FRICTION.

by Samantha Hunter.

This book is dedicated to all those who work every single day to return the Chesapeake Bay Watershed to being a healthy, vibrant environment. You rock.

Many thanks to Michael Perecca for his wonderful "walk through" of the streets of Brooklyn, and for inspiring me to go there to experience it for myself.

1.

SARAH J JESSUP stretched languorously under the warm rays of the sun. It was late June and the Virginia Beach hotels were already packed. The beach was swarming with vacationers: children scooping sand into red buckets under the watchful eyes of their moms sitting in low chairs planted in the gentle surf and, of course, the see-and-be-seen bikini crowd. And Sarah definitely wanted to be seen. stretched languorously under the warm rays of the sun. It was late June and the Virginia Beach hotels were already packed. The beach was swarming with vacationers: children scooping sand into red buckets under the watchful eyes of their moms sitting in low chairs planted in the gentle surf and, of course, the see-and-be-seen bikini crowd. And Sarah definitely wanted to be seen.

She'd cut her long, curly, brown hair boy-short for the summer, which just served to accentuate the strong features of her face. Her huge blue eyes, hidden by her Jackie-O sungla.s.ses, narrowed as she perused the scene. Leaning back in her chair, her pale skin coated with the highest-SPF sunblock she could buy, she bent one knee up, letting the flimsy material of the cover-up skirt-which really didn't cover up much at all-float around her.

Sarah reached for more sunblock, spreading it along the tender skin of her thigh, and smiled coyly at some male pa.s.sersby who clearly appreciated her efforts. She didn't want a tan, but the bathing suit she wore exposed most of her skin to the sun-barring the few sc.r.a.ps and strings that held the thing together-so she was being careful.

Having grown up around New York City and used to northern climates, she'd just relocated to southern Virginia last August when she'd taken a new job as a computer crime investigator for the Norfolk police department. She never in her life imagined having such a perfect gig.

Up until she joined the unit, she'd been a computer hacker, making her living at various part-time jobs, though she did find occasional, profitable, under-the-table computer stints in Manhattan. It all paid the bills and allowed her to buy the gadgets she'd needed for her trade. There'd been plenty of full-time jobs available in the city, and with her skills she could have earned a decent wage on Wall Street, but that kind of work didn't satisfy her. Money wasn't her motivator; getting the bad guys was.

To that end, the larger percentage of her time had been spent in her tiny Brooklyn apartment, sitting in front of her computer tracking down Internet p.o.r.n sites and clueing in the feds to what she'd found. She'd always loved the irony of breaking the law-which she'd done pretty much on a daily basis in her pursuits-to uphold it.

She had no regrets about any of the lines she had crossed in those days. The fact that she was a free agent had made her information valuable to the feds. She could go where the law couldn't-not unless they wanted Congress on their doorstep.

Hackers were a tight community, and she'd been part of it. While she'd known people who broke the rules, most of them had been quick to help take down the real bad guys. They'd been her friends. They'd known what she was doing, though not why-and they'd never asked. But they'd helped her. And she'd helped the FBI, in turn.

That was how she'd met Ian Chandler, the FBI hotshot who'd fielded most of her information. When he quit being a fed to run his own team in Norfolk, he'd hired her as part of the unit.

Now here she was, gainfully employed doing what she was best at, earning more than enough to pay the rent and buy plenty more electronic gadgets.

Sarah gazed out over the hazy ocean horizon. She had been working constantly for six months; along with her work for the unit, she'd been attending an accelerated program at the Norfolk police academy, a requirement since she'd had no formal law enforcement training. She hadn't had a day off in a long time, and she couldn't have been happier about it. She loved her work. It was where she functioned best.

She smiled when a virile twentysomething paraded by, treating her to a view of his perfect backside adorned in skintight red neoprene surf shorts. Hey, so he was nearly a decade younger than her-she could still enjoy the view. His strong, tanned legs veed slightly as he stood in front of her talking on a cell phone. She reached down and unlaced the knot at her waist, releasing the material of her skirt altogether and bending forward to fold it neatly before leaning back.

He shifted, taking a slightly different angle-the phone not quite where he needed it to have a conversation-and her attention perked. Stretching again and letting one foot fall teasingly over the side of her chair, her toes playing in the sand. She wanted to make sure she had his attention.

She had it, all right. And him.

She waved flirtatiously, though he appeared to be looking elsewhere. He froze.

Bingo.

In the next second, he was off like a shot and Sarah was after him. He was fast, but he wasn't any match for her. At nearly six feet tall, she was all legs and she could move. She was also very, very motivated.

The hottie ran out of steam quickly and turned, panting, smiling at her engagingly.

"Hey, gorgeous."

She smiled, inclining her head in his direction. "Same backatcha."

He looked nervous. Good. He should be. She stepped a little closer, her tone friendly. "Beautiful day out here, isn't it?"

He looked around and stepped back. "Yeah. It's great."

"And yet I can't figure out why people who come to this beautiful, relaxing place would want to spend time talking on cell phones."

"Some people have business."

"And what kind of business do you have?"

She saw the flicker of panic and knew she had him. Any playfulness left her tone.

"Why don't you hand over the phone and we'll talk about the pictures you were taking of me back there?"

He grinned, though it wasn't a charming smile. "You're nuts, lady. You don't know what you're talking about."

"Really? C'mon. My guess is you got some pretty good close-ups of my b.o.o.bs and crotch, but you know, it was easy-I really didn't even make you work for it."

He looked from side to side and flipped the phone nervously in his hand.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm going to call a lifeguard in a minute."

"Go ahead. You've been working this beach for a few weeks. I've seen the pictures that are ending up on the Web-pictures of women you've turned into your unsuspecting models-and you know, they really aren't very flattering pictures."

He stared at her for a moment, clearly unsure of what to do. Then, he threw the phone toward the surf and took off.

"d.a.m.n!"

Sarah lunged for the phone and managed to catch it midair just before it was washed over by the foamy surf splashing up on the sand. The impact knocked the wind out of her, but she was back up in a second and racing down the beach. Her body flew through the air a second time and she managed to catch him by the ankle, pulling him down hard. She winced as she felt something sharp dig into her thigh, but she ignored it.

All of her attention was on maneuvering herself around to sit on the creep's lower back, dropping down on him hard and smiling when she heard the air whoosh out of him like a deflating balloon. She planted her heel firmly at the base of his skull and pressed, ever so slightly. She looked over to see the phone lying safely in the sand, and a lifeguard running in their direction.

"What's going on here?" He looked at her bleeding leg. "You're hurt."

Her quarry started to speak, and she applied just a little more pressure with her foot, pushing his face into the sand. It was gratifying to hear him spitting in between curses. She felt the jab in her thigh again and nodded, "I think there must be some gla.s.s in the sand there-it's just a cut."

"Let me get my first aid kit, but, uh, maybe you should let that guy up?"

"Nope. He's under arrest." She smiled. "Sarah Jessup, Norfolk PD-sorry, I don't have any ID on me at the moment." She gestured to her scantily clad form. "This man is wanted for criminal activity in Norfolk and the surrounding area. I'd appreciate if you could call your local precinct for me and report this."

She rattled off the number and her badge number. "They'll confirm who I am and send someone to help me out. You can use that." She smiled, pointing to the phone lying in the sand. She enjoyed the poetic justice of using the creep's own phone to call the bust in.

The lifeguard looked a little confused, but complied, handing the phone back to her when he hung up. There was definite interest in his eyes as he took in her long limbs and flushed cheeks. He let his fingers brush hers when she took the phone, but the look she sent him told him clearly she was all business. He shrugged his tanned shoulders, heading back to his chair. Sarah poked some b.u.t.tons on the phone and groaned, addressing the perp.

"Aw, man, you suck. Don't give up your day job to be a photographer. I'm nearly naked, posing for you and that's the best you could do? I mean, jeez, you're blocking the light standing there. And that is by no means my best side."

She smiled with satisfaction, clicking the phone shut and sitting back to wait for her backup. She bounced a happy little bounce on her captive's kidneys, happy to have both perp and evidence in hand.

Listening to the spits and sputters of the man she was holding immobile, she looked out at the gently rolling waves of the Atlantic as people walked by, gawking. She shrugged.

"Just doing my part for the environment, folks. Getting garbage off the beach."

A FEW HOURS FEW HOURS later Sarah sat typing up the last of a report, reaching down every now and then to rub her thigh, which was aching like crazy now that the local anesthetic had worn off. She hated being made to go to the hospital, but she couldn't get out of it. Officer wounded on scene; it was procedure. later Sarah sat typing up the last of a report, reaching down every now and then to rub her thigh, which was aching like crazy now that the local anesthetic had worn off. She hated being made to go to the hospital, but she couldn't get out of it. Officer wounded on scene; it was procedure.

The six st.i.tches she'd had to get hurt more than the initial wound, but, as she'd learned at the academy, procedure was everything. It took some getting used to, all the rules and regulations and paperwork-but it was all worth it. She loved her job.

"Hey, what happened to you?" The concerned voice that had her looking up came from one of her partners, E. J. Beaumont, known in some circles as Ethan Jared Beaumont the fourth, which she called him when she wanted to get his shorts in a knot. E.J. was the other member of their three-agent team. He wasn't alone, she noted, eyeing the beach babe standing in the doorway behind him.

"What are you doing here?"

"Forgot my cell phone last night. Came back to pick it up."

Sarah arched an eyebrow, making sure her voice was low enough for just the two of them to hear, "Looks like that's not the only thing you're picking up."

E.J. grinned, wicked mischief in his eyes. "You know, they say life is a like a box of chocolates, and I'd like to sample all I can."

Sarah laughed in spite of herself-contrary to the evidence at hand, E.J. was a real southern gentleman. Refined, intelligent and wealthy as sin, his family owned a local ship-building company. She would have expected him to be a total sn.o.b and a real bore, but he was neither.

He was a great cook, a handsome devil and a decent man. He'd given up control of his family's company to follow his heart, returning to a career in law enforcement. In the process he'd broken off his engagement with his high school sweetheart and had thrown himself headfirst into a very happy bachelorhood. Sarah wasn't sure she'd ever seen him with the same girl twice.

They'd hung out, at work and socially, keeping each other company, talking shop. At one point, he'd actually tried his charms out on her, and while she might have been the teensiest bit tempted-he was good-looking, after all-she'd shut him down. They were colleagues, and, to an extent, buddies. In a completely platonic way, she loved E.J. to death.

Then her boss, Ian, showed up in the doorway, pa.s.sing a curious glance over E.J.'s "date," who fluttered her eyelashes in appreciation of Ian's dark good looks, before turning his attention to Sarah.

"Full house today. They called me about the bust, said that you got hurt. What happened? Are you okay?"

His arms were crossed over his chest, one dark eyebrow raised as he leveled a look at her that she'd gotten used to. Still, there was approval in his eyes, something she yearned for on a very basic level-the recognition of doing a good job, being believed in, making a difference.

"Yeah, I'm good." Then, in a more smarta.s.s tone, "Nice shirt, boss."

Ian looked down at the wildly patterned Hawaiian shirt that was open at the chest, and shrugged.

"Thanks. Sage bought it. She said it was "me." We're headed for the beach today. You know, to hang out, maybe cook some hot dogs. E.J., why are you here?"

"Just stopped by to get my cell phone and saw our girl working as usual."

Sarah glared at E.J., who, smiling, just popped on his Ray-Bans, then slid his arm around his date and, with a wave, headed for the door.

Ian turned to Sarah. "I think today was a day off for you, too, right? Time to relax and leave work at the office?"

There was a not-so-subtle tone of accusation in his voice.

"Hey, I was very mellow until that idiot started taking pictures of me for his Web site. I'm sorry they called you, though. It's just a cut. I'm fine."

"No problem. I want to know when anyone is hurt. But the point is you shouldn't have been working, so I guess it was all incidental-it's not like you've been tracking him or anything like that, right? You had no idea he would be there? It just...happened?"

She knew he knew better, but she wasn't about to admit it.

"All work and no play, Sarah..." Ian shook his head.

"Would you rather I'd let him go? Have you seen that Web site? He's been at it for months, taking pictures up unsuspecting women's skirts in the park, in the mall, but the beach photos were the worst. Virginia is one of the few states that actually have active laws on up-skirting, and I intend to put them to good use."

To make sure she was getting her point across, she added, "Think about it, Ian. How would you feel if it were Sage's parts put up on the screen for the enjoyment of the general public?"

Sarah knew she'd hit a nerve when something dangerous flickered in her boss's eyes. Sage, Ian's fiancee for several months now, was the center of his life. Sage had been a convicted felon serving out a five-year prison sentence, with Ian monitoring every detail of her life for the duration. They'd gotten together when Ian had been forming the team on the request of the department. E.J. and Sarah had been Ian's backup when they'd gone after one bada.s.s computer hacker, a former lover of Sage's who'd set her up to take the fall for a computer virus he'd created and unleashed.

It had made for an odd courtship, to say the least. Sage had almost lost her life helping them catch the hacker who had victimized her. When all was said and done, though, her record had been cleared, and for the last year she'd been busy establishing her own computer security agency. In the meantime, Ian was becoming impatient waiting to make Sage his wife.

But then he smiled. "You're right, of course, but you do need to take a break. You're going to burn out."

"I feel fine."

"I've been where you are, Sarah, and I had to learn the hard way that it isn't worth it. All you do is work. You need more balance in your life."

"I like to work."

Ian glanced at the clock. "I've gotta get moving, but I'm serious. You're working way too hard-" He held his hand up to stem the objection about to pop from her lips. "You've done a great job, I'm not complaining, but I want you to take a break. I'm granting you an immediate vacation-starting Monday." He appeared to think about it for a second and spoke again, "No, starting as soon as you leave today. No work. Play only. Two weeks. It's an order."

Sarah had a hard time believing what she was hearing-he was forcing forcing her to take a vacation? Wasn't that against the const.i.tution or something? her to take a vacation? Wasn't that against the const.i.tution or something?

"That's ridiculous. I don't want or need a vacation. You can't dictate my free time. I wouldn't know what to do with myself anyway, and I-"

"Exactly. That's the problem. You don't do anything but work. Sage and I went to a nice resort over in Cape Charles-it's small, more like an inn, and it's close. You can get there easily. I'll make the arrangements and all you have to do is show up on Monday. And no laptop. In fact, you can leave it here. With me." He shot her an evil grin. "And they don't allow cell phones at the resort. Or PDAs. Just so you know. If they find them, they'll ask you to store them in their office until you leave, so as not to disrupt the other guests."

Sarah felt the color drain from her face.

"No, Ian, please, I-"

"You're going. Either that or you're enrolling in the stress relief program that they're starting up this week. Make your choice."

Sarah felt her breath come up short-how could could he? The stress relief program was a nightmare-everyone was doing whatever they could to avoid it-six weeks of deep breathing and sharing your feelings. he? The stress relief program was a nightmare-everyone was doing whatever they could to avoid it-six weeks of deep breathing and sharing your feelings. G.o.d. G.o.d. It was a numbers game, she told herself. Two weeks of torture was better than six. It was a numbers game, she told herself. Two weeks of torture was better than six.

"Fine. Tell me what you want me to do, and I'll go."

Her voice was tight and unhappy, and Ian chuckled, shaking his head and turning away. "Sarah, I want you to enjoy life a little. I want you to relax, have fun. Maybe you'll even like it."