Devil's Gold

by Julie Korzenko

  Nick’s lip curled up. “Thank you.” He raised his fist holding the phone to the sky, punching the air in excitement. Placing the phone back to his ear, he verified the facts. “I’ll have this area cleared within the next fifteen minutes, including Anderson and the doctor.”

  “The geological takes precedence. Don’t focus on the kill. We haven’t been able to pinpoint the whereabouts of Fiske. When we do, you’ll need to be dispatched to whatever location he’s at. If Anderson and the girl don’t give up the survey, leave them. They’ll be taken care of later.”

  “Roger that.” My ass. He hummed to himself, excited about the prospect of dirtying his hands.

  He jogged around the outside of the log cabin, verifying all his charges were in place. The ground had been soaked with gasoline, so when the lab imploded the entire estate would quickly be consumed in flames. With it being dry, the fire would spread in rapid waves beyond this area and consume the woods. By the time the firefighters made their way to this quadrant, the laboratory would be completely demolished and hidden beneath the burnt remnants of its surroundings.

  Nick peered around the bend in the river. Anderson and the woman were in a heated discussion. He smiled, his heartbeat increasing at the thought of pulling on her hair and staring into her eyes. He’d waste only a bullet on the man. But Blondie … she was special.

  The ground vibrated.

  A muffled explosion echoed from the section of the property they’d been monitoring. Jake grabbed her hand and raced across the field. An old log cabin shook on its foundations then collapsed, bursting into a huge ball of fire.

  “What the hell?” Jake and Cassidy ran toward the house in the distance, the fire blazing a fast wave across the dried grass. He stopped as a figure stepped from the tree line, pointing a gun in their direction. The gunshot was swallowed by the sound of the raging fire, but there was no mistaking the thud in the ground next to their feet.

  Cassidy tugged on Jake’s arm and pointed toward the river. He shook his head. The water was running much too quickly for them to cross. She continued to tug on his arm. He ducked beneath the gunfire and followed her down the embankment.

  “Help with this kayak!” Her voice was thin against the raging fire, and he had to strain to hear her. Flames burned across the yard, consuming the house with another explosion. “That fire is moving too fast for us to outrun. It’ll burn straight across that road. We’ll be trapped unless we make our way downriver.”

  Another bullet whizzed past their heads. “This guy is relentless.” Jake helped Cassidy drag the kayak to the river edge.

  “I’m jinxed. The world is out to get me.” Cassidy huffed and pushed against the back of the small boat. “What have I ever done to deserve being shot at? This is becoming a daily habit of mine.”

  He grinned. “Call me an optimist, but I’m thinking we stumbled on something pretty damn important. This is no natural fire.” Jake tossed her a paddle and pushed them off the shore. The man behind them pursued, grabbing another one of the kayaks. “And I’m also thinking this guy is more than just an angry homeowner. Looks an awful lot like Cole’s right-hand man to me.” He dipped his paddle in the water.

  Cassidy held herself low over the bow, paddling on the opposite side of Jake. “Yep. It’s Nick Fowler.”

  Jake remembered the hired killer from the night of the attack on Cassidy’s campsite. The expression of pure hatred mixed with lust as Nick had stared at Cassidy sent a cold chill down Jake’s back.

  He noted she matched her rhythm to his, skillfully guiding them down the river. Bullets skimmed the water to their left. “Ugly son of a bitch.”

  They navigated the river like pros. Although the frigid water splashed against his skin, Jake felt the sweat bead on his forehead. If he was already tiring, Cassidy must be exhausted. She never broke stride.

  Bullets continued to rain around them. This was more than a trespassing problem. This guy wanted them dead.

  “Hold on!” Cassidy yelled.

  Jake snapped his head up and gasped. The kayak skimmed across the top of the water and plummeted down what felt like miles of icy waves. Cassidy steered the front. Jake balanced the back and helped her maintain position. The rapids tossed them around, soaking into their clothing.

  The raging river shot them out at the end of a turn and the bottom of the boat slammed into something solid, flipping them beneath the churning water.

  CHAPTER 25

  THE CURRENT DRAGGED CASSIDY BENEATH FRIGID WATER, chilly liquid flooding her mouth. She tumbled over and over, unable to fight the turmoil, choking and gasping for air. Her forehead smacked into something hard. She cried out and swallowed another mouthful of water.

  Reaching up, her arm connected with an object and she grabbed on, pulling herself to the surface. Her lungs burned. Holding onto the log, Cassidy hauled herself above the water heaving in great gulps of oxygen and hacking a mouthful of foul river out. The current spun her in circles, giving an entirely new meaning to a mad teacup ride. She twisted her head, searching for Jake.

  Her eyes rested on the odd-shaped log she clung too. It wasn’t wood. Cassidy wiped back the mass of hair that hung across her eyes in thick strands. Her fingers clutched the edge of a frayed shirt. An eye-watering stench of decay assaulted her nose, and she screamed.

  Shock vibrated from the tip of her toes. She released the dead body, backpedaling and pushing it as far away from her as she could. Another rapid tugged at her legs; she inhaled deeply and felt the draw of the current as it hauled her down beneath its watery blanket.

  Tired and numb, she couldn’t battle against the pull of the river.

  Blackness closed around her eyes and she relaxed, following the current like a rag doll. She blinked when a hand reached down and yanked her out of the water. Struggling and fighting to breathe, she clawed at the arm. She didn’t want to die. And in a split second, Cassidy realized she was no longer being swallowed by water and it was sweet air that burned her lungs. Her savior threw her onto hard ground, pressing rough hands against her chest.

  Coughing and gasping, Cassidy opened her eyes and gazed into a fierce set of baby blues.

  “Cassidy,” Jake gasped her name then brought her roughly to his chest, smoothing her hair back. “Don’t ever do that again.” He rested his forehead against hers and swore softly.

  They were both shaking uncontrollably.

  “What did I do?”

  He stared at her and grinned. “Scared me.” Jake shook his head and shivered. “Don’t do it again.”

  She grimaced and pushed herself to a sitting position. “I feel like I’ve been beaten by a meat tenderizer.” Cassidy reached for Jake’s hand and entwined her fingers with his, passing in silence the words of her heart.

  He shivered and kissed her temple. “I hear ya.”

  “We need to get out of these clothes or else we’ll be the only people known to die of hypothermia in the middle of July.”

  “This isn’t a good place.” Jake turned and glanced upriver. “I don’t know where Fowler went, but I can’t trust that he’d be so lucky as to drown.”

  “Let’s get away from the river.” Fighting back the hysteria of kissing death smack on the lips, she rubbed her arms. “There’s a dead body floating out there.”

  Jake’s eyes focused and sharpened on the river. “You sure?”

  Cassidy nodded. “Uh-huh. Positive.”

  “I’m not diving in and following it downstream. We’ll call it in.”

  She smacked his arm. “With what? Smoke signals? I doubt our phones will work after that water ride.”

  He tilted his head and opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again.

  “What?”

  “I have a better phone than you. One of the Black Stripe perks. Let’s find somewhere to dry off; then we’ll figure out where we are, okay?”

  They struggled to their feet, sodden and freezing. As they made their way up a rocky incline, Cassidy pointed toward a small, sunny clearing
. “There’s a cabin.”

  “Out here?”

  “Sure. It’s probably owned by one of the outfitters that bring tourists out to hunt and fish and have exciting river adventures just like ours.” She pushed him forward.

  “Funny.”

  Jake knocked on the door and when there was no answer, he picked the lock with his pocketknife and opened it. “After you, madam.”

  Cassidy entered the small one-room cabin. There were bunks against one wall, a kitchenette on the other, and a huge fireplace in the center of the two. “We can’t have a fire. It would give away our location.” She turned and faced Jake; the heat in his eyes tingled along every inch of her skin. She swallowed.

  “Want help getting out of those clothes?”

  Cassidy choked on the lump in her throat. “How can you even think about something like that when we’re stranded in the wilderness being hunted by a madman?”

  He lifted a shoulder, the side of his lip curving upward. “Men think about it all the time. Didn’t you read the survey?”

  Suppressing a giggle, Cassidy pointed behind her at a small door. “I’m going in there.”

  Jake chuckled, the warmth of his laughter filling the tiny room. “You do that, Sunshine.”

  Cassidy turned on her heels and headed into what she assumed was a bathroom. Pushing on the door with the palm of her hand it slowly creaked inward. The room was dark. She reached above the toilet and twisted the blinds, allowing natural light through the window. Surveying her surroundings, Cassidy sighed. It was simple but clean; they couldn’t be too far off the beaten path.

  Cassidy jiggled the handle on the toilet and was surprised when it flushed. She opened a small closet door and almost screamed in delight. Towels and blankets were stacked neatly, each covered in clear plastic. Whoever owned this place maintained a classy operation. Ripping open one of the bags, her fingers dug into the warmth of the wool blanket.

  Cassidy stripped out of her clothes. She ran clean water from the tap and splashed it on her face. Shivers and shakes caused her hands to tremble and teeth to chatter, but she withstood the cold for a few moments, verifying she’d survived relatively unscathed. Wrapping the blanket around her, she sat on the edge of the toilet and gathered her strength.

  The warmth generated by body heat and wool seeped into her skin, calming the violent shakes. She inhaled and exhaled, trying to ease all the unanswered questions that rattled her brain.

  Cassidy stood and opened the medicine cabinet. There wasn’t much, but she did find a small toiletry package that contained a comb, toothbrush, and toothpaste. She yanked the comb through her matted curls. After several minutes of torture and ten broken plastic teeth, she hurled the stupid thing into the garbage can.

  She left the bathroom, feeling that a small modicum of sanity had returned. “There’s running water. It’s not hot though. We can’t be too far from a road if they’ve dug in a septic and well system.” Cassidy glanced at his sodden T-shirt. “Why don’t you get out of those wet clothes and grab yourself a blanket. I’ll fix the bandage on your leg.”

  Jake raised his brows. “I think it’s best if I do that myself.” He picked up the first-aid kit from the table and headed into the bathroom.

  Cassidy sighed and walked around the cabin. She stared at the wet bundle in her hands and headed outside, leaving the confining walls of the small room behind. The afternoon sun beat down and caressed her shoulders. She adjusted the blanket wrapped around her chest and bent to lay her clothes upon the ground.

  A limb snapped beyond the edge of the forest. She spun around, certain that Fowler had found them. The woods were silent. Cassidy backed toward the cabin, her eyes scanning the clearing for any sign of danger. A high-pitched cackle echoed from the trees, and she sighed in relief when a crow flew off a low-lying branch and rose into the air.

  “It must be close to two o’clock,” Jake said, stepping outside the cabin. “I’ll haul over some branches to hide our clothes.”

  Cassidy turned and inhaled sharply, her pulse suddenly performing a wild Mexican hat dance. “Is that all you could find to put on?”

  Jake glanced down at the towel wrapped around his waist and shrugged. “Don’t worry, Sunshine. I won’t take advantage of you.”

  Cassidy lifted her hand and pressed it against her heart. It hurt. She realized in a flash of insight that she wanted to be taken advantage of. The need to feel his warmth and heat and be reminded that life was more than the troubled moments of the past few hours struck at her core. Something must have crossed her face because Jake’s steps faltered. “Don’t look at me like that, Cassidy.”

  She bit the bottom of her lip. “I can’t help it.” Her voice trembled, making her curse silently. “I’m scared.”

  He lifted one brow. “Of me?”

  The woods dropped into silence, their breathing the only sound she heard. “Of the way you make me feel.”

  Jake turned and placed his clothes on the ground beside hers. He held his hand out toward her, and she reached back. Their fingers entwined, flashes of electricity raced from his touch and spread a wave of heat that rivaled the burning land they’d left behind. He pulled her toward the cabin. “It’s not safe out here.”

  She glanced around and decided against admitting to her recent fright. “He’d have to be psychic to figure out the exact point we left the river.”

  “He wasn’t far behind us.” Jake opened the cabin door. “I’ll feel better when our clothes are dry and we’re back on the move.”

  Cassidy followed him inside and clasped her hands together when he released his hold. She needed control. This certainly wasn’t the time or place to act on the instincts that were raging through her body.

  Jake moved through the cabin, securing the lock on the front door and placing his gun within easy reach. “Your gun still work?” she asked, wondering where the heck hers went to.

  “Yeah. Yours?”

  She shrugged. “I guess it’s at the bottom of the river.” Cassidy sat down at the small wooden table, resting her elbows on its surface.

  Jake moved to the window beside the front door, dragging a chair across the floor and sitting on it. He scanned the perimeter. Cassidy watched his muscles bunch and tighten as his head moved back and forth for a full view of their surroundings.

  “What are we going to do?”

  Jake glanced at her and offered her a half smile. “Nothing until our clothes and my phone dry.”

  She stood and paced. “We need to hike back upriver and check out that fire. What the hell was that place?”

  Jake nodded. “I wish I understood the motivation behind the charges against you.”

  Cassidy moved off her chair and went to stand next to Jake. “I know why they’re doing this.”

  “Nigeria?”

  She nodded. “They want to discredit me. Ruin my reputation. That way all my accusations regarding the Niger Delta will be reduced to nothing but the ramblings of an insane mind. And, more importantly, NWP wants me eliminated. Make my findings in the Niger Delta null and void by dishonoring me and permanently shutting me up.”

  Jake’s eyes narrowed and he focused on her, his body taut with tension. “Why do you say that?”

  “Nick Fowler.” Cassidy sighed, running a shaking hand through her hair. “Cole’s shadow and hired killer.”

  “You truly believe that NWP would go this far?”

  Cassidy nodded. “Absolutely.”

  Jake snaked an arm out, wrapping it around her waist. He pulled her close so that she stood between his legs. Cassidy reached out and allowed her fingers to trace the same path she’d watched him do, running them through his damp hair. He closed his eyes and inhaled her scent. “Do you think they planned this all from the beginning?”

  Cassidy bit her lip, fighting the sensation of his skin against her palm. “No. I think they saw an opportunity and acted. Ruining my reputation is easier than killing me.” Jake twirled the ends of her hair around his forefinger, tugging
her closer.

  “Jake?”

  “You are beautiful,” he whispered, his attention suddenly snapping from her face to the window. “And a damn distraction.” He shoved her to the ground. “Something’s on the edge of the tree line.”

  CHAPTER 26

  JAKE SWORE TO HIMSELF. HE’D SLIPPED. PRESSING HIS SHOULDER against the corner of the window, he peered outside. A shadow wove between the trees. It paused and then moved forward, casting a large black silhouette upon the grass. Jake exhaled. He hadn’t even realized he’d been holding his breath.

  “A bear.”

  Cassidy smiled. “Really?” She moved to stand beside him. “Wow. Take a look at that.”

  Jake leaned against the window and watched as a huge brown bear ambled into the sun. Less than two paces behind, a small cub followed. He glanced at Cassidy; her face sparkled with a wide smile. “You like bears?”

  She winked. “I don’t normally have the opportunity to study a grizzly.”

  Alarm snaked across his shoulder blades. “That’s a grizzly?”

  Cassidy grinned. “Uh-huh. Isn’t she beautiful?” She pointed out the window. “See the heavy mane of hair framing her face and the light color of her hide? If you weren’t certain about the size, that alone would mark her as a grizzly. The black bear is smaller in stature, more prominent in these parts and slightly less aggressive. She’d tear your head off in a second if she thought you threatened her or her cub.”

  “Okay, then. We’ll just stay right here.”

  Cassidy laughed, causing a sudden blast of desire to strike his gut. What the hell was the matter with him? “As soon as the bears leave, I think we should dress and head out of here.” Jake walked over to the refrigerator and retrieved his cell phone from the top, where he’d stashed it next to the medical kit.

  “But to where?” She turned and stared at him. “Did you see the heavy line of smoke coming from the north? I don’t think there’s any way we’ll be able to make it back to that house and cabin. And we certainly won’t be able to pick around the ashes without proper equipment and gear.” She frowned at him. “Is it working?”