Chapter 8

Harm was bent over an open oven door careful not to burn himself while he checked on the two large potatoes he was baking. The past two days had been oddly relaxing for a man who always needed to be on the go.

His morning began with a trip down to the barbershop, the kind where close shaves were done the old fashioned way with a blade run up and down a leather strap. His hair was cut, facial stubble removed and even his nails were trimmed and filed.

For once it didn't seem like the skies would suddenly open up allowing a leisurely walk to the market. He purchased fresh fruits and vegetables then made a quick trip to the butcher shop for two cuts of filet mignon and some scallops.

While it's true that Harm mostly avoided red meat, he would have some on occasion. Having Mac in his home felt like the right time. He grinned as he imagined her merciless teasing about his arteries clogging or having to turn in his vegetarian card. Damn did he miss her, their banter and the special relationship they shared.

The morning was filled with idle chatter and none of the heavy conversation she wanted to avoid. Hashing everything out in a day would be impossible, Harm knew and if he pushed too much it would certainly force Mac to run.

He hadn't expected any of the direct questions from her where she, point blank, asked about others questioning their relationship. He also didn't expect Mac to be so candid about her feelings for him.

She loved him. She said she always would and part of him was terrified that Mac could admit what he could not. Saying he wanted her was far different from being in love but if he suddenly confessed his feelings, Harm felt she would see it as a knee jerk reaction.

Slow was the best course of action, at least until he wooed her well enough to insist on a commitment. Harm snorted as he pulled out an onion and a head of garlic. He'd never been the kind of guy that chased after women. The fairer sex always came to him without much effort.

Harm knew how to seduce as well and turned on the charm when needed but with Mac, he didn't know how to. She knew him well enough to side step his advances and literally left him at a loss for words. In the courtroom the Marine could be an easy target but, outside of it she always made him feel unsteady.

After tossing the vegetables and a few herbs into a bowl, Harm wiped his hands and entered a password into the laptop on the island.

Another email was sent to Mayfield and earlier he'd placed another call to the office in Naples. He was thankful that the same Petty Officer hadn't answered but the current one was more of a ball buster. He hit a roadblock and knew that until Tally Mayfield called him, that avenue led nowhere.

Lt. Graves was far easier to get a hold of and his initial instinct to not call Falls Church was ignored as he realized it was the only place to start. The young woman answered after four rings, her voice a little raspier than he remembered. "Captain Rabb, it's been a while, sir. How goes things in London?"

He winced a little and wondered how far scuttlebutt had reached. Certainly The Navy Times had run a brief blurb about his fall from grace. "They're interesting. How's Washington?"

"The same," She sighed like her post was the worst in the World. "Honestly? It's not as exciting with you and the Colonel gone."

"That's probably a good thing." Harm chuckled.

"Not really." She signed again, this time far more dramatically. "Anyway, how can I help you, sir?"

Harm was glad this was a phone call and not a face to face conversation. Although he was one of JAG's best investigators, the nature of the call made him unable to keep his poker face. "Lieutenant, I'm going to ask you something odd. It's a little personal and I'm gonna need you to keep this off record…It's about Lt. Commander Vukovic."

"Oh, he got promoted?" Even if she lied to him, Harm would be able to see past the ruse. A heavy, shaky breath sounded through the line followed by a soft voice that cracked. "What about him?"

"The General sent you with Vukovic on investigations from time to time…Did something…happen?"

"Something like what?"

"I just..get a sense that Vukovic acts a certain way around women." Pretty women, he wanted to add but kept that comment to himself. "Catherine, this isn't an official inquiry and I'm not jumping to conclusions. I just want to make sure you weren't hurt."

"I wasn't." She answered too fast and the quick response piqued his interest. Harm could practically hear the walls being erected but he excelled at getting people to talk when they didn't want to.

With Graves, he took the disinterested approach, choosing not to call the woman out on her quick reply. "Okay, I was mistaken. I'm sorry to bother you. If something comes to mind, anything at all please call me back."

"I will, sir."

"Lieutenant, please keep this conversation. between us. That's not an order, just a favor."

She took a sharp breath and held it as if waiting for further instruction. "Why are you doing this? What did he do?"

"Never mind…it's okay. Have a good day "

It was a rushed voice that said his rank and almost begged him not to hang up. Harm grinned, proud of himself that his interrogation tactics still worked. "It's almost been two years…I don't necessarily want to think much less talk about Greg."

"I honestly don't want to talk about him either. But, I have reason to believe he's hurt some women. And I need proof to back it up."

"Well he didn't hurt me." She said quickly and Harm noted that it was a tell when Graves tried to hide the truth.

"I never said he did. But, you spent more time on assignments with him than most. Sometimes partners talk."

The silence which fell across the line was a little worrisome. I was preceded by the squeak of an office chair and the familiar sound of a door being closed. "We slept together." If he sat across from her Harm knew he'd find a mortified expression and the tint of a blush on her cheeks. "It started with a short but fun and messy weekend. Then it happened a few more times…I thought, I thought I was falling in love until he called…he called her name in bed."

Fuck.

"Her who?" The words stuck to his throat because he knew deep inside who Vic was fantasizing about.

"He said 'Sarah'." She snorted, "He meant Colonel MacKenzie. I called him out on it and his hands came around my throat."

Christ, he was going to be sick if she went any farther. "Why didn't you report him?"

"To who? He threatened to tank my career, and said he knew some people in the government. This is all I have, it's what I'm good at. I can't lose it because I wanted to have sex with the wrong guy." There was a pause on the line, a sound of her blowing her nose. "Tally warned me about him…So did the Colonel."

"Tally? Have you spoken to Lieutenant Mayfield recently?"

"No, our friendship fell apart when she was sent to Naples. Captain..umm Harm, she doesn't know about me and Greg."

"Understood."

"They had history. She wouldn't extrapolate much on it, just joked that he could go from a prince to a frog…reverse evolution or something like that."

Harm snorted at the analogy. "Your secret is safe with me. Listen, If you have time I'll tell you the real reason why I called. Maybe you can help."

"I have a meeting soon…can you call back in an hour?"

"Absolutely. Thank you."

The conversation with Graves lasted over an hour once he was able to get the young woman on thr line again. Harm was afraid she would avoid him but instead, she filled him in on his last conquest before leaving Falls Church. The woman in question was a freshly minted Ensign named Jessica Davis working for the Inspector General in a joint assignment with JAG Ops.

Vukovic laid his charm thick, taking the younger officer to lunch, bringing her coffee and sweets to the small office she'd been given. They didn't work under the same command and she was fair game. He worked her for weeks, even waiting in the parking lot to carry her briefcase, boxes or whatever else he could get a hold of.

When there were rumors that her car had been stolen, it was Vic that drove her to work and then back home on a Friday. The following Monday, Ensign Davis arrived wearing heavy makeup that did not cover the bruise on her face. A normally fun and friendly officer, she wordlessly walked to her office, closed herself in and was reassigned three days later.

"We got along. We became friendly in the two weeks she was there and then she was gone."

"Jesus. What do you think?"

Graves cleared her throat. "You know what I think and if you want, I might be able to get Jess to speak to me, unofficially."

"Just don't get in trouble."

"Sir?"

"Call me Harm."

" There's something else…Jess, she sorta looks like Colonel MacKenzie. Similar complexion, long dark hair, brown eyes…"

He didn't want to hear this. It was bad enough that the whole situation with Vukovic was getting worse the more that he dug into it. "Thank you Catherine, I'll be in touch."