by Kit Tunstall
“Will the documents Malcolm gave you get you through customs?”
Devon finished a bite before responding. “Yeah. They’re fully backed up. Database infiltration and the works. Any law enforcement agency can run my credentials, and they’ll find Devon Manning to be an upright citizen without a hint of criminal record, and certainly no details about being wanted for elimination by a secret arm of the government.” He winked at her as he added the last part.
She bit her lip. “What if they link me to you somehow?”
He shook his head. “I don’t think that’s going to happen. You were already hiding when the super soldiers came in, so they didn’t get a look at you. I’m sure their handlers know there’s a random human female involved, but I don’t see how they could have identified you specifically just yet. You should be safe enough to use your identity for the time being.”
She was reassured by his words and finished her breakfast quickly. After that, they were on the road again, this time with Devon behind the wheel. The silence in the car was awkward, and she wondered if he was thinking about how they’d awoken. Her thoughts kept returning to it, and she was getting aroused all over again.
Suddenly, Devon turned the wheel and stopped on the side of the road they were traveling. She looked around her before looking at him with a frown. “Is something wrong?”
With a growl, he undid his seatbelt and lunged across the space dividing them, his arms going around her as his mouth slanted over hers. She was startled, but not resistant to the kiss. His lips were firm as they molded to hers, and his kiss reflected her hunger. She delved her tongue into his mouth, caressing his appendage with her own as she strained against him. The way he held her, she couldn’t reach her seatbelt or free herself to get any closer, and she whimpered in protest.
At that small sound, he pulled back, looking shaken. “I shouldn’t have done that.”
She grasped a handful of his T-shirt, trying to keep him from pulling away. “I wanted you to.”
His nostrils flared, and his eyes darkened. “I know. I could smell it on you. It’s driving me crazy, and if this was a different time and place, I’d have you in the backseat right now.”
She didn’t know whether to be embarrassed by the idea that he could scent her arousal, flattered by his words, or frustrated by the fact that he clearly had no intention of going any farther, at least at the moment. With a shaky laugh, she tried to shove aside all of the above. “It’s been a long time since I made out with someone in the backseat of a vehicle. I prefer a bed these days.”
He gazed into her eyes, his expression serious. “The next time we have one, I’ll be sure not to waste it. If that’s what you want?”
She licked her lips, taking a long moment to think about it. All the reasons why it was a bad idea flew out of her head, and all she could think about was how it would feel to have unfettered access to his body, and to grant him the same. “Yes, I do.”
Chapter Four
A bed turned out to be a luxury not available to them on the rest of their journey. They took turns driving and sleeping in shifts, and even when they reached Thompson, there was no opportunity to check into a hotel. Their flight was close to departing, and if they waited, it would be another day before they could catch the next one. As impatient as she was to have him, she knew he was just as impatient for answers and hopeful that he would find his teammate. She was hoping for that outcome too, so she pushed aside the suggestion of waiting another day that hovered on the tip of her tongue and boarded the plane with him instead.
Malcolm had booked them on a local charter service, and the plane was ridiculously small, but she tried not to freak out as she fastened her seatbelt and endured the takeoff. The plane felt tiny compared to the larger jets she had flown on, but she was calm as long as she didn’t look out the window.
Fortunately, Devon had the window seat. The entire plane only accommodated twelve passengers, but they had the flight almost to themselves, other than three people in the very back. During the spot of turbulence, she took hold of Devon’s hand and didn’t let go even when the plane calmed down. He made no move to pull away, and they held hands for almost the entire hour of the flight.
When they disembarked at Churchill and left the terminal, which was much smaller than a conventional airport, they found three taxis waiting. Snagging one, Devon gave the directions to their hotel as they slipped inside the back, and the driver nodded as he pulled away.
Keeping her voice low, she asked, “How long until we make contact with the helicopter pilot?” She knew from Devon that Malcolm had arranged a local helicopter service to fly them to Bullhead Reserve to save time. Otherwise, they would’ve had to arrange a boat, or try it on dogsled or snowmobile. She wasn’t exactly looking forward to the helicopter flight either after being on the small plane, but it sounded preferable to mushing across the wilderness.
“We have about four hours.”
“I think we should try to find Loris’s mother. According to my research, she still lives in Churchill. Her father died a long time ago, but maybe her mother can give us some answers.” She hoped it wasn’t a complete waste of time, because from what she’d gleaned from her research, Loris and her mother were estranged.
It seemed as though the Tabors had cut off their daughter when she had become pregnant as a teenager, but she hoped there had been a reconciliation. It was probably too obvious, and maybe Loris wouldn’t have gone to her mother, assuming that the black ops group would track her there, but it also seemed foolish not to follow up on the lead while they were so close.
Devon offered no argument, and after they had settled into the hotel room that they likely wouldn’t use for more than a few minutes between speaking to Loris’ mother and grabbing a bite to eat, along with grabbing a few last-minute supplies—though they’d added considerably to their winter wardrobe at a stop in Winnipeg—they walked to the address she had for Loris’s mother, since it was only three blocks from their hotel.
The house was small, but neatly maintained, though it had a slightly forlorn air about it. She wouldn’t have been surprised to find no one lived there, but an older woman answered the door within a minute of Devon ringing the bell. She didn’t invite them in as she stared at them with narrowed eyes. “Who are you, and what do you want?”
Tianna slipped around Devon, knowing she wouldn’t be as intimidating as he could be. She offered a smile, and wasn’t certain if the other woman saw it through the crack of the door, since she’d made no effort to take off the chain. “We aren’t here to harm you in any fashion, Mrs. Tabor. You are Mrs. Tabor?”
The woman nodded once.
“Esther Tabor, Loris’s mother?”
Her mouth pinched, and she glared. “There’s a name I hadn’t heard in years, at least until the military came snooping around. I already told them I don’t know where she is, or why she went AWOL. I’m not surprised she went bad there too. She was always a bad girl.”
“What can you tell us about her whereabouts?” asked Devon with a slight growl to his words, clearly annoyed by the woman’s assessment of her own daughter and his teammate.
She sniffed at him. “I don’t have anything to tell, but if I did, I would have given it to the clean-cut agency that came looking for her, not some scruffy riffraff and a minority.” She said the last word as though it was something foul, and she glared at Tianna before slamming the door in their faces. They could both hear the sound of the lock engaging a moment later, followed by two others, as though she was afraid they would break down the door.
Tianna shook her head as she turned back to face Devon. “I guess that was a waste of time.”
He nodded, looking regretful. “I hope we have better luck at the Bullhead Reserve. In the meantime, we have about three hours available.”
Her stomach rumbled. “I could use a bite to eat.”
His tone changed, sounding smoky as he put an arm around her waist. “So can I, but there’s something else
I want more, and we have a bed available for the next three hours. What do you think?”
She didn’t have to think about it. She let out a small laugh and started pulling him back toward the hotel Malcolm had booked for them, recalling there was a diner along the way. “I think we should get our food to go.”
***
They had just grabbed Styrofoam to-go containers from a local diner when the burner cell he’d acquired in Winnipeg rang. He handed her the bag of food before taking it from his pocket and answering it. She could tell from his expression and his side of the conversation that they no longer had three hours ahead of them to fill however they wished. She barely bit back a moan of disappointment as she waited for him to finish speaking to whomever on was on the other end of the line.
A moment later, he hung up the phone and slipped it back in his pocket. His look of regret said everything, but she’d already figured it out for herself that their time was up. “We have just enough time to grab our things from the room. Phil, the helicopter pilot, wants to leave in twenty-five minutes, at the most. There’s a storm coming later in the day, and he wants to be ahead of it and back home before it hits.”
For the briefest second, she could have sobbed tears of frustration, but she blinked them back and sucked it up. Forcing herself to sound less disappointed than she felt, she said, “I guess we can eat during the flight.”
He looked little queasy at the idea. “Uh, sure.”
Forty minutes later, with their luggage stowed in the helicopter in case they didn’t return to Churchill, she discovered why he had found the idea of eating in the helicopter unappealing. It was a bit unsettling, but he clearly had a far stronger reaction to helicopter rides than she did. It was her first time in one, but Devon had likely been in multiple helicopters during his military career. That didn’t keep him from trembling and turning pale, and when she opened her container of food, he looked away with a choked gagging sound. “I didn’t know you get airsick.”
He shook his head, eyes still averted from her direction and the food on her lap. “It’s only in choppers.”
“It’s perfectly safe,” said Phil through the headsets they wore. “I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I was trained by the best—Uncle Sam.” As he spoke, the helicopter spun slightly to the left as a gust of wind hit it. He just chuckled. “Just a bit of turbulence, folks.”
Tianna ate as quickly as she could, hoping to spare Devon exposure to the food for long in case it was what triggered his nausea to become full-on vomiting. She suspected that could be an issue by the way he clutched a barf bag in his hand, thoughtfully provided by the helicopter pilot.
After finishing, she closed her container tightly and wrapped it in the bag, tying it with a knot and putting it under her feet so it would be out of his sight. A few minutes later, he was finally able to look back at her, and she didn’t know whether to laugh or feel deep concern at his clear misery. He was obviously going to survive, but she did have sympathy for his fear and reaction. She reached over and took his hand, twining her fingers through his. “It’s okay. We’ll be there soon.”
“About twenty-two minutes from now,” said Phil cheerfully in their ears. They were in the backseat of the helicopter, and he was in the front, but he clearly had no problem participating in the conversation despite not looking at them. “Why do you folks want to go to Bullhead Reserve?”
“We’re looking for someone,” said Tianna. She kept it vague, not needing Devon’s warning squeeze of her hand to know not to divulge too much information. It could get back to the wrong ears and could even put Phil in danger.
“I hope you know them well then, because the folks of Bullhead Reserve are unfriendly to outsiders. Can’t blame the band, what with the Canadian government trying to re-configure their borders a few years ago to tap into some oil reserves. That was a heck of a legal battle, I’ll tell you what. I don’t suppose you folks were around for that?”
Tianna shook her head before remembering he couldn’t see. “No, I hadn’t really heard about it.”
“They weren’t that open to outsiders before, but they’ve really shut down over the last few years. I’m going to drop you folks off, but I won’t be able to pick you up ‘til tomorrow sometime if the storm gets as bad as I’m expecting. I sure hope you find what you’re looking for, or some hospitality among the band. Otherwise, your visit could end badly for both of you.”
She swallowed at the warning, but knew they didn’t have time to wait until after the storm passed as Phil had originally suggested. “I’m sure you’re right, but I hope we’ll find help there.”
After that, Phil didn’t speak to them again except for casual references to the scenery, which she could barely see from the snow thickening around them. When he arrived at the Bullhead Reserve a few minutes later, he didn’t even land. “Sorry, folks, but I’m not sure how sturdy that snowpack is, so you’ll have to jump the last couple of feet.”
After throwing out their bags, Devon went first, and he seemed to look better almost as soon as his feet touched the ground. He lifted his arms to help her out, and she took his help gratefully. A couple of feet ended up being more like four, and it would have been a rough landing if she hadn’t had Devon’s arms supporting her.
He waved off the helicopter with his arm still around her, keeping her pressed against his side. They stayed low until the helicopter had pulled away and disappeared into the storm, and then straightened to their full height.
“When will he come back for us? I know he said tomorrow, but how will we reach him?”
“Via the cell phone. There must be a cell tower near here, because Phil assured me I’d have reception.”
He must have dropped them near the center of the town, and she saw a sign identifying it as Bullhead Park, which explained the open, cleared area without trees to obscure the helicopter’s landing. Looking around, she saw several buildings just a short distance away, with a large rectangle building dominating the irregularly shaped square. She slung a bag over her shoulder while Devon did the same, and they set off by mutual unspoken agreement, their destination the largest building, where she hoped they were most likely to find the officials in charge of the band.
They didn’t even make it halfway before a group of ten men, all looking angry, met them. She stopped walking, squaring her shoulders as she prepared herself for a cold welcome. Devon stood beside her, his arm going reassuringly around her waist.
“Why are you here?” one of them demanded.
“I’m looking for my team member. I hope she’s here, or you might have some knowledge of her whereabouts. Her name is Loris Tabor.”
Tianna was certain they were familiar with the name judging by the flicker in the expression of several of them, but that was the only indication they’d heard anything Devon said. The one who’d spoken before spoke again. “There’s nothing here for you, so call your helicopter and leave. This storm will only get worse, and you don’t want to be stuck here.” His unfriendly tone and demeanor made it clear no one would help them.
A hint of anxiety shot through her, and she wondered what they would do if the band refused to help them even marginally by providing some shelter during the worst of the storm. “We don’t want to hurt Loris. We need to find her to warn her.”
The man turned his dark eyes on her. “You should leave. Now.”
“If she’s here, you know she’s in danger,” Devon broke in. “I can take her somewhere safe, where she’ll have her teammates at her back.”
The man glared at Devon. “We take care of our own, and we can keep anyone safe.” It was the closest he got to making any admission that he even knew who Loris was, let alone she was somewhere on the reserve.
Devon shook his head. “You can’t keep her safe from what’s coming. If they find her…”
“Leave. Now.” The other man was clearly angry, and his anger was apparently growing the more they resisted his orders to leave. “We won’t tell you—”
<
br /> The sound of an approaching helicopter cut off whatever he would have said. At first, Tianna thought it was Phil turning around for some reason to come back for them. Perhaps the storm had gotten worse already, and he was going to be grounded at Bullhead Reserve. Almost immediately, she discarded that theory when she saw Devon tense and heard him cursing under his breath. “What is it? Is it Phil?” Even as she asked, she was already confident the answer was no.
He shook his head. “It’s a bigger bird. Military grade, and it probably has the super soldiers. I have no idea how many just yet, but it means trouble.”
The man who’d greeted them so hostilely was now openly glaring at them, crossing his arms over his chest. “What have you brought into our midst?”
“It wasn’t us,” said Tianna. As she started to defend herself and Devon, the words escaped her. How had the super soldiers known they were here? She traded a concerned look with Devon. “How did they know?”
His expression was foreboding. “How long have you been digging into this case?”
“Several weeks. But I was always careful to hide my presence in their databases.”
He let out a long sigh. “Maybe you weren’t as careful as you thought. You must have done something to tip them off.”
Feeling defensive, she shook her head as she glared at him. “I didn’t. If they knew I was probing Project Shift, they would have taken me out.”
Devon let out a long sigh. “Unless they hoped you could lead them to more team members first. You would have been a low security risk, and the team was more likely to open up to you, with you being a citizen journalist and a civilian.” He looked regretful when he said, “I think they’ve been using you to track us.”
“It couldn’t be me.” She almost snarled the words at him. “You said yourself they didn’t know my identity.”