Read Burnout: the mystery of Space Shuttle STS-281 for Free Online

believing it."
    "Why should I?"
    "I'm tired, Lisa. I'm burned out. I like the work. It's the damn politics I hate."
    "Perils of working for a government agency. Deal." Lisa's face held no more sympathy for Crash than her voice.
    "I have been. I'm sick of it. And I'm not up for more in D.C." Crash took her gently by the arms. "Lisa, am I asking for so much? I just want you here with me, backing me, to be here for me, instead of off, running around the country, around the world." He paused, pleading. "Please, Lisa. Let's just stay here."
    Lisa turned her determined gaze on him. "I'm going, Crash. My mind's made up." She turned sultry, sliding her hands sensually up his bare arms. "You'll see. It'll be just fine. I'll--"
    "NO, Lisa." Crash was stern. "We're staying in Texas."
    Cold fury shook Lisa's frame at that. "‘We' are not staying in Texas, Crash. My career will be made in Washington." She stared at him calmly, supremely confident. "If you want me, you'll just have to come along."
    Crash gazed at the raven-haired beauty for a long moment, suddenly seeing past her beauty and warm seduction to the cold ambition beneath. At that realization, he rose from the bed, silently and somewhat haphazardly throwing on his shirt and tightening the belt on his trousers before heading for the door.
    Lisa stared at him, shocked. "Crash, what--?"
    Crash turned at the door. Deliberately, he forced his expression to mimic her earlier cold, unsympathetic gaze. Profound pain filled his being, and he momentarily wondered if it showed in his dark eyes, despite himself. "Have a nice career, Lisa. See you around."
    He exited, eased the door closed behind him, and didn't look back.
    * * * *
    Crash's eyebrows climbed upward in surprise and mild dismay. "Oh, boy. That's gonna make things interesting…"
    "Uh-huh. Thought you might wanna know up front," Mitch replied in a comradely fashion. "Didn't want you blindsided. You an' she were an item a few years back, weren't you?"
    "That's one way of putting it."
    "Is this gonna be a problem?"
    "Not from my point of view," Crash noted, unruffled. "She may have different ideas."
    "Relationship go south?"
    "Wasn't the relationship as much as the careers," Crash recalled. "That's about the time I started wanting out of the space program, and about the time she started making a name for herself at Headquarters. We just sort of… went in different directions. Wanted different things out of life. Had some hellacious fights before we went our separate ways. Don't know that she ever really forgave me for not being as ambitious as she was."
    "Looks like you're about to find out real quick, ‘cause here she comes," Mitch remarked in a low, cautionary tone, as the object of their conversation looked up, spotted them, and began walking over. As she approached, she scanned the two men, then spoke in a dry as desert tone.
    "Well, well, well. Look who's here. I'm surprised to see you here, Crash. Figured you to be baking in the hot sun out on the back forty somewhere in Texas."
    Mitch and Crash exchanged eloquent glances. Yup… different ideas. "Given my druthers, Lisa, I would be," Crash pointed out, subdued. "Beats the hell out of investigating my best friend's death."
    Green eyes blinked at him, disconcerted for a moment, then resumed that steady, emerald gaze that had so attracted him on their first meeting…
    * * * *
    Crash stepped back to avoid the instrumentation cart being wheeled through the laboratory, only to feel his left hip bump solidly into something warm as he did. Before he could react, the low, soft voice drifted over his shoulder from behind, an amused lilt in it.
    "Well, hi there, cowboy."
    Crash turned, to find himself staring into the depths of jade green eyes, mesmerized. After a brief moment, he mentally shook himself out of their spell. "I beg your pardon, ma'am," he replied in apology. "I didn't see you standing there."
    "That much was obvious. You do now, I hope," the green eyes