“This pup is severely dehydrated. And note the damage to the intestinal lining? If this were a standard necropsy without anything unusual, I’d say he had parvo.” Cassidy glanced at Jake. She loved the way his eyes mimicked the thoughts processing through his brain, intelligence deepening the shade of blue.
“Parvo? Here, grab me that tube of blood. I’ll run a test.” Jake accepted the tube of blood from Cassidy and moved beyond a clear Plexiglas divider into the computer lab portion of the RV.
He snagged a chair and rolled over toward a large microscope cabled directly to a flat panel monitor. Drawing some of the blood from the tube, he placed it on a slide. Adding a few drops of solution, Jake peered into the microscope. There they were. But something was odd. He sent the information from the scope to the monitor and ran an analysis.
“Well?” Cassidy’s voice carried through the intercom system built into the RV.
“It’s definitely parvo. But a strain I’m not familiar with.”
Cassidy entered through the door, sealed it behind her, and stood behind him. She glanced at the computer printout. “You’re right. What’s that?” Pointing to a small section within the virus, she didn’t realize how close they were until Jake spun in his chair and gazed up into her face.
“I’m sorry,” he said. His eyes were intense, searching for something.
“I,” she stammered and felt the heat rush to her cheeks. She inhaled sharply. “I don’t know what to think. One minute you’re kissing me; the next minute you’re yelling at me. It’s a blur.” She waved her hands in the air, praying her face wasn’t beet red and that the glare from her mask dulled her embarrassment. “It’s not important anyway. We’ve got a job to do here. Let’s just forget it ever happened, okay?”
“I’m wounded.” He stabbed an invisible knife to his heart. “My ego is forever shattered at being thought forgettable.”
Cassidy laughed. “You’re a pain in the ass is what you are.” Good. If they teased one another, then the kiss didn’t mean anything. Glancing down at the linoleum, she bit her lip. It’d take her more than a few hours to forget the flash of desire his lips ignited. With a sigh, she lifted her eyes and smiled brightly.
He tapped the edge of her mask. “Trust me, Sunshine. Next time will be unforgettable.”
It saddened her for some inexplicable reason that he’d reverted to calling her Sunshine. It placed them back on familiar ground. She should be happy about that, right?
“Let’s get these results over to the CDC.”
Jake connected to the Internet and sent the results over a secure line. “What next?”
Cassidy surveyed the mess on the necropsy table. She sighed. “Let’s clean this up. Verify all the other wolves are in similar condition, and remove that bullet for Ethan.”
“What are you entering as cause of death?”
She chewed her bottom lip. “Dehydration followed by internal bleeding is the official cause of death. We need to understand that virus before we claim that it’s the culprit. Regular parvo isn’t necessarily a death sentence; besides, the skull anomaly is baffling.”
They spent the next several hours mimicking the necropsy from the first wolf. Jake verified that in each blood sample, the odd parvo virus appeared. Cassidy recorded her findings and shot photographs of the damaged internal organs.
Stretching, she put away the last piece of equipment and they exited into a small alcove. She pressed a button, and the area sealed itself and provided a fast decontamination wash for their suits. They stripped off their protective gear and stowed it appropriately.
The relief of being without a mask had Cassidy inhaling and exhaling in joy. “I hate those things. They always make me claustrophobic.”
Jake reached over and tugged the end of her ponytail. “Let’s get out of here.”
They left the vehicle and locked it. Cassidy dug a small key that Steve had handed her out of her pocket and opened a six-by-six junction box on the exterior of the camper. Flipping a large red switch, she initiated the decontamination of the inner camper.
Turning, she followed Jake as they made their way back to the inn. The sun pierced the mist on the lake, dissipating the vapor into thin fingers of steam. Cassidy paused for a moment to soak in the beauty of her surroundings. Then the chill and exhaustion seeped in, and she shivered and yawned. “This profuse bleeding isn’t a normal symptom of parvo.”
“I realize that.”
“And did you note the thickness of all the blood, even what remained within the bodies? It was clotted enough to appear congealed.”
“Realized that, too.” Jake yawned. “I think we both need to sleep before we begin spinning hypothetical solutions.”
Cassidy couldn’t agree more. They entered their suite. All was quiet. Peering into her bedroom, she groaned. Steve and Michelle were sprawled across the top of her covers snoring in remarkable synchrony. “I guess they’re as tired as we are.”
“Come on, Sunshine.” Jake grabbed her hand and tugged her toward his room. “I’ll share.”
Even through the fog of exhaustion, her hormones attempted to spark. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”
“No. But I’m too damn tired to think clearly.”
Cassidy smiled. “Tired is good.” She eyed the queen-sized bed, debating whether to climb beneath the covers or simply collapse face first. Her brain froze, obviously as tired as her body. She placed her palms on the end of the bed and crawled onto its surface, sighing in appreciation.
Jake chuckled. He stretched out and turned to face her. “Sleep.”
Already burrowing into her pillow, she murmured her response. “Uh-huh.”
Jake pulled her close to his chest and she snuggled her back against him, not thinking or caring. Her eyes drifted closed, and she smiled foolishly when he kissed her hair and whispered against her ear. “Good night, Cassidy.”
A loud bang snapped Cassidy from her sleep and she bolted upright, smashing her head against Jake’s shoulder. “What? Who?”
Steve popped his head around the corner of the bedroom door and smiled at them. “Wake up, sleepyheads. The circus has arrived.”
She blinked, trying to clear the sleep from her eyes. “You stole my bed.”
“Yeah, sorry ’bout that. I used your shower, too.”
Cassidy glared at him, feeling as if he’d stolen her last piece of candy. This was her bathroom he’d admitted to messing up. “You’d better not have left wet towels on the floor.” A clean and tidy bathroom meant an invigorating and inviting shower.
“Quit arguing, kids. It’s too damn early.” Jake grumbled and focused on his watch. “Hey, Sunshine, we managed to sleep for three whole hours.”
She sighed. “That’s a record.” The clamor and banging that had viciously stolen her from paradise continued outside the window. “What’s going on?”
“The circus.” Steve answered.
“Circus?”
“Of scientists.”
“Scientists?”
“Get some coffee, Cass. Maybe you’ll lose the echo.” Steve shut the door, leaving Cassidy and Jake still sitting on the bed. A sudden rush of shyness washed over her as she realized how close together they’d slept.
He knocked his shoulder against hers, creating that bubbling belly effect again in her stomach. “Morning.”
“I noticed you left the good out of that.”
“There’s only one kind of good morning that follows three hours of sleep. And, Sunshine, we didn’t even come close.” He gave her the big puppy-dog eyes, making her giggle. Giggle? She hadn’t done that since high school.
Sobering, she stared at Jake. He didn’t once break eye contact, ratcheting up the emotions that squeezed tighter in her chest. Despite her best efforts at not encouraging his advances, Cassidy knew what she wanted. The intimacy of sleeping within his arms and the overwhelming need to feel alive after witnessing the ugly side of death shattered Cassidy’s reserve. “You bother me.”
Hi
s lips twisted in a wolfish grin. “Is that a bad thing?”
“Yes.” Caution flew out the window, and she crawled over to straddle his lap. His eyes widened, and desire flickered within their deep blue depths. She bent her head and rubbed her lips against his then moved closer, pushing herself against his chest and seeking the warmth of his mouth. He responded with a hunger that momentarily stunned her. His fingers ran through her hair and he held her tighter, jacking up the stakes to an almost irreversible level.
Cassidy disengaged, drawing in deep breaths. She traced a finger along the line of his jaw. “I don’t want to be forgettable.” She gasped when he moved his hips upward rubbing between her legs.
“That’ll never happen.”
She tugged at the hem of his T-shirt. Glancing at his face, Cassidy hesitated. His breathing stilled, and his face tightened. Insecurity pounded her chest. “Too fast?” Her voice was nothing more than a whisper, but it shot across the room with the power of thunder.
Jake reached over and twisted a strand of her hair around his finger. “You might not like what you find.”
Cassidy grinned, relieved, and pulled his shirt up and over his chest. “I doubt…” Her voice trailed off as the edge of a tattoo caught her attention. Sunshine glittered against the emblem of an American flag split asunder by a lightning bolt. She knew this tattoo. She’d seen it not long ago, in a dark tent, on a horrible night. Her hand shook uncontrollably when she traced the symbol with the edge of her finger. She heard Jake’s sharp intake but ignored him.
Betrayal. Anger. Sadness. Heartache. Too much to absorb.
Cassidy felt Jake move and before she could protest he’d flipped her off his lap and onto her back, her head cradled in his hand and the vivid blue of his eyes piercing her soul.
With a growl, he bent his head and touched his lips gently to hers. “It doesn’t matter.”
Cassidy sighed, wanting to make all the bad emotions fade beneath the power of her blossoming awareness for him.
But deceit hurt.
Anger burned.
Betrayal destroyed.
And pride wouldn’t allow her retreat.
He tilted his head; his fingers slid through her hair, gently picking at the tangled mess of curls. “You started this, Dr. Lowell.”
“And I’m ending it.” Cassidy pushed against his chest and jumped off the bed, dashing toward the bathroom before she relented to the passion in his eyes.
Her hand slid onto the cool metal of the doorknob. Before she had a chance to escape Jake’s presence, the bedroom door crashed open, slamming against the interior wall with a resounding thud.
Beyond the quiet reserve of their suite, she heard the bellow of deep male voices and her name being shouted as if it were a curse. “What’s going on?” She hated the way her voice squeaked, resonating with the sudden sense of dangerous foreboding that tightened her chest.
Ethan Connor darkened the open doorway, a gun pointed directly at her heart.
CHAPTER 23
CASSIDY STARED DOWN THE BARREL OF THE PISTOL, TRYING TO make sense of the bizarre situation. “Ethan, put that gun down.”
He shook his head and narrowed eyes, which burned with anger. “How could you, Cass? How could you destroy something you worked so hard to create?”
She avoided glancing at the movement beyond Ethan’s shoulder. A finger signal from Jake silenced her, as he silently slid off the bed. “Why you holding a gun on her, Connor?”
“She’s under arrest.”
Jake approached Ethan, but he swung the pistol and pointed it at Jake’s chest. “Back off, Anderson. I’m taking Dr. Lowell into custody. She’s charged with treason and first-degree murder.”
Cassidy shook her head. “Treason? Murder?”
Ethan approached Cassidy, handcuffs in one hand, gun in the other. The room dimmed slightly as her mind processed his words. A hand reached from behind Ethan’s back, jabbing into the arc of his neck and sending the park ranger sliding to the floor. Steve grinned at Cassidy and shrugged his shoulder. “Always wanted to be a bad guy.” He tossed a weapon in Jake’s direction and a bundle of clothes at her chest. “Time to move out, Captain.”
Cassidy couldn’t comprehend the significance of his words, but her survival instinct kicked into place. She quickly donned the shirt, sweater, socks, and shoes Steve provided and was on Jake’s heels and out the window in sixty seconds flat.
She didn’t resist when Jake reached back and grabbed her hand, keeping her close as they ran along the edge of the inn. Panic and confusion threatened to overwhelm, but Cassidy concentrated on her surroundings. The laughter of innocent youth drifted from a window above their heads, blending with the cacophony of wildlife that trickled beyond the edge of the woods. Steve pressed a warm hand against her back and urged her forward.
The rising call of the righteous thundered behind them and demanded they surrender. Cassidy tugged on Jake’s hand. “We should stop. Explain ourselves. This is all a mistake, Jake.”
“Don’t kid yourself, Sunshine. There’s no mistake here.” Jake pushed her down and shielded her from a sudden onslaught of gunfire. Bullets pinged off the brick building and tore into the soft ground at their feet. “How far, Steve?”
“Beyond that tree line. I’ll go fire it up.” Steve dashed forward, staying low to the ground and zig-zagging against a shower of bullets.
“This is insane.” Cassidy raised her voice to be heard above the gunfire and commands being shouted behind them. “We need to call Sharpe.”
Jake turned and stared at her, a cool reserve only half masking the surprise and anger that flared within the depths of his baby-blues. “Don’t fight me on this. There’s a chopper beyond that tree line.” He bent his head and swore when she frowned and glanced over her shoulder. “Cassidy, something’s gone terribly wrong. Turning yourself over to Dudley Do-Right will be the end of your career and perhaps life.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Neither do I, Sunshine. But our best bet at finding answers is about five hundred feet that away.” He pointed toward the pine trees that edged a gravel road to their left.
Hesitation rarely encroached upon Cassidy’s life, and this moment wasn’t a time to allow it in. She nodded, placed her hand in his, and prepared to run. “Let’s do it then.”
Jake tilted his head, closed his eyes, and listened. Cassidy mimicked his actions and heard a faint thump of rotor blades. Before she opened her eyes, Jake yanked on her arm and they raced across the gravel road. Bullets whizzed by, striking stone and grass. Her heart pounded in her chest as she ran as fast as her legs would carry her. Sliding around the edge of a tree, she braced herself with her hand but Jake pulled her onward; the rough bark snagged at her tender skin and scraped the length of her wrist. Swearing, she stumbled forward attempting to match his pace.
They ran.
She heard Ethan’s voice behind her, and fear snatched her breath away. Jake pulled harder on her arm, and she forced her legs to move faster. They broke through a clearing, and the helicopter hovered above ground less than fifty feet away. Jake pushed her toward the chopper and dropped to one knee, firing his gun at the woods. Cassidy tripped, her legs weak and rubbery; she winced as dirt and rocks bit into the bleeding flesh of her palms. She righted herself and raced for safe haven.
Her legs and arms burned from exhaustion, but she used her last burst of energy and threw her body into the interior of the helicopter, curling into a ball as she rolled and slammed against the back wall. She felt the chopper rise and panicked when she realized Jake wasn’t aboard.
Cassidy scrambled to the edge of the chopper, the scene and circumstances all too familiar. This time she’d make a difference. Jake hung suspended from the rung, his legs kicking in the air as Steve lifted them higher above the ground. Bullets flew, striking metal but not penetrating. She reached over the edge and grabbed Jake’s arm.
He glanced up in surprise, then narrowed his eyes in anger. “Let go of me. Get back
where it’s safe.”
Cassidy glared right back and pulled with all her strength. She felt his weight shift slightly. His hand gripped her shoulder as he propelled his body through the opening and into the helicopter. Without thinking, she launched herself at him and slammed her fist into his chest. “Don’t do that again. You almost fell.”
He pulled her into a hard embrace, and she smiled as the deep rumble of his laughter warmed her ear. “You’re a piece of work, Goldilocks.”
Two cups of coffee later, Cassidy felt more in control. Steve had flown the chopper straight out of Yellowstone and into a safe house provided by the Black Stripe unit of ZEBRA. She’d changed into a pair of faded, well-worn jeans and a standard ZEBRA polo shirt, not bothering to ask how her belongings had managed to appear within a short time after their arrival.
It’d taken her longer to brush the knots from her hair and braid it securely down her back than it had to put on clean clothes.
Jake stepped out of the small bedroom. The scent of his spicy cologne mixed with baby shampoo drifted toward Cassidy. An intoxicating combination. He walked up to her and accepted the mug she held out to him. He tossed her a wicked grin and winked as he brought the mug to his lips. She felt herself blush and turned away.
He moved closer. Her back brushed against his chest. She glared at him, fighting the unwanted attraction. He’d lied to her.
“Space?” Cassidy asked.
Jake’s lips curved upward. “No thanks. I’m fine.”
Cassidy’s eyes widened at his glib comment and she attempted another glare, making Jake tilt his head back and laugh at the expression on her face. She felt ridiculous and silly. It grated against her skin.
“How you holding up?” he asked.
“Confused.”
Jake walked into the center of the small lodge house they’d confiscated. “My Black Stripe unit is assigned to monitor your actions and determine any connection you might have with New World Petroleum.”
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