Page 22 of Securing Jane

Her voice had risen by the time she was done, and Jane realized that she was practically shouting and blushed.

“I like her,” Dag said, looking at Storm.

“She’s likable,” Storm agreed. “And you’ve got your own, so eyes off.”

Jane looked between the two men, torn between embarrassment and disbelief at their banter.

“To answer your question, Jane,” Dag said, acting as if the exchange between him and Storm hadn’t happened, “NCIS is doing all they can to figure this out. The last thing I want is another innocent getting caught between whoever this is and myself. It’s dishonorable of him to put anyone else in danger because of his own grievances. If I get a package delivered to my house that I’m not expecting, you can bet I’d never pick it up without making damn sure it was safe. I haven’t had a chance to tell you personally yet, but I’m very sorry you got caught in the middle of this…whatever it is.”

“It’s not your fault, Sir,” she told him.

“Maybe, maybe not. That remains to be seen. But please stay extra vigilant. Until we find out how that package got through our mail system, no one is safe. Like you said, the last thing I want is to worry about someone else getting hurt,” the rear admiral said.

“I will. We will. We’re being very careful,” Jane told him.

“I saw your interview on the news,” Dag said. “Has the press backed off you yet?”

Jane nodded. “Yeah, they’ve been pretty good, actually. They wanted to know the details about what happened to me, but once they realized I was just a random victim, they lost interest pretty fast.”

“Just be careful, because whoever sent that package could’ve seen the coverage and might turn their ire on you.”

“Me?” Jane asked in surprise.

“Yeah. They didn’t succeed in getting to me, the person they were aiming for, and in their mind, they might think you prevented it.”

“That’s crazy,” Jane said.

“Sending a mail bomb is crazy,” Dag said with a shrug. “You should be extra careful until whoever sent the package has been caught.”

It had been a long time since someone had worried about her. And now in the span of two weeks, two larger-than-life men were trying to look out for her. She knew Dag was happily married, but it still felt good. Really good.

“He’s right,” Storm said. “I hadn’t really thought about that, but Dag’s exactly right.”

“Nothing’s happened,” Jane tried to reassure both of them. “I’m fine.”

“I’ll keep a closer eye on her,” Storm told Dag.

Jane wanted to be upset that he was talking around her, but she couldn’t bring herself to be. Not when it was obvious he was concerned.

“You need help going through the records of the recent court-martials?” Storm asked the rear admiral.

Jane winced, as she knew Storm’s plate was already more than full, but she wasn’t really surprised he’d offered.

“Thank you, but no. I know you have no extra time to look for a needle in a haystack. But I’ll keep you in the loop because I have a feeling this isn’t over. Whoever sent that CS gas bomb wanted me to suffer, and because I didn’t, no doubt they aren’t happy. It could be tomorrow or three months from now. There’s no telling when whoever this is will try again.”

Jane shivered, and Storm must’ve felt it because he squeezed her hips reassuringly.

Then the rear admiral changed the subject. “Your team’s getting home soon, right?”

“Yeah, tomorrow night if everything goes well,” Storm told him.

“I expect you to take at least forty-eight hours off,” Dag said sternly.

Storm opened his mouth to protest, but the rear admiral cut him off. “No buts. I know you’ve got other teams and things to do, but you’ve been burning the candle at both ends lately. Take the time off. Sleep. Relax. Read a damn book. I don’t care what you do, but I don’t want to hear you’ve been at the office. Understand?”

“Yes, Sir,” Storm said.

Dag chuckled. “Most people would be pleased to get time off.”