“You know, the two of them together could be dangerous,” Dar remarked, darting a sidewise glance at her father, who grunted and gave her a half nod. She turned into the parking lot of the doctor’s office and parked, then got out and waited for him to join her as they walked towards the entrance. “Maybe we should have called him first. I’m not sure it’s really fair to spring you on him this early in the morning.”

“He’ll live.” Andrew pulled the door open and gestured for her to go Eye of the Storm 283

inside. “B’sides, if he’s gonna keel over, least it’s in a doctor’s office.”

“Dad, he’s the doctor.”

“Got nurses, don’t he?”

Dar chuckled and went to the sliding glass windows, ignoring the buzzer and tapping on them lightly. The panel slid aside, revealing a young girl in jeans and a T-shirt. “Morning, Aliene.”

Dr. Steve’s daughter waved. “Hi, Dar. He’s in back. G’wan in, he’s exp—” Aliene’s jaw sagged in shock as she looked up and over Dar’s shoulder. Her eyes widened for a long moment as she leaned forward.

“Uncle Andy?”

“Hey there, squirt.”

“Holy shit! Hey, Dad!” The girl slid the panel all the way back, scrambled right through the window and hurled herself at Dar’s father with heedless abandon. Dar got out of the way and just watched with a smile on her face as Aliene enveloped the older man in a hug.

“Aliene, what in the world are you yelling? Hey, where are you?”

Dr. Steve’s voice came through the door. “Oh, hello Dar.” Dr. Steve poked his head through the window, looking for his daughter. “What’s going on…out…here?” His words just wound down as his eyes met the ice blue ones looking back at him from over his daughter’s shoulder.

“’Lo, Steven,” Andrew murmured, releasing Aliene with an awkward pat on the back.

Dr. Steve pulled his head in and shut the window, then came around the receptionist’s desk and out the door into the waiting room. He came right up to Dar’s father and stopped. “My god, it is you.”

“Pretty beat up, but yeah.” Andy held out a hand and it was slowly clasped and held. “Good t’see you.”

The doctor shook his head in wonder. “I can’t believe it,” he breathed, then turned briefly to Dar, who leaned against the wall with a quiet smile on her face. “I can’t believe it.”

“Believe it.” Dar pushed off the wall. “Listen, I’ve got a plane to catch. You two can spend the rest of the day swapping tales, but Dad’s got to take me to the airport first.”

“Pushy little thing, ain’t she?” Andy drawled, sticking his hands in his pockets.

Steve just laughed softly. “My god. All right. C’mon back, the both of you. Aliene, call your mama and tell her who just walked in my door.”

He guided them into an exam room and turned his back, visibly collecting himself before he turned around and came at Dar with a hypodermic needle the size of New Jersey.

Dar backed up, her eyes widening in alarm. “What the hell is that for?”

“I told you I needed to take blood,” the doctor scolded.

“With a harpoon? What do I look like, a fur seal?”

Andrew snickered. “Y’ere such a big baby.”

“You don’t like them either,” Dar accused, pointing a finger at him.

Then she took in the amused looks and sighed. She backed up and 284 Melissa Good hoisted herself up onto the exam table with a distinct glower. “Fine.” She presented her forearm and watched nervously as the doctor swabbed her arm with alcohol and iodine. “So. What is it you found?”

“Hang on.” Dr. Steve pulled off the cap of the needle with his teeth and probed her skin, putting pressure on a vein expertly before he very gently inserted the sharp point. “There.” He looked up at Dar. “Not so bad, hmm?”

“Mmm.” Dar peered at her father, who was studiously examining the tongue depressors. Then she looked back up into Dr. Steve’s face, surprised to see a look of gentle compassion there. The doctor removed the needle, having gotten his blood sample, then patted her cheek and put the cap back on.

“Okay, Andy, you can turn around now.” Steve chuckled. “All right.

Let me tell you what the lab said.” He put the needle down, opened a drawer, pulled out a file and opened it. “I can’t say I’ve seen this before, because I haven’t, Dar, but from what they tell me, it’s pretty nasty stuff.”

Andy circled him and peered at the paper.

“I asked the lab if it could have been on something like a chair,” the doctor continued. “They didn’t seem to think so, but they didn’t have any really good ideas on how you came into contact with it.” He paused. “Or where it came from, for that matter.”

“I kin tell you that,” Andrew said softly, but with utter seriousness.

“That there came out of a United States Gov’ment laboratory.”

They stared at him. “What?” Dr. Steve murmured.

Andrew took the file out of his hands, walked to the window, and tilted it to the light and studied it. The sun came in and splashed across his uneven, scarred features which had gone quite still and cold. Dar got up off the table and walked to him, rubbing her arm. “What is it, Dad?”

Andrew cocked his head and regarded her with steady intent.

“Someone,” he said with unusual clarity, “done meant you harm, Paladar.”

She felt a definite chill. “Are you sure? Maybe it was just something I picked up at that alley.”

“Finding this at a bowling alley is about as possible as you sprouting wings and flying to the moon,” her father stated flatly. He handed the folder back to Dr. Steve. “It is kept in a small packet and held on yer fingers with a wax paper.” He held up two fingers. “One hit will make you sick as a dog. Two will do worse.”

Dar felt like she’d been hit with a baseball bat. “C’mon, Dad. That’s too melodramatic. I’m not a character in a supermarket thriller.” She tried to shrug it off. “Can’t I just have had a damn bug? Or food poisoning?

Granted I’m not the most liked person on earth, but I can’t believe someone would try to slap poison on me.”

“Dar,” Dr. Steve put a hand on her shoulder, “this stuff was in you, like it or not. I don’t know how it got there, but the fact is, it made you sick. If you don’t think there’s anything to worry about, that’s great. I’m glad to hear it.” He picked up the needle. “I’ll make sure there’s no scrap Eye of the Storm 285

of it left, though if you’ve been feeling all right, I doubt it.” He paused.

“When we spoke, you said two people had touched you that day.”

“Kerry and my father,” Dar replied. “Except I was wrong. There was one other person.”

“Well,” Steve patted her cheek, “you think about it, okay? Watch yourself.” He eyed Andrew. “And you, my old friend, better not move an inch until I get back here with a camera.” He bustled out, leaving father and daughter alone.

Andrew glowered at her. “That man gonna be where you’re going to?”

Dar hesitated, then grudgingly nodded. “I really don’t think he’d…he’s an asshole, Dad, but…”

“He been in the military?”

Dar gave another grudging nod. “Two hitches as a Ranger.”

“Wall, don’t that just figure.” Andrew made a face. “That’ll settle it.

Ah am gonna go with you.”

“Dad.” Dar snorted. “Now, come on. This is a business trip, not an undercover game.”

“Ah do not like that man and ah am going with you,” her father repeated stolidly.

She put her hands on her hips. “I can take care of myself, you know,”

she objected. “I’ve been doing it for quite a while.”

“This ain’t your kind of fight, Paladar,” he shot right back. “And besides, I have t’go.” He straightened and put his hands on his hips, mimicking her stance. “I made me a promise.”

“A promise? To who?” Dar asked in exasperation. “Dad, I can handle myself on a business trip for crying out loud. This is my job and my life, damn it.”

A finger tapped her chest as he leaned closer and went eye to eye with her. “And you are mah only kid, and the apple of that green eyed gal’s eye, and I swore to her I’d make sure you stayed outta trouble.”

Dar glared at him.

Andy tweaked her nose. “C’mon, Dardar. I always wanted to get me one of them cowboy hats.”

“Dad.”

“Maybe I’ll take you on one of them pony rides.”

“I’m big enough to carry the pony.” Dar gave up. “All right, fine.

Waste your time and ride over there with me, if you have to. What are you going to tell Mom?”

“Um.” Andrew scratched his ear. “We kinda talked about all ready.”

Dar sighed.

“’Sides, she’s got her own little covert mission.” Andrew patted her on the shoulder. “C’mon. That there plane’s waiting.”

“Ah ah.” Dr. Steve came back in with a digital camera. “You just hold on one minute, Andrew B. Roberts.” He pointed. “I want a shot of the both of you.” He waved them closer. “G’wan.”

Dar shook her head, but turned and slid an arm around her father’s 286 Melissa Good waist, as he circled her shoulders. A pose that brought a wholly unconscious smile to her face.

Steve snapped the picture, then another for good measure. He lowered the camera. “Two of a kind.”

They eyed each other, then Dar finally laughed. “Yeah.” She shook her head. “He still out stubborns me, though.”

“Damn straight,” Andrew agreed instantly. “Had me lots more practice.”

Impulsively, Dar leaned over and kissed him on the head, making him snort.

“You have been hanging around that green eyed gal some, tell you that.”

Dr. Steve was busy snapping away, chortling with glee. “Want to come back and have dinner with us, Andy?”