“What’s this?”
He shrugged and pushed the door open, holding it for her as they entered the building. “My guys.”
It took a moment for her eyes to adjust from bright daylight and her ears to absorb the number of voices and clicking of computers. When they did, her throat caught. Ethan’s territory had been invaded by soldiers. They were everywhere.
Lining the wall with makeshift computer stations.
Grouped around a bulletin board splattered with maps and tactical instructions.
Huddled over a large silver coffee dispenser.
The quiet offices of Yellowstone’s park rangers resembled a scene she’d only ever witnessed in movies. Jake’s presence was acknowledged with respectful salutes and a group of men in military dress waved him toward Ethan’s office. “I have to be debriefed.”
Debriefed.
It sounded ominous to Cassidy. Another strange aspect of a world she’d never been privy to. “Yes, of course. Go.”
He nodded stiffly and turned toward the other end of the room.
Jake hadn’t spoken a word to her since the confession of the geological survey. She watched him enter the door to Ethan’s office. A woman in a black tank top and military camouflage pants patted his back, displaying a mirror image of Jake’s tattoo on her upper shoulder.
Black Stripe.
A shudder ran through Cassidy as she studied the muscular curve and athletic build of the female soldier. Her eyes widened as Jake returned a salute. He’d discarded the last thread of his biologist disguise and slipped into full soldier mode, barking orders and demanding answers. It disconcerted her.
The woman turned, her profile familiar. She lifted a hand in Cassidy’s direction and smiled. Cassidy tensed in shock. Cold shivers suffused her and her world tilted to the left, causing her to place a hand on the corner of a nearby desk to steady herself.
Michelle.
Reality finally hit her head-on. Her ecologist was Black Stripe. Steve had been Black Stripe. The entire mission in Yellowstone was being driven by Jake’s team. Cassidy suddenly felt out of place; the Army personnel that moved past her intent on their responsibilities were alien and invasive.
Michelle approached her and offered a sympathetic smile. “You okay?”
Cassidy nodded. Be a scientist. That’s who you are. “Fill me in on the status of the wolves, the progress of the disease, and the circumstances of my arrest warrant.”
Michelle sat on the edge of the desk and crossed her arms. “We’ve quarantined the entire northern quadrant of the park, including the area around the ranch where the CDC reported a possible outbreak. Since yesterday, there’s been no more progress on the wolves as you were the one handling that element.” She uncrossed her arms and pointed a finger at Cassidy. “As for you, you have been remanded into the custody of Captain Jacob T. Anderson of the United States Army.” She grinned. “He’s a good man, boss.”
Cassidy absorbed everything Michelle said, ignoring the jump in her stomach at her validation of Jake. “Remanded into custody? What exactly does that mean?”
“Where he goes, you go. You’re his responsibility.”
She frowned and chewed on her lower lip. “Don’t know that I like that.”
Cassidy glanced around, surveying the men and women in the room. Coffee percolated on a stand beside the window, and her mouth watered at the scent of a fresh pot.
“No choice there,” Michelle answered lightly.
“Where’s Fiske? I assume you’ve been apprised of that aspect of the investigation.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ve followed that link. He’s in Salt Lake City. They’ve repaired the transport carrier, and it’s being fueled and prepped as we speak.”
“Where we going?”
“After Salt Lake City, we’ll be departing for West Africa.”
Her heart skipped a beat at returning to the Niger Delta. A mixture of excitement and despair blended together, creating an unsettled feeling within the pit of her stomach. “Good.” Cassidy twisted her hands together and scrutinized the walls. They were paneled in dark, worn wood that sported large maps of Yellowstone National Park. One of the maps contained thick red marks over the northern quadrant. She rose and walked over to the map, studying the quarantined area. “We can’t leave without another ZEBRA pod replacing us. The wolves are still at risk, and so are all the inhabitants of this region.”
“Liv Somers is already on her way. The moment you were compromised, corporate triggered the backup group. Black Stripe is also sending replacements for myself, Jake, Steve and Valerie.”
“Wow,” Cassidy said and sat down in a desk chair, her emotions even more tangled than her hair. “All of you are Black Stripe?” This late in the game, a sense of betrayal shouldn’t be an issue. But there it was, curling its evil tentacles around her heart and squeezing. She caressed the worn leather of the chair arms, feeling the soft hide slide beneath her fingers.
Jake strode across the floor waving a hand at Michelle, dismissing her. “Where’s the survey?”
Cassidy swallowed and nervously tugged on her ponytail. Her voice caught and she cleared it, knowing she’d created an irrevocable shift in their relationship. “With my things on the transport plane.”
He narrowed his eyes and studied her face. Anger and disappointment highlighted his expression, causing her breath to hitch. She blinked and squared her shoulders. Jake shook his head once, turned, and strode out of the office. She heard him bark several commands and followed him out the door. He glanced over his shoulder, pointed at her, and then snapped at one of the soldiers. “Get her to the transport plane.”
Cassidy inhaled sharply at his dismissal. She empathized with his emotions, remembering all too well the betrayal and disbelief he’d caused when she discovered his allegiance with Black Strike. “No. I’m going with you.”
“Like hell you are.”
The cold disdain that laced his words felt like nails in her coffin. “I’ve been remanded into your custody, Captain Anderson. Where you go, I go.”
He ran his hand through his hair and swore softly. “Get to the Jeep parked out front. I’ll be there in a second.”
Cassidy nodded and dashed for the door before he changed his mind. Exiting the building, she inhaled several deep breaths and combed the parking lot for a ZEBRA Jeep.
The sun sat high in the sky and rather than climbing into the Jeep, Cassidy sat on the hood and allowed the heat to bake her shirt. She chewed on her bottom lip, scene after bloody scene playing through her mind. Anna and Steve. Steve and Anna. What had she done?
Jake ran out of the building, the door slamming behind him. She glanced up and watched him stalk toward her. His chin was set firmly and the easy, relaxed grin she’d become familiar with existed only in her memory. A soft breeze kicked up from the ground and ruffled his mop of hair. He pushed it back and motioned with one hand for her to climb into the vehicle.
Cassidy should welcome the cold distant soldier persona, but it hurt. Hurt her heart and her soul. He jumped behind the wheel of the Jeep, cranked the engine, and sped out of the parking lot.
She glanced at him, nervous and insecure. “I’m sorry I didn’t…”
Jake held his hand up. “Don’t go there. I can’t begin to process all the trouble your inability to confide in me has caused.” He turned to her for a second, and the anger on his face stole her breath. “If I’d known about this, maybe Steve wouldn’t be dead.”
Cassidy inhaled sharply at his accusation. “Don’t you think I blame myself enough for that? I don’t need your holier than thou attitude. For crying out loud, the image of his body haunts every second of my day.”
“What I want to know is… were you distrustful of me because I’m Black Stripe or because I’ve gotten to a part of you no man ever has?”
Cassidy couldn’t speak; her temper raged from a simmering storm into a full-fledged category five hurricane. “You son of a bitch.”
Jake glared at her. “Nam
e calling doesn’t suit you, Dr. Lowell.”
She gripped the edge of the vinyl seat and turned to gaze out the window. The Jeep headed south toward Yellowstone Lake and the inn, passing a portion of the caldera where buffalo grazed on sweet grass.
Cassidy clamped down on the angry words she wanted to spit at Jake, choosing the path of silence instead. Jake’s accusation that Steve’s death was her fault kicked her stomach into rolling waves of nausea. A cell phone rang, which startled her out of her moment of woe and self-pity. Jake must’ve been provided an extra cellular.
She missed her phone.
She dropped her head down, and a lone tear escaped and splashed on the edge of her arm. She missed the sound of Steve laughing at whatever idiotic thing she said, and his voice crackling across a static connection from Atlanta to Africa or wherever the hell she’d been stationed.
Jake snapped the phone off his waistband and answered. He listened to the voice on the other end, nodding and mumbling back. Lines creased his face, and weariness stole his tan and replaced it with pale fatigue. He hung up and slowed the Jeep, pulling off to the side of the road. When he switched the ignition off, Cassidy closed her eyes and turned away from him. No good would come of this discussion. She felt the warmth of his hand on her neck and tensed her shoulders. “What now?”
“Ethan Connor’s in critical care at the hospital. Apparently, he was one of the rangers called to the scene of attack last night and Fowler’s men intercepted him.”
She swallowed and drew several deep breaths into her lungs. Emotional overload shut down her heart. She’d long since forgiven Ethan for attempting to arrest her. Jake didn’t know how close his label of Dudley Do-Right matched Chief Ranger Connor. “We need to get to that survey. What if Cole went back to the plane and searched for it?”
“Cassidy…”
With a shake of her head, she pointed to the keys. “Start this damn thing. Without that survey, we’re screwed.”
Jake stared at her for a moment then removed his hand, leaving behind an intense chill. With a flip of his wrist, he fired up the Jeep and pulled back onto the road. The hum of the engine and movement of the vehicle soothed more than she’d anticipated. No more hiding things. No more mistruths. It was time to lay it all on the line and fight. Not for herself, but for the Niger Delta and all the innocent lives lost because of Robert Cole’s devious activities.
“Tell me, Jake. What exactly do you think is going on?” Cassidy turned and faced him, pushing back on anything that remotely resembled an emotion.
“Be more specific.”
She ignored his military, clipped manner and pushed beyond the pain caused from his lack of warmth. “Why was Cole in Wyoming, and what the hell does he have to do with this virus?”
Jake tapped his fingers against the steering wheel and cast her one quick glance. “I believe that New World Petroleum is using you as a scapegoat for this virus. I also believe that they are planning on releasing CPV-19 into the Niger Delta, killing millions.” Jake bent his head to the side and raked his fingers through his hair. “It’s obvious that they have an inside contact within ZEBRA. Who that is, I don’t know. The information and rapid arrest warrant regarding your involvement with NWP and Yellowstone contains data that only a ZEBRA executive would know.”
He shrugged and drummed a soft beat against the plastic of the dashboard, frowning at whatever crossed his mind. Cassidy followed the motion with her eyes, assimilating the information he’d divulged.
Jake glanced at her, a troubled expression deepening the furrow between his eyes. “Drew Sharpe has disappeared.”
Her heart skipped, and she felt another wave of nausea attack her insides. “I don’t want to believe he’s involved.”
“That last statement was a fact, not a theory.” He didn’t back down—just pinned her in place with conviction written on his face.
“Why? Why would New World Petroleum, one of the largest oil producers in the world, risk their reputation and entire business by releasing a deadly virus? And why would Drew Sharpe toss away his career to help them?”
“That,” Jake said, “is the million dollar question.”
“And the answer is in that survey.” Cassidy twisted her hands together, picking at pieces of dirt lodged beneath her nails. “New World Petroleum already rules the local government; they have no need to kill millions of Nigerians.”
Jake shrugged. “I don’t know their motivation, but this is where the facts of my investigation lead. NWP is planning on destroying the people within that region.”
“I don’t believe that. The Niger Delta is already theirs.”
“How so?”
Cassidy sighed. “You were there. Didn’t you see that the living conditions are deplorable? Oil production has already killed that place.”
“Maybe so. But it hasn’t killed the will of the people.”
Cassidy’s mind immediately turned to Anna. Her conviction and dedication to saving the home of her ancestors were sentiments shared by many within the Niger Delta. She needed to think. She stifled a yawn. She needed sleep.
Jake didn’t remember the last time he felt this void of all emotion. He wrapped the feeling tight around his heart and decided it was for the best. The mission remained his top priority. When, exactly, had his heart become involved?
He snapped his soldier armor in place and pushed personal feelings aside. “Where’s the survey?”
“In my saddle bag.”
Jake glanced at her, remaining distant and professional. “Where exactly?”
“My tampon case.”
Choked laughter escaped Jake’s mouth, and he shook his head at her. “Your what?”
Cassidy frowned. “It’s a small pink cylinder. You’ll see it.” “Er, sure.” Jake decided to allow her to retrieve it. Searching a woman’s personal hygiene objects left him uncomfortable and slightly embarrassed. He closed his eyes and realized the brilliance of her hiding place. “Smart girl.”
She glanced across the Jeep and smiled shyly. “Thanks.” Jake watched the road ahead. “What’s on the survey, Cassidy?” She shook her head. “I don’t know. I remember studying it that night you pulled me from camp but, for the life of me, can’t pinpoint whatever it was that bothered me. I’m certain the trauma of the evacuation has hindered my brain.”
Jake ignored her small jab. He’d like to believe she knew him well enough to know he hadn’t left those people to die. “If you didn’t realize it was important, why’d you hide it?”
Cassidy shrugged and shook her head. “Gut feeling, really. Charles had sent David upriver to research some sort of anomaly, and then Sharpe questioned me about the existence of a geological survey right before my briefing on the wolves, and it struck me as odd. So I hid it, kind of like squirreling away something sweet for after dinner.”
Cassidy sat in silence, listening to the melancholy music on the country western station. Jake drove the Jeep at top speed toward Jackson Hole airport. A small bubble of excitement mixed with curiosity made her fidget in her seat, and she struggled against displaying these emotions.
He’d been distant and uber-professional, but Cassidy saw the undercurrent of his emotions spring forth in his restrained movements and short, emotionless answers. Jake struggled with his feelings, and it warmed her heart.
She sighed and turned toward him. “Any news on the identification of the first CPV-19 victim?”
Jake nodded. “Yes. Apparently, she was on sabbatical from the zoology department at the University of Florida. She’d been spending the past six weeks tracking and observing the Net Pierce pack.”
Cassidy smothered a laugh. “Nez Perce?”
He shrugged. “Whatever. The CDC discovered a jagged scrape wound on the palm of her hand. There were traces of rock and debris inside the cut, along with wolf feces.”
Of course. “Part of tracking is determining the source of fecal matter. She must have picked some up in order to classify how long it’d been there.”
>
“You zoologists are gross.”
Cassidy ignored him. “Parvo is absorbed through fecal matter. Normally, it’s ingested by other animals and contracted that way. However, the strain of this virus is extraordinarily virulent and must have transferred immediately into her bloodstream.” She glanced up at Jake. “Just like Fifth Disease.”
“Scary.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” Cassidy gazed out the window of the small helicopter. A disease as deadly as CPV-19 being released within the jungles of the Niger Delta frightened her beyond belief. Infection of both animal and human meant absolute genocide.
Seated within the comfort of the ZEBRA plane, Cassidy rested her head against the edge of the chair. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this worn out. Her body ached from the numerous bumps and bruises collected from her fall into the lab and her impromptu flight out of the helicopter. Her mind was taxed beyond belief by the fear of the virus and concern for the inhabitants of Yellowstone. Unanswered questions and solutions to the open ends of the investigation plagued her constantly.
The moment they entered the plane, Cassidy sat down at a computer and wrote everything down. Theories. Facts. Questions. Everything. She bent her head in frustration as the system responded in slow motion to each entry she typed. Cole’s men had irrevocably damaged their equipment during the abduction, leaving behind only one working computer. And it was a dinosaur. The system didn’t even have a USB port for the flash drive. She’d been reassured laptops would be delivered the moment they arrived at Salt Lake City.
Jake walked over and slipped into the seat next to her. She twisted her neck and stared at him. He’d been deep in discussion with the pilot when they’d returned and then spent an additional hour on the phone with his superior officer. His presence filled the plane, and she tried to block out the effect it had on her emotions.
Cassidy turned her concentration back to other matters. She remembered one of her notations. “Have you sent people to excavate the lab?”
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