asked to do something, a professional something, that really bothers me. I wouldn't even be considering it, except my CO wants me to do it and I trust him and… and, hell, I don't want to let him down.'
Jen gave him an arch look. 'Gosh, you're so noble, Lieutenant Sinclair. I'm gonna haveta marry your sorry hide to keep you out of trouble, ain't I?'
Paul managed a smile. 'I'm not sure that'd work, but I'm more than willing to try.' Speaking quickly, he outlined what he'd been told and what was being asked of him while Jen listened without interruption, her expression unreadable. 'They told me not to talk to anyone. But I couldn't not talk to you about it.'
'Damn straight.' Jen's face flushed and her voice came out a little ragged. 'They have the nerve to ask you to help them? After what they tried to do to me? After trying to railroad me into prison for what happened on the Maury?'
'They know I'm marrying you. I told them.'
'You're lucky they didn't accuse you of being a spy as soon as they heard that! Tell me you're not actually thinking of going along with this.'
'Jen, I don't want to! But Captain Hayes is a good officer and I really think a good man. He's personally asking me to help. And if those agents are right, if somebody's selling our secrets, then we're all being put at greater risk.'
'You can't trust them!'
'Do I know that?'
'They want to use you, Paul. They think they can, but they don't know you.'
'No, they…' Paul's voice trailed off. They know… just like the SASALs knew. Admit it. You think they had our rules of engagement. The SASALs knew they could shoot up that asteroid and we couldn't do anything against them.
Whoever gave them those rules of engagement helped cause the deaths of those settlers.
'Paul? Hello. Lieutenant Paul Sinclair, please report back to your brain.'
Paul blinked, focusing back on Jen. 'I'm sorry. I was just thinking of something.'
'Obviously something important,' she prodded.
'You know what happened last time my ship was out. And you know how the SASALs acted. Like they didn't need to worry about what we'd do. Maybe they knew they didn't need to worry.'
Jen paused, her mouth twisting as she thought it over. 'Possible,' she finally conceded.
'We've been trying to understand how they'd take the risk of opening fire. But if they knew it wasn't a risk…'
'Okay. I agreed it was possible.' Jen let aggravation show. 'That makes it personal, doesn't it?'
'Yeah.'
'But… what does Sheriff Sharpe think?'
'He's not involved. He's leaving the ship real soon anyway.'
'One more reason not to play, if you ask me. You are asking me, right? This isn't some roundabout way of trying to get me to think you've heard me out so you can go off and do whatever you've already decided to do, is it?'
He glared at her. 'Jen, I don't deserve that. I've always been straight with you.'
She sat still for a long moment, then nodded. 'You're right. Do I have final say?'
Paul thought about that. 'No.'
'You're too damned honest for your own good, Sinclair.'
'I can't let someone else decide this for me. But I can't make that decision without the input of a woman I not only care very deeply about but also admire as an officer.'
Jen quirked an eyebrow at him. 'Who is she?'
'Jen…'
'Herdez?'
'Yeah, right. Me and my old XO.'
' Our old XO.' Jen made a face, staring into a corner. 'I wonder what she would think.'
'She'd tell me to help NCIS, Jen. You know that.'
'Yeah. All professional, all the time. Make sure you're looking out for…' Jen paused, her head down, then looked up and over at Paul. 'You know what? Thinking about Herdez and all cleared things up for me. I want you to cooperate with them.'
Paul was sure his amazement showed. 'Cooperate with the NCIS agents? You mean that? Why?'
'Because of that trust thing. You know how Herdez worked. If she trusted you, she'd keep giving you more to do. Because she knew you'd do it right. Well, I trust you. I trust you to be involved with this. Because I know if they try to do to someone else what someone tried to do to me, you won't play along. You'll make sure the truth comes out.'
Paul looked away, shaking his head. 'I'm not perfect, Jen.' And I'm tired of being the guy other people count on to do the right thing. Why can't somebody else do that? Especially when the right thing isn't so obvious. 'What about the guys I work with? I guess just about all of the ones you knew are gone, now. But, still, we're talking about me spying on my fellow officers.'
'Two of them, from what you told me.'
'Yeah, just two. But it's the act, not how many people are directly affected by it. Would you ever trust another officer if you knew they'd spied on other officers in their wardroom?'
She came close and knelt to look into Paul's eyes. 'That'd depend on who and why. Really. Two things, Paul. First, make sure you're protected. Even if you do this, your role doesn't have to be known. Confidential informant, isn't that what they call them? And if all this stuff does is point them at the right target, they won't need you to nail that target. Second thing, I've lost a lot of shipmates. Don't flinch. I'm the one who saw the Maury 's crew gutted. They died because someone played games with them. Some bureaucrat who wanted to score points by moving a program forward and didn't care what might happen to the sailors on the Maury or any other ship. I hate that guy, whoever he or she is. And if there really is somebody selling important classified info to the other side, then they're playing the same kind of games and I want them stopped. Just like you do, because their little game might've caused the deaths of those settlers, and could cause the deaths of others. Including you or me.'
'Yeah, exactly that had already occurred to me. But even if there's a chance the one who's accused might be innocent?'
' You get in there and you make sure their rights are protected, and then if the evidence you help find points that way, we'll know. We'll also know if it doesn't.'
' Why do I have to do it?'
Jen eyed him for a long moment, her face close to his, then suddenly grinned. 'You big dope. I told you this would happen when you stood up for that idiot Wakeman. I told you everybody would start counting on you to 'do what's right.' You didn't believe me. I was right, wasn't I? Admit it.'
'Jen-'
'Admit it.'
'Jen-'
'I was right and you were wrong,' Jen declared in a mocking sing-song voice.
He wanted to stay mad, wanted to stay frustrated, but started laughing. 'Am I ever going to get to be right?'
'I'll think about it.' She leaned forward and kissed him, letting the gesture linger. 'Too bad you have to get back to your ship in the morning. I could do with a full day of you.'
He held her shoulders lightly, smiling back at her. 'Having tonight isn't anything to complain about.'
'Yeah.' She leaned back, letting his hands drop. 'First we need to eat.'
'Fogarty's?'
'No. Let's just grab some sandwiches from a take-out.'
'Okay.' Paul paused as they walked toward the nearest take-out, looking at Jen. 'Why does this stuff always seem to be my responsibility?'
'Because you keep volunteering.'
'I could say no.'
Jen shook her head, looking rueful now. 'No, you couldn't. Not you.'
