“Right.” Cassidy exited the bathroom. “And his chance of rescue eliminated.” Her excitement faded and was replaced with a shoulder-drooping defeat. “Whichever way we turn, we’re screwed. They have the virus and the man who can provide an antidote. What do we have? Nothing.”
Jake chuckled. “We’re close. They have a plan, and I’m afraid it includes us.” Cassidy’s eyes widened, but she didn’t voice any argument. He guided her out the door, reaching for his sunglasses. “I doubt very much they’ll be releasing the virus the second they step foot within the Niger Delta.”
“God, I hope you’re right.”
“I know I am,” but the twist in his gut spoke his doubts. New World Petroleum’s motivation regarding CPV-19 remained an anomaly, and until that mystery was solved there’d be no guessing at a timeline for their agenda.
CHAPTER 33
CASSIDY EXITED THE POLICE CAR, GLAD TO BE REMOVING HERSELF from the lieutenant’s presence. His affinity for spitting out windows reduced the grumbling in her stomach to nothing. Dark green delivery trucks marked with the insignia of the United States Army sat beneath the black-and-white-striped transport jet. Boxes stamped with an assortment of lettering that made no sense to Cassidy were being unloaded and carried up the ramp and into the belly of the plane by a group of uniformed men.
“What’s going on?” she asked Jake.
He tilted his head and gazed at her as if she were out of her mind. “Loading up for our assignment?” Jake smiled and winked at her, creating an irritating flutter in her belly. “I doubt we’ll be able to purchase this stuff in the local villages over there.”
Cassidy rolled her eyes at her stupidity. “Right. Of course.”
“You ready?”
“This is my life. Planes, choppers, and automobiles. I suppose I should be thankful that this mode of transportation has all the comforts of home.” She followed Michelle up the metal stairs and into the plane. She paused for a moment, barely recognizing the interior. Valerie bustled down the aisle, converting the comfortable seating sections into sleeping quarters. She lifted her head and smiled at Cassidy. “Good afternoon, Cassidy.”
“Hi, Valerie. Did you arrive with the supply committee?”
Chuckling, Valerie continued to pull levers and snap dividers into place. “Something like that.”
Cassidy watched the quick efficient movements of her administrator. This woman was in her early fifties and Black Stripe? If someone asked her to place a bet on that question, she’d certainly lose. Valerie’s khaki slacks were neatly pressed, and the white collared shirt with a small zebra embroidered on the left breast pocket screamed corporate America, not international espionage.
“Where’s your tattoo?” The words blurted from Cassidy’s mouth, and she felt a wave of embarrassment color her face.
Valerie paused and laughed. “Honey, if I so much as walked into one of those places I’d faint from fear.”
“But everyone else has tattoos.”
Valerie put her hands on her hips and studied Cassidy. “Only the field ops. I’m administrative.”
Cassidy worried her bottom lip. “You perform the same duties for Black Stripe as you do for me?”
She shrugged. “Similar. I just have a higher security clearance. It’s my job to coordinate tactical and make sure my boys”—she smiled at Michelle, who was busy arranging her bags in the compartment she’d chosen—“and girls come home safely.” Valerie patted Cassidy on the arm. “Between you and me, I much prefer the White Stripe assignments.”
“White Stripe? I’m classified as White Stripe?” This was news to her. She covered her mouth, hiding a yawn. Her temple pounded and heralded the arrival of what she knew to be an intense headache. She rubbed the corner of her forehead and gazed longingly at the sleeping quarters Valerie finished arranging.
“Here you go, honey.” Valerie slid the curtain she’d hung to the side. “Why don’t you rest while I make sure dinner preparations are underway.”
Cassidy felt Jake’s presence the moment his shadow blocked the daylight from the open door. He moved up behind her and scrutinized the interior of the plane. “Nice job, Valerie.”
She sighed and followed his line of vision. “I do enjoy the innovative ideas ZEBRA incorporates. I’ve rearranged the back end to service your working needs.”
Jake nodded and placed his hand on the back of Cassidy’s neck. She resisted tilting her head toward his touch and luxuriating in the light pressure of his thumb to the base of her hairline.
“I think you need to take Valerie’s advice and rest.”
Cassidy shook her head. “If I fall asleep now, there’s no waking me. I think I’ll grab something to drink and get cracking on the geological survey. Did you get me a laptop?”
“Yes, ma’am. It’s with your stuff in the back.” Jake stepped aside and allowed her to pass into the back compartment, which had been organized to seat everyone conference-style. She found her bags and laptop secured in one of the storage compartments that flanked the rear wall. The scent of fresh brewed coffee had her mouth watering. “Valerie,” she called over her shoulder. “You’re a saint.”
Cassidy poured herself a steaming mug of energy and settled into one of the chairs. Flipping the laptop open, she plugged it into one of the jacks that allowed her access to the Internet via an onboard satellite system. The machine whirred to life. She accessed her personal directory through the Internet and scanned the list of files that contained all the data on the Niger Delta.
Her eyes skimmed downward, and she narrowed her gaze on the messenger bag. No. The geological survey needed to wait. Without reacquainting herself with all her mission details, she might miss whatever it was on that survey that turned Robert Cole into a killer. Warm honey eyes swamped her memory. “I’ll make him pay, Steve. I promise.”
She began rereading everything compiled over her six-month tenure in Africa. It didn’t take long before the words on the screen pulled her in and blocked out all activity within the jet. Cassidy clicked from one window to another, typing in notes and observations that might be useful. Beyond her bubble of concentration, she absently acknowledged the plane’s soaring into the sky with a frustrated sigh at having to hold her laptop steady.
Stretching her arms to the ceiling and bending forward to shimmy her shoulders and work circulation into the frozen muscles on her back, Cassidy stared at the screen before her. She rubbed her temple, refusing to relent to the stabbing pain of her head. With a quick glance out the small window, she noted the darkness. How long had she been at this?
The geological survey was next, and then she’d quit. Tired brain resulted in less than acceptable work.
Moving her hand down, she slipped it beneath the leather folds of her messenger bag. She glanced around to verify no one watched. Other than Jake, Cassidy didn’t know whom to trust. Her fingers dug for the tampon container. She felt the plastic surface on the cylinder and slipped the top off, her eyes never leaving the interior of the plane. A thin metal card touched her fingers and Cassidy quickly retrieved it, popping it into her USB port on the laptop before anyone noticed.
Cassidy clicked on the icon to open the file and a geological study of the southern region surrounding Port Harcourt popped up. This was the report from Charlie that Anna left her the day before she died. Cassidy recalled pulling the statistics up regarding the erosion of the section of coastline along Port Harcourt, but beyond that she’d been too tired to finish reading and decided to leave it for later. “I guess now is later.” That blank brain cell scratched at her mind, but she couldn’t isolate it beyond a foggy idea that she should be remembering something else.
“What was that, Sunshine?”
She glanced up, and her eyes widened as Jake placed a steaming bowl of soup in front of her. “My hero.” Until that moment, she hadn’t realized how starved she was.
“Wait, you’ll love me more in a second.”
Spooning the tomato-based vegetable and pasta stock in
to her mouth, she closed her eyes and savored the subtle taste of oregano and red pepper. She didn’t know where Valerie unearthed it, but she was in heaven. “Not possible,” she said between mouthfuls.
Jake grinned and handed her a bowl of warm rolls salted with garlic and onion. “Oh heavens”—Cassidy swallowed—“you’re right.” She snatched a roll and inhaled the yeasty aroma. “I am so hungry.”
“Gee,” Jake said. “I don’t know why. Could it be you haven’t eaten anything other than protein bars in close to eighteen hours?”
Cassidy chewed and nodded. “That could be it.”
Jake sat down across the table from her and dug into his own bowl of soup. “So what’ve you found?”
Cassidy dropped her voice to a whisper. “Nothing yet. I’m about to start on the geological report. Anna”—Cassidy swallowed back the sadness—“handed it to me the night before …” She glanced anywhere but at Jake’s face. Exhaustion was getting the better of her emotions. She didn’t want to see his blue eyes or believe that the coldness of the soldier she’d met that night and experienced again today was him.
“The night before?”
Cassidy felt her anger peak. “The night before she died.” She pushed her soup away and turned back to study the report. This will never work. I want him. I hate him. I want him. I hate him. “Oh for crying out loud, would you please leave me alone?”
Jake’s face registered shock, and then his easy grin and relaxed nature slipped away. “Of course, Dr. Lowell. I’ll be happy to. However, the moment you have an understanding as to Robert Cole’s agenda, I expect to be informed.”
His face held distrust, and Cassidy sighed. “I won’t hold anything else back from you, Jake, if that’s what you’re insinuating.”
“Not suggesting a thing, Dr. Lowell. Just want to make certain you’re clear on the chain of command.”
Cassidy bent her head and swore repeatedly until her temper and frustration calmed to a dull roar. Her computer indicated it was almost nine o’clock. Where had the time gone? The remnants of her soup were no longer appetizing. How could a man make her feel complete and whole one moment, then lost and angry the next? “Damn him.”
Valerie stepped out of the small kitchenette behind Cassidy. “Are you still hungry, honey?”
“No, Valerie. Thanks. It was delicious.”
“How about some cookies?”
Cassidy grinned at the other woman’s motherly demeanor. She stood and stretched. “I’m fine. Actually, I think I’ll just take this to bed with me.”
“Honey, if I had a man looking at me like Captain Anderson looks at you, the last thing I’d be taking to bed is a laptop. That hard drive compared to that hard drive …” Valerie pointed in the direction of Jake. “No comparison.”
Cassidy gasped. “Valerie, I can’t believe you just said that.”
“It’s the truth.”
Cassidy shook her head, smothering her smile. “Have I no respect anymore?”
“Just telling it like it is. And that man is.”
Cassidy gathered up her laptop and stepped around Valerie. “He’s not for me is what he is.” She ignored the sadness that crept onto the older woman’s face. “And that’s a fact.” She left the conference area and headed toward the small compartment containing her bed.
Jake blocked her path. “Turning in?”
His face was unreadable, but as Cassidy stared into his eyes she saw a whirlpool of emotion. It mirrored all the silent conflicts between her heart and her brain. “Yes. I’ll think clearer after a few hours of rest, but first I’m going to review the survey. I’ll let you know the second I have something.”
“You have a solid twelve hours before we even approach the coast of Africa.”
Cassidy smiled. “Thanks. I’ll set my phone alarm.”
Jake grinned. “Do you know how to do that?”
Smartass. She’d been given a new phone, one that resembled the model Jake carried. Her suspicion regarding its origin was confirmed. I have no clue how to set my alarm. Cassidy squared her shoulders and answered him. “Yes, of course I do. I’ll see you in the morning or afternoon or whatever time of day it’ll be when we hit the African continent.”
He stepped aside, and she skirted past him. Jake placed a hand on her arm, sending waves of fire up her nervous system. She swallowed and slowly raised her eyes to meet his.
“Cassidy, I…” His voice was low and hoarse, and he coughed to clear whatever prevented him from speaking.
She shook her head. “Don’t go there, Jake.” Cassidy freed herself from his burning touch and dove into her compartment. Her hands trembled, and she inhaled several times to calm the conflicting sensations running through her system.
With a flip of her wrist, Cassidy tossed the portable computer onto the edge of her bed. She made sure her curtain was closed as tight as possible and then slipped out of her jeans. The makeshift bed felt wonderful to her tired and aching muscles. She flipped on the overhead light and pulled up the report. Resting her head against the pillow, Cassidy battled against the fatigue that insisted she sleep.
She scanned the first page, which basically detailed the area around Port Harcourt that contained shale, as well as the prolific oil centers. Tracing her finger along the section designated as the oil-rich belt within the Gulf of Guinea, she followed it from the northwest offshore region through the southeast offshore and then inland and past Port Harcourt.
Cassidy clicked to the next page and frowned at the diagram. It contained a dark red shade, setting it apart from the brown of shale and green of oil. Red spread in large ovals above the oil fields of Port Harcourt and west into the heart of the Niger Delta. She studied the fine print, squinting at the tiny letters. The terminology was difficult, spouting geological eras and the development of the delta proper. She only had a cursory understanding of geology and would require additional documentation to explain specifically what the text meant.
The pages blurred, and a frustrated sigh escaped. Sleep was imminent. Moving the computer onto the floor beside her head, Cassidy reached up to flip her light off. If she rested for an hour, maybe she’d be able to see what it was her brain insisted was in the report. Before her fingers caught the switch, her eyes focused on the data lighting the monitor. She twisted to close the lid and paused. The beginning paragraph was titled Hydrocarbon Trap/Jurassic—Paleocene.
Cassidy reached over and snagged the laptop off the floor, reading the details. Her eyes widened at the ramifications of the text, and her heart raced.
This was it. Her brain kicked into gear as she realized she’d been reading this prior to going to bed that last night in camp. What highlighted her monitor was the information she’d been trying to remember and the anomaly Charlie had alluded to. The puzzle became clear. She stood and pulled her jeans back on, her body humming with excitement and a disconcerting sense of doom.
New World Petroleum didn’t want to control the Niger Delta; they wanted to own it.
CHAPTER 34
JAKE ENTERED THE CONFERENCE AREA INTENT ON DISCOVERING the source of the rich coffee scent that woke him an hour before his alarm was scheduled to go off. He moved around the chairs and reached for the pot of brew on the sideboard. A flash of gold caught his attention. Glancing to his left, he swore a string of curses the colonel would be proud of.
Cassidy was sound asleep, her head resting on a pile of papers and arms sprawled across the table. He walked over and gently shook her shoulder. “Sunshine, wake up.”
She stretched and yawned, her hair falling across her face in a tangle of golden curls. “Morning.”
He pointed over his shoulder. “Something wrong with your bed?”
Cassidy twisted her shoulders and ran a tongue across her teeth, smacking her lips together. “I need a shower.” She rose, pulled a flash card from her computer, shuffled the papers together, and offered him a cheeky grin. The snap of humor that touched her eyes made him very uneasy.
“What gives?”<
br />
“I have a theory of what New World Petroleum’s up to.” Jake’s attention immediately sharpened. “And that would be?” She yawned again and shook her head. “I think they’ve found a new source of oil, but I can’t confirm it.” She pushed past Jake and headed in the direction of her compartment. “I’m taking a shower. But you need to make some arrangements.”
“Such as?”
Cassidy turned and stared him straight in the eye. “We have to go upriver. To the last point David was known to be. My gut says Charles followed him, which is why he wasn’t in camp the night of the attack. There’s something there, Jake. It’s our something worth killing for.”
Cassidy felt almost brand new. A few more hours of sleep would probably aid in returning a bit of color to her face, but there wasn’t time for luxuries.
Jake drilled his fingers against the tabletop then stood up, running a frustrated hand through his hair. “Why wouldn’t NWP proceed with staking a claim at this site the normal way instead of all these backhanded, dark-allied maneuvers?”
Valerie dropped a large basket of muffins in the center of the conference table. “I can answer that.”
Cassidy and Jake responded at the same time. “You can?”
Her mouth curved up in a secretive smile. “You didn’t think I just pushed papers, did you?” Valerie slid into the chair next to Michelle and picked up a blueberry muffin. Peeling the wrapping off its bottom, she glanced at Jake. “I’ve received Cassidy’s security clearance.”
Cassidy frowned. “Why do I need security clearance?” Michelle inched the basket of muffins in her direction.
“That way we won’t have to whisper behind your back,” Jake said, reaching behind her and palming the same type of muffin. He held a chair out for her, and she sat down.
“I appreciate that,” she said, not quite certain she was comfortable with the classification that allowed her into the inner sanctum of Black Stripe. “Tell us what you know, Valerie.”
“Right. One of my assignments was to filter all information regarding your mission in Africa. The official statement of purpose was for you to research and generate a positive report regarding the effects of oil production within the Niger Delta.”
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