“My stalker,” she said. The word itself made her feel sick. “What if he sees me on the national news?”
“Here’s what I think,” Steve said after a moment. “This is a hell of a story, and I want my best reporter on it. That’s you. You’re leaving in less than a week, so even if he does see the broadcast and makes his way to Golden Falls, I don’t think he’d have time to find out where you live on his own.”
“In a small town like this, it wouldn’t be hard,” she said. “He could just park outside the studio and wait for me to come and go.”
“He could,” Steve said. “And I don’t want to pressure you, so if you really think it’s best, you can hand off the story to Michael.”
“You won’t win any awards if Michael covers it.”
“No, we won’t. But awards aren’t everything.”
Cassie glanced at the walls of his office. Every inch was taken up with an award of some sort, going back twenty years. Awards were everything, to Steve at least. And he’d been such a good boss to her. An award would be a nice going-away gift.
“I want this story,” she said.
“You sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“All right,” Steve said. “We’ll do our best to keep you safe. I’ll reiterate to the staff that no one at this news station is to reveal personal information to anyone. And I’ll hire a security guard for the remainder of your time on staff with us to patrol the parking lot and escort you to and from your car.”
“Thanks, Steve,” she said. “I appreciate it, truly. Now I need to run. I’ve got to go make that noise you always tell us to make.”
Cassie returned to the airport, where she’d arranged to meet two sets of parents arriving on that afternoon’s flight. Waiting for them at their gate, she was pleased no other reporters were there. When the parents arrived, one of the women threw her arms around Cassie as if they were long lost friends.
“Any word?” she asked desperately.
“No, but we’ve got lots of daylight left,” Cassie told her, introducing herself to each of the parents in turn. “And some of the best people in the world are searching for them.”
They set up the interview in front of a west-facing window that on this clear, sunny day would show off the magnificent foothills and distant massive rise of Denali.
“How did you discover your son’s troop hadn’t returned on schedule?” she asked the first set of parents.
“They missed their flight,” the mother said, already crying. “We waited for them at the airport, and they didn’t get off the plane!”
“Wasn’t there a communication plan before they left?”
“Not really,” the mother said. “They were out of range for the backpacking, of course, and then they were supposed to stay here in Golden Falls the last two nights at a campground. I guess we thought we’d hear if something went wrong. No news is good news, right?”
She tried to smile through her tears, but all Cassie could think was how backwards these parents had it. They should have had a plan, and a back-up plan.
“We’re not pleased with the lack of accountability around here,” the father said.
That wouldn’t go over well, Cassie knew. Alaskans were self-reliant. Neighborly, yes, but everyone understood the importance of being prepared. She wanted people to connect with the children who were missing, not get frustrated with these probably lawsuit-happy parents.
“Tell me a little bit about your son,” Cassie said, changing the tack of her questions.
“Brayden’s twelve,” the mother said, pulling up a picture on her cell phone. “He’s a great kid. He laughs all the time, never in a bad mood.” Her lip quivered. “His little sister—oh! I don’t know what we’d do without him.”
Much better, thought Cassie.
“He really cares about other people,” the father added. “He takes care of his sister and always rallies his soccer teammates. He’s a leader, that one. Born to be a leader. He’s out there somewhere—” he choked up “—and he’s doing everything he can to help the situation, sharing his rations, whatever he’s got. I know that for a fact. I know that about my son.”
After the interviews, Cassie hustled to the Sheriff’s Department, where searchers who’d been out all day were gathering. She took a few minutes in the van to get her hair and makeup ready for primetime and then jumped out to get more comments.
The news wasn’t good. No one had seen any sign of the Boy Scouts.
Steve called to tell her the story had been picked up by CNN, a co-affiliate of KFLS. They’d aired her earlier report and wanted Cassie live in ten minutes. From there, she’d go straight into the local breaking broadcast, and then onto the NBC Nightly News.
Cassie’s heart thudded. This wasn’t just a breaking story, it was her break. Her new bosses in Atlanta would get to see all the skills she could bring to the table.
You’ve got this, Cassie, she told herself. Go out there and kick some ass.
And she did. Once she had the microphone in hand, she was confident in her knowledge of the search effort and the identities of the missing boys. They aired clips of the helicopters leaving, of the tearful parents, and Cassie explained the particular challenges of the Alaskan landscape that the troop would be facing.
She’d just finished her report for NBC national when the two other news stations in town showed up with their vans, too late for any live national broadcasts. The rest of the afternoon was spent interviewing sheriff’s deputies and the search coordinators. She pored over Google Maps and emailed information back to KFLS so they could come up with graphics of where the hikers had been, and how the search would unfold in the harsh topography.
Finally, as the September twilight edged closer, she got footage of the searchers as they began to trickle back in groups of twos and threes. She got interviews of them, too, and kept an eye out for Cody, but didn’t see him. Did he spend the night out there? Knowing Cody, he probably did.
The next day was more of the same. Searchers left in the morning. More parents arrived. Profiles were done on the missing boys and their adult leaders, a dentist and a lawyer, and as the hours dragged on with no word, Cassie could see the growing dread on the faces of their families. She gave a second live report on CNN, and for the NBC Nightly News.
There was not a word, either, from Stalker Doug. Cassie’s phone stayed silent except for work-related calls and texts. Her email inbox was bursting, but she saw no alarming messages. She wanted to feel good about it—could she be that lucky that Doug hadn’t seen her on the news?—but she couldn’t shake the feeling that the silence meant something, too.
But it didn’t matter. I’m leaving, she told herself. I’m leaving. A mantra of both escape and regret.
The evening after the second day of futile searching, Cassie finished up her last report in the parking lot of the Sheriff’s Department and had just stowed her microphone when she turned and, with a jolt like an electric shock, saw Cody walking across the parking lot looking tired and discouraged.
She longed to throw her arms around him, to pull him close and tell him he’d done good, to kiss him and offer him some comfort and—hell—make him hot chocolate or something. The burst of domesticity was almost a physical craving, to nurture this man and bring his sunshine-bright smile back to his rugged face.
But that wasn’t for her to do. Not anymore. Not ever again.
Then Cody saw her, too, and a mix of emotions crossed his face. Pain. Gladness. He turned toward her and then must have thought better of it, because he just half-lifted a hand and kept walking.
Cassie couldn’t stand it. Her heart felt squeezed beyond capacity.
“Cody,” she called. “Hey.”
He turned again. He didn’t move to greet her, but he didn’t walk away, either.
And so she went to him.
22
Cassie and Cody stood a too-far distance apart, about five feet, as if any closer was dangerous. Nevertheless, Cassie felt a m
agnetic, shimmering pull in the space between their bodies.
“How’d it go today?” she asked, a question she’d asked a dozen times that day, but this time it felt stilted and awkward.
“No sign of them,” Cody said. “Spent the night out there last night, and spent today breaking brush.”
“Are you going back out tomorrow?”
He nodded. “First thing.”
Cassie shivered. The setting sun left a chill in its wake. She could imagine how cold it would get up in the mountains and hated the thought of those kids out there for another night.
“Those poor kids,” she said.
“This could get ugly.” Cody stood with his hands at his sides, looking at the ground. “It might not end well.”
“Is there anything you guys need that you’re not getting?” Cassie knew publicity had more power than anything to marshal resources, or at least draw attention to deficiencies and motivate people to take action.
“We need more eyes from the sky,” Cody said. “We only have one drone, and the Sheriff only has two helicopters. State Troopers have one in this sector. But the more time goes on, the worse it could be.”
“What about bush pilots?”
“They’re helping for sure, but it’s not as easy for them to hover and get low to see things.”
“Anything else?”
He gave her a look. “Are you asking as a reporter, or as Cassie?”
“As Cassie.”
“I could use a hot shower.”
She looked at him more closely. He had brambles in his hair, mud stuck to his boots, and small cuts across his knuckles. She remembered he didn’t have a hot shower at home, just the outdoor camp shower.
That wouldn’t do.
“Stay at my place,” she said. “I’ve got a hot shower and a soft bed, and I’m less than five minutes away from where you’ve got to report in the morning.”
His brow furrowed. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“Because.”
Because you’d be there, was what he was too polite to say.
“I promise I’ll give you space,” she said.
“You just have the one bed, don’t you?”
“I’ve got a pullout sofa downstairs. It’s just a comfortable place to rest your head, Cody. Nothing else.”
Unless you want something else. Like to rest your head on my pillow … next to me … I wouldn’t object.
Cody eyed her warily. “I don’t want to be in your way.”
Cassie had the feeling of an addict falling off the wagon, reaching for the object of her addiction, unable to help herself. She wanted him in her house, resting comfortably, even if not with her. She wanted to know he’d be okay.
“You wouldn’t be in my way,” she said. “I promise.”
He took a deep breath and searched her eyes. “Okay.”
“Good,” she said. “I need to go back to the studio real quick, then I’ll be home. Twenty minutes, tops.”
“That’s fine, I need to check in here.”
“The North Star Café brought sandwiches and soup for you guys,” Cassie told him. “That’s inside, too.”
Cody nodded. “See you in a few.”
But by the time Cassie dropped her equipment back at KFLS and drove home, she wondered if Cody truly would show up. Knowing him, he might well have talked himself out of it. She was surprised by how much she wanted him there, not for any selfish reason but just to give him support. As a friend. As someone who cared about him.
Oh, who are you kidding? she thought. As someone who loves him.
When she turned the corner onto her street and saw Cody’s Ram pulling up at the same time, her stomach flipped happily.
Cassie went inside through her garage and opened the front door for Cody. He stepped inside, carrying a duffel in one hand and his muddy boots in the other.
“I’ll take those,” Cassie said, holding her hand out for the boots. “Go ahead with the shower if you want.”
Invite me to join you. I might not say no.
As she stood there looking up at him, his blue eyes clouded and weary, she got that same odd, tender squeeze again. She didn’t just want to stand under a steaming shower with him and run her hands across his body and feel his hot mouth kissing her. She wanted to make him feel taken care of. It was an impulse she’d never had toward a man.
You’re leaving in a week, she reminded herself, the thought a dull throb of pain.
Cody said nothing as he climbed the stairs toward the master bedroom and shower, and a few minutes later, she heard the water hiss on. Cassie thought she’d better stay downstairs. Just knowing he was here in her house, naked, was hard to resist. Instead she stepped outside and tapped the mud off his boots, set up the guest bed on the pullout sofa, and put a small pot of milk on the stove to heat up for hot chocolate.
When Cody came back downstairs, he looked better. In fact, he looked damn fine. He wore a pair of dark blue workout shorts with the fire department logo in white on one thigh, and no shirt. A few spots of water gleamed on his bare shoulders.
Cassie gulped. “Hey.”
“Hey.”
“I made hot chocolate.”
“Thank you.”
The formality between them was agonizing. Cassie poured the hot chocolate into large mugs and they sat down at the dining table across from each other. Every inch of her wanted to touch him. Hold his hand. Sit on his lap. Kiss his forehead, his lips, his strong muscled shoulders. Hug him close and press her body against him.
Was she making a mistake, leaving?
“This Boy Scout story is top of the national news right now,” she told him.
“Wow.” He watched her carefully. “Were you on air? On the national news?”
She nodded. “NBC and CNN.”
“Nice work, Cassie. I mean that.”
“It feels weird to benefit from other people’s tragedy,” she said.
“You’re benefitting from being good at your job.” His eyes were soft. Loving, even. “Don’t feel guilty about it—you deserve all the success in the world.”
Why was she letting a man like this go? What kind of idiot was she?
A broken-hearted one, that’s what kind.
“Thanks, Cody.” She could barely get the words out. “You do, too.”
He cleared his throat. “I guess I’d better get to bed.”
“I guess you should.”
She was tempted to ask if he wanted company. This mere proximity to him made her wet with arousal, strung tight with desire. You ended this, she reminded herself. Not Cody—you. So respect his wishes and give the man his space.
Sadly, she smiled at him and stood up, conscious of how his eyes traveled across her body before averting.
“Good night, Cody,” she said.
“Good night.”
The sky showed the barest hint of light when Cody woke up. He’d set an alarm for six but didn’t end up needing it. He felt tense, on edge, feeling Cassie’s presence upstairs but knowing she was as off-limits as a princess in a tower.
And that soon she‘d be gone for good.
Staying here had been a mistake. It made him feel worse, a starving man presented with a delectable buffet of food but unable to partake in any of it. He needed to quit Cassie cold turkey. With that in mind, he rose and dressed and put away the sofa bed, aiming to leave no trace of himself.
And then Cassie came downstairs.
She wore a white tank top and dark purple lace underwear. He couldn’t help his gaze falling to the round globes of her breasts that strained at the thin material, and the exposed curve at the top of her thighs.
What the hell was she doing, tempting him like that?
“I didn’t want you to leave without coffee,” she said simply, but from the too-innocent expression on her face, he knew she had more than just coffee on her mind.
Alarmingly, she began to walk toward him.
He held up a h
and to stop her. “Cassie, don’t—”
“Just one more time,” she said, her breath hitched.
“This isn’t a good idea.”
She pulled off her tank top and let it fall to the floor. “It’s a great idea.”
Dammit, Cody thought. His arousal was instant and demanding. How was he supposed to say no to those breasts, to that woman? He’d confessed his love to her, goddamn it, and he wanted to make love to her now that she knew it.
One last time, he decided.
He crossed the space between them and grabbed her by the hips, pulling her small body against his own. Do you feel that, Cassie? he thought as he kissed her with aggression, with unapologetic wanting. Do you feel how hard my cock is? How much I want to fuck you?
Cassie moaned against his mouth. Her tongue swept against his in equal measure.
He picked her up so her legs hooked around him. Never breaking the kiss, he carried her upstairs and dropped her onto her unmade bed almost roughly. His feelings were raw, and the sex would be, too.
She scrambled to a kneeling position on the bed. Behind her, the square of sky in the window was clear, pale, on pause.
“Stand right there,” she said.
She tugged his shorts off, and Cody’s throat was bone-dry with desire as he saw the wanton eagerness in her emerald eyes.
He let out an involuntary groan when she took him in her sweet mouth, sending exquisite sensations down his shaft as her tongue swirled around him. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the sight of her reddened lips moving up and down, taking him deep in her mouth with every stroke. With one hand she cupped him, her dainty fingers teasing.
“My God, woman,” he said in a low growl. “Don’t make me come yet.”
He felt the vibration of her small laugh, and it almost sent him over the edge.
“I’m serious,” he said. “This is our last time together, and I want it to last.”
She pulled back, kissing the tip of his cock once like a polite goodbye. She looked up at him and her eyes were the greenest he’d ever seen them.
“I can’t wait to feel you to inside me,” she said, her breasts heaving with longing. “Please. Cody. Do it now.”
True North (Golden Falls Fire Book 1) Page 18