Chapter 14
Six Days, Seventeen hours, Forty-one minutes
"Olga, wait!"
She stopped in her tracks as Channing came running up the hallway behind her. Then, just as quickly, she took up her stride again, ever more diligently.
"Can you please wait a minute?"
She shook her head. "I can't."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm on my way to Field Operations," she explained, her tone icy. "We all have our jobs to do, Channing, and Bradley has asked me to take point on the site debriefings."
"Site debriefings?" he repeated, sounding incredulous. "What site debriefings? What are you talking about?"
Frustrated, she stopped in the hallway and turned to him. "As you know, Mr. Parker landed in close proximity to a roadside café. He interacted with an older gentleman on the café's porch. Bradley believes that others - people eating in the restaurant - probably witnessed Mr. Parker's arrival, so a Field Ops Team is being sent there. He's asked me to head up that operation." Trying to calm her nerves, she inhaled deeply. "There's a strict quarantine procedure in place for these situations, Channing. You know the drill. Those people might've been temporally contaminated, and the Committee will be expecting answers."
"But you're not even authorized for field service!" Channing argued. "How can Bradley send you out there without the proper training?"
Her irritation growing, she stepped up to him and breathed hot, angry air in his face. "Bradley is doing his best to look out for every member of this team, Channing. Bradley is not looking to stick anyone in the back."
"That's 'stab,'" he corrected.
"What?"
"Stab anyone in the back," he repeated. "And whose back did I stab?"
Narrowing her eyes at him, she barked, "You know very well what you did. You and Nathan and Bradley. You were all talking about how to eliminate this situation, how to sweep this entire affair under the carpet!"
"Rug," he corrected.
"What?"
"Never mind."
"Yes," she agreed. "I think I will never mind about it."
Curtly, she turned on her heels and stormed down the hallway.
Standing his ground, Channing cried, "Olga, we weren't trying anything of the sort!"
Over her shoulder, she snapped, "You should've had me in that meeting, Channing!"
"You know why we couldn't."
"Couldn't?"
Again, she stopped. Turning her head back to glare at him, she bit her lip to keep from saying what she wanted.
"We couldn't, Olga," he said more softly this time. "Every one of us knew what you went through when . well . you know."
With steely eyes, she demanded, "Why don't you refresh me?"
"Olga, we were thinking of you."
With that, she shook her head. "No, you weren't, Channing. You were thinking of you. You were thinking of Ramsey. You were thinking of the project. You were thinking of everything except me." Pointing, she added, "If you were thinking of me, then you would've had Bradley bring me into that meeting."
He held up his hands in a show of surrender. "I swear, sweetheart. If there was anyone at that table thinking about you, it was me."
"And what about Frank?"
"What about Frank?"
"Who was thinking about him?"
Channing shrugged. "At this point, Olga, we don't even know if that is Frank."
Succinctly, she nodded back at him. "Then I guess I know what the point of my serving Field Ops is."
Once more, she started down the hallway.
"You won't find what you're looking for out there, Olga," she heard from over her shoulder.
She didn't reply. She couldn't. She was incensed. Infuriated. She knew as much as Channing was right to have acted with Bradley and Nathan, he was wrong to have violated a trust she shared with him. 'Was that love?' she wondered. 'Or was it plain male jealousy?'
When she didn't answer, Channing added, "Everything you'll ever need, sweetheart, you have right here with me."
END of Chapter 14
Six Days, Seventeen hours, Forty-one minutes
"Olga, wait!"
She stopped in her tracks as Channing came running up the hallway behind her. Then, just as quickly, she took up her stride again, ever more diligently.
"Can you please wait a minute?"
She shook her head. "I can't."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm on my way to Field Operations," she explained, her tone icy. "We all have our jobs to do, Channing, and Bradley has asked me to take point on the site debriefings."
"Site debriefings?" he repeated, sounding incredulous. "What site debriefings? What are you talking about?"
Frustrated, she stopped in the hallway and turned to him. "As you know, Mr. Parker landed in close proximity to a roadside café. He interacted with an older gentleman on the café's porch. Bradley believes that others - people eating in the restaurant - probably witnessed Mr. Parker's arrival, so a Field Ops Team is being sent there. He's asked me to head up that operation." Trying to calm her nerves, she inhaled deeply. "There's a strict quarantine procedure in place for these situations, Channing. You know the drill. Those people might've been temporally contaminated, and the Committee will be expecting answers."
"But you're not even authorized for field service!" Channing argued. "How can Bradley send you out there without the proper training?"
Her irritation growing, she stepped up to him and breathed hot, angry air in his face. "Bradley is doing his best to look out for every member of this team, Channing. Bradley is not looking to stick anyone in the back."
"That's 'stab,'" he corrected.
"What?"
"Stab anyone in the back," he repeated. "And whose back did I stab?"
Narrowing her eyes at him, she barked, "You know very well what you did. You and Nathan and Bradley. You were all talking about how to eliminate this situation, how to sweep this entire affair under the carpet!"
"Rug," he corrected.
"What?"
"Never mind."
"Yes," she agreed. "I think I will never mind about it."
Curtly, she turned on her heels and stormed down the hallway.
Standing his ground, Channing cried, "Olga, we weren't trying anything of the sort!"
Over her shoulder, she snapped, "You should've had me in that meeting, Channing!"
"You know why we couldn't."
"Couldn't?"
Again, she stopped. Turning her head back to glare at him, she bit her lip to keep from saying what she wanted.
"We couldn't, Olga," he said more softly this time. "Every one of us knew what you went through when . well . you know."
With steely eyes, she demanded, "Why don't you refresh me?"
"Olga, we were thinking of you."
With that, she shook her head. "No, you weren't, Channing. You were thinking of you. You were thinking of Ramsey. You were thinking of the project. You were thinking of everything except me." Pointing, she added, "If you were thinking of me, then you would've had Bradley bring me into that meeting."
He held up his hands in a show of surrender. "I swear, sweetheart. If there was anyone at that table thinking about you, it was me."
"And what about Frank?"
"What about Frank?"
"Who was thinking about him?"
Channing shrugged. "At this point, Olga, we don't even know if that is Frank."
Succinctly, she nodded back at him. "Then I guess I know what the point of my serving Field Ops is."
Once more, she started down the hallway.
"You won't find what you're looking for out there, Olga," she heard from over her shoulder.
She didn't reply. She couldn't. She was incensed. Infuriated. She knew as much as Channing was right to have acted with Bradley and Nathan, he was wrong to have violated a trust she shared with him. 'Was that love?' she wondered. 'Or was it plain male jealousy?'
When she didn't answer, Channing added, "Everything you'll ever need, sweetheart, you have right here with me."
END of Chapter 14