Chapter 2
Friday August 24th
1990
Naples
The delegations from
all the nations involved in the latest NATO war games arrived one by
one, and Harm couldn't wait for the French to show up. He had finally
got the name of the pilot who had shot him down : a lieutenant
with the callsign Dragon. He spotted them entering the ballroom, a
bunch of guys in Dress Blues, with a few women in party dresses
thrown in. They went to the presentation rounds and made their way
towards the buffet. A redhead in a green dress was looking a little
stiff. She was speaking in rapid French to a blond-haired man
standing next to her.
« I warn you,
Benjamin, if you touch my six once more, I will break your nose, and
I say you hit a door. And you know everyone in here will back me up.
So quit it, now ! »
The guy looked miffed.
He took a glass of champagne and downed it like it was water. A mate
took him aside.
Harm signaled his
fellow pilots and they headed for the French delegation.
« Who's
Dragon ? »
He crossed his arms and
looked at all the French men, staring at them in the eyes.
« Who wants to
know ? » The French accent was thick but the tone was
unmistakable. All the men were looking at each other menacingly and
the tension was growing by the second. The redhead with a green dress
stepped forward.
« Gentlemen, calm
down. Why do you want to know who Dragon is ? »
The redhead was very
pretty, with clear green eyes. Her English was flawless. Harm smiled.
« Sorry, Ma'am.
This doesn't concern you. »
The redhead smiled
back.
« Why do you
assume this doesn't concern me ? »
« It's a pilot
thing, Ma'am. »
« Then let me
introduce myself. I'm Lieutenant Nell Marchand. First female pilot in
the French Air Force. »
The French men moved to
stand around her. Harm didn't back down, but he was impressed.
« Congratulations.
Then maybe you know who Dragon is. »
« I do. »
Nell's smile grew wider. She dropped her gaze to Harm's gold wings.
« Which one are
you ? Harm or Swan ?»
«Harm. What is it
going to take for you to tell me who Dragon is ? »
Harm couldn't help but
notice that all the French men around Nell were smiling mockingly. He
suspected something was going on he didn't understand, but he was
feeling the presence of all his friends at his back. Nothing to fear.
Nell took him by the
arm. « Let's dance. » She lead him on the dancing floor
where the orchestra was playing some slow music. Harm took Nell's
hand in his, slipped his arm around her waist and she put her other
hand on his nape. They smiled at each other. Harm liked the feel of
her against him. And from the way she was reacting, it looked like
she was enjoying the feeling as well. Since he had the next forty
hours free, they might enjoy some private... dancing as well.
« So, are you
going to tell me who Dragon is ? »
Nell smiled, pulled his
head towards her and murmured in his ear. « I am. »
Harm couldn't help but
look astonished. There was only one female fighter pilot in the US
Navy, and she was not nearly as good as Nell.
« You are ?
You're good for an Air Force pilot ! »
Nell threw her head
back with a quick laugh. « I'm the best there is ! But
you're not bad yourself, for a squid ! »
Harm laughed in turn.
They looked at each other, smiling. A few seconds later, looking over
her shoulder, Harm saw the blond-haired Frenchie coming towards them.
Nell turned her head just in time, to see Benjamin grabbing her hand
and pulling her away from Harm.
Nell's face turned
white with fury. She tore her hand away from his grip.
« You leave me
alone. »
« He's the
enemy, why do you dance with him ? »
The same friend who
took him apart earlier came back and once gains lead him away from
Harm and Nell.
« Gecko, you
keep him away from me. This is his last warning. If we weren't in a
ballroom, he'd be bloody by now. »
Nell was having trouble
calming down. Harm stayed by her side, watchful.
« Is there a
garden somewhere ? I need some fresh air. »
Harm lead her away
through the French doors. « This way. »
A flight of stairs and
they arrived in the garden, small but serene. Harm put his cap back
on his head. The evening was young yet, and very few people were
outside. Under the light of the setting sun, Nell looked more
feminine and more fragile than she did in the ballroom. They walked
down the path between bushes and trees. Harm took a cigar out of his
pocket.
« Do you mind ? »
Nell shook her head.
Harm lit a match and took a puff.
« Sorry about the
scene. Ben is a good pilot, but he doesn't understand what no
means. »
« Have you told
your CO ? »
« He's been
reprimanded once already. But it wasn't enough, obviously. »
« I've seen him
harass you twice already in the last hour. I can testify if you
need. »
« Hopefully, that
won't be necessary. I'm counting on Gecko to keep him in line. »
She shivered slightly. Harm stopped, took his jacket off and put it
on her shoulders.
« Thank you,
that's nice. » Nell tilted her head towards the collar and took
a whiff. She smiled and looked at Harm.
He smiled back,
intrigued. « What ? »
« You smell like
sin. » She looked away with an engaging smile, started walking
again and Harm suddenly felt quite hot, and a little tight in his
formal attire.
Nell was a few feet in
front of him when he started thinking again and he had to hurry to
keep up with her.
« So, Harm is
it ? Like, hurt, pain ? »
« No, it's short
for Harmon. I'm Harmon Rabb. »
« Well, it is
very nice to meet you, Harmon Rabb. There's a lucky girl somewhere,
waiting for you to come home. »
Harm smiled. Nice way
for Nell to test the waters. He liked that about her, that she was
wondering about a possible girlfriend and not taking him for granted.
« Actually,
there's not. »
Nell had a pause in her
stride, and again an engaging smile.
« American girls
must be blind. »
Harm also smiled. « And
is there a lucky man waiting for you ? »
« No. I wouldn't
be taking a stroll with you in the setting sun if there was. »
They were back to where
they had started their walk. They stopped at the bottom of the stairs
and Harm turned to face Nell.
« Do you have to
be somewhere tonight ? »
Nell licked her lips
seductively and smiled. « I have to be at the airport Sunday
at noon. That leaves me about forty-one hours of freedom. »
Harm put his cover
under his arm, and his hands on her waist. He bent slowly towards
her. Nell was about to put her hand on Harm's cheek and kiss him when
he was violently pushed, and fell into the bushes. Benjamin turned to
Nell and raised his hand to slap her. Nell had a swift movement of
the arm, her wrist connected with his face and Ben landed on the
stairs with a howl. When his head came up, his nose was pouring
blood. Nell's face was like stone.
« You broke my
nose, you bitch ! »
« It's not
what I saw. You tripped and you fell face first on the stairs. Get up
and the stairs will break your collarbone as well. » Ben
didn't try to move.
Harm stood up, brushing
his pants. He evaluated the situation with one glance.
« Let's go talk
to your CO. »
At that moment, a
French Colonel arrived at the top of the stairs. He too assessed the
situation with a quick look. He turned to Nell.
« What
happened, Lieutenant ? »
« Lieutenant
Maloisel tripped on the stairs and broke his nose, Mon Colonel. »
Gecko stepped out from
behind Nell.
« I can
testify to that, Mon Colonel. »
The French Colonel
remained silent for a second and turned to Harm.
« Have you seen
what happened, Lieutenant ? »
Harm looked at Nell,
and then at the Colonel.
« No, Sir. He
pushed me out of the way and I fell. When I got up, the lieutenant
was already down. »
« Lieutenant
Lizard, take Lieutenant Maloisel to the hospital to fix his nose.
Come back to the hotel when it's done and send me a message. »
« Yes, Mon
Colonel. »
With one last look to
Nell, the Colonel turned to enter the ballroom. Gecko took Ben with
him and they left as well.
Harm and Nell remained
behind, at the bottom of the stairs. Nell was still looking furious.
« You should have
reported him. »
« And they would
have let him go with a letter of reprimand, and ask me to not make a
fuss about so little. I went to a military high school and believe
me, I've handled guys like Ben before. They only understand brute
force. Why do you think I practice karate ? »
Harm looked at her with
a new respect.
« What do you
want to do now ? »
« I need to
unwind. The beach is not very far. Let me take my purse and let's get
a cab. »
Before entering the
ballroom, she gave Harm his jacket back and he put it on. While doing
so, he did as Nell had, and took a whiff at his collar. It didn't
smell like his fragrance anymore, but like hers, something flowery
and sweet that stirred his heart.
*****
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