Devil's Gold (45 page)

He grinned. “No worries, Sunshine.” Jake turned toward Valerie and Michelle. “It's time to rock and roll. Valerie, you're welcome to join us at base camp or you can stay here. Whatever you choose. Make sure the communications equipment is up and running and give us an hourly update on the status of the wolves and virus.”

“Aye-aye, Capiton.” She chuckled when Jake frowned at her. “Take care of your girl. She's not one of us.”

Cassidy rolled her eyes. “I can take care of myself.”

“Michelle,” Jake called as the ecologist headed out the door. “I want up-to-date information on the movements of the squads. Also, coordinate tactical information with the Black Stripe squad assembled. Let them fill you in on our last mission.”

“Yes, sir.” She turned and jogged out of sight.

“And me?” Cassidy asked.

“You're going to the shooting range.”

Of all the things she'd expected to hear, that wasn't even close to being on her list. “I'm hopeless.”

Jake shook his head. “Get your gear. I've seen you throw a knife and understand your comfort level with that weapon. However, it's not functional for where we're going. If you don't learn to shoot straight, you're not coming along.”

Cassidy stepped into her compartment and grabbed her gear bag. “Honest, I'm fine with the knife.”

She turned to leave the small cubicle, but Jake blocked the doorway. “Trust me, you won't have time to chase your knife down after every throw.” He grinned when she frowned.

“You've got a point there.”

“Let's go, Sunshine. We have two hours before Colonel Price arrives.”

Cassidy followed Jake out of the plane and paused, the humid atmosphere strangling her after the controlled temperatures of the plane. Stripping off her lightweight jacket, she understood the selection of a tank versus tee. “Hot,” she exhaled.

“Yes, ma'am.”

She scanned her surroundings. The runway was at the top of a high peak. In the distance, she could see bright orange and green tiles dotting the landscape. There didn't appear to be an abundance of roads, and the noise from the surrounding tropics was a symphony of bird songs. The fumes of oil and gas were all that permeated the air around the small landing strip, but Cassidy imagined the perfume of the myriad of flowers and tropical plants would be sweet nectar.

“Santo Antonio,” Jake said, following her line of vision.

“I don't suppose we're going there.”

He winked. “No, we're not.”

“How about the beach? I hear it's lovely this time of year.”

“Sorry, Sunshine. No bird watching. No beach. And no shopping.”

She narrowed her eyes and sashayed past him. “You're
no
fun.”

Cassidy spotted a military truck parked close to the first metal building. “Is that ours?”

“I believe it is.”

They approached it and tossed their bags in the back. “Michelle's already gone?”

Jake paused before revving the engine. “Cassidy, this is a covert mission. If I didn't think you were necessary for its success, you wouldn't be here.”

“I figured that,” she responded, her voice taking on the icy undertone of her aggravation. She wasn't a child. “I've been in dangerous situations before.”

“No,” Jake said, shaking his head. “You haven't. Not like this.”

“I'll do what I'm told.”

“I don't doubt that. But I want you to remember we're going to war. Are you prepared?”

She stared at him, unable to voice the words lodged in her throat. Was he asking her if she was prepared to die? “No.”

“Good. That's exactly how it should be. Don't get cocky, and don't get bossy.” He started the ignition, backed the truck up, and sped across the tarmac.

“I suggest you take your own advice.”

“No need, Sunshine.” He grinned at her. “I'm the man in charge, which makes me automatically bossy and most certainly cocky.” His eyes glinted in amusement, and she stuck her tongue out at him.

Cassidy sobered, her mind turning to the events about to unfold. “How many men will you have?”

“Only a handful. This is extreme covert ops. The United States imports 33 percent of their oil from Nigeria. If the Nigerian government were to catch wind of this infiltration into their land, they'd stop exportation.”

“I see.”

“Our rescue mission of your crew a few weeks ago was sanctioned by OPEC because you were there on their behalf. Otherwise, we would have had to leave the choppers behind and come in by foot.”

Cassidy chewed over this information. “But we're no longer sanctioned?”

Jake shook his head. “Nope. You never know which way the wind blows when it comes to third world governments. This will appear as just another attack by rebel forces.”

“And if we fail?”

“We won't.”

Cassidy sighed and gazed out the window. His confidence didn't appease her uncertainty. If anything, it accentuated exactly how unprepared she was for this mission. He pulled off the road onto a winding dirt path. Through the wide branches of the palm trees, Cassidy spied several military tents interspersed with metal modular buildings. She immediately recognized the ZEBRA logo that was painted on the buildings. “Is this base camp?”

“Yes. But we're going to the range first. It's only a few clicks more.”

“Okay.” Cassidy closed her eyes, allowing the warm breeze to caress her face. They were far beyond the hot tarmac of the tiny airstrip, and sweet fragrances from a plethora of orchids and lilies tickled her nose. “They speak Portuguese here, right?”

“In the late fifteenth century, the Portuguese explorers Pedro Escobar and JoAo Gomes discovered these islands.” He knocked his shoulder against hers. “I know a few things, too.”

She offered him a cheeky smile. “Yeah? Did you know that these volcanic islands are one of Africa's smallest countries?”

“Yes,” Jake laughed. “I did know that. Over the past six months, I've spent quite a bit of time here.”

Six months? Cassidy frowned. “I don't suppose that time span has anything to do with my assignment in the Niger Delta.”

Jake frowned. “Now you know if I tell you that, I'd have to kill you.”

“I have security clearance. Valerie said so.”

“Only for this mission.”

She hated being in the dark. What the hell had he been doing in the Niger Delta? If he'd been there that whole time, then he certainly would've been prepared enough to save Anna and Georgie.

“Cassidy, stop that thinking.”

Shocked at his intuitiveness, Cassidy frowned at him. “I'm not thinking.”

Jake didn't bother to hide his grin, and it irritated her. “Yes, you are. You're trying to figure out exactly how long I've been here and whether or not I was spying on you. And if I was monitoring your actions, then why the hell didn't I prevent the invasion of your camp?”

Her mouth dropped open, and a soft hum reverberated through her body. There was a certain comfort level in having somebody know you so well he could read your mind. “I can't help it.”

He parked the truck at the edge of a short grassy plain. Turning toward her, he stared into her eyes. “The Niger Delta is a military hot spot. The United States is very concerned with rebel forces and the depth of corruption within the government. Your assignment allowed our people to move freely within the area. Many of the employees on staff belonged to this unit.” He reached over and rubbed a thumb against her cheek. “You weren't alone in your fear for the safety of that region.”

Cassidy didn't know how to respond.

“That's how we operate, Sunshine. We weren't there to watch you. You were our cover. An important aspect of our mission. And whatever you were working on, our actions in no way infringed upon your assignment.”

“How did you know about the strike?”

Jake offered her a half smile. “We have our informants.”

“And Anna? Why couldn't you save Anna?”

“Who says I didn't?”

Cassidy frowned and worried her bottom lip. “I wish you'd be straightforward instead of giving me all these half-truths.” She didn't understand the scope of his work, and it was apparent from his description of ZEBRA's presence on this island that she wouldn't be privy to any details.

Jake sighed. “Can we just go shoot and quit arguing?”

“I guess so.” Cassidy followed Jake and stopped when he turned around and stared at her. “Are you forgetting something?”

“No. But you are.”

She tilted her head and put her hands on her hips. “I am?”

He tipped his head back and raised his arms to the heavens. “Please help me.” Fixing his sight on her, he pointed back to the truck. “Your gun.”

“Oh, right.” A soft giggle escaped her mouth, followed by the flush of embarrassment on her cheeks. “Sorry. You can take the girl away from zoology, but you can't take the zoologist out of the girl—or something like that. I'll be right back.” Spinning on her heels, Cassidy raced back to the truck and retrieved her gun from the gear bag. She'd stored it there before landing, uncomfortable with its weight around her waist.

She secured the Glock in its holster and went to turn around, but a flash of color distracted her. Twisting her head, she stared at the dusty path they'd driven down. Beyond the canopy of trees, a few buildings from the ZEBRA camp could still be discerned. With only a small portion of the island at their disposal, it appeared to Cassidy that ZEBRA crammed everything around the hub of the encampment. The gun range was less than half a mile from the cluster of buildings.

The figure of a woman dressed in jeans and a bright red tank top walked in her direction. A large white bandage bound across her upper left chest stood out against the cocoa complexion of her skin. Cassidy's heart stopped. She recognized the woman, but it was the young boy tugging and straining against her grip that sprung tears to her eyes. “Cassidy!” the boy cried. “Doctor Cassidy!”

“Georgie,” she whispered and ran to meet him halfway. He flew into her embrace, wrapping his bone-thin arms around her neck and squeezing with all his might. Tears poured down her face as she rocked him back and forth, thanking the Lord for the sweet scent of bubble gum.

C
ASSIDY REACHED OUT HER ARM AND
A
NNA DROPPED TO HER
knees, wrapping both Cassidy and Georgie in her embrace. Tears ran in rivers down Cassidy's face, but she didn't care. She squeezed Anna's good shoulder and kissed Georgie's forehead. Such sweetness. “Damn, I thought you were a goner.” For this one second in time, the world brightened.

“It'll take more than a bullet to the shoulder to bring me down.” Anna reached over and pried Georgie from Cassidy's arms. “I've been worried sick over you. I saw your vehicle pass the outskirts of the camp and decided to take a chance that you were heading out here. I knew you couldn't be far. The road dead ends around that bend.”

Cassidy stood up and brushed the dirt from her knees. “I'm thrilled you found me because that's nothing compared to what I've been feeling.” Cassidy hugged her friend, then turned to Georgie. “And how did you get here, young man?”

Georgie pointed over her shoulder. “Him.”

Cassidy spun around and faced Jake. He stood beside the truck, his hands shoved into his pockets. His shoulders were relaxed, but Cassidy felt the tension cross the distance faster than an arrow. The joy at finding Anna and Georgie alive wiped out her immediate reaction to throttle the lying son of a bitch. Why hadn't he told her?

“Cassidy, get a move on. We're running out of time.”

She glanced at Anna, then back at Jake, and shrugged. “Can't it wait?”

The steel expression that slammed down over his face caught her by surprise. What was his problem? She'd been the one running around the past three weeks with a mountain-sized gorilla of grief hanging on her back.

“War waits for no one.” He turned and motioned for her to follow.
War
. Cassidy rolled her eyes at his dramatics and offered Anna a slight smile. “We'll catch up later.”

Anna nodded. “I'll be back at camp when you're ready.”

Jake called her name and even though the tropical foliage softened his voice, she heard his anger loud and clear. “Gotta run.” Jogging in his direction, she thought of a few choice words to stick up his tight military butt.

Jake reined in his temper and counted to five. The expression on Cassidy's face burned into his mind. Her happiness and relief at finding her friend alive softened her features and smoothed the worry lines he'd spent the past week memorizing.

Until that very moment, he hadn't believed she honestly thought he'd allowed Anna Kuffae and her son to die. His stomach twisted, and for some insane reason he felt betrayed. This strong reaction to the realization she didn't trust him shocked and scared him.