Devil's Gold (40 page)

Jake didn't remember the last time he felt this void of all emotion. He wrapped the feeling tight around his heart and decided it was for the best. The mission remained his top priority. When, exactly, had his heart become involved?

He snapped his soldier armor in place and pushed personal feelings aside. “Where's the survey?”

“In my saddle bag.”

Jake glanced at her, remaining distant and professional. “Where exactly?”

“My tampon case.”

Choked laughter escaped Jake's mouth, and he shook his head at her. “Your what?”

Cassidy frowned. “It's a small pink cylinder. You'll see it.” “Er, sure.” Jake decided to allow her to retrieve it. Searching a woman's personal hygiene objects left him uncomfortable and slightly embarrassed. He closed his eyes and realized the brilliance of her hiding place. “Smart girl.”

She glanced across the Jeep and smiled shyly. “Thanks.” Jake watched the road ahead. “What's on the survey, Cassidy?” She shook her head. “I don't know. I remember studying it that night you pulled me from camp but, for the life of me, can't pinpoint whatever it was that bothered me. I'm certain the trauma of the evacuation has hindered my brain.”

Jake ignored her small jab. He'd like to believe she knew him well enough to know he hadn't left those people to die. “If you didn't realize it was important, why'd you hide it?”

Cassidy shrugged and shook her head. “Gut feeling, really. Charles had sent David upriver to research some sort of anomaly, and then Sharpe questioned me about the existence of a geological survey right before my briefing on the wolves, and it struck me as odd. So I hid it, kind of like squirreling away something sweet for after dinner.”

Cassidy sat in silence, listening to the melancholy music on the country western station. Jake drove the Jeep at top speed toward Jackson Hole airport. A small bubble of excitement mixed with curiosity made her fidget in her seat, and she struggled against displaying these emotions.

He'd been distant and uber-professional, but Cassidy saw the undercurrent of his emotions spring forth in his restrained movements and short, emotionless answers. Jake struggled with his feelings, and it warmed her heart.

She sighed and turned toward him. “Any news on the identification of the first CPV-19 victim?”

Jake nodded. “Yes. Apparently, she was on sabbatical from the zoology department at the University of Florida. She'd been spending the past six weeks tracking and observing the Net Pierce pack.”

Cassidy smothered a laugh. “Nez Perce?”

He shrugged. “Whatever. The CDC discovered a jagged scrape wound on the palm of her hand. There were traces of rock and debris inside the cut, along with wolf feces.”

Of course. “Part of tracking is determining the source of fecal matter. She must have picked some up in order to classify how long it'd been there.”

“You zoologists are gross.”

Cassidy ignored him. “Parvo is absorbed through fecal matter. Normally, it's ingested by other animals and contracted that way. However, the strain of this virus is extraordinarily virulent and must have transferred immediately into her bloodstream.” She glanced up at Jake. “Just like Fifth Disease.”

“Scary.”

“I couldn't agree more.” Cassidy gazed out the window of the small helicopter. A disease as deadly as CPV-19 being released within the jungles of the Niger Delta frightened her beyond belief. Infection of both animal and human meant absolute genocide.

Seated within the comfort of the ZEBRA plane, Cassidy rested her head against the edge of the chair. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt this worn out. Her body ached from the numerous bumps and bruises collected from her fall into the lab and her impromptu flight out of the helicopter. Her mind was taxed beyond belief by the fear of the virus and concern for the inhabitants of Yellowstone. Unanswered questions and solutions to the open ends of the investigation plagued her constantly.

The moment they entered the plane, Cassidy sat down at a computer and wrote everything down. Theories. Facts. Questions. Everything. She bent her head in frustration as the system responded in slow motion to each entry she typed. Cole's men had irrevocably damaged their equipment during the abduction, leaving behind only one working computer. And it was a dinosaur. The system didn't even have a USB port for the flash drive. She'd been reassured laptops would be delivered the moment they arrived at Salt Lake City.

Jake walked over and slipped into the seat next to her. She twisted her neck and stared at him. He'd been deep in discussion with the pilot when they'd returned and then spent an additional hour on the phone with his superior officer. His presence filled the plane, and she tried to block out the effect it had on her emotions.

Cassidy turned her concentration back to other matters. She remembered one of her notations. “Have you sent people to excavate the lab?”

“Yes.” Jake answered. “And headquarters called to inform us that your arrest warrant has been revoked.”

She frowned and sucked her bottom lip between her teeth. “That was fast. You must be able to pull some pretty powerful strings.”

Jake shrugged. “I'd love to take responsibility, but the petri dish lid you found at the lab site contained traces of parvo.”

“Plain parvo?”

“Yes. And combined with everything else we've put together, it was enough to smash through the erroneous claims of your involvement with CPV-19.”

Cassidy bent her head from one side to the other, snapping the kinks in her neck. “Good.” She should feel more relieved, but her mind was numb.

“We're ready for takeoff. You okay flying out of here?”

She grinned, relishing the brief drop from his military bearing. “Hell, yeah. This is a walk in the park compared to everything that's transpired the last couple of days.” And it was the truth.

The engine hummed and vibrated through the body of the plane as it taxied toward the runway. Cassidy buckled her belt. Jake remained seated beside her, and she swiveled to face him. “Don't you have somewhere else to be?”

He stared at her, tilting his head. “Like where?”

Cassidy pointed to Michelle, who was seated toward the front of the plane. “There.”

“But I like you more.”

He stated his words in a serious manner but there was a glimpse of something familiar in the depths of his eyes, and it eased the pain and regret that refused to allow her stomach to settle. “I meant shouldn't you be coordinating our plans or whatever it is you Black Stripes do before embarking on a dangerous mission?”

“Don't worry. It's in the works.”

The plane raced down the runway and rose into the sky, banking its wings and gracefully turning toward the mountains. Cassidy gasped and inhaled sharply as the turbulent currents dropped their elevation slightly.

“It's fine,” Jake whispered.

“I know.” She offered him a half smile. “Some habits die hard.”

Her fear subsided, and she gazed out the window as the plane flew through the Tetons. Dark shadows glittering with snow winked at her from beyond the barrier of her window. They rose above the peaks and Cassidy smiled, placing her face as close to the small opening as possible. The mountains were breathtaking. Exhilarating. Their wild beauty unchanged for centuries.

This bird's eye view is what her parents saw.

She'd be back. When her responsibilities were complete, she'd return home and put to bed the rest of her demons. Cassidy's eyes watered. Pressing her fingertips to the glass, she whispered a soft prayer. “Bye, Mom. I love you.” Her father, too, but it was her mother's wisdom she missed the most and the comfort of her forever-forgiving heart.

Cassidy felt Jake rise and leave her in peace. The confliction of her feelings toward the exasperating man too complicated to untangle, she closed her eyes and slipped beneath a blanket of exhaustion. Safe for the moment, her mind rested and her body reached for the regenerative powers of sleep.

T
HE RUMBLE OF LANDING GEAR AGAINST TARMAC JOLTED
J
AKE
from his half sleep. He stretched, slipped his hand down, and flipped open the metal clasp of his seat belt. Standing slowly and working the kinks from cramped muscles, he glanced around the interior of the transport plane.

Michelle was already on the phone, moving alternately from her seat to the fax machine. She held a stack of papers in her hand, waving them at Jake. He nodded and moved down the aisle, gracefully absorbing the motion of the plane with his legs. The engine slowed and stopped and dropped the interior into a hushed silence. “Michelle, go down and coordinate our transportation with the local PD. They should be waiting for us.”

“Yes, sir.” She turned, resting her hand against the wall of the plane, and waited while the ground crew connected a set of rollaway stairs to the exterior of the door. When everything was in place, Michelle pushed a series of numbers into a keypad and twisted the metal latch. With a loud hiss the plane's door swung open, swamping the interior with sunshine.

Jake trailed his fingers along the top of the headrest of Cassidy's seat. He bent over and studied her face. Her head rested against the window, a curtain of golden curls trailing along her cheekbone and across her shoulder. Ignoring the sudden tightening of his chest, he moved his hand down and pushed her hair back. She stirred, and he frowned at the rim of bruises against her neck. Jake closed his eyes and smoothed away the sudden desire to kill Robert Cole. His personal feelings must remain separate from the mission.

Jake slid into the seat next to her and gently shook her shoulder. “Cassidy, we're here.”

“Hmmm?” She inhaled and stretched her arms to the ceiling. “Already?”

A light scent of lavender crossed the distance between them, reminding Jake they'd only had a brief moment to change clothes and hand wash the dirt and grime away from their fall out of the helicopter. “Sorry, Sunshine. It's a short flight from Jackson to Salt Lake City.” He stifled a laugh at the childish pout which crossed her face. “You can stay here, if you like.” That snapped her awake.

“No way.” Cassidy straightened in her seat and reached down to tug her boots on. Jake glanced at the ceiling, not wanting to feast on the curve of her breast or the patch of bare skin exposed beyond the edge of her T-shirt. “Do you know where we're going?”

He couldn't have her any more than he could lay claim to the sky above his land. The sting of her distrust faded as they approached the next leg of their investigation. He needed her cooperation and her brain. Jake decided allowing a small amount of his true feelings out would work miracles in gaining her full trust and solidifying their teamwork. “Yes. I established the results of the traced Internet connection, but unfortunately the local PD already received a call of suspicious behavior at that address. They investigated and found nothing.”

Cassidy ran a brush through her hair, turned, and stared at him.

“Nothing?” She scooted forward, searching the seat for something. Her hand dug into the back of the chair, and with a triumphant smile she yanked out a pony tail holder. “Knew it was here somewhere.” With a flip of her wrist, she twisted her hair through the black band and refocused on Jake. “You're sure? They didn't find a thing?”

He rose and stepped into the aisle, allowing her to proceed in front of him. “Nothing.”

“No dead body?”

“Nada.” Jake followed her. “But don't get your hopes up. There's no telling what they've done with him.”

“I know. But still”—she smiled at him over her shoulder—“it's a positive thing. No body.”

They stepped onto the top of the stairway, and Jake smiled as Cassidy inhaled deeply and spread her arms wide. He admitted the blue sky and fuel-tainted air were a welcome contrast to the climate-controlled interior of the plane. Jake placed his hand against her back and gently pushed her forward until she moved under her own power and jogged down the metal stairs of the transport jet.