The Carrier (The Carrier Series Book 1)

by Diana Ryan

  “Really? All good, I hope.”

  “Absolutely. I didn’t have a bad word to say.”

  Ah-ha.

  The butterflies subsided some more. Should I say something about the roses? What if Brian hadn’t said anything to her yet? I didn’t want to ruin the surprise, so I decided to let it wait a little longer and see what panned out.

  A few groups of customers showed up at my window, and Ava and I chatted a bit between sales. We had a nice little visit together until she had to leave for her next trip. I didn’t want to let her go without a little something for her to daydream about, so when she hopped off her stool, I took a risk. Moving in close, I put my hand on her lower back and stuck my cheek right next to hers. I inhaled the sweet scent of her hair and knew she’d smell my cologne. I pulled back, slowly brushing my cheek across hers and then kissed her lips quickly. “Have a great trip,” I whispered in her ear, and hopefully she left with her head spinning exactly like mine was.

  The day slugged by slowly, mostly because Ava only came to see me once more. If she was playing hard-to-get, then she was damn good at it because her two visits only made me crave her more. Late in the afternoon, I noticed Jack loading up the Bailey, but Ava wasn’t on the dock with him. I stared down at the dock confused for a while, until I saw Ava running madly through the waiting area. In her left hand she carried a bouquet of very wilted and ugly roses.

  Dammit, Brian! Last time I ask him for a favor.

  I had the early shift and it ended while Ava was still out on her tour. I closed up the booth and walked out to my car. Suzanne was the only one at Lower One, and I didn’t feel like talking to her, so I pretended I was on my phone as I walked by the booth. She waved, and I gave her a nod.

  There were a few hours before my date with Ava would begin, should she accept it, so I headed south of town on Highway 16 to do some more scanning with my Geiger counter app. I took eleven scans, recording each reading in a document, and ended up only a few blocks from Animal Island. I drove back to my cabin and changed out of my boat uniform before checking over the data I had collected.

  Just as before, the readings became stronger as I headed towards the center of the city. This was good news; I felt productive. I thought about heading out to take some more readings, but there were only twenty minutes before Ava may appear for our date.

  Anticipation and eagerness were taking over my body as I got ready. I guess that was good, though, because those feelings made me want to clean up a bit. I picked up the dirty clothes off the floor, put the food wrappers in the garbage, and even wiped down the toilet and sink. Then I made the bed and shoved my CBB briefcase under it. I wasn’t expecting the date to end up in the cabin, but I wanted to be ready, just the same.

  Chapter Ten

  As 7:15 rolled around, I heard people out at the campfire. I thought I might as well go socialize while I waited for the hands of the clock to swing around, so I dressed in my favorite plaid golf shorts and a plain white T-shirt, spritzed on some cologne, and headed out the door. Almost all the boat employees that lived at Animal Island were out. They had music pumping, and the bonfire was roaring. I talked with a few guys I had never met before and then chatted with the Ukrainians again. God, they were funny. I wondered what Ava was doing and often looked back at her house, waiting for a precious glimpse of her.

  Right before 8:00, an Upper Dells pilot, who was very short but full of spunk, yelled to the crowd that he had decided to move the party to the docks and take a boat upriver. Within minutes, the party dispersed, and I found myself left alone with a few Upper Dells female guides I didn’t know very well.

  “Hey Nolan, you should come out with us tonight,” one of the guides said. “We’re gonna head downtown to the bars. Wanna come?” She looked about eighteen and had long, curly red hair. I was not attracted to her in the slightest, but I could tell by the way she was looking at me that she was trying to hit on me.

  Good luck.

  “No thanks, ladies. I’ve got plans tonight.” I had passed on a few beers during the party because I didn’t want to smell like I had been drinking when Ava and I went out. I took a sip on the water bottle someone had offered me instead.

  “Awww...come on Nolan. We’ll keep you company all night long!” The other guide, who was equally unattractive to me (okay, she was downright ugly), tried to move over closer and touched my upper thigh. I jumped up quickly and told them I had forgotten something inside. I ran into my cabin and then peeked out the window through the closed shades. The girls stood up, got in their car, and left.

  Thank God. I’d have to remember to avoid them from now on.

  Once everyone left I went back outside, locked the door to my cabin, and then took a seat by the roaring fire. I stared into the flames, letting the sight take me away with my thoughts. I thought about how much I liked Ava, about my undercover job with the CBB, and about the mysterious Carrier whom I was supposed to apprehend. I pulled out my phone and went over the data I had collected with my new apps. The numbers got larger as I entered the heart of the city.

  “It’s near the middle of town,” I said out loud. Although it went against the process I had organized, I decided to do a scan right there on Animal Island. I stood up and ran the app, holding my phone flat out in front of me. It finished scanning with a loud beep.

  I gasped—the reading was through the roof.

  “This has to be a mistake,” I said as I ran the app again. A few seconds later the scan completed and the number was the same. My jaw dropped. It was like I was standing right next to a huge meteor. I turned a slow circle, heart beating out of control, looking for the gigantic space rock that must be sitting in a pile of grass right outside my cabin. But instead I turned to see Ava walking down the alley towards me. My mouth involuntarily spilled out what my mind was thinking. “You look absolutely beautiful.”

  I pocketed my phone. No! You’re onto something! my brain urged.

  But I saw sorrow in Ava’s eyes and my heart took precedence. She hadn’t smiled yet. “What’s wrong?” I asked carefully.

  She was reluctant to tell me. Was it about me? I couldn’t play it off like there was nothing wrong. I had to make her comfortable enough to tell me what was bothering her. I asked her to sit next to me and gently put my hand around her back and kissed her sweet face.

  I had never seen her like this before.

  Finally she showed me an email from her college. She was on academic probation. My heart broke for her as I watched tears form in her eyes. I felt so sorry for her. She wanted nothing more than to be a teacher, but her freshman year had been somewhat of a disaster.

  My mind raced back to the time I punched Aaron in the face. Was he to blame for this?

  I tried my best to make her feel better and finally a beautiful smiled showed on her lips. She was going to be okay.

  We took a quick tour of my cabin and then my phone buzzed in my pocket as I had opened the car door for Ava. With my back turned to the window, I pulled it out—a new text from Agent Harper. I looked over my shoulder inside the window and saw Ava touching the dials on the dashboard, so I clicked to retrieve my message.

  New intel acquired. Report by phone, 7:30am.

  Interesting. What could the new intel be? I put the phone back in my pocket and pulled open the door. When I sat down I leaned over and put an open hand on the console, hoping she’d take the hint and make a move.

  Ava was impressed with the Audi and placed her hand on my arm, her thumb rubbing my skin very sweetly as she gushed about the car. I moved my arm so I could hold her hand in mine. It was very soft and comfortable.

  Just as I began to fly high with the excitement of a new relationship, my brain interrupted with a nervous thought—You shouldn’t be starting a relationship, considering the secrets and lies it will have to endure.

  Then, as if she knew I needed to hear it, Ava told me how much she enjoyed being in my company. And with those few words, all my insecurities and worries melted away. If
it felt wonderful simply being with Ava, then it was the right choice. At least for now.

  Chapter Eleven

  The next morning, my cell phone alarm went off at seven. I lay in bed staring at the ceiling for a few minutes, replaying every sweet minute I had spent with Ava the night before. I knew I had to get up and going in order to find a secure place to make the phone call to the CBB, but had trouble convincing myself to pull the blankets back. I was actually feeling a little anxious about the call. I hadn’t found enough focus to read the reports from Agent Harper before my date, and when I got home, I collapsed into bed, Ava filling my dreams all night.

  I grabbed my CBB briefcase, threw on some clothes, and headed out to my car. Nothing was stirring so early at Animal Island.

  I drove out to the same drive-in movie theater I had last week and parked in the lot again. I looked at my phone—7:28. I dialed the number for the CBB and heard the familiar voice asking for my identification and classification. Soon Agent Harper was on the phone, and he got right down to business.

  “I have some exciting news for you, Nolan. I’ve been cleared to disclose to you the latest intelligence acquired by our techs. I assume you’ve read the email documents I sent you?”

  Crap!

  “Well, actually, I’m not quite all the way through them yet.”

  I quickly rifled through my briefcase until I found the tablet and started looking through the reports as he was talking.

  “Disappointing, Agent Hill. I assume you will make it a priority today to finish reading the reports?”

  “Yes, sir. I will.”

  How the hell was I going to do that? I had planned to spend the day with Ava.

  “Let me give you a synopsis. As you know, the CBB has been aware for quite some time of a complicated public health and safety risk. The problem is the geneticists are unsure just how this conundrum will exactly affect the public. It could be very minor, or it could turn into mass hysteria. Our job is to keep the public free from this knowledge until the risk has been destroyed. Secrecy is a top priority.”

  “Absolutely.” I was good at keeping secrets.

  “The CBB has been eliciting extremely high and unusual readings of gamma radiation from the tri-state area. Although gamma radiation is easily detected by survey meters with a sodium iodide detector probe, our scientists are having trouble discerning the most dangerous source of radiation since multiple types of radiation are ubiquitous. There are many kinds of radiation floating through our atmosphere everyday. The major source of this penetrating radiation must be found as quickly as possible before the public is exposed to levels that could cause devastating health problems.” “How difficult will it be to find the actual source of radiation?”

  “Harder than you think. It most likely looks like a regular run-of-the-mill gemstone. Our scientists believe the radiation from this rock could be harnessed and turned into some kind of next generation bomb. Although we have to be aware of the possibility that someone has simply picked it up and keeps it in their house as a keepsake, it is more likely that the person carrying the item is fully aware of its dangerous and criminally useful nature. ”

  Ah, the Carrier. Things are starting to make a little more sense.

  “Sir, I’ve been using the Geiger counter app you’ve sent to my equipment. I think I’ve found an area with higher levels of radiation.” This stuff was getting my blood pumping. I was excited to be a field agent and put to use the months and months of training I’ve endured.

  “I’m happy you’ve been actively engaged in this mission, Agent Hill, but those apps can be somewhat unreliable. They’re all lite versions of more sophisticated equipment we’re developing in the labs. Either way, please email me your findings and I’ll have tech take a look at it.”

  Unreliable? Maybe that’s why I couldn’t see the meteor when I had such a high reading.

  “The CBB techs are still working hard to pinpoint the exact location, using our state-of-the-art instruments, and now we believe the item is within a hundred-mile radius of Wisconsin Dells. We want you to keep your eyes and ears open to see if you can get some insider information from the locals in town. Once the CBB has found the exact point of radiation, we will need your help to apprehend the item as well as the person who has been hiding this dangerous rock.”

  Exciting.

  “I understand, Agent Harper. Thank you for the report. I will let you know if I hear any rumbles around town.”

  Agent Harper thanked me and hung up without setting up another phone meeting time. It was only 7:50, so I stayed at the drive-in for a while longer and read the email documents. For the first time I felt like a real FBI agent. Excitement flowed quickly through my veins as I focused on my reading.

  The documents were basically textbook pages of information about the awful health hazards related to exposure to this type of radiation, ranging from radiation sickness, cell death, and DNA damage.

  When I was finished, I realized I had spent about forty-five minutes and hadn’t once thought about Ava. This was the first time in a few days that Ava hadn’t consumed my every moment.

  This is what you’re meant to do, my brain explained. Your job is just as thrilling as some potential relationship with Ava.

  But somehow the passion I felt when I was with Ava was completely different from the excitement I experienced when immersed in agency work.

  I thought I should do some more scanning, even though Agent Harper thought the app was useless. It would be so much more convenient if I could scan a larger area at once, or get to some parts of town that weren’t very accessible by roads.

  Just as this thought crossed my mind, I heard a helicopter overhead and got an idea—I could take Ava up in a romantic helicopter ride, and really scan the whole area from up in the sky!

  “Nolan, you’re a genius!” I said to myself.

  I searched the Internet on my phone and found the phone number to the helicopter rides in town. I made a reservation for two for 10:30. Although I had a mild fear of heights, I knew they didn’t bother Ava after she pulled me so close to the edge of Make Out Rock. I’d have to suck it up for the short ride. I stopped off at the local market on my way home to pick up a few items for a surprise beach picnic.

  * * * *

  Later that evening I decided to stop daydreaming about the amazing day I had had with Ava and do some CBB work. The lock on my briefcase had become sticky lately and it took me almost five minutes and much frustration to get it to open. I decided to disconnect the security keypad for the time being. Was someone going to try to break into my tiny cabin in the middle of tourist-town USA and steal my CBB issued tech items? I think not.

  I pulled out my tablet and sat on the couch analyzing the results of the scan I had taken on the helicopter. It was still hard to believe I scanned the entire city from the air without Ava knowing what I was up to! The ride was amazing, though, and it was so fun to see Ava so elated.

  I used my tablet to merge the data I had collected into another app that drew a map of the Wisconsin Dells area and overlaid colors corresponding with the readings of radiation I had taken. There were three areas where high levels of radiation were present: one north of town on Stand Rock Road, one on the outskirts of the Oak Lawn subdivision, and the last being a four-block range right over Animal Island.

  “The app is somewhat unreliable,” I heard Agent Harper’s voice say in my ear. But what was the harm in investigating the areas showing higher radiation?

  I glanced at the date on my computer. It was almost the Fourth of July. This summer was slipping by me. Harper’s message began to occupy my thoughts. What if I’m leaving the Dells soon? What if we apprehend the Carrier before the Fourth of July? What about Ava?

  My brain’s logic echoed in my mind. You were a fool to fall for her. Your relationship can only end in heartache.

  I wanted so badly to tell Ava the truth about my job at the CBB and why I was in the Dells, but I knew that could potentially put her in dan
ger. My heart was screaming at my brain. Live in the moment and enjoy each second you spend with her, even if in the end you suffer.

  I thought back to the walk we took through the prairie before we made out in the cave off of the beach. Ava had been asking some probing questions, looking for some serious information about who I was and what my life’s aspirations were. I panicked, and spewed some junk about the Peace Corps. I was cooking up some crap, and I could tell she smelled it.

  What are you going to do, Nolan? I had thought in the moment. Break it off before she’s too committed.

  I pushed my brain’s challenge out of my mind. No matter how illogical it was, I wanted to be with Ava. There had to be a way to continue my mission and date Ava at the same time, I knew it. And that’s exactly what I intended to do.

  Chapter Twelve

  The next day I had a late shift at work, so I woke up early and drove down Stand Rock road to check out the high radiation levels I had found when I scanned the city from the helicopter. The map I created of the city showed a high reading at KOA Campground one mile from downtown. The grounds were well kept and full of flower beds, waterfalls, and places to relax. I drove straight past the tiny log cabins that lined the driveway under tall pine trees and parked my car in front of the office building.

  I had called ahead and made an appointment to meet with Hayward Kubas, the manager and owner of the property. Just as I shut off the ignition, the office door opened and an overweight older man wearing jean overalls and a red flannel shirt shuffled out. He waved at me and yelled a greeting as I got out of the car.

  “Hello there! Mr. Nolan, right?” He took a few slow steps down the ramp in front of the office and waved a hand in the air at me. “I can tell it’s you from yer fancy car.” He spoke with a slight old-timey feel.

  “Good morning, Mr. Kubas.”

  “Call me Hayward, son!” he held out a hand to welcome me in. “Come on in. I’ve got the coffee brewin’!”