the-book kind of man. He was an ex-Army pilot, and had spent a lot of time in Afghanistan before joining the ATF five years ago.”

“You’re saying his management style didn’t put a dent in the Wild Bunch’s antics and behavior.”

Giving her an admiring look, Carl said, “I’m impressed with your immediate grasp of the situation.”

Dallas felt another inner glow at his praise. “I often find it more useful to ask questions than give orders. Your three ATF agents are obviously a talented and skilled group. My instinct would be to work with them and observe, until I understand what’s going right and what needs reshaping.”

With a sigh, Carl sat back in his chair. “You’re a godsend, Dallas. Your management style will be just what the Wild Bunch needs.”

Dallas heard the unmistakable sound of two small planes landing on the asphalt runway nearby. As she peered out the window, she saw a Cessna turbo Stationair 206 flash by. In her new assignment, this tough workhorse plane would be her home, instead of an Apache helicopter. Fortunately for her, she was licensed to fly fixed wing aircraft as well as helicopters. Dallas was sure it was one of the reasons she’d got this job.

“Ah, the Wild Bunch is back. Good.” Bennington gave her a searching look. “Murdoch is the head of the group. Everyone looks to him. He’s a rebel with a cause. Unfortunately, he just went through a nasty divorce, and I know he’s not feeling kindly toward women right now. Be prepared, Dallas. I’m hoping he won’t drop a load of prejudice your way, but you never know.”

“Forewarned is forearmed,” Dallas answered. “May I go introduce myself to the men?”

“Let’s meet them at the reporting area. They’re supposed to file their flight reports at ops, and then we can talk with them. That’s a good place to introduce you as my new X.O. and the fact I’m making you the fourth member of their group.” Rising, Bennington pulled his dark blue ATF cap onto his head. “Come on, Dallas. Time to meet the Wild Bunch.”

Mike Murdoch had just finished scribbling his signature on a report when the door to their small ops room opened. Brilliant morning sunlight slanted into the space where he and the other two pilots sat. After recognizing Bennington’s lean, wolflike frame, he turned to the person standing behind him. Since the X.O. had left a month ago, Murdoch figured it was his new boss. The light was so bright he couldn’t make out any details yet. Unhappily, he glanced at Jake Gardner and Bob Howard, who were still working on their reports at the large rectangular table. Scraping his chair loudly across the hardwood floor, he stood.

“Agent Bennington?” he said in a growl. Usually, their C.O. hid behind his desk in his office, a fact that made Mike happy as hell. The less the head ATF agent messed with them, the better.

“At ease, everyone,” Bennington said, and stepped aside. “This is our new executive officer, Major Dallas Klein. Major Klein, let me introduce you to our pilots.”

Murdoch stared in surprise. The tall, slim woman in the green flight suit blew him away. A woman? Impossible! They’d ridden roughshod over the last X.O. just to get the bastard to leave them alone so they could do what they did best—finding and downing drug smugglers. But…a woman? Mike scowled as he took a good look at her, noting at once how confident she seemed, her shoulders thrown back with pride. She had an oval face with olive skin, and her sable-colored hair barely brushed the collar of her flight suit. Mouth tightening, he tried to ignore his body’s response to this very attractive woman.

Meeting and holding her unusual golden eyes, Mike realized she was different, not a type he’d ever run into before. Oh, there were women ATF agents, for sure, but not in their game, and certainly not cowboys riding the border to flush out drug smugglers. He saw an alertness in Klein’s gaze that made him uncomfortable, as if he were staring into the eyes of a golden eagle—eyes that missed nothing.

“Major Klein, let me introduce you to our men,” Bennington said. “Agent Mike Murdoch has been with this border unit for two years.”

Dallas felt a riffle of danger as she stepped forward and offered her hand to the scowling agent. He was in his early thirties, she guessed, as she gazed into the glacial blue eyes trained on her. There was no welcome in his square face, his thinned mouth. Tension radiated from his body, which had to be six feet tall. Still, Dallas found his craggy face handsome, even shadowed as it was by a five o’clock beard. His green flight suit showed off his powerful male body, the sleeves carelessly rolled up to just below his elbows.

“Agent Murdoch,” Dallas said, stepping forward and thrusting out her hand. She deliberately maintained eye contact, and by the way he tensed his hard jaw and flashed her a steely look of competition, she knew she would have her hands full dealing with him. She saw his gaze flit from her face to her proffered hand, obviously weighing whether to shake it or not. Not to do so would be a flagrant sign of disrespect.

Dallas waited. She wasn’t about to take no for an answer from this pilot. A few strands of his short, black hair fell across his furrowed brow, giving him a boyish look. Where was the boy within him? Dallas wondered. Could she reach that hidden side of him, instead of the cold male who clearly didn’t want her to step into his world?

“My hand is getting tired, Agent Murdoch,” she said with a slight smile, hoping to break the ice.

He thrust his arm forward. Surprised at the warmth and firmness of her handshake, he jerked his hand away, as if burned. “Major Klein, welcome to the Wild Bunch,” he muttered, though he knew he didn’t sound the least bit sincere. Slanting a glance to his left, where Jake and Bob sat, he saw their jaws had dropped over the fact that a woman was going to be their X.O.

“Thank you, Agent Murdoch.” Dallas turned, and as her boss introduced the other two pilots, they shook her hand promptly.

Bennington smiled quizzically. “This morning you’ll give Major Klein your reports on the activity you encountered. She needs to get her feet wet.” Then he looked squarely at Mike, whose scowl was deepening by the second. “Murdoch, you’ll no longer be flying solo. I’m assigning Major Klein to team with you.” He glanced at the other pilots. “Jake and Bob will continue to fly together. ATF regs require a pilot and copilot on our missions, so Major Klein’s involvement will bring us up to speed. As soon as she’s steeped in your drug interdiction routines, and trained up through your experience, she’ll take over strategy and tactics on missions.”

“Yes, sir,” Mike said gruffly.

Dallas felt the rage churning in Murdoch as he snarled out the words. Bennington didn’t react, nor did she. Okay, he’d thrown down the gauntlet, judging from the look in his icy blue stare. Dallas got the message and the challenge. The flash in his slitted gaze was enough to chill anyone. She wouldn’t call it hatred, but damn close. Girding herself internally, she told Bennington, “Thank you, sir. I think we’ll work things out between us.” She eyed the other two seemingly less hostile pilots. Jake and Bob appeared more stunned than angry. That was fine. She would use her gender as a way to open up a positive front with them.

“Excellent. I’ll see you later, Major.” Bennington excused himself.

Jake and Bob quickly scrambled to their feet. They both made excuses and hastily left the office. Dallas felt the coming confrontation with Murdoch. His shoulders were tensed, his hands clenched at his sides. But she wasn’t about to let him walk all over her.

Once the door closed, she held his glare. “Let’s sit down, Mr. Murdoch. I’ve got a lot to learn, and Agent Bennington said you were the go-to person.” She pulled back a chair near where he had been sitting. “Shall we get to it? I’ll only take about an hour of your time, because I know you’ve been out flying for five hours and you must be tired.”

Puzzled, Mike jerked back the chair at the end of the table. Whatever he’d expected, it wasn’t this. Her voice was husky and warm at the same time. She’d just given him an order, yet framed it in such a way that he couldn’t take umbrage. He sat down and tried to disregard her beauty. Right now, he felt like a dog circling a cat, wary and distrustful. Who was she? And what kind of background did she have to be an X.O. in an elite operation like theirs?