Chapter 3

Standing in the parking lot of a redneck gun range was not Melinda’s idea of a good way to spend a Thursday evening, but the situation demanded that she take some steps to protect her people. Several of the lead engineers on the Bird-4 project had been killed over the past four weeks.

There wasn’t a chance that the deaths were anything other than direct attacks by an enemy force. No one would buy the explanation that an ambush by a dozen attackers along a residential street in a bedroom community was a simple mugging. Three engineers died in that manner. After the project manager had been killed, his replacement had been given an armored car. The first failed attack was followed up with a direct assault on his house. No one in the family survived. Additional attacks had killed two other engineers.

No one knew for a fact what group was behind the deaths, but just about everyone had their own theory. Among the usual suspects were the Russians, Chinese, and Al Qaeda. There were even some who believed the North Koreans were making sure that nothing interfered with their weapons program. Melinda belonged in the camp that suspected the Chinese.

The upshot of the situation was that she had to scramble to find protectors for her people. The most logical source of protection would have been the federal government, but the project was not officially a military effort. Too much attention by the typical federal agencies would raise concerns about the project coming under the wrong kind of scrutiny. Getting the effort killed by Congress was just as effective as getting it killed by a hostile enemy.

Unable to protect her people in a suburban environment, Melinda had moved the project to an isolated area in Utah. The engineers and their families were housed in mobile homes in the middle of nowhere. When the attacks changed nature and were directed at the research facility, she turned to a mercenary company to provide protection. Hiring WhiteIce Global had brought a complete halt to the attacks.

There was only one small problem. One engineer would not live in Utah for more than three days a week and demanded a more personal level of protection. That is what brought her here. She knew nothing about the guy she was supposed to meet except that his name was A. A. Ables and he went by the nickname ‘Tripp.’ Mike O’Connor, her favorite pain in the ass, wouldn’t accept anyone else.

The rear wheels of the monster truck spun when the driver floored it after making the turn into the graveled parking lot of the gun range. Melinda could hear the sounds of rocks hitting the highway sign that stood across from the entrance to parking lot. She had wondered why the sign had looked so ratty. Now she had her answer.

The truck slid to a stop ten yards from her. The bright head lights and row of lights across the top of the truck blinded her. She threw up a hand to protect her eyes from the blinding light. She muttered, “F•©king jerk.”

She looked over to see what the security man who had come with her was doing. A sick feeling came over her when she didn’t find him standing beside her. The lights on the truck went off. She turned to see the guy who she had come to meet.

In the dark, she couldn’t see the occupant of the vehicle. She looked over to the side hearing the security man approach. He was not smiling. Looking over at Melinda, he said, “You didn’t say that you were here to meet Tripp.”

“You know him?”

“Her,” he corrected.

A small woman climbed out of the monster truck. She said, “I’m a her.”

“I thought we were waiting for a guy,” Melinda said unable to believe that such a small woman would drive such a large truck.

“Hello, Tripp.”

“Howdy, Jimbo.” She ran a hand through her short hair.

“Where is Deuce?”

“He’s in the tree line watching you,” Tripp answered gesturing off to the side.

“He’s still not pissed at me, is he?” Jim Boynton asked.

Melinda tried to follow the conversation recognizing that there was a bit of history here. It was about that time that she noticed something a little odd. She said, “There’s a red spot on your chest, Jim.”

Glancing down at his chest, Jim gave a single fingered salute in the direction of the woods. He shouted, “If you’re going to shoot, at least aim for my ass. I can’t afford to be laid up for long.”

The reply echoed across the field. “Considering how far up your ass your head is, I’d hate to risk hitting your brain.”

“Very funny,” Jim said noticing that the red dot had disappeared.

“So have you reconsidered my proposal?” Tripp asked.

“I’m not marrying you,” Jim answered feeling more than a little uneasy by the predatory way in which she was watching him.

“You’ll marry me,” Tripp said with confidence. “No one can resist a romantic proposal like the one I gave you.”

“You ambushed me at the airport.” The first time he had met her, she had bushwhacked him on his return from Afghanistan at the airport. He had just gotten off the plane with Andy ‘Deuce’ Ables when the small woman had jumped on him and announced that she was going to have his babies right after they got married. It was almost enough to drive him back on the plane in the desire to return to the safety of Afghanistan.

“I went to a lot of trouble to propose to you. I had to buy a ticket to get through airport security so that I could meet you at the gate.”

“You don’t know me.”

“Deuce told me all about you and your adventures in his letters home. I spent hours looking at your pictures.” She turned to Melinda and said, “Look at him. Have you ever seen a man so well built? I bet he’s got a nine inch cock in those pants.”

“Excuse me,” Melinda said shocked by the comment. She had come there to hire Tripp for a protection job. The last thing she expected was to have a woman discussing the size of a man’s package.

“Quit talking about me like I’m meat,” Jim said.

“So you’re the woman that my Cousin Mike is going to marry,” Tripp said ignoring Jim’s comment.

“Cousin Mike? Marry?” Melinda asked. “Are you talking about Mike O’Connor?”

“Yes.”

“You’re related to Mike O’Connor?” Melinda asked in shock.

“Mike says that you are a smart woman. I think he said that your IQ is in the upper one percentile. You got your doctorate from Carnegie-Mellon at the age of twenty-four. Mike really appreciates a woman with brains,” Tripp answered.

“He’s an asshole,” Melinda said wondering how Mike O’Connor knew her IQ.

“That’s what Mom calls Dad,” Tripp said with a grin. She added, “She was a star in the roller derby until she met up with Dad. They fought like cats and dogs until he pinned her on the floor during a late night wrestling match. The rest was history.”

“Your mother was a star in the roller derby?” Melinda asked. Images of hard looking women elbowing each other while skating around a track came to mind.

Tripp said, “She’s a good looking woman, but tough. You don’t want to get on her bad side. Dad said it was love at first sight.”

“Does your mother agree?” Jim asked wryly.

Tripp laughed and said, “It took him some time to convince her that she loved him.”

Melinda was startled when a man stepped out of the dark and stopped beside her. He looked her over and then asked, “Is this her?”

“Yes,” Tripp answered with a curt nod of her head.

“Wow. You have to admit that Mike has good taste in women. I’m sure that he’ll have hours of fun playing a game of connect the dots with her freckles. I know that I would,” Deuce said examining Melinda appreciatively.

“I’m sure she’ll enjoy it just as much as he will,” Tripp said.

“I’m not playing connect the dots with your cousin. He’s an asshole,” Melinda said. She couldn’t help noticing that Deuce bore a strong resemblance to Clint Eastwood.

“You sound just like Mom when you say that,” Deuce said.

“Arg!”

“She’ll make a good wife for him. I bet they have real smart kids,” Tripp said.

Deuce looked over at Jim. Sounding like a big brother giving advice to his little brother, he said, “You could learn something from my cousin, Jimbo. He sees what he wants and goes after it. Tripp is an attractive woman and you could do worse than getting married to her.”

“I’m not marrying your sister,” Jim said shaking his head.

“You don’t have to feel insecure just because she’s a better shot than you are,” Deuce said knowing that would get a reaction out of Jim.

“She’s not a better shot than me,” Jim said knowing that he had made a mistake the moment the words were out of his mouth.

“How about the last time you two were at the target range?”

“She grabbed me between the legs when I was firing,” Jim said hotly.

“Let’s face it -- you lost. Your shot was nowhere near the target,” Deuce said. “I had bet twenty bucks on you. I’m still pissed about that.”

Nudging Melinda with an elbow, Tripp said, “Don’t you love a strong man? He’ll put up a good fight knowing that he’s going to lose anyway. I find that stimulating in a sexual way.”

“You might as well give in and marry her, Jimbo,” Deuce said. He wasn’t looking forward to another evening listening to his sister talk about Jimbo.

“Is your entire family crazy?” Melinda asked.

Jim said, “I wish I was back in Afghanistan. It was safer there.”

Deuce patted Jim on the back and said, “Aren’t you happy that we’re going to be working together again?”

“Not really,” Jim answered watching Tripp out of the corner of his eye. The way she watched him was unnerving.

Tripp said, “Don’t forget that I’ll be there too.”

Deuce laughed at the expression on Jim’s face and said, “Don’t look so worried, Jimbo. She’s an Ables. We’re all warriors in the Ables side of the family, even the women.”

Melinda said, “Enough about who is getting married to whom. I just want to get down to business.”

“So who am I supposed to protect?” Tripp asked.

“Mike O’Connor,” Melinda answered.

Deuce shook his head and said, “Those O’Connors and Connors. They are always calling on us Ables to save their asses. You’d think that people with their brains would learn how to stay out of trouble.”

“I know what you mean. Remember when Mike and Steve were in elementary school?” Tripp asked elbowing her brother in the side.

Deuce said, “How could I forget? Those two were bully magnets.”