When I Found You
highlight_author
Kate James
highlight_reads
17,1K
highlight_chapters
21
Chapter One
“THE PILOT’S BRINGING the plane back?” Ariana Atkins, chief of security and asset protection for the San Diego International Airport, swiveled away from her desk and stared at her senior security manager.
“Yeah. The plane is on its way,” Max Golding responded. He was leaning against Ariana’s door frame, a hand tucked into the pocket of his stylish dress pants. “You know as well as I do, it’s the pilot’s call.”
“Two vacation-going women bound for Barbados overindulge in their duty-free alcohol purchase, are drunk before the plane is out of our airspace, get into a fight on board, and the pilot declares it a security risk and decides to turn the aircraft around? Have I got that right?”
“That sums it up.” Max straightened. “I was told the flight crew had trouble calming them down.”
He moved to Ariana’s desk, fiddled with her mouse and called up the security camera footage he’d emailed her of the women at the gate.
“They were inebriated before they boarded! The gate crew shouldn’t have let them on that flight.”
“I can’t argue with you about that. The San Diego Police Department is sending a team to meet the plane.”
This was news to Ariana. “Why? We can handle two drunken women ourselves with the SDPD officers assigned to the airport.”
Max shrugged. “I would’ve thought so, but one of the charming young ladies uttered a threat against the crew and passengers. She said, and I quote, that she’d blow them all to kingdom come.”
Ariana rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “Great. Just great.” That added weight to the pilot’s decision to bring the plane back.
As far-fetched as it was that one of the women involved in the altercation might have a bomb on board, the United States Transportation Security Administration required that all such incidents be taken seriously.
They’d have to hold the plane away from the terminal building until they had confirmation that there were no explosive devices on board. Only then could it taxi to a gate.
Her stomach rumbled and she glanced at her watch. She’d missed lunch. It wasn’t likely that she’d be having dinner anytime soon either.
“I can handle this, Ariana, if you want to go home.” Obviously Max had heard her stomach, too. “You’ve averaged ten-hour days all week. You deserve some downtime.”
She rose, grabbed her jacket from the back of her chair. “Thanks, but I’m okay. We’ve all been putting in long hours since the budget cuts. Besides, we could be dealing with a lot worse than two drunken women and a planeload of understandably disgruntled passengers.”
“True.” Max’s iPhone pinged several times in quick succession. He checked the incoming messages. “Game time. The plane has landed, and two members of the SDPD K-9 Unit are on their way and authorized for the airfield. Oh, did I mention the plane has a fighter jet escort?” he said over his shoulder as he exited her office.
Ariana groaned at the absurdity of that. She followed Max out and locked her door. “I trust they’re doing it as a training exercise rather than out of a belief that it’s a matter of national security. And to make our day even brighter, we can look forward to spending time with Brody,” she pointed out, referring to SDPD K-9 Unit officer Tom Brody, who was the airport’s primary contact when dealing with bomb-related threats or drills. Brody’s explosives detection canine partner, Nitro, was as efficient and effective as they came. Despite her phobia of dogs, Ariana had a far greater level of unease with Brody.
“No, we won’t,” Max interrupted her musings.
“Sorry. What?”
“We won’t be seeing Brody again. He’s no longer with the police department.” Max’s grin was bright and white, a sharp contrast against his dark complexion. “You hadn’t heard?” he asked as they jogged down the escalator.
She shook her head. “What happened?”
“The department is trying to keep it quiet, but I was told he’d been on the take from one of the Mexican drug cartels. In addition to his other endearing qualities, he reportedly had a gambling addiction he had to feed. Even worse, there was something about a personal vendetta against one of his colleagues.” Max’s smile dimmed. “From what I understand, it’s sordid stuff. If the allegations are substantiated and he’s convicted, he’ll do a long stretch of time.”
Ariana let out a hiss of disgust. How on earth did guys like that get on the police force when they’d rejected her because of a simple heart murmur? She understood the rationale intellectually—but emotionally it festered. “Who are they sending instead?” she asked.
The smile was back on Max’s face. “The captain of the K-9 Unit, Logan O’Connor. The renowned Jagger himself!” he added, bringing up the captain’s police department nickname.
Oddly, Ariana had never met the captain during the year she’d been in her job. It wouldn’t take much to be an improvement over Brody, but she’d heard O’Connor was a first-rate cop and an admirable leader. She was about to find out if that was true.
* * *
LOGAN O’CONNOR WAS feeling mean as a badger. He was on his way to the San Diego airport to deal with an absurd situation involving a couple of inebriated women uttering a bomb threat on a plane. And he was doing it after a long day, following another mostly sleepless night. To add to his annoyance, this was a call that Tom Brody should’ve been taking, if he hadn’t been suspended from the department. Logan shook his head, as much in frustration as to clear his groggy brain.
He couldn’t spend many more nights consoling Becca over her broken heart, or he would lose his sanity. Sometimes relationships just weren’t meant to be.
No wonder he preferred the single life—easy and commitment-free. The promise he’d made to himself because of his mother was important, but so was avoiding complications.
What he wouldn’t have given to spend last night in his own bed. Instead, he’d sat with Becca on her sofa. When she’d ultimately cried herself out and drifted into a troubled sleep, he’d carried her to her bed. Then, as the first tentative streaks of pink and orange had stained the sky, he and Boomer, his explosives detection canine partner, had left Becca’s apartment to return to his own house.
By the time he’d changed, gulped down a strong cup of black coffee, ate a stale muffin and made it to work, he was just in time for the start of his shift.
When he’d finally left the division, the call came in about the situation at the airport. Thanks to Brody’s transgressions, Logan was now the only explosives detection handler on the K-9 Unit. Instead of going home, he was heading to the airport to inspect a plane that almost certainly didn’t contain any explosive devices. At least it would be an opportunity for him to observe rookie K-9 officer Shannon Clemens—whom he was still assessing for a specialization—to see if she had a feel for explosives detection.
Logan stopped his SDPD-issue Ford Explorer at the security gate leading to the airport’s infield and lowered his window. He showed his badge to the security guard. He saw Shannon pull up behind him, and the guard inspected her credentials, too. While he waited for the gate arm to be raised, he rubbed his forehead in an attempt to relieve the dull ache that pulsed there.
The gate arm rose and Logan followed the pavement markings to the aircraft’s designated holding area. He’d been advised the plane had just landed and that security was already there, along with the SDPD officers currently on duty at the airport.
Nearing the location, he saw two airport vehicles and an SDPD cruiser. Three civilian males and a female were standing by the cars, along with two policemen. Logan’s attention was immediately drawn to the statuesque brunette in the middle of the group. She was slim, and dressed in narrow-legged navy pants, a matching jacket and practical, low-heeled shoes. Her dark hair—and she seemed to have plenty of it—was coiled in a bun at the nape of her neck.
He parked beside the cruiser and released Boomer from the back of his vehicle. Affixing the dog’s leash to his collar, he waited for Shannon to park and do the same with her dog, Darwin.
As they approached the group, Logan could see that the woman had light blue eyes, a dramatic contrast to the olive skin and dark hair. He noted the strong cheekbones, arched eyebrows and full, unpainted lips. Along with the stunning looks, she appeared capable. From the confident stance and the air of authority, he could readily see she was in charge. Based on that and the fact that she was the only female in the group, he guessed she was Ariana Atkins, head of security for the airport. He hadn’t met her before, but he’d heard she was good...and tough. They’d neglected to mention she was beautiful, too.
The three men gathered around her must have been members of her team. The cops he recognized as being from the airport contingent of his division.
Logan greeted the officers first, then extended a hand to Ariana. Although she offered hers, her gaze swung to Boomer and she seemed to withdraw from him.
Well, what do you know? She doesn’t like dogs.
“Boomer, sit, stay,” Logan commanded. “Ms. Atkins. I’m Captain Logan O’Connor.” When he released her hand, she moved slightly to her left and away from where Boomer sat sedately.
Logan introduced Shannon and the two dogs, and also shook hands with the members of Ariana’s team.
“Thank you for coming, Captain, Officer Clemens,” Ariana said, keeping a cautious eye on the dogs.
When Boomer opened his mouth to pant, Ariana took two small, hurried steps back.
“Ah, here’s the plane in question,” she noted, looking over Logan’s shoulder.
They watched the Boeing 767 wide-body, twin-engine jet taxi slowly into place. A deafening roar briefly drowned out all other noise as a fighter jet soared overhead. Incredulous, Logan turned to Ariana. “A fighter jet escort?”
She shrugged. “Probably a training exercise.”
“That would make sense.” Logan was having trouble keeping his eyes off her. It was more than her appearance. There was an indefinable quality about her that appealed to him. He forced himself to concentrate on the situation that had brought him to the airport. “Nothing came up on the two women involved when we ran them.”
Ariana nodded. “That corroborates what we know. Not surprising. The two women are barely out of college and this, we’re told, was supposed to be a celebration of the start of their so-called independence.”
“Heck of a way to start.”
“I hope their field of study wasn’t law. This little fiasco is likely to leave a smear on their record.”
Logan noticed the slight curving of Ariana’s lips and returned the smile. He was feeling distinctly better than when he’d arrived. Damn, she was beautiful. In addition, she was clearly smart and had a sense of humor. She was the whole package.
He directed his concentration to the approaching plane. It shimmered in the dry heat rolling in waves off the asphalt. He couldn’t resist a sideways glance at Ariana. Her body was angled toward the aircraft. Loose strands of dark chestnut-brown hair fanned around her face. The sharp line of her cheekbone, small straight nose and what he could only think of as pouty lips, drawn in a straight line as she watched the plane advance, made for a profile as striking as her face head-on.
Focus, O’Connor. You’re here to do a job.
Ariana’s phone signaled an incoming call. She stepped away, had a brief conversation and walked back.
“They’re ready for us. We’ll get the mobile staircase in place. Those buses—” She motioned to their right. “They’re for the passengers, to take them to the terminal building once you’re finished with them.”
Another car pulled up as she was speaking. It was marked with the United States Homeland Security crest and the words Transportation Security Administration. A tall, slim man with a slight hunch to his shoulders and thinning blond hair got out and approached them.
“This is Federal Security Director Angus Stewart,” Ariana said. “FSD Stewart, meet Captain O’Connor and Officer Clemens of the SDPD K-9 Unit.”
“FSD Stewart,” Logan acknowledged the other man, mildly surprised by the lack of strength in his handshake and the clamminess of his palm. He had an immediate dislike for the TSA director. Judging by Ariana’s body language, she wasn’t a big fan either. “You don’t have explosives detection dogs at this airport?” Logan asked to confirm.
“No. We mostly rely on electronics trace detection technology.”
Logan wasn’t about to get into a debate with Stewart about the relative merits of the two methods of detection. The data showed that dogs were far superior in terms of accuracy and cost effectiveness.
“The report stated that the women were already inebriated when they boarded. Why were they let on the plane to begin with?” Stewart asked.
“Good question, and one I would like the answer to, as well,” Ariana responded.
“If someone had done their job, it could’ve saved us all a lot of hassle.”
The cat’s-eye shape of Ariana’s lids, which hinted at some exotic heritage, narrowed as she held Stewart’s gaze. “FSD Stewart,” she began in a voice that could have doused a raging fire. “Of course you’re aware that passenger boarding is the responsibility of the airline.”
Prickly, Logan thought, but somehow that just made her more intriguing.
“Yeah, I’m aware of that. If the women were that drunk, shouldn’t the people doing the boarding have called security?”
Her light blue irises were icy as a glacier, but she remained silent. Logan had the odd sensation of wanting to squirm even though her steady-eyed scrutiny wasn’t directed at him.
“They didn’t call security nor did they report it to their own management, correct?” Stewart persisted. “They just took the path of least resistance and let the women board.”
“That’s right.”
“This is a ridiculous and unnecessary use of our time due to sloppy procedures,” Stewart sneered.
Despite the improvement in Logan’s disposition, the headache that had been brewing behind his temples began to throb. He longed for his bed. He shifted from one leg to the other. “Yeah, I can understand your frustration,” he cut in. “You must have a lot on your plate, implementing all those recommendations from the Inspector General’s office.” He resented Angus’s jabs at Ariana. He put it down to how tired and irritable he was that the nasty comeback was out of his mouth before he realized it. He’d implicitly referenced the colossal failure of the TSA in a covert testing of its practices conducted by Homeland Security’s Office of the Inspector General a year ago. The classified results had been leaked and were very much in the public domain. Included in the recommendations was one for the TSA to introduce more dogs, especially at larger airports. Angus must not have gotten the memo.
Angus’s sharp intake of breath told Logan he’d hit the mark. He noted that Ariana’s expression remained inscrutable, but her eyes sparkled. She mouthed the words “thank you.”
He acknowledged it with a slight incline of his head and, when Angus wasn’t looking, a quick grin.
They waited as the mobile staircase was moved into position.
“If everyone is ready, we can start the deplaning,” Logan said and glanced at Stewart for confirmation. The FSD didn’t seem eager to take charge. TSA had jurisdiction, but without detection dogs there was little they could do in this situation. “Okay, then.” Logan turned to Ariana. “Two hundred and six passengers and crew in total, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Boomer and I’ll check them for explosives before they board the buses. Officer Clemens and Darwin will assist. Once the passengers are all off, we’ll sweep the aircraft.”
“I’ll need you to take the two women involved to the division,” Logan addressed the other cops. “Ms. Atkins,” he turned to her again.
“Ariana is fine.”
“All right, Ariana. I would appreciate it if members of your team could hold all passengers until we’re done with the aircraft.”
She nodded. “Of course.”
“Anything you’d like to add?” Logan asked Stewart.
“No. Let’s get this done,” he grumbled.
Man, no wonder TSA had problems, Logan thought as the passengers started to disembark.
Although Darwin was still in training, Logan had Shannon do the primary check of passengers with her dog. It was good experience under low-risk conditions.
They deplaned the two women first. The other passengers followed, their irritation apparent. Who could blame them? They were losing valuable vacation time.
Logan did his best to ignore the pounding in his head, and to be polite and pleasant as he and Boomer did a brief secondary check. When all passengers had disembarked, he and Boomer, aided by Shannon and Darwin, went to work on the aircraft itself. An hour later, and with the headache hammering so hard behind his eyes it made it almost impossible for him to see, Logan led Boomer down the stairs, Shannon and Darwin right behind him.
“Good job, Shannon.” He bent down to scratch Darwin’s ear. “You did great, too,” he praised the dog. “I’ll see you tomorrow to debrief,” he said to Shannon.
“I can go back to the division with you now, if you’d like.”
Logan couldn’t fault her for enthusiasm, but going back to the division was the last thing he wanted to do. “Thanks for offering, but there’s no need. We can cover it tomorrow.”
“Great. Thanks.” Shannon said her goodbyes and headed back to her SUV with Darwin.
As Logan and Boomer walked back to where Ariana, Max and the others waited, all eyes were on him, but it was Ariana’s gaze he held. It surprised him that he felt a powerful tug of attraction despite his blinding headache. “The aircraft’s clear,” he announced, trying not to stare at her. “There was no sign of explosives on board. Not unexpected.”
Ariana glanced at Boomer, but held her position. “No, it’s not,” she agreed, her gaze lingering a moment longer on the dog. “You’ve taken the women into custody?”
Logan nodded, and just that slight movement made his head feel as if it was about to explode. “Yeah. They should be on their way to the division by now.” He glanced around, noting that Stewart and his car were gone, too. “What happened to the FSD?”
“He had more pressing matters to attend to.”
There was that hint of a smile again. Logan wished he was feeling better so he could’ve taken some time to get to know her. That wasn’t happening today, though. “Nice to meet you. Thank you for your cooperation,” he mumbled and started to move toward his vehicle.
“That’s it?” Ariana called after him. “Officer Brody usually stayed on site to discuss the incident with us.”
Logan turned back. He nearly winced from the sharp pain that cleaved through this head. “I’ll write up a report at the division. You’ll have a copy tomorrow.” Answering his phone when it vibrated, he trudged off with Boomer beside him.
* * *
ARIANA STOOD WITH the other members of her team and watched Logan’s retreating back. He was tall and fit, as would be expected for his job. The short-cropped black hair and the way he moved would have told her “cop” even if she didn’t already know it. She hadn’t expected to like him, but she did. He’d scored major points with her when he’d taken that shot at the FSD. Two other area airports were part of Angus’s responsibilities along with San Diego International. The average failure rate for the covert testing of the three was actually higher than the abysmal national average of 95 percent. And, Angus loved to criticize her.
Ariana liked the spirit Logan had displayed. Not many people would go toe-to-toe with a Transportation Security Administration director. Yet he appeared weary as he walked away. Uncharacteristic, from what she’d heard about him.
She felt a flutter in her belly, and this time it wasn’t caused by her unease with the dog trotting along beside him.
She hadn’t intended to eavesdrop on his telephone conversation, but since her attention was focused on him, she unintentionally overheard his side of it.
“Look, Becca, I’m sorry I left while you were sleeping this morning, but I can’t be with you 24/7. I have a job, for Pete’s sake! You’ve got to...”
He was too far for Ariana to hear anything else. She found herself unexpectedly—and unreasonably—annoyed at what sounded like the cop having walked out on his girlfriend. Or was she bothered by the fact that he had a girlfriend?
Ridiculous!
She might have found him attractive, with that rough and rugged, macho thing he had going on, but she wasn’t interested in him...or anyone. Her career came first. She’d been in her job for barely a year, and in the airport industry that was nothing. In addition, she’d always avoided relationships in the workplace. Logan might not be employed by the airport, but it was close enough. Also, based on what she’d heard, he was seeing someone.
“Well, that was an incredible waste of time and money.”
Ariana spun around to face Dave Langdon, one of the supervisors in her department. A former SDPD officer, he’d worked at the airport for over ten years, first as a security guard and the last four as a supervisor. Dave was one of the people who consistently made her feel like a newbie. Conversely, she’d questioned time and time again why Dave had been kept on as long as he had. He might have experience, but his work ethic was lacking and she couldn’t find a kinder phrase to describe him than “mean-spirited.” She knew he’d applied for her job, and it didn’t surprise her that he’d been passed over.
“Do you have a problem with the FAA protocols, Dave?” she retorted, referring to the Federal Aviation Administration.
“Nah. It’s just a lot of trouble for two drunken women. You know how the airport’s CEO and the board are all about keeping expenses down these days. This’ll cost us and the airline.”
“What would you have done differently?” Ariana asked, her voice cool and professional. It wasn’t her style to challenge an employee in front of others.
Dave had defied her authority before. It had never been overt enough for her to call him on it officially, but it had been an undercurrent since she’d been in her position. Now he was sounding a lot like FSD Stewart and doing it in front of two other members of her team, who stood silent and watching.
“It always has to be your way, doesn’t it? Those of us who’ve been on the job would do it differently.” He stalked off before she could respond.
And there it was again. That disdainful tone he used with the innuendo that he was better than she was, because he’d been a police officer. She didn’t think Dave had any way of knowing about her failure to get on the force because of her health condition, but he seemed to like dropping those little barbs. She’d worry about that later.
Seeing the outrage on Max’s face, she gave him a look that left no doubt that she didn’t want to talk about Dave. The other security officer, a young man she’d hired recently, was obviously uneasy with what he’d heard, if the pink tips of his ears and the fact that he was preoccupied with studying his shoes were indications. She couldn’t be concerned about his reaction either. Right now, she still had work to do.
Dave hadn’t been far off in his “waste of time and money” comment, she thought as she drove back to the terminal building with Max. She’d already squandered at least five hours of her own time getting the report writing and follow-up done. Considerable departmental resources had also been expended. Since the cuts, she didn’t have a lot of room in her budget.
She understood that as nonsensical as it might seem to have brought the plane back, the pilot had no real choice once a threat had been made, despite the considerable expense to the airline and the airport. She hoped the women had learned an important lesson.
It had been a shock, although not an unpleasant one, to learn that Officer Tom Brody was gone from the police department.
She wondered again how a guy like Brody had been able to get on the force in the first place.
Ariana’s thoughts veered back to Logan as she unlocked her office. She was glad that she wouldn’t have to see Brody again, although she wasn’t convinced that SDPD K-9 Unit captain Logan O’Connor would be easier to deal with, for entirely different reasons.
As much as Ariana tried to concentrate while she worked on her report, Logan kept creeping back into her thoughts. It was obvious that he knew what he was doing, and it would be difficult to find fault with him professionally from what she’d seen. And on a personal level? When Logan smiled, he was hard to resist. But what was all that she’d overheard about him sneaking out on his girlfriend in the middle of the night?
She was attracted to him, no question, but he was definitely off-limits.
With her mind wandering, Ariana lost track of where she’d been in her report to her boss. She had to finish it before she could go home. She refocused, and ten minutes later she clicked Send. The email, with her report attached, was on its way to Calvin Murdoch, the airport’s chief executive officer.
The final task of her day complete, she felt as if she’d crashed into a wall. She hated to think of the mood she’d be in tomorrow, if she didn’t get home and recharge.
