Crashing glass jolted Tag Beckett out of an exhausted sleep, and she groaned at the noise. A man swept up the spilled tray beside her. Her head felt like a bowl of Jell-O as she lifted it off the bar. The bartender placed a glass of ice water and a bottle of aspirin in front of her. “They said you’d probably need these,” he said kindly.
“They?” Embarrassed, Tag read Mitchell Int’l Airport, Milwaukee on his shirt. “Do I owe you anything?”
He pointed at three women at a nearby table. “They paid.”
Tag rubbed her bleary eyes, following his hand. Hell. She was about to meet her new team. The two women in dark suits probably were agents, but the third, smaller with dark loose curls, was too relaxed…and damned adorable. The pale green summer dress was mostly business but a little risky. She straightened for a better view.
“Aren’t they amazing?” A female voice came from behind her left ear. An attractive blonde with amused brown eyes was looking at the same table that Tag was. She turned to Tag with a smile. “Your bag’s ID says Captain Tag Beckett, US Army, IIC. If that’s you, I’m Allison Jacob, but call me AJ.” She held out her hand and Tag automatically shook it. “I’d take that aspirin if I were you.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Tag washed two pills down with the water. Trying to stand, she knocked her bag off the stool, but AJ caught it before it hit the floor.
A hand on her shoulder steadied her. “How long since you’ve eaten?”
“Early this morning when I got on the plane.” Tag tugged at her clothes. Her khaki cargo pants looked as if she’d slept in them. She had but remembered changing her shirt in a restroom somewhere. “What time is it?” she said.
“Time to get you some food. Come with me.”
She followed AJ’s easy path through the crowd watching people automatically move out of her way. Of course they did. Taller than average, her new boss was lightly muscled with sun-streaked blond hair and tan skin. And all that authority shining around her. Her almost gold, elegantly tailored suit matched her bright hair. Tag went over things she’d heard about. Allison Jacob had earned a lot of respect, but she was also the woman who’d killed one of her own ATF agents.
The two women in dark suits stood as they arrived at the table. The third stayed seated with a friendly smile. AJ placed Tag’s bag under a chair. “Ladies, meet our new team member, Tag Beckett.”
Both women shook Tag’s hand, strong grips followed by nice grins, and she relaxed a space.
“Bonnie Logan,” the more muscled of the two said, moving her long brown-gold braid over her shoulder.
“Grace Fields,” the other woman said.
“They were supposed to watch for you and get you to the table,” AJ said to Tag. “Are you certain you want to work with them? They’re supposed to have your back.”
Bonnie rolled her eyes. “C’mon, AJ. She was out like a rock.”
“She didn’t even drool.” Grace shot a mischievous glance at Tag.
AJ placed her arm over the back of the chair next to her. “And this,” she said with something else in her voice, “is Katie Blackburn.”
“Hi, Tag, and welcome home.” Katie extended a hand. “Thank God I don’t work for the ATF. These women are relentless.”
Tag held Katie’s hand, feeling about sixteen. Katie was vibrant and yes, adorable.
“How about a steak or would you rather see a menu? The chef is a friend,” AJ said, a smile playing at the corner of her mouth. “You can let go of Katie’s hand.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Tag sat abruptly and felt her face warm.
“The chef has a restaurant downtown, but his wife runs this little business.” AJ sat next to her. “We’re a team, not a platoon, so the ‘ma-am’ isn’t necessary. You’ve done your time and darned well. Here’s the cook.”
A short Asian man in a green T-shirt and white jeans stopped beside AJ. She leaned back, shook his hand, and pointed at Tag.
“Uh, steak, medium rare, baked potato, and house dressing on the salad.”
“Make that two, Jimmy. I’m starving. How’re the kids?” AJ said.
Jimmy held up his hands in mock despair. “The worst kids on the block.” He turned to Grace. “How was the food, Miss Grace?”
“The best Thai in town.” Grace pointed at her empty plate.
Jimmy repeated the orders and left.
AJ shook her head. “He’s still crushed on you, Grace, but watch your back around his wife. She’s dangerous.”
“That’s one of the better chefs in town. You’re in for a treat,” Katie said.
“She’s right.” Grace stood. “I’ll get the drinks.”
“I’ll have what Katie has,” AJ said.
“I’m sticking with water. My final run is tomorrow,” Bonnie called after Grace.
Tag’s numbed brain cleared a bit, and she checked her pocket for her thumb drive, a large part of the reason she was home. Risky business. It wouldn’t involve this group, but AJ would have to know at some point.
“Sorry to be late.” AJ took her drink from Grace. “The meeting ran over, but our task force is a go, and better yet, we’re officially separated from the DEA. The press conference to announce the other task force, the new Milwaukee human trafficking task force, also ran late.”
“Awesomeness.” Bonnie saluted her with a water bottle, rummaged in her suit pocket, and laid a paper in front of AJ. “Bill said you need the report on the bullets from last night.”
There was a loaded silence, and Tag felt the energy around her change into anticipation.
“What?” Katie swiveled to AJ.
“I’ll explain at home.”
“No,” Katie said. “Explain now.”
“I’m okay, I swear.” AJ bent to look into Katie’s face, her hand over her heart. “You were asleep when I got home and gone early so I didn’t get to tell you.”
Tag watched the group’s interaction and wondered how long they’d worked together. Her last deployment in the field had that same close feeling, but the last two years in the office on base hadn’t. She caught Grace’s curious gaze and her heart gave a quick bump. Never in her life had she seen eyes that shade of blue.
A trace of surprise ran across Grace’s face followed by honest interest. “Is it true you’ve done four tours in Afghanistan?”
“First three tours were hard duty, but the last was intel. I rarely left base.”
Grace studied her. “The information said you led the cyber division.”
Tag perked up and smiled. “Is that your gig here?”
“Sometimes.”
“No, Tag, she’s definitely our geek and worked in Cyber Crime for a while. She’s my right-hand woman,” AJ said. “Tomorrow, after you’ve had a good night’s sleep at Grace’s, we’ll go across all of this at the office. We share space with the Milwaukee Police Special Investigations group. And before I forget, are you going to be okay with Grace chauffeuring you around or are you going to whine if you don’t get your own vehicle?”
“Whatever it takes.” Tag tipped the beer back for a long drink.
Grace reached for the necklace that Tag never removed. “What is this?” Grace held the tiny silver pendant in her fingers.
“A dragon from the unit I commanded. We all wore them.”
“It’s beautiful, and thank you for your service,” Grace said. “I never served. I went directly from college into the Bureau.”
“And I was a Milwaukee cop last week,” Bonnie said, moving closer to Grace, her arm possessively over the back of her chair.
“And I’m in public relations and advertising,” Katie deadpanned. “Don’t I get something for battling the boardrooms of Milwaukee?”
“Me.” AJ held up her hands, laughing as everyone threw napkins at her.
Tag felt a little dizzy when the food arrived. The first bite told her they were right. It was out-of-this-world delicious.
After the meal, they walked to the parking garage through lengthening shadows of the late August afternoon. Tag looked up at the seagulls running on the airport’s glass roof and the creamy blue sky above them. Despite her exhaustion, something tight inside her began to uncoil. She could hardly believe she was here. Home.
“Let me get those bags,” Tag said.
“No.” Bonnie switched the luggage away and tossed it into the agency SUV. “You still look like the walking dead.”
Tag watched AJ and Katie get into a beat-up dark blue sedan and looked over her shoulder at Grace and Bonnie. She might look like the walking dead, but everyone except Katie appeared exhausted and they all displayed the same hyper-vigilance.
“The hell…what’s she driving?” Tag said as AJ backed out of the parking space. The big motor growled and then echoed in the parking structure.
“An unmarked police car she picked up down south.” Grace laughed and snapped her seat belt. “You don’t want to mess with that. It’s got a Dodge Charger cop engine, six on the floor, with a 340 hp Hemi V8, heavy-duty brakes, and zero to sixty in seconds. It looks like crap, but it’s all about speed.”
“You should see her motorcycle,” Bonnie said from the front seat. “That car’s like AJ. Appearances are deceiving and you’ll never see it coming.”
Tag leaned forward for another look at AJ’s car, her mind at cross-purposes trying to imagine that striking woman on a Harley.