Devil's Gold

by Julie Korzenko

  CASSIDY REACHED OUT HER ARM AND ANNA DROPPED TO HER knees, wrapping both Cassidy and Georgie in her embrace. Tears ran in rivers down Cassidy’s face, but she didn’t care. She squeezed Anna’s good shoulder and kissed Georgie’s forehead. Such sweetness. “Damn, I thought you were a goner.” For this one second in time, the world brightened.

  “It’ll take more than a bullet to the shoulder to bring me down.” Anna reached over and pried Georgie from Cassidy’s arms. “I’ve been worried sick over you. I saw your vehicle pass the outskirts of the camp and decided to take a chance that you were heading out here. I knew you couldn’t be far. The road dead ends around that bend.”

  Cassidy stood up and brushed the dirt from her knees. “I’m thrilled you found me because that’s nothing compared to what I’ve been feeling.” Cassidy hugged her friend, then turned to Georgie. “And how did you get here, young man?”

  Georgie pointed over her shoulder. “Him.”

  Cassidy spun around and faced Jake. He stood beside the truck, his hands shoved into his pockets. His shoulders were relaxed, but Cassidy felt the tension cross the distance faster than an arrow. The joy at finding Anna and Georgie alive wiped out her immediate reaction to throttle the lying son of a bitch. Why hadn’t he told her?

  “Cassidy, get a move on. We’re running out of time.”

  She glanced at Anna, then back at Jake, and shrugged. “Can’t it wait?”

  The steel expression that slammed down over his face caught her by surprise. What was his problem? She’d been the one running around the past three weeks with a mountain-sized gorilla of grief hanging on her back.

  “War waits for no one.” He turned and motioned for her to follow. War. Cassidy rolled her eyes at his dramatics and offered Anna a slight smile. “We’ll catch up later.”

  Anna nodded. “I’ll be back at camp when you’re ready.”

  Jake called her name and even though the tropical foliage softened his voice, she heard his anger loud and clear. “Gotta run.” Jogging in his direction, she thought of a few choice words to stick up his tight military butt.

  Jake reined in his temper and counted to five. The expression on Cassidy’s face burned into his mind. Her happiness and relief at finding her friend alive softened her features and smoothed the worry lines he’d spent the past week memorizing.

  Until that very moment, he hadn’t believed she honestly thought he’d allowed Anna Kuffae and her son to die. His stomach twisted, and for some insane reason he felt betrayed. This strong reaction to the realization she didn’t trust him shocked and scared him.

  Swearing and kicking the dirt, he yelled for her again.

  “I’m here,” she called and broke through the hedge line into the clearing. “Quit your caterwauling.”

  He glared at her. “I don’t caterwaul.”

  “No. You bellow like a wounded rhinoceros.” She tilted her head and offered an expression that begged for his rebuttal.

  He wasn’t about to enter into an insult contest. Jake drew her attention to the targets lined up on the other end of the shooting range. “Shoot.”

  “Just like that?”

  Jake nodded. “Yeah, just like that. I want to see your style.”

  “Okay. But you’d better duck.”

  He bent his head and smothered a grin. Even with all the bullshit going on, she still got to him. “I think I’ll be fine. I’m right next to you.”

  She shrugged. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Cassidy jammed a clip into her gun, flipped the safety off, aimed, and fired.

  Jake watched in amazement.

  “I’m glad I’ve stunned you into silence. What shall I do next to entertain?”

  He stared at her and grinned. “Open your eyes.”

  “What?”

  “Open your eyes.” Jake stepped behind her, guiding her arm and the gun in the direction of the target. He ignored the sensation and immediate heat of her body. “When you pull the trigger, don’t close your eyes.”

  She spun in his arms and flashed him an annoyed frown. “I don’t close my eyes.”

  “Yes, Sunshine. You do.”

  Sudden realization dawned on her face. “That’s because I was taught to throw a knife that way.”

  Jake shook his head. “I don’t think I want to understand that comment. You can throw a knife; now let’s see if you can shoot a damn target from forty feet.”

  She nodded and shoved her elbow into his gut. “Stand back.” Cassidy moved her shoulders back and forth. “You have real personal space issues.”

  He crossed his arms and lifted his chin in the direction of the targets. “Shoot.”

  Cassidy fidgeted for awhile, raising her gun then shaking her head and pointing it back at the ground. With a deep breath, she aimed and fired. When the bullets hit their target, she whooped with delight. “I did it! I did it!” Turning, she jumped into Jake’s arms and hugged him.

  He stepped out of her embrace. “Now do it again.”

  She tossed him a cocky smile and spun to face the target. He stepped farther away and settled against the base of a palm tree. Jake watched her aim, fire, reload. Aim, fire, reload. After a while, her shots became consistent and he smiled at the confidence of her stance.

  The alarm on his watch chimed, and he glanced at its face. “Time to go. The big man is here.”

  She peered over her shoulder and nodded. “Okay.” Walking toward him, Cassidy opened her mouth to speak but Jake turned and headed back to the truck. He didn’t want to hear her accusations or apologies or whichever current emotion topped her list regarding transgressions-by-Jake. Right now, he was making a list of his own.

  Cassidy, her face troubled, slipped into the seat beside Jake. He wanted to ignore the feeling in the pit of his stomach and concentrate on only his mission, but it wasn’t possible. He flipped the ignition and pulled slowly onto the dirt road. “I never really thought you believed I’d left Anna and her son behind.”

  Cassidy stared out the window, her back toward him. “No. You probably didn’t. And I never believed you capable of blaming me for Steve’s death. But I’ve healed that wound and moved forward, so I suggest you do the same.”

  Jake’s heart stopped. What the hell was she talking about? “I don’t blame you for Steve’s death.” He jammed his foot against the brake, and they lurched to a stop. “Explain yourself.”

  She twisted around and faced him, her face flushed with anger. “You accused me right after I told you about the geological. You said if you’d known I had this, Steve might not have had to die.”

  Jake closed his eyes and rubbed a hand across his forehead. “Those words were said in anger, Cassidy.” He swore when her eyes welled with tears.

  “I didn’t even know that’s what Cole was after, so how could I have told you about the survey?”

  He rubbed a thumb across her cheek. “I’m sorry.”

  She sighed and shifted away from his touch. “Too late. Let’s just move forward and complete our mission.”

  Jake didn’t like her response but agreed on the last bit. They had a job to finish, and he prayed doing so would leave her heart open to his affection. They drove the rest of the way in silence. Jake pulled the truck between two large canvas tents. The tall figure of Colonel Price dominated the space to the left. He signaled for Cassidy to follow him and entered the command tent.

  “Colonel Price.” Jake saluted.

  “Anderson, damn good to see you, boy!” He reached forward and squeezed his shoulder. “And I presume this pretty little lady is Dr. Lowell?”

  Jake turned his head to hide the grin at Colonel Price’s description. If he concentrated, he bet he could hear the prickling of her skin.

  “Yes, sir. That would be me, the pretty little lady.”

  Swallowing his laughter, Jake moved toward the center table that housed a mock-up of the Niger Delta. “Have you reviewed my plan of attack?”

  “Just about to. Why don’t you explain?” Colonel Price said. He wal
ked toward Jake and signaled for Cassidy to move ahead of him.

  “This region is where they will expect us to infiltrate.” He glanced up at Cassidy and winked. “Standard operating procedure is to find the quickest route to our target while remaining one with the environment. Under normal circumstances, I would direct my men to be dressed as locals, blend in with the Port Harcourt crowd, and move toward the coast. I’m figuring that Cole will be informed of this due to their inside connections.” Jake walked around the other edge of the table and pointed to an area above the space Cassidy thought held the new vein. “We’re going here.” He paused and pointed at Cassidy. “Just you, me, and Anna.”

  “Run that one by me again?” she asked.

  “Because of the suspected mole, my squad will be heading out an hour after us following the original game plan. We’re going in alone.”

  Cassidy frowned, her suspicions regarding the Black Stripe team validated by his concern. “I figured something was up. Glad you’re not the turncoat Anderson.”

  Jake glanced up in surprise, then shook his head and ran his hand through his hair. The colonel crossed his arms over his chest waiting to hear Jake’s response. “You could’ve just asked.”

  She shrugged. “We don’t always tell one another the truth, so what good would that have done?”

  Jake rolled his eyes. “Here’s my take. No one but Black Stripe knew we were on the transport plane. So how did Cole find us?”

  “And how did they know about the location of Fiske?”

  He nodded. “Exactly.”

  Cassidy paced in a tight circle, muttering to herself. “And you don’t know who the traitor is, so you’re sending us in alone?” She worried her bottom lip. “The squads will be on high alert. They’ve flanked the entire coastline and roam in packs through every region of the Niger Delta. How will we avoid them?”

  Colonel Price stepped forward. “I have to brief the president. I’ll leave you two to hammer out the final details.”

  Jake saluted and Colonel Price grinned, causing an intense wave of irritation to flood Cassidy’s body. The second the colonel left the tent, she pointed an accusatory finger at Jake. “Explain what you’re doing about the Kill-and-Go.”

  “Anna’s been in touch with an Ijwo militant group. They say they’ll help.”

  Cassidy frowned. “The rebels are young, inexperienced kids with big guns. You can’t expect them to become fierce warriors overnight. And they’re not known for being the most cooperative bunch.”

  “It’ll work.” Jake answered. “They’ll cover our investigation.”

  “How?”

  Jake shrugged. “By doing what they do best.”

  “Which is?”

  “Killing.”

  CHAPTER 37

  EDWARD RAN HIS NEXT STAGE OF TESTS. HE DIDN’T KNOW HOW long he’d been locked in the laboratory, but his adrenaline held him together and pushed his brain into overdrive. Once he removed the aspect of his ego, he found an interesting level of detachment. The antidote had worked. His blood was clean of CPV-19. Cole had demanded he produce another hundred vials, and he’d agreed as long as he was allowed to continue testing the DNA modification and inconsistencies.

  The pounding in his head caused by his bullet-wounded ear became a dull background noise.

  Stretching his arms wide, Edward tipped his head back and yawned. He moved his shoulders and decided to stretch his legs. His butt was numb from spending hours on the round cushion of the lab chair, and there were still resounding effects of CPV-19 running through his bloodstream. A drop of blood trickled from his nose, and he picked up a tissue to wipe it away.

  The door opened, and a man he remembered as the computer technician entered. “Doc, I need you to fill these vials with your magic potion.” He dumped a bag of glass tubes screwed into small spray bottles.

  The rotor blades of the chopper spun dirt into small funnel clouds, kicking pebbles and grime at Cassidy’s legs. “Let them go first.”

  “What are they doing?”

  He motioned for her silence.

  The men finished hauling the last item onboard and Jake followed it, jumping into the interior of the helicopter. He reached down and held his hand out for her. She hesitated for a moment, glanced up at his face, and inhaled in surprise at the sudden panic within his eyes. Cassidy stepped forward and grabbed his hand. He pulled her up and into the helicopter, their gaze never wavering. “You have to trust me,” he said, his voice harsh within the metal interior of the helicopter.

  Cassidy blinked and bent her head. “I trust you with reservation. We don’t exactly have the best track record with one another.”

  She turned away at the flicker of hurt in his eyes and sat down, buckling her belt and frowning when Jake settled next to her. He circled his hand above his head, and the pilot nodded. The chopper lifted off the ground, churning up deeper layers of dust and ruffling the edges of the camp tents.

  Georgie waved madly from the ground below. Cassidy smiled and waved back, then stole a glance at Anna. Tears glistened in Anna’s eyes, and Cassidy’s heart went out to her.

  Cassidy turned her attention to Jake. “So why the public exit on a Red Cross transport?”

  “If we’re tagged by the Nigerian government, we’ll be under the disguise of an emergency medical supply drop.”

  “That the reason you’re basically advertising our departure?”

  Jake grinned. “Just treating it as a normal run.” He handed her a small box.

  “What’s this?”

  “Something a bit more substantial than that granola bar you just wolfed down.”

  She shook her head. “I’m not hungry.”

  “You need energy.”

  “Trust me,” she said. “You don’t want me to eat.”

  Jake frowned at her. “Cassidy, we need to put our personal feelings aside and concentrate on this mission.”

  He stared at her, and she kept her face as unemotional as possible. “I am concentrating on this mission.” The flips and dips her stomach was doing had absolutely nothing to do with him. Nothing at all.

  The helicopter flew low, beneath radar level. It hummed across the Gulf of Guinea. Cassidy could see the glow of the gas flares far below dotting the dark water like fireflies. The chopper banked north and sped past the shoreline in the direction of the heart of the jungle. Cassidy rested her eyes, concentrating on not throwing up. Anna chatted with the soldiers on either side of her, as calm as a cool summer evening.

  I will not hurl.

  She checked her watch. They’d been airborne for close to two hours. “Do you have any idea what these rebels are capable of?” she asked Jake.

  “Do you believe they’d do anything to jeopardize their own people?”

  “Hell, yes.” She slapped her palm against her forehead. “But you don’t, do you? You’re thinking that the drums and rituals will be what pulls everyone together and focuses them on the Kill-and-Go only.” How could she have been so foolish? “This is all so …” Cassidy waved her hand in the air. “Half-assed.”

  “Fear is crippling,” he answered.

  She wrapped her fingers around his forearm. “Jake, listen to me. This is nothing to sneer at.”

  “I would never consider belittling someone’s beliefs or goals for freedom.”

  She tugged on his arm. “You’re not listening to me.”

  He patted her hand. “Yes, I am. You don’t believe the Ijwo will follow through on their promise.”

  Cassidy nodded. “If they don’t, your ass is dead. Do you get that?”

  “Stop.” His face flushed a deep red, and the edge of his eye twitched. “Who’s being condescending now? This is what I do, Cassidy. I’m a trained soldier, not some snot-faced biologist. With or without the Ijwo, this mission will be completed.”

  Her breath caught, but she couldn’t argue. He was right. This was his world, and if he chose to party with the devil then there was nothing she could do to stop him. She turned and liste
ned to Anna’s idle chatter. The rhythmic thumping of rotor blades drowned most of the conversation taking place across the aisle, but the drone of their voices lulled Cassidy.

  Remaining in that plateau where reality touched only the surface of the mind, the minutes passed quickly. With a jolt, Cassidy realized they’d dropped lower and the jungle lay directly beneath. Anna stood and held onto a strap to keep herself steady. Cassidy staggered to her feet, allowing Jake to guide her into position. He rested his hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her forward.

  The helicopter hovered over a small clearing, never fully touching the ground. Cassidy jumped, her duffel bag gripped securely against her chest. A quick whiff of humid air and then her feet crashed into the ground. She bent her knees to absorb the impact and rolled to the side, making room for Anna and then Jake. Her fingers dug into cool earth and damp leaves as she pushed off to stand.

  The chopper drifted away, and the jungle settled into its normal nighttime activity. Isolation and a feeling of disembodiment descended upon Cassidy. A pounding rhythm filtered in their direction; the pulsing of ceremonial drums. Cassidy shivered, dread washing across her skin.

  “Come on, Sunshine. We have no time to waste.”

  Cassidy focused on him as he turned and ran into the woods. She jogged after Jake, followed by Anna. Their footsteps were lost beneath the beat of drums, but Cassidy heard her own ragged breath and that of Anna’s as they struggled to maintain Jake’s pace. There was a narrow dirt path before them that cut through the jungle, used by the villagers to reach either the river or the road. As Jake approached the fork, he paused.

  Cassidy moved beside him, holding her side and pinching at the stitch that burned. “What?” Cassidy kept her voice low, but it sounded loud and harsh against the natural music of the jungle. Jake tugged on her arm, pointing to a small area beyond a cluster of trees, indicating that she and Anna take cover.

  She grabbed Anna’s hand, and they moved where he pointed. Cassidy kneeled, adjusting her weight to avoid sharp rocks. The spidery fingers of the mangrove root gave her a handhold. A bead of sweat trickled down the corner of her cheek, and she rubbed her chin on the edge of her shoulder wiping away the moisture.