Proving Ground

by Stanalei Fletcher

  “I promise.” She took another bite of the energy bar, chewing slower this time. Her emotions were returning to normal. She could pretend that kiss under the tree never happened. Just as she’d pretended that night in his bed never happened. She’d been hiding her feelings for years and was damned good at it. Why change now?

  She finished off the energy bar and stuffed the wrapper in her pocket. Mac’s first aid job had helped ease some of the sharp pain in her ribs, but she still had dull aches almost everywhere else. It had been a long night and she was lucky to be alive. “I can’t wait to have a really long hot shower and a good meal. Then I’m going to hunt down Dunn and his ass of a brother-in-law and turn them over to the authorities. I want to see them rot in jail for starting this fire.”

  Mac had been securing his backpack and jerked around to face her. “What?”

  She frowned at his reaction and cocked her head. “I told you. They started the fire.”

  “No, you didn’t tell me that.” He put on his cap and slung the backpack over his shoulder. He was in full ranger mode. “You have some explaining to do. Sounds like this is a long overdue conversation.” He glanced at his watch and then up at the sky. Smoke had crept over the mountaintop and was starting to obscure the sun. “We need to hurry, so we can be in place when the helicopter becomes available to pick us up. Can you keep going?”

  “As long as I can stay on my feet.” Mac cared, all right. Just not in the way she wanted.

  “You can tell more on the way. We’ll pace ourselves. The downhill hike should be easier than the climb up.”

  She followed him as he headed out of the pine grove. The hillside took a sharp decline, but Mac cut a horizontal path, zigzagging downward. He was right, the descent didn’t strain her ribs as much as the climb, but looking down to watch where she stepped actually made her head hurt a bit more. She tried to keep her chin up and eyes trained outward.

  Mac shortened his steps to stay close. “Why don’t you start at the beginning? I want to know every detail, no matter how insignificant you think it is.”

  Caitlin’s ankle kept her from moving quickly, but as long as she was careful, it didn’t hurt too badly. “There’s really not that much to tell. I followed Dunn and his brother-in-law to the cabin.”

  “Why would you do that?”

  She wanted to say it was her job, but it wasn’t. Not really. “I had this strange feeling about Dunn’s brother-in-law. Something about the man struck me as odd.”

  “Were you just being nosy?”

  “I didn’t even know they were on the same trail, until they sent an avalanche of rocks down the hill that almost hit me.”

  “You’re certain they meant to start the fire?”

  “Absolutely. There was no mistaking that incendiary device.”

  “What kind of device?”

  As she negotiated around a boulder in their path, Caitlin explained what she’d seen in Dunn’s possession. Mac took her hand to help her through a gap between the boulders instead of hiking around them. It took all her willpower not to cling to him once she was safely through the rocks. “I still haven’t figured out what he meant about the fire being a distraction.”

  “Distraction?” Mac frowned.

  She crossed to a tree and leaned against it for support and shade. He followed, staying just inside the shade line. She gave him a sidelong glance, wishing he’d let down his guard again, and stand closer. But he stayed out of reach.

  She wiped sweat from her face with her shirttail. “Dunn said he needed to create a distraction. I’ve tried to think of why, but I can’t come up with any reasons.”

  Mac’s gaze drifted to her exposed middle when she lifted her shirt. He quickly averted his eyes. “The bike rally generated a lot of interest from the authorities. Starting a fire would only bring in more agencies.”

  She shrugged. “Maybe they wanted to detract attention from a drug deal or guns.”

  “If he was trying to make a distraction for some sort of illegal activity for the bikers, it backfired. The authorities cleared out the campgrounds within an hour of the fire starting” He glanced at her. “That look on your face says you have doubts about that theory.”

  “I don’t know.” She frowned, wrestling with her fuzzy thoughts. “Dunn was the Sergeant of Arms. As far as the club was concerned, he would’ve had a say in who came into the campgrounds. If he was doing guns or drugs, why not keep the deal inside the rally, away from the authorities? Why start a fire and force an evacuation of the entire canyon?”

  “Well, if what you say is true and he started the fire, then he was up to something.” Mac took off his backpack and passed the water bladder to her.

  Caitlin sipped through the straw. The water was even warmer than before, and still tasted like rubber but felt so good going down. “I’m telling you, he started that fire.” She handed the bladder to Mac. Their discussion had come full circle with no answers. Just like their relationship.

  “Okay, Cait.” He slung the backpack over his shoulders. “I need to report this information.” He pulled out his radio. “I’ll have Dunn and his brother-in-law picked up for questioning.”

  “Can you check on the helicopter, too?” She nodded toward the radio. “I’m having a hard time staying upright.”

  Mac looked up. “A chopper can’t land here.”

  Caitlin followed his gaze. Overhead, the pines started to give way to aspen. Although the forest wasn’t as dense here, it didn’t offer a good landing spot, either. Airlifting between the trees wouldn’t be safe. She stifled a moan.

  Mac placed a warm hand on her shoulder. “If you can hang on a little longer, we’re not far from the lower bowl on this side of the mountain. There’s a clearing near an old utility road where the copter can land.”

  “I can make it.” Getting back to town would be the second best thing since her ordeal started. Mac dropping in to save her life topped the list. She put on a brave smile. He smiled back, causing her heart to tap a bit harder. If only…

  Mac stepped away to call the station and have the authorities locate Martin Dunn and his companion for questioning.

  Caitlin berated herself for searching for meaning in every gesture. She needed another brick in the wall she was building to protect herself. Not from Mac, but from her own foolish feelings.

  Chapter Fifteen

  After Mac placed the radio call to the station, there was nothing more he could do but get Caitlin off this mountain in one piece. Placing one foot in front of the other, he concentrated on the slow, steady progress that had gotten them this far and, if they were careful, would get them the rest of the way home.

  His legs felt like deadwood. He could only imagine how Caitlin must feel. Neither of them had slept in the last twenty-four hours. Her ordeal far outweighed his, at least physically. Emotionally, they were probably both in the same place. And just like that, he was back to that earlier moment when she’d pinpointed the dilemma of their relationship. They were at an impasse.

  When she’d said she loved him, his heart was pounding so hard he thought it would burst. She wasn’t his sister. When he’d kissed her—today and two years ago—he hadn’t felt as though he was kissing his sister. The desire, churned up by simply touching her, was hot enough to ignite the dry tinder around them. Why was he still denying the obvious? Was he really so tied to his code of ethics that he couldn’t take what she offered? Was it unethical to have these feelings that went so much deeper than those of a friend or brother? What was stopping him from grabbing on to the gift of her love?

  The questions were too emotional to wrestle with while his mind was half-numb from exhaustion. It wasn’t fair to him or Caitlin to try to straighten out their relationship now. He had to wait until he had a clearer head, and she was in a better physical state.

  To keep his mind on something else, Mac focused on what Caitlin had said about Martin Dunn. Something about the entire situation didn’t sit right. Mac knew Dunn. Not on a personal level, b
ut he’d encountered Dunn a few times, fishing in Madeline Creek after work. The man’s job at Unified Biotech made it convenient to stay in the canyon and drown a worm before heading home for the night. He seemed to love the outdoors. Mac couldn’t see him burning the forest. Not even for a biker code or whatever it was Uncle Jack’s gang lived by.

  Then there was the brother-in-law Caitlin mentioned. Dunn didn’t have a sister, so the guy must come from Dunn’s wife’s side of the family. Mac didn’t know much about Dunn’s wife, except that she’d been terribly sick recently. She was staying in the same hospital as Caitlin’s father. Maybe the brother-in-law had come to visit and Dunn invited him to the rally. A lot of questions and no answers. At least trying to figure out why Dunn started the fire kept Mac from thinking too much about…other things.

  He glanced at the sky. The sun was arcing higher, and the trees didn’t offer as much shade now. He paused to let Caitlin catch up then headed directly under the branches of a Douglas fir to rest for a moment in the shade. As Caitlin joined him, it was difficult to ignore the deep shadows under her eyes and lines of pain etched around her lips. Even more difficult to ignore her lips.

  “Are you doing okay?” he asked.

  She nodded. “As long as I keep moving.” Her weak smile showed determination to continue.

  They were close to the secondary pick-up location, and it wouldn’t be much longer before they’d load into the chopper and head home. In the meantime, he wanted to understand more about the incident with Dunn. “What did you say Dunn’s brother-in-law’s name was?”

  “I didn’t say.” She took a shallow breath, probably in deference to her ribs. “Dunn never really introduced his brother-in-law to me and Jack. When I encountered them at the cabin, I heard Dunn call him Smith. It was strange, though. He treated Dunn more like an employee than a relative.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Although her cheeks were flushed from the walk, her skin remained pale along her neck and forehead. A clear indication of exhaustion. The urge to smooth the matted hair from her brow was too strong. Before he could stop himself, he’d already brushed strands from her eyes. Caitlin froze at his touch, but didn’t shy away. She should have slapped him for touching her. He had no right to give her hope where there was none. Feeling her searching gaze, he dropped his hand as though it was burned.

  She reached over to his backpack, unclipped the straw and leaned closer for a drink of water. Mac stood perfectly still, unwilling to disturb the tenuous truce. When she lifted her head, some of the color had left her cheeks, and she looked as though she might pass out. “Are you sure you don’t need to rest?”

  “I’m fine.” She secured the straw and wiped her mouth. “Smith was the one who gave the device to Dunn to start the fire at the cabin. Then he ordered Dunn to kill me.”

  Her words were like a punch to Mac’s solar plexus. “Dunn tried to kill you? I thought you were just exaggerating about the fight.”

  “It wasn’t much of a fight on my part. Dunn was following orders. I know you’ve seen what a big guy Dunn is, but I could tell he was afraid of Smith.”

  Something wasn’t making sense. All the scenarios Mac ran through his mind didn’t add up to Dunn yielding to anyone. The man was too self-assured and certainly brawny enough not to bow to a physical threat. He carried a gun and was a security guard at one of the most secure bio-labs in the country. Even Mac, with his ranger badge, had to get special permission to step onto Unified Biotech’s property when he needed to discuss issues regarding the land bordering the National Forest.

  Mac shook his head, trying to erase the horrible thought that jumped into his head. “It can’t be.”

  “What?”

  “No. No way.” He took a deep breath and stared unseeing through the trees.

  “Mac. You’re scaring me. What are you thinking?”

  “Do you know where Dunn works?”

  ****

  Caitlin went cold. A flash of insight zipped through her brain as real as any premonition she’d ever experienced. “The bio-lab in the canyon?”

  Mac started. “How did you…” Then his lips twitched. “Too bad that witchcraft didn’t warn you about not taking a hike yesterday.”

  “It’s not like I can turn it on and off.” More than once, she’d wished her visions could’ve saved her from the pain of the last twenty-four hours. “Something saved my life last night,” she conceded. “But it wasn’t really a vision.”

  “You mentioned that before. From everything you’ve said, you should have died up there. How did you escape?”

  The recollection brought a sting of tears to her eyes. She blinked them back. “Grandma Mac yelled at me to haul my ass out of the cabin.” She hadn’t planned to blurt it out. That moment she’d heard Grandma Mac’s voice was still so precious to her. But Mac deserved to know.

  “Grandma talked to you?” Mac’s stare was incredulous.

  “She didn’t talk. She yelled.” Caitlin grinned. “Remember when we got in trouble for eating the pie she wanted to take to the county fair?”

  “That kind of yelling?” A hint of a smile played around his lips. “Thank goodness for Grandma.”

  She nodded and gave a laugh, but had to stop because it hurt her ribs.

  Mac sobered when he saw her pain. “A lot of pieces are starting to fit, Cait, and the picture isn’t pretty. I suspect the fire is about Dunn and his brother-in-law wanting something inside the bio-lab.” He unhooked the radio from his belt. “The authorities have to know they’re dealing with terrorists. What did this Smith guy look like?”

  She closed her eyes to recall his exact description. “Average height, very short blond hair, clean-shaven.” She opened her eyes and looked at Mac. “Maybe that’s why he looked out of place at the rally.”

  Suddenly, the reason Smith looked familiar became clear. “How did I miss seeing this before? Smith has to be the shadow man I encountered on my first assignment.”

  “What are you talking about?” Mac sounded confused. “You know this guy?”

  Caitlin explained briefly about her assignment—the test she’d failed—in Atlanta. “Because of me, another agent was shot. I screwed up, Mac. I really screwed up.” She swallowed the fear that suddenly filled her throat. “I don’t want to screw up again.” Dunn and Smith’s entire plan was so clear to her now. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t seen it sooner. Her injuries and pain hadn’t allowed her to focus on anything other than survival. That must be why she hadn’t made the connections until Mac pointed them out.

  “Do you think they’ve already broken into the lab?” What better way to clear a path to the bio-lab than to start a fire and evacuate the entire canyon?

  “I don’t know. If Smith isn’t really Dunn’s brother-in-law, but a terrorist, I hope we can stop him and Dunn before they do something horrible. Something that can’t be undone.” He brought the radio to his mouth. “Ranger Home. This is Ranger One. Over.”

  Static crackled through the radio. Were they too far away for reception? If they couldn’t get through, they would have to stay out here another night. By then it would be too late to stop Dunn. Caitlin took a breath and tried to relax. Now was not the time to panic. They’d made contact with the station earlier. The helicopter was supposed to be at the pick-up spot when they got there. She would be off the mountain soon. She had to be.

  Mac keyed the radio again. “Ranger Home. This is Ranger One. Over.” His voice was calm and professional, no panic at all.

  This time the response from the radio was immediate. “Ranger One. Ranger Home. We’ve got that chopper on the way. Are you at the LZ? Over.”

  Mac was looking at their location on the GPS map. “We’re still about two kilometers out, but we’ll be there on time. We’re calling in a new development regarding Martin Dunn. Have you found him or his companion? Over.”

  “No joy. Still looking. Over.”

  Mac’s frown mirrored Caitlin’s feelings. “They need to find him a
nd Smith and stop them,” she whispered.

  “Dunn could be anywhere. Most of the authorities are probably watching Jack’s buddies until they pull up stakes and head home.”

  Frustration trumped the exhaustion she’d been feeling. For a few moments, it had been stimulating to focus on something other than her problems. The adrenaline rush was like the feeling she had when trailing Dunn and Smith. She wanted to be in on the chase. She could borrow Jack’s bike to get around quickly, avoid the normal roadblocks… “That’s it!”

  Mac’s eyebrows rose. “What?”

  The radio crackled. “Ranger One. You still there? Over.”

  Mac keyed the radio. “Still here. Hold one. Over.” Mac looked at her with a question. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

  “Tell them to find Jack.”

  Mac’s frown changed to a scowl. “Why?”

  “Hear me out.” She took a breath. “Find Uncle Jack. Tell him about Dunn and his brother-in-law. Jack can get the other bikers to help search for him. The feds and any other agency still in town can join in and keep an eye on the bikers at the same time.”

  Mac smiled. “That just might work.” He brought the radio up. “Ranger Home. The situation is critical. We suspect the bio-lab is the target of a terrorist hit. Repeat. Suspect bio-lab as target. The fire was a distraction to keep the authorities busy. Find Dunn and the companion he brought to the biker rally. He goes by the name of Smith. We suggest you contact Jack MacAlistair. He can identify the men on sight. Verify receipt of info. Over.”

  There was a long silence from the radio. Even the static seemed to disappear.

  Caitlin looked at Mac. “Do you think they understood?”

  Mac held up a finger as the radio crackled to life. “Ranger One. Understand you suspect bio-lab target of terrorist attack. Over.”

  “Affirmative. Over.”

  “And you’re suggesting the bikers and the authorities work in tandem to locate Dunn and Smith? Over.”

  Caitlin grinned as excitement surged through her. They understood.