Page 16 of Fire and Ice

"It wasn't your fault ..."

"Detective ...."

"...they touched you..."

"They did what?" Jack roared, his eyes slicing through Maia, waves of fury rolling off him; she was pretty sure they were not directed at her. "Why the fuck didn't you tell me?"

"Don't you dare yell at me, Jack McCord!"

"Now, Jack, she was pretty shaken when I got there. They really freaked her out and maybe she wasn't ready to talk about the incident" Rick explained in a concillatory tone.

Jack's expression shifted from anger to incredulity as if he could not decide how to process the detective's conclusion that she had been freaked out—she who had just taken out eight Russian mercs that past week. Jack's face turned red, and then he laid his elbow on the bar and lowered his head on it, his shoulders shaking.

The detective looked worried. "You okay, man?"

Jack's shoulder shook a little harder.

Maia thought that this would be an excellent time to use the ladies' room and started to hightail it out of there.

Rick started. "Maia..."

As Maia took a few steps forward, she felt her neck prickle as she observed the rowdy boys getting more agitated, just as she heard Rick shout, "Maia, look out!"

A massive drunk body started hurtling towards her. She instinctively bent at the torso and flipped the guy over her back, using his momentum to throw him over. She sank to a lunge to steady herself before straightening up to see everyone who had witnessed what had happened gaping at her.

"Motherfucker!"

"Holy shit!"

"Did you see that?"

"You go, girl!"

Maia wished the floor would swallow her up. She just couldn't do normal.

Rick Tanner was too stunned to say anything. Jack stood up quickly and threw a couple of bills on the bar. "Tina, we're outta here," he said urgently.

"What? I was going to give that girl free tequila for that show!" Tina protested.

Jack gripped Maia's arm and muttered, "Let's go." And proceeded to weave them both out of the crowded tavern.

When they got to Jack's vintage '65 Ford pick-up, he stopped and turned her around leaning her on the hood. "There's never a dull moment when you're around, is there?"

Just when Maia thought Jack was going to kiss her, they both heard footsteps approaching.

It was Rick.

"Maia, I never got your last name."

"Pierce," she replied instantly. Hesitating would only arouse suspicion.

"Well, Maia Pierce, I think there's more to you than meets the eye."

Oh hell.

"Have a good evening." Rick lifted his chin at Jack. "Jack." And then the good detective left.

She was so screwed.

---