“Oxycodone,” Sam remarked, then cast a look at Gil. “You pack a pretty serious medical kit.”
“When you spend weeks out in the field, it’s good to be prepared,” Gil informed her.
Sam took one of the pills without water and then returned the bottle to him. “I won’t even ask how or why you had Morphine.”
Gil cast a quick look at her, then covered with a slightly humored smile. “That’s probably best,” he teased.
The ranger was obviously a little suspicious of their well-stocked medical bag, particularly after Jackie had let it slip that Nevada gave her a morphine injection, not your average medical bag drug. Their medical bag was a little too well-stocked for the average person, although not unusual for someone used to treating gunshot wounds. Gil finished dressing her wound and shut the bag before she could sneak a peek inside and see what else they had stocked in there.
“Which way is the zebra paddock?” Sam asked while slipping back into her shirt. “I’d like to check on Smokey.”
Gil offered a pleasant smile. “I’ll walk over with you,” he replied.
“I’m sure I could find it on my own,” Sam informed him. “I don’t want to put you out. I’ve been a big enough burden on all of you already.”
“It’s no trouble,” Gil insisted. “The gate to the paddock is heavy and a bit rusted. I don’t want you straining and tearing out any stitches.”
Sam smiled and nodded, seeming to buy his excuse for tagging along.
§
Gil and Sam approached the zebra paddock from the rear, shelter side entrance. He hadn’t lied. The gate was thick steel and contained a fair amount of rust. Gil opened the gate with some effort and extended his hand for her to enter. Sam entered the paddock with Gil a step behind her and crossed the large field. The zebra paddock was a large, open area filled with tall grass and a few trees near the back. A wooden shelter was made from trees to give it a more natural appeal, although the shelter was partially collapsed now. The disguised fencing gave the habitat an open appearance while keeping the horse confined. The gray horse immediately lifted its nose from the lush grass and snickered when he saw her. Sam held her hand out.
“Hey, boy,” she announced. “How are you feeling?”
The horse whinnied excitedly and trotted over to greet her. She affectionately held the horse’s head and petted him as he nuzzled her.
“I’ll just wait outside the gate,” Gil announced and left her alone with the horse.
The gray horse lifted its head and snorted at something behind her. Sam patted the horse’s nose and didn’t bother looking over her shoulder.
“Good morning, Zack,” she announced.
“Damned horse,” Zack muttered from nearby.
Sam turned and saw Zack in a tree near the fence. Zack climbed from the tree to the top of the fence and walked across it, skillfully balancing himself as if he were walking in the park. He then jumped off without effort. Sam stared at him and shook her head.
“What I wouldn’t give to be able to do that?” she remarked, then grinned. “So were you spying or stalking?”
“Neither,” he replied. “I was watching the horse. You just happened along.”
“Then I don’t know if I’m relieved or disappointed,” she teased.
Zack gave her a slightly bewildered look, seeming somewhat suspicious. “Jackie would suggest you were flirting just now,” he remarked and paused near the horse, scratching its withers.
The horse lifted his head in the air and made low grunting sounds, enjoying the scratching.
Sam laughed at his interaction with her horse. “You found his itchy spot,” she remarked, then attempted to hide her embarrassment. “And Jackie would be right.”
Zack cast a slightly bewildered look at her. “Now I’m back to being confused again.”
“Don’t many women flirt with you, or am I doing it wrong?” she teased while hiding her embarrassed smile. “I mean, I know it’s been a while for me--”
“According to some, I’m clueless when it comes to women and the subtle art of flirting,” Zack replied, then placed his arm over the horse’s withers and eyed her. “If you were flirting, why did you recoil the other day when I kissed you?”
Sam stared at him with some surprise and seemed to blush. “Well, that was direct and to the point.”
“Sorry; I don’t have much of a filter,” he remarked. “I tend to say what I think.”
“I’m guessing that doesn’t always work out for you, huh?” she teased.
“Are you avoiding my question on purpose?”
Sam tensed slightly, then managed a tiny smile. “I guess I just wasn’t expecting you to, well, kiss me like that. It kind of took me by surprise.”
“I don’t typically initiate, and I should probably stick with what I know,” he remarked. “If my aggressive behavior upset you, I’m sorry.”
She hid her smile and avoided looking at him. “It didn’t upset me. It just caught me off guard,” Sam replied, then finally met his gaze and smiled with embarrassment. “It’s funny how when you read romance novels, you fantasize about that sort of thing, but when a man actually does it, you find yourself paralyzed with fear.”
“A few shots of tequila fixes that,” Zack reported.
Sam gave him a strange look. “I don’t think we’re talking about the same thing.”
“I’ve read a few chapters from Jackie’s romance novels,” Zack announced. “That thing was loaded with deviant behavior. I got the general gist.”
“Yeah, I don’t think she was reading the same kind of romance novels I read,” Sam insisted while managing a tiny laugh. She took a step closer to Zack and seemed apprehensive. “Although I admit I was taken by surprise when you kissed me, I won’t deny it was possibly the single most erotic moment in my life.”
Zack stared at her a moment and removed his arm from the horse’s withers. “Now that sounds a lot like a proposition,” he remarked.
“I’m pretty sure it was meant to,” she remarked while maintaining her tiny smile.
Without further prompting, Zack took a step toward her, pulled her against him, and kissed her passionately and with a fair amount of aggression. Sam immediately tensed with surprise. Zack broke off the kiss and pulled away.
“You did it again,” he insisted and once more appeared confused. “You recoiled.”
Sam quickly took a step toward him and placed her good arm around his neck before he could retreat. “I’ve been alone a long time, Zack,” she insisted. “I assure you, my hesitation is not rejection. Just go with it. I’ll catch up.”
Zack again pulled her against him and kissed her passionately. She eagerly returned the kiss this time. As Zack’s passion started to rise, Sam stopped him and met his gaze with a tiny, seductive grin.
“Is there someplace a little more private around here?” she cooed while gently caressing his chest.
“More than a hundred private places,” he informed her. “Care to narrow down that request?”
Sam thought about it a moment, then grinned. “Well, it’s been a long time since I’ve had intimate contact with any man,” she informed him. “So I’d say somewhere without fear of interruption, being caught, and the need to rush.”
Zack seemed somewhat hesitant by her words.
Sam noted his expression and tensed slightly. “Is something wrong?”
“No,” he replied, despite his expression. “Most women I meet seem to prefer the rushed version.”
Sam chuckled while staring into his eyes. “Am I throwing you off your game?” she teased.
“A little,” he replied, then hesitated. “I’ll adapt, though.” A sly grin then crossed his face. “I think I know the perfect place. Wait here. I just need to get a sleeping bag.”
§
Zack carried a rolled sleeping bag slung over his shoulder while walking with Sam through the overgrown sanctuary property. They approached the large, glass aviary. Despite vines growing over the sides of the glass buil
ding, which looked more like a two-story greenhouse, the glass seemed to be mostly intact, possibly being shatterproof.
Sam appeared curious. “What is this?” she asked. “A greenhouse?”
“It’s an aviary,” he informed her, then opened the door containing frosted glass and extended his hand for her to enter first.
Sam entered the aviary and stopped just inside. The aviary was thick with trees and various plant life, now growing mostly wild. The natural watering system still functioned even without human interaction and provided a warm, tropical setting despite being abandoned. The walkway was still intact, although somewhat overrun with plant life along the edges. Sam marveled at the romantic setting and grinned her approval.
“I am very impressed,” Sam announced, then looked back at Zack.
Zack indicated the romantic jungle setting. “Secluded,” he announced, then shut the frosted glass door and bolted it. “And completely private.”
Sam smiled her approval. “Very nice,” she announced, then raised her brows. “And very romantic.”
“That’s something I’ve never been accused of before,” Zack remarked, then guided her deeper into the aviary.
He stopped her near the center of the building, where many types of trees had grown over one another, giving the area an even more secluded, romantic appeal. Zack unrolled the sleeping bag then removed his cell phone. Sam carefully sat on the sleeping bag to avoid using her injured arm then watched Zack. The sounds of birds and nature were heard from his cell phone. He turned up the volume, set the phone down, and joined her on the sleeping bag. Sam watched him and smiled.
“Are you sure no one’s ever accused you of being romantic before?” she teased.
Zack removed his combat boots while considering the question then looked around. “I know how to coordinate things, sort of like setting the stage,” he informed her. “I suppose with a little stretch of the imagination that could be the same thing as ‘being romantic’.” He set his boots aside and turned on the sleeping bag to face her where she sat. “The real challenge will be adjusting from the quick version to the extended version.”
“You haven’t done that in a while?” she teased.
“I know a lot of aggressive women,” he replied. “It’s much easier letting them set the pace, and I’m pretty good at taking orders.”
Sam suddenly grinned and raised her brow. “Well, then,” she announced with some humor. “I think we just found our common ground. I’m good at giving orders.”
She placed her good arm around his neck, moved against him, and kissed him warmly but passionately. Zack returned the kiss with a little added aggression.
Chapter 40
It was just after breakfast that morning. While Zack was busy entertaining Sam, Ross and Gil were patrolling the grounds, leaving Nevada on guard duty. Jackie stood at the main desk within the visitor's center with Monroe, Beck, and Bogart. They were studying a map of the sanctuary with matching frowns at their new dilemma.
“Can’t do it,” Beck finally announced and straightened with disgust. “There’s no way we can pull it off.”
“Stop being so negative all the time,” Monroe scoffed and shook his head. “We have a ton of resources. We’ve pulled off more with less.”
“I hate to agree with Beck,” Jackie informed them, “but he’s right.”
Beck glared at Jackie and cocked his head with something resembling a smirk. “Thanks,” he scoffed. “I take back all those disparaging remarks I’ve made about you.”
Jackie sneered at Beck.
“Stop your fighting; all of you,” Bogart announced with a groan while raking his fingers through his hair. He then indicated the map with some irritation. “Can we just get back to our current situation? We need to think of something and fast; before Zack returns and wants in.”
“Don’t worry about Zack,” Beck announced, then offered a cheap grin. “If he’s doing what I think he’s doing with that Girl Scout, we have plenty of time while she earns her ‘roughing it’ merit badge.”
“That’s disgusting, Beck,” Jackie remarked.
“Yeah, well,” Beck announced while eyeing her, “so is Zack.”
Jackie rolled her eyes, which only managed to fuel Beck’s bad behavior. He chuckled at Jackie’s disapproval. Kirk entered the visitor’s center, headed for one of the nearby storage containers, and removed a bag of chips. Without hesitation, he tore into them. All four glanced at Kirk. While the others returned to the map and their mission, Monroe kept his attention on Kirk.
“We just had a big breakfast,” Monroe insisted. “How can you be hungry?”
“I’m a big boy,” Kirk casually announced while crunching on some chips as he approached them at the counter. He appeared curious and eyed the map. “What are the four of you plotting this time?”
Monroe looked back at the map, leaned on the counter, and sighed while shaking his head. “We want to have a little target shooting competition, but even with our weapons’ suppressors, there’s a risk of Sam hearing us.”
“Not to mention anyone else close by,” Beck added. “There’s no telling who’s out there. We don’t need to fuel someone’s suspicions and blow our cover.”
“You’d think between the four of you, you’d be a little more creative,” Kirk remarked while crunching on his chips. “You don’t need firearms to target practice.” He tossed his bag of chips onto the counter and removed his Bowie knife from his boot. He flipped it in his hand then slammed it on the counter on top of the map. “Knife throwing.”
Jackie, Monroe, Bogart, and Beck exchanged looks. Jackie couldn’t help but wonder why she hadn’t thought of that first. Why did it take Kirk, of all people, to come up with such a great idea?
“I’m suddenly feeling pretty stupid,” Beck remarked, then looked back at the map. He pointed to the kiddie land. “We can hang a target here in the kid’s playland.”
Jackie grinned her approval. “I’ll grab some knives,” she remarked.
“I’ll find material to make a target,” Bogart announced excitedly.
“I’ll get some snacks,” Kirk informed them and immediately received several looks.
§
As Jackie entered the clinic later that afternoon, Nevada saw her and slipped her cell phone into her pocket. Jackie noticed the action as she approached the desk and wondered what the woman was doing. They had gone dark, which meant no contact with anyone from the outside world except coded messages to their go-between, Othello. Jackie paused before the desk and managed a tiny smile, pretending she hadn’t noticed the action.
“Everything okay in here?”
“Yeah,” Nevada replied while leaning back in the chair, then indicated the nearby cage. “Thankfully, he’s been sleeping all afternoon. I’ve been enjoying the peace and quiet for a change.”
“Did you need a break?” Jackie asked.
“I could use a little fresh air and an hour’s nap,” Nevada remarked, then stood.
Jackie felt compelled to comment on what she’d just witnessed. Despite not wanting to accuse the woman of anything, she felt she had to mention it and casually nodded to Nevada’s pocket.
“You weren’t communicating with someone, were you?” Jackie asked.
Nevada was confused by the question then managed a tiny smile and a laugh. “No,” she replied. “There’s no reception in the clinic even if we were allowed to use our cell phones. I was reading some books I had downloaded on my phone. Don’t worry; I have my phone on airplane mode.”
Jackie managed a tiny laugh. “I keep forgetting you already know the drill,” she remarked with some embarrassment. “Force of habit.”
Nevada waved her off. “I don’t blame you,” she remarked. “It’s your ass too. One of us screws up, and we’re all screwed.” She then hesitated. “In case you’re interested--” Nevada indicated the lower desk drawer. “There’s an old smut magazine in the bottom desk drawer. It has a great raunchy article, if you’re into that.”
Jackie laughed and shook her head. “Thanks, but I’m good.”
Nevada shrugged and grinned. “Your business; not mine,” she remarked, then left the clinic.
Jackie cast herself into the desk chair, leaned back, and stared at the ceiling a moment. Her eyes then shifted to the bottom desk drawer. She glanced across the room toward the door, saw that no one else was around, and then opened the drawer. She removed the dirty magazine and searched for the aforementioned raunchy article. As she read the article, she gasped with surprise. She laughed and continued reading, becoming completely immersed in it. A few minutes later, Jackie had finished reading the long article, shut the magazine, and held her breath a moment.
“Wow,” she gasped, then fanned herself with the magazine. She suddenly missed Holden all over again.
The magazine was snatched from her hand, startling her. Zack sat on the desk and eyed the cover with a mostly nude woman sprawled on it. He then glanced at Jackie and raised his brows.
“All this time,” he announced. “Something else we have in common that we could have been enjoying together.”
“I was just reading it for the articles,” Jackie informed him matter-of-factly.
Zack grinned and laughed. “That’s what they all say,” he teased, then casually flipped through the magazine. He paused on one page in particular and tilted his head while raising his brow. “Hmm, nice.” He then looked at Jackie. “Where did Nevada go?”
“I gave her a break,” Jackie replied. “She went to get a little sleep.”
Zack gave her a strange look. “I saw her heading across the sanctuary.”
“Maybe she went for a walk,” Jackie remarked.
He sank into thought then nodded. “Yeah, maybe,” Zack replied and tossed the magazine on the desk as he stood. “I’m going to tail her. See what she’s up to.” He then eyed Jackie and offered a slightly mocking grin. “Are you okay? You look a little flushed.”
Jackie glared at him and sneered.
“I find a cold shower usually helps,” Zack teased with a chuckle as he left the clinic.
§
Around ten o’clock that evening, Jackie, Kirk, Beck, and Bogart had gathered in the visitor’s center. Kirk strode across the large lobby with a scowl on his face, cast himself onto one of the cots, and groaned in disgust.
Witness Protection 9: S.N.A.F.U. Page 30