Linda Kay Silva - Delta Stevens 3 - Weathering the Storm Read Online Free PDF Page B

if I thought he was going to crush you? Oh, Delta Stevens, sometimes you forget the wonders Eddie and I are capable of.”
    Taking the notes from Connie, Delta suppressed a grin. At first, when she heard that Connie named her computer Eddie, she thought Connie was half a bubble off. It was only after they became friends that Delta realized she was wrong. Connie wasn’t half a bubble off...she was a few bubbles shy of level. That was one of the things Delta loved most about her; she was the most eccentric person Delta had ever met. But what Delta admired most about Connie was her ability to crack open any computer and retrieve virtually any piece of information on a microchip. Once, on a dare, someone bet that Connie couldn’t access NASA’s files to see the physical image of the space shuttle Columbia. After pocketing some $250 worth of bets, she smiled proudly as she pulled the information from the computer. Even Delta had been amazed—amazed and a little nervous about the levels of security Connie had breached. But she did it, and any doubters left as poorer believers. What Connie could do with a computer was of mythic proportions, and more than once, her expertise had saved Delta’s life.
    “You’re something else,” Delta said, touching her lightly on the shoulder.
    Connie nodded. “Yes, I am. But just what, we may never know.”
    During the Zuckerman case, when Connie’s life was on the line, Delta broke more rules than Evel Knievel broke bones to insure Connie’s safety. Connie would do the same if necessary. Hell, she already had. That’s what made them such a great team. There was a give-and-take to their relationship and they never kept score. In all of Delta’s life, her relationship with Connie had always been the most important one. Delta might disappoint her own lovers, but if Connie ever needed her, Delta was always there. Always.
    Scanning the paper, Delta saw a number of commendations for Captain Henry for his strategy and calm under fire.
    “Look here. Says he was given a commendation by the mayor when he talked down a hostage-taker. All civilians went unharmed. Not bad.”
    “I’m telling you, Del, he looks good.”
    “Yeah, well, he could stroll in here wearing a Purple Heart for all the good that’s gonna do me. He may look good on paper, but he’s a politician just like the rest of the high mucky-mucks.”
    Taking back the paper, Connie folded it and slipped it neatly into her chest pocket. “Did he say why he was making this decision?”
    “Well, not in so many words. He said he wants me to `mellow.’Can you believe it? Mellow. What kind of word is that?”
    Connie sat next to her on the bench and smiled. “Oh, now I get it. He thinks that having you teach someone how to do it the right way will force you to do the same. Model correct procedure for the student to obtain correct behavioral modification for both.”
    “Exactly. I think.”
    Eyebrows furrowed, Connie rubbed her chin. “At the risk of further pissing you off, I’d have to say it’s not such a bad idea.”
    “What?” Delta said incredulously. “Whose side are you on, here?”
    “You know I’m on your side. I just don’t think you’re seeing this as clearly as you might.”
    “What’s there to see? Because of my file, I’m being railroaded into a position I’m probably not qualified or ready for. How much clearer can it be?”
    Connie took Delta’s hands in hers and squeezed. “Want to know what I honestly think of all this?”
    Delta looked down at their hands and ignored someone knocking to come into the bathroom. “If I say I don’t want to hear it?”
    Connie grinned. “I’ll tell you anyway.”
    “See how you are?”
    “How I am, my friend, is extremely supportive of you and your life. Ever since Miles was killed, you’ve taken it upon yourself to be the law even when you’re off duty. Delta, our last escapade put stitches in your leg, had my lover kidnapped, and left me emotionally and