The Recovery Assignment

Hawk smiled. His mood was lifting steadily now and a glance at his watch told him it was time to head home. A new watch would be clocking in at Inglewood station at 6 p.m. and he could see the first arrivals manoeuvring in the car park outside. A session in the pub with some of these guys could be just what he needed. It didn’t have to be a male-only session either. He didn’t mind at all if Laura came along. She was clearly a popular member of this group. One of the boys, probably, and no threat to anyone, either professionally or personally. Hawk could only hope that his new temporary partner would be from the same career-oriented mould with little interest in accentuating her femininity.

With a bit of luck she might even be built like the back of a brick outhouse and have a slight problem with facial hair. Hawk picked up the board of light bulbs and fitted them inside the box with a sigh. No, that thought was even more unappealing than having to contend with a willowy Barbie clone who couldn’t possibly inspire any professional respect. He just didn’t want to work with a female, dammit!

He didn’t want to work with another guy either. His previous partner had been a guy. Perfectly competent as far as the job went but the lack of anything in common on a personal level had kept them purely colleagues. And even that had fallen apart when he’d discovered what a jerk the guy had been in his private life. Nobody could abuse and abandon a wife and kids in favour of an affair with a bimbo half his age and remain acceptable on any level.

No. He didn’t want a new partner—of either gender. He wanted Cam back. His mate. Someone he could bounce ideas around with and know that the input from both sides carried equal weight in terms of experience and intelligence. Someone who understood the attraction of blondes, both willowy and curvaceous, and would empathise with the kind of hassles that took periodical sorting out when the current choice needed replacing. Someone who could smash a squash ball, fire a gun or down a few pints in front of a rugby game when time out was needed.

Hawk’s response to the thanks from various members of his audience was a trifle perfunctory. The Cam he knew was gone. His mates—possibly even his career—had been dumped in favour of a short, bouncy redhead who never drank beer, hated guns and couldn’t understand the rules of rugby.

‘The talk was great. I learned a lot.’

‘You’re welcome.’ Hawk looked up from shutting down the projector and nodded at Laura. ‘The more we know about how each other works, the more we can help each other.’

‘Maybe you should come out on the road with us sometime, then.’

His glance was more deliberate this time but he relaxed when he decided this wasn’t some kind of a come-on. Laura looked like a nice person but she was definitely not his type. She was several inches too short, way too…solid and her hair was dead mouse. He could work with someone like her, though. She looked intelligent. Or was that just the impression the spectacles bestowed? Hawk was annoyed at himself at even making such a judgement. He had been doing it for days now, with every stranger he met—especially women. What would she be like to work with? What would his new partner be like? It wasn’t that he was nervous about it. It was the sheer inconvenience of having to go through that learning curve. Trying to adapt to someone else’s methods and having the job done far less efficiently because mindsets were too disparate. That was what bothered him most about trying to work with a female officer. How could they possibly be on the same wavelength, the way he and Cam had been? Hawk’s foul mood settled over him again like a wet blanket.

‘Good idea,’ he said dismissively. ‘But impractical. With a two-person unit we’re basically on call on a permanent basis, and I’m currently working on my own anyway.’

‘You’re based at the Grisham Road station, aren’t you? Covering the north and east sectors?’

‘That’s correct.’ Hawk was almost packed up now. The flow of men around them was increasing as the shift changed. He was ready to leave and no one had suggested a quick drink. Unless that was what Laura was leading up to. Hawk’s gaze flicked over the paramedic almost involuntarily. No chance—especially in his current mood. Glancing back to her face, Hawk was surprised to see the hint of a smile. If the message had been received, the interpretation certainly hadn’t caused her any distress.

‘Maybe the pressure will come off a bit when you get a new partner.’

The upward movement of Hawk’s dark eyebrows was also involuntary. ‘How do you know I’m getting a new partner?’

‘You said you were working on your own…currently.’

‘Hmm.’ Hawk picked up his box and moved towards the door, acknowledging farewells as he went. Annoyingly, Laura was following him to the car park.

‘I also happen to know your new partner.’

That stopped him. Hawk dumped the box on the front passenger seat of the squad car and turned. Laura was smiling more broadly now.

‘Charlotte and I did our paramedic training together. She’s my best friend. In fact, she should be unpacking the rest of her gear at my house right now. She’s moving in with me until she gets settled back in Wellington…and her new job.’

‘She’d better not get too settled.’ The remark popped out before he could help it.

‘Oh?’

Hawk had the chance to retract, or at least explain, the unfriendly comment but he didn’t want to. He wasn’t about to lay out any welcome mat.

‘My partner has only taken a three-month leave of absence. I’m expecting him back.’

‘Three months is quite a while. You may find you like working with Charlie.’

‘Oh?’ The sound reflected Laura’s previously dubious tone. Charlie? Anyone called ‘Charlie’ probably was built like a brick outhouse.

‘She’s very good at her job. She’s just been awarded a medal of commendation.’

‘So I heard.’ Hawk slammed the passenger door of his car.

‘She was awarded “Paramedic of the Year” two years in a row.’

Hawk was pulling open the driver’s door but his head turned swiftly. He didn’t want to hear how great Charlotte Laing was. She was choosing this. He wasn’t. He was going to be spending more hours than he cared to count in her company. Sharing his small office. Hell, it was his life that was being turned upside down and he had no choice but to accept it. He had no control and that’s what he hated most. He didn’t even have Cam around to try and thrash him on the squash court and get rid of his frustration that way. The only outlet available was standing in front of him.

‘So why did she change careers, then?’ Hawk snapped. ‘Does she have trouble making up her mind?’ His snort was derogatory. ‘I suppose it is a woman’s prerogative.’

Hawk could feel the assessment in the stare he was subjected to. The judgement being made was hardly likely to be complimentary but he didn’t give a damn.

‘Charlotte’s fiancé was killed in a car accident two years ago. The Serious Crash Squad screwed up the investigation and he got blamed for the crash that also killed two other people.’

Hawk said nothing as he eased long legs under the steering-wheel. He dismissed the automatic flash of sympathy for someone who had gone through a particularly rough patch. So somebody had made a mistake. It happened.

‘Charlie became involved with the investigation. She also became convinced that if the SCS did its job well enough, they had the potential to prevent other accidents happening.’

‘Accidents are acts of God,’ Hawk muttered. ‘We investigate crashes.’ ‘Charlie’ had better not be about to step onto his patch expecting him not to be doing his job well enough.

Laura ignored the mutter. ‘She started out as a cop before she joined the ambulance service. It didn’t require much retraining to get up to speed and she hasn’t let her paramedic qualifications slip either. She carries a full kit and if she gets to a scene first, she can use whichever role she needs to.’

‘You can’t do two jobs at the same time.’ The only input Hawk had managed to get into this appointment had been challenging the suitability of Cam’s replacement. He’d hunted for something to argue about, dammit, and that paramedic qualification had been the best he could find. Not that it had carried the slightest weight. His complaints about both the gender and the qualifications of his temporary partner had earned him nothing more than a reprimanding glance from his boss.

‘Try telling that to the last driver whose life she saved. He would have died if they’d had to stand back and wait for an ambulance.’

Hawk turned the ignition key. Laura sounded quite ready to continue defending her friend but he wasn’t interested in second-hand information. He could make up his own mind.

And if the way he was feeling right now was anything to go by, he probably already had.

‘Rather you than me, that’s all I’ve got to say.’

‘Oh, no, you don’t.’ Charlotte Laing pointed her fork at Laura. ‘You can’t tell me you’ve met the man I’m going to be working with for the next three months and then not tell me what he’s like.’

‘He’s a cop. He seems to know what he’s talking about. He’s probably very good at his job.’ The two women were sitting at a small kitchen table and Laura turned her attention firmly back to the plate in front of her. ‘This lasagne is great, Charlie. Your cooking’s improved an awful lot since we last flatted together.’

‘Don’t try and change the subject,’ Charlotte ordered. ‘I heard a rather large “but” in there somewhere. You didn’t like him, did you?’

‘I don’t have to work with him,’ Laura said calmly. Her lips quirked mischievously. ‘Thank goodness.’

‘Aha!’ Charlotte sounded satisfied. ‘So what’s wrong with him?’

‘He’s…’ Laura seemed lost for an appropriate adjective. ‘He’s not…very friendly.’

‘Meaning?’

Laura took in her friend’s intense gaze and rolled her eyes. ‘OK, you asked for it. I think he’s conceited and arrogant and intolerant.’

Charlotte grinned. ‘Don’t hold back on me, now.’

Laura chuckled. ‘I just got the strong impression that he’s not keen on working with a new partner and he’s particularly not keen on working with you.’

Charlotte’s jaw dropped. ‘He hasn’t even met me!’

‘He thinks you can’t make up your mind about what job you want to do. Whether you want to be a paramedic or a crash investigator. He made some derogatory remark about it being a woman’s prerogative to change her mind.’

‘Whoa!’ Charlotte was grinning now. ‘This could mean war.’

‘He also expects his partner to come back. He doesn’t want you getting your foot too far in the door.’

‘That’s not what I heard when I went in to collect my uniform today.’ Charlotte scooped up the last forkful of her dinner. ‘I heard that his partner, Cam, fell head over heels in love with an American woman and he’s followed her home with the intention of gaining permanent residence in the States or getting married. Whichever comes first.’ She reached for her glass of wine. ‘I also heard that Officer Hawkins has been like a bear with a sore head ever since Cam defected.’

‘That might explain the anti-woman attitude I picked up,’ Laura conceded. ‘It’s not going to help you enjoy the job, though.’

‘I can handle it,’ Charlotte declared. ‘Owen Hawkins can’t stop me doing the work to the best of my ability, and three months should be quite long enough to prove I’m up to scratch. Then I’ll be able to request a transfer to another squad.’

Laura nodded as she put her fork down and then sighed as she looked at her empty plate. ‘That was delicious but that cheese sauce is going to land straight on my hips. I can feel it oozing in there as I speak.’ She looked up and shook her head. ‘I wish I knew how you could eat like that and stay so skinny.’

‘I’m only skinny because I’m so tall. It’s all stretched out.’

Laura watched Charlotte as she stood up and moved to rinse her plate at the kitchen sink. Tall and lean, Charlotte moved with a confident and fluid grace that provoked a thoughtful frown from her friend.

‘You look a bit like him.’

‘What? Is he effeminate or something?’ Charlotte’s eyes widened. ‘Don’t tell me he’s not keen on working with a woman because he’s gay.’

‘No way!’ Laura said dismissively. ‘I just meant your build. He’s tall and lean as well and you’ve both got black hair. His eyes are blue, though, not brown.’

‘Hazel,’ Charlotte corrected. ‘Jamie used to tell me my eyes reminded him of the decanter of sherry his grandmother always had sitting on the sideboard.’

There was a moment’s silence and then Laura spoke softly.

‘You still miss Jamie, don’t you?’

Charlotte sat down at the table again. ‘I always will,’ she said simply. ‘I doubt that I’ll ever fall in love again. I’m never going to meet anyone who could hold a candle to Jamie.’

‘You’re only thirty-two, Charlie. You can’t give up yet.’

‘You haven’t even hit thirty,’ Charlotte countered. ‘And what was it you said about men in general when you finally walked out on John?’

‘Yeah, well. I was feeling miserable. Even though it was a bad relationship, it was still hard getting out of it. Of course I wasn’t feeling like rushing into another one.’

‘And now?’

‘It’s been six months. I’m over it. If I find someone who wants me as a woman instead of a mother figure cum housekeeper then I’m quite prepared to try again.’

‘That’s the difference,’ Charlotte said slowly. ‘What you had wasn’t good enough. You’re bound to find something better. What Jamie and I had was perfect. I couldn’t replace that no matter how hard I looked.’

‘So you won’t even try?’

The head shake was decisive. ‘I’m not remotely interested. I’m a career-woman now. Did Officer Hawkins make any comments about multi-tasking along with mind-changing prerogatives?’

‘He wasn’t thrilled with the notion of trying to do two jobs at once.’ Laura smiled at her friend. ‘But I’m sure if he repeats any of it in front of you, he’ll live to regret it.’

Sherry-coloured eyes gleamed. ‘I’m looking forward to starting this job even more now.’ Charlotte flicked the end of a long, glossy black braid over her shoulder. ‘A challenge is precisely what I’m hoping for.’

CHAPTER TWO

IT WAS going to be a challenge all right.

The bid to assert control was right there in the moment of introduction. Senior Sergeant Lance Currie spotted Owen Hawkins in the corridor ahead of them as he escorted Charlotte to her office.

‘Hawk—slow down for a minute. I want you to meet your new partner.’

Hawk’s reluctance to be distracted from an important mission was clearly evident as the tall figure stopped abruptly, hesitated for just a fraction of a second and then turned. A disinterested expression faltered as he caught sight of Charlotte but he collected himself quickly.

Charlotte gave no hint that she had observed and interpreted his astonishment. She was used to the effect she often had on men. The only effect it ever had on her these days was to harden her resolve to prove herself professionally. In this case, however, it could be to her advantage. Owen Hawkins might find her sexually attractive. She could easily score a few points in any bid for equality by letting him know she wouldn’t be returning the interest.

‘Hawk, I’d like to introduce you to Charlotte Laing.’ Lance’s raised eyebrows suggested that he might have seen that flash of involuntary reaction as well. ‘Charlie, this is Owen Hawkins.’

‘Charlotte.’ The tone of the surprisingly deep voice was cool. There was no suggestion of a smile and the grip of his hand was a shade too firm. Charlotte squeezed right back.

‘Owen.’ She smiled politely. ‘Pleased to meet you.’ The use of his real name was deliberate. Nicknames denoted a relationship of some kind. They needed an invitation for use unless one wanted to appear patronising, and Charlotte already had the distinct impression that trying to patronise this man would get her absolutely nowhere. She held the eye contact unwaveringly, however. He looked fierce rather than mean, she decided. Focussed. Intelligent and…wary. ‘Call me Charlie,’ she added, injecting a little warmth into her smile as she withdrew her hand. ‘Everybody does.’

She expected a reciprocal invitation to call him ‘Hawk’ but annoyingly it was not forthcoming. As a means of putting her in her place it was a subtle move and Hawk managed to make it seem an oversight by changing the subject.

‘Sorry to be in a rush but I’m on my way to a job. I’ll give you the grand tour when I get back.’

‘Take Charlie with you.’ Lance’s suggestion was more like a command. ‘She’s starting work today so we may as well throw her in the deep end.’

Apparent analysis of the pros and cons took only a microsecond. ‘Sure. Why not?’

And Hawk was moving again. His long legs covered the length of the corridor with a speed that would have made anyone else appear to scurry. With this man the movement gave the impression of calm assurance. Charlotte was grateful her own legs were long enough to keep up without effort. Hawk was only a couple of inches taller than her 5’ 11”. She stayed just half a pace behind Hawk, however. That way she could watch him unobtrusively. She was adding tiny snippets of information with every glance. Later she would be able to collate them and decide just what she thought of her new partner.

It was no wonder Laura had been intimidated. Charlotte hadn’t seen him smile yet and that didn’t give any impression of warmth. He exuded assurance but it was too soon to make any judgement on whether that tipped over into arrogance. Charlotte was not going to make any error in underestimating his intelligence either. The way his face was put together—the clear, strong lines of his features and the impression that nothing escaped those dark eyes—was enough to warn her that she might well have met her match on an intellectual level.

‘This way.’ Hawk pushed open a smoke stop door and led Charlotte on a brisk journey down several flights of concrete stairs.

The intimidation must have been enough to blind Laura to the man’s physical attributes, Charlotte decided. He looked as though he had stepped, temporarily, out of the leading role of some adventure movie. A rugged hero who could save the day and any damsels in distress along the way. The crisp, white shirt and dark trousers of his uniform hung and clung to a lean but powerful frame, and Charlotte was getting a good view as she trotted down the stairs behind him. The awareness of such masculinity was irritating. It wasn’t attraction, just…awareness, but that in itself was disconcerting. Easily dismissed, though. Charlotte hadn’t been remotely attracted to any man since Jamie. And she wasn’t about to be now.

Hawk held the heavy door at the end of the next short corridor open and waited for Charlotte to pass him. She did so without thanking him for the courtesy. Would he have done that if he was leading the way for a male colleague?

‘My squad car’s here.’ Hawk wrenched the door open. ‘Our car,’ he corrected himself grudgingly. He glanced briefly at Charlotte—the first eye contact since their introduction. ‘You do drive?’ he queried.

‘Of course.’ Charlotte slid into the passenger seat of the station wagon and reached for her safety belt.

‘Advanced driving, I meant. Have you had emergency response training?’

‘Of course,’ Charlotte repeated. ‘I’d hardly be in a position to do this job if I hadn’t, would I?’

Hawk didn’t bother responding. He activated the car’s beacons and had the siren going as soon as they cleared the ramp from the basement garage. More than one car on the busy road skidded slightly as the drivers braked hard. Hawk slipped the squad car into the gap and then cruised into the middle of the road, putting his foot down on the accelerator as he shot forward between the opposing lines of early morning, inner-city traffic. He knew precisely how well he could do this and he knew he was better than most. Even well-seasoned officers were known to go a little pale when they were his passengers in an emergency response and Hawk had no inclination to tone things down for Charlie.

He stole a sideways glance after negotiating a particularly narrow gap between a crowded bus and a concrete-mixing truck. The faces flashing past in the bus had shown horror at the gap of only inches between the vehicles. Charlotte, however, looked unperturbed.

‘What are we going to?’ she asked.

‘Car versus lamppost that appears to have been fatal. There was bystander CPR on the driver getting started when the call came in.’

‘Driver collapse, maybe?’

‘I don’t make assumptions before I arrive at a scene.’

‘Do you need a map reference?’ Charlotte’s tone was now as clipped as his had been.

‘No.’

Hawk concentrated on negotiating a rapid route through increasingly snarled-up traffic. An accident at this time of day had a surprisingly wide-reaching flow-on effect. Or maybe it wasn’t so surprising. Throw a stationary fire truck or two and an ambulance into even a three-laned highway and there wasn’t much space to channel traffic through. There would be police cars as well with officers trying to keep the scene clear and directing irritated motorists to a new route if possible.

Hawk was feeling a little irritated himself. The early callout had presented a welcome opportunity to delay the inevitable meeting with his new partner. He hadn’t expected the mid-corridor ambush but he knew better than to refuse a direction from Lance Currie unless he had a very good reason. His boss had held the senior position at Grisham Street station for many years. He was known behind his back as Elsie, and the nickname was appropriate for more than his initials. Currie was a bit of an old woman when it came to following regulations, observing protocols and dotting every ‘i’ on paperwork. If he’d decided Hawk was to take his new partner out on the job then it wouldn’t have been worth the repercussions if he’d refused.

Charlotte Laing had been even more unexpected than the ambush. Any hope that the potential distraction of working with a woman would be mitigated by her unattractiveness had been felled in a somewhat gut-wrenching swoop. This woman would turn heads anywhere. The only saving grace was that she was totally unlike the type of women Hawk preferred. He liked his female companions to be fun and they were invariably blonde, curvy and at least a little bit bouncy. Fluff, in other words. Charlotte Laing was as tall and slim as a pencil. Long, straight black hair twisted into a rope that only narrowed as it reached her waist. Her features were defined enough to appear almost sharp and her olive skin hinted at some exotic bloodline in her family tree. She looked, Hawk had to admit, like some native American princess and the overall effect was unusual enough to have been startling.

Hawk turned off the siren as their progress slowed to a crawl. He eased the car onto a footpath to skirt a line of cars that had no hope of manoeuvring to let them through. Pedestrians flattened themselves against a fence as a blip on the siren warned them what was happening. Hawk could see the flashing lights of other emergency vehicles in the distance but even now it was hard to concentrate solely on the task ahead of them.

It was more than irritating. Hawk had only been in her company for about ten minutes and it was already proving difficult to fight the distraction. He’d never seen anyone like her. On the positive side, being thrown into a job with her meant that he couldn’t escape. The startling effect would wear off more quickly and at least he knew there was no possibility of being distracted by a genuine attraction to the woman. No hint of bounce there. Or even a sense of femininity. Charlotte’s clear, golden-brown eyes advertised steely determination and a brain that was active enough to mean he needed to stay on his toes. That game-playing scenario with their names hadn’t gone over her head and Hawk had the uncomfortable feeling that he hadn’t actually scored any points at all.