“Get …” Jake rushed forward. “The fuck …” He head butted Robert. “Out of …” His fist shot upward and dove into the tender skin beneath the man’s chin. “My chopper.” Jake charged forward shoulder first, sending the NWP president sailing out of the helicopter, arms flailing and screams dying as he fell.
Without a second to collect his breath, Jake jumped behind the helicopter controls, righting the chopper an instant before it smashed into the watery depths of the gulf. He pulled it back into the air and banked to the left. His entire body shook, and he had to bite his lip to concentrate on holding the rudder steady. Turning the craft toward the jungle, he glanced down.
Robert Cole’s landing hadn’t been pretty. His body hung suspended over the Gulf of Guinea, impaled by one of his own gas pipes. Jake shook his head as a gas flare shot into the night, incinerating the head of New World Petroleum. “Youch. But I can’t say you didn’t deserve that.”
Navigating over the jungle, Jake said a silent prayer. How much time had he wasted? Would she be okay? How fast did the disease progress? “Shit,” he swore again and again, combating the wave of blackness that kept wrenching him toward unconsciousness.
Jake flew low over the treetops, concentrating on the bends of the Niger River. He recognized the fork that was flanked with a steep cliff and glanced beyond it to the lazy half-moon curve. Hovering briefly, Jake absorbed the terrain below. A fire reached its blazing fingers toward the night, and he grinned. “Almost there.”
Spinning the helicopter in the pyre’s direction, Jake sped forward counting the seconds until he began his descent into the clearing where the night had begun. Turning the ignition off, he waited a beat before falling out of the cockpit. Anna ran forward, kneeling at his side. He shoved the case at her. “Go.”
“You’re hurt.”
Jake glared at her and grabbed her arm with such force she winced. “Go, dammit. I’ll be fine.” Anna’s eyes widened and she nodded, seizing the case and racing like the wind to the building where Cassidy slept.
An Ijwo rebel stepped forward, his face sporting its own bruises and deep gashes. Jake grinned when he recognized Sunday. “You have fun tonight, my friend?” Jake asked, then bent forward choking on a wad of bloody mucus.
“I see not as much as you.” The black man knelt beside Jake. “Your wounds are bad.”
“I’m fine. My woman?”
Sunday glanced to the ground, then back up toward the stars. “Bad mojo.”
Jake’s heart clenched, and he struggled to stand. Sunday helped him, and the two limped toward the concrete building. Jake’s eyes filled with tears and he shook his head, trying to settle the pain in his chest that had nothing to do with his wounds.
Before he stepped into the building, Sunday stopped him. He reached out and produced a wet cloth from somewhere Jake couldn’t see. “You don’t want to frighten her into leaving this world.”
Jake snorted and choked once more. He wiped his face and allowed Sunday to wrap his shoulder and staunch the flow of blood. Jake smiled and lifted a brow. “Did I break any teeth?”
Sunday laughed out loud, the warmth and camaraderie helping to heal Jake’s battered soul. “No, mon, you’s still ugly white man.”
Jake tipped his head back and laughed, then turned and strode into the building ready to face whatever lay within. Anna sat at the edge of the bed, her head down and hand gently wrapped around Cassidy’s. She wouldn’t be close if the antidote hadn’t begun to work, right?
Approaching softly, Jake’s heart twisted at Cassidy’s pale and seemingly lifeless face. Blood dripped from the corner of her ear, and another red streak stained the edge of her pillow. He paused and gazed heavenward, adding another prayer to the multitude of ones he’d been chanting all night.
A needle prick burned on his arm and he flinched, turning to fight. The witch doctor who’d been overseeing Cassidy’s care held a hand up. “If you’re in here, then you need the antidote.” The man offered a gap-toothed grin. “Better safe than sorry.”
Jake reached a hand out and touched Anna’s shoulder. Anna glanced at him and offered a small shrug. “I don’t know” is all she said. But it sounded like heaven to Jake. It wasn’t a “she’s gone,” or “there was nothing we could do.”
He dropped to his knees and pulled Cassidy into his arms. She moaned. It was music to his ears. “Come on, Sunshine. No woman of mine quits this easily.” Jake felt her hand against his wrist; it burned with fever but caressed him with love.
“Yours?” she whispered, her eyes remained closed.
Jake dropped a line of kisses against her forehead. He ignored the heat that burned his lips and concentrated on the fact that she was alive. “Did you have any doubt, Cassidy?”
Cassidy sighed and tilted her head back to stare at him. He winked and touched his lips gently to hers. “You look like hell.” Her voice was soft and hoarse, and he frowned when another thin trickle of blood escaped the corner of her mouth.
He grinned. “Yeah, I know. That’s what you get for playing with the devil.”
She lifted her hand and gripped his arm. “But this land is the devil’s gold no more, right?” Her eyes fluttered and closed, and she collapsed against his chest. Jake glanced at Anna and the medicine man and they both shook their heads, sending a lightning bolt of terror through Jake’s heart.
CHAPTER 41
A BEAM OF LIGHT SPLIT THE DARK NIGHT AND GREW BOLDER. She rocked gently back and forth in a hammock. Frowning, Cassidy couldn’t remember being anywhere near a hammock. A familiar voice sang softly beside her. The chant grew louder, and she recognized the sweet pitch of Anna’s soprano melody. Blinking her eyes again, she tried to focus. Heat and a steady beat thumped against her right ear.
A musky scent familiar and belonging to … Cassidy’s head hurt. Belonging to … whom? She closed her eyes tightly and concentrated.
Jake.
She sighed and rested her head against his chest, no longer fighting or trying to figure out what was going on. In Jake’s arms, she was safe.
“Don’t pass out on me again, Cass.” Jake’s chest rumbled as he spoke.
She smiled at him, feeling very woozy and lightheaded. “Okay.”
The song grew louder and she fluttered her lashes up, twisting her head toward the sound. Anna walked beside Jake and smiled at her. “Hi, boss. Glad to report you’re free and clear of that nasty stuff running through your bloodstream.”
“You are a bad girl,” Cassidy scolded. “I told you to leave.” At least she thought she had. Cassidy remembered Jake’s visit when she’d told him about the antidote, but everything after that was a blur of pain and fever.
“Hush. You’re going to be fine.” Anna prodded at the tender skin around Cassidy’s needle mark. “She’s lost a lot of blood.”
“I have not,” Cassidy responded. “It’s only a pin prick.” The world spun, and suddenly she was floating. Turning her head, she stared into the concerned face of her lover. “Hi there, big guy.” Oh, she wasn’t floating. He was carrying her. That’s right.
Jake frowned. “What’s the matter with her?”
“Shock and adrenaline and everything else that comes with narrowly winning the race against the man with the hood and scythe,” Anna answered from somewhere over her own shoulder. “We need to get her back to Principe now.”
“I think that’s a good idea,” Cassidy said. “Where’s that two-timing bitch, Michelle?”
Jake’s chest rumbled, and she rubbed her cheek against the comforting sound. “Dead,” he said. “I found her body on Cole’s barge.” She felt him turn around, her legs swinging from the motion. “Have we called and ordered an extraction?” Jake asked, sighing and moving his arm to shift her weight.
“Give her to someone else,” Anna demanded. “Blood is seeping through that bandage.”
“No.” Jake paused and kissed Cassidy’s forehead.
She smiled and inhaled, a wave of warmth and security welling in her chest as sh
e now knew without a doubt that it was Jake she smelled. A stab of worry suddenly burst her comfortable fuzzy buzz. “You hurt?” She narrowed her eyes and glared when he shook his head.
“Just a flesh wound.”
Cassidy struggled, but he wouldn’t release her. “Relax, Sunshine.”
She tried to disobey, fought against the lull of his voice and Anna’s singing. But it didn’t work. Closing her eyes, she drifted off to sleep.
Jake sat in a hard-backed chair, resting his feet on the edge of a narrow cot. Cassidy slept. Her face was pale and the IV that pumped healing fluids into her veins made her appear fragile and weak. Damn her.
The doctor indicated that she’d recover in time. His greatest concern was her physical exhaustion. Her body had been pushed to its limits, he’d explained to Jake, leaving her immune system low and system open for infection. The doctor’s concern over the needle mark on her arm and possible contamination twisted Jake’s forehead into a scowl.
A movement caught his eye, and he leaned forward. Her eyes fluttered open. She turned her head and stared at him, her lips curving in a half smile. “You still look like shit.”
He tilted his head to the side, a grin sliding into place, her humor warming his heart and reinforcing what he’d been fighting against the past week. He couldn’t live without her. “You don’t look so hot yourself, Sleeping Beauty.”
Cassidy glanced down and shuddered. “Why do they always make hospital gowns out of ugly prints?”
Jake ignored her complaint. “How do you feel?”
She struggled to sit up, and he helped her by shoving some extra pillows behind her back. “Like I’ve been drowned, dumped from a helicopter, and had a deadly disease slammed into my blood system.”
He nodded. “That’s good. I thought for a moment there you were hurt.”
Cassidy reached for his hand. “While I’ve been sleeping like a lazy hound dog, what’s been going on? Have you ferreted out Michelle’s connection?”
He shook his head. “We’re still trying to unravel that, but I have a feeling once we trace the wired funds we’ll understand more.” Jake entwined his fingers through hers. “The freighter owned by New World Petroleum has been totally destroyed. CDC has flown out, as well as the World Health Organization. They’ve taken control of CPV-19.”
“They didn’t get rid of it?” She inhaled and bit her bottom lip. “That’s so dangerous.”
Jake nodded and shrugged. “I think they believe that whatever Edward Fiske was working towards warrants further experimentation. CPV-19 will be stored safely within the control of the CDC.”
Cassidy sighed. At least with the existence of an antidote, it nullifies some of the virus’s deadliness. “How about Drew—what were his plans?”
Jake’s heart ached at the sadness in her eyes. Was it the betrayal of people she once cared for or the thought of leaving him that made tears well in her eyes? He poured her a glass of water and held a straw to her lips. “I believe he was simply a pawn. Someone Michelle used to reach her goals.”
“I didn’t infect any of the villagers, did I?”
Jake smiled and shook his head. “That was their objective, though.”
Cassidy nodded. “Under the barbaric conditions of those medical centers, the virus would have spread at a violent rate.”
“In theory.” He ran a thumb along the edge of her cheekbone. “They were going to repeat the same procedure using other innocent people.”
“And the cave?”
Jake shrugged. “That’s the Nigerian government’s problem. We have no authority over that.”
Cassidy pursed her lips. “Will they implement my steps toward bettering the environment?”
Pushing away from the bed and standing up, Jake put distance between them. He couldn’t stand this idle chatter. The urge to demand she tell him how she felt made his insides all twisted and unsettled.
“I don’t know, Sunshine. We can only hope.”
Cassidy reached beneath her gown and fumbled with something around her breast. Jake raised a questioning eyebrow and tried not to grin. “Anything I can help you with?”
She glared at him and produced a small flash drive. “The geological survey.”
Jake eyed it. “I wondered where you were hiding that little sucker.”
Cassidy smiled and winked at him. “Only you would’ve been able to find it.” She paused and sighed, worrying her bottom lip. “I think under the circumstances the Niger Delta is better off without this.” Snapping the metal in half, she tossed it at Jake. “Burn that. Maybe we’ll buy this place some time to uncorrupt itself before they discover the gold mine resting beneath their shores.”
Jake picked up the shattered pieces. “I hope that happens.”
Cassidy sank back against the pillows. “And you? Why are you still here? Shouldn’t you be out saving the day somewhere?”
He moved toward her bed. “I’m right where I want to be.”
Cassidy averted her eyes and stared out the window.
Jake’s heart sank. He swore and sat down on the edge of the bed. Tipping her chin towards him, he stared into her eyes. “I can’t change who I am.”
A lone tear tipped her lash and snaked down the edge of her face. He traced it with his finger. Cassidy reached up and placed her hand upon his. “And I can’t change wanting more. I want the whole package or nothing.”
He swallowed. “You have me.”
“No,” she shook her head. “I don’t.”
Swearing, he rose to his feet and strode to the door. If she couldn’t accept who he was, then this was a waste of time. “I guess I’ll go find something to save.” He turned the knob, battling against the pain in his chest. “See you around, Sunshine.”
Cassidy pressed her fist against her heart. Tears streamed down her face and she hiccupped, her breath becoming difficult to catch. Damn him. He was all she wanted but she deserved all of him, didn’t she? Cassidy refused to live with him unless she shared his entire life, all of what shaped him into the man she loved. As long as he was Black Stripe, that was impossible.
The door opened, and for a brief moment her world lightened. But when the face of Anna Kuffae came into view, Cassidy slumped back against the pillows.
“Gee, I don’t think I’ve ever gotten that warm a welcome,” her friend laughed and came to sit beside the bed.
“I’m sorry,” Cassidy sniffled.
Anna reached over and dipped a wash cloth in water, then handed it to Cassidy. “Don’t let that man walk away.”
“And what do you propose I do?”
Anna grinned. “Love him.” She pushed Cassidy’s hair away from her face.
Trying to calm her breathing, she stared at Anna. “How did he rescue you from our old camp?”
“I don’t honestly know. The Kill-and-Go squad dragged Georgie and me into the center of the village, and then everything went black. I think I passed out. Georgie says that Jake walked through fire and swept us off the ground.” Anna laughed. “He thinks Jake moves the earth.”
Cassidy swiped at a fresh batch of tears. “He never told me.”
Anna patted her hand. “Honey, my understanding of this crew is that everything they do is very hush-hush. And now that their ranks have been breached, things will crack down even more.”
“I know. I can’t live like that.” She hiccupped and reached for her water.
“Like what?”
She stared at Anna, her heart shattering beyond repair. “Never knowing if he’s dead or alive.”
CHAPTER 42
CASSIDY WALKED ACROSS BASE CAMP. SHE PLACED HER HAND above her eyes, shielding against the sun. A camera hung around her neck and despite the heat of the day, her plan to locate and photograph the giant sunbird panned out. Her mouth still felt constantly dry. But today was the day she received her clean bill of health. And as far as she was concerned, it was ten days too late.
Entering Colonel Price’s command tent, she slipped into the first availa
ble chair. Her eyes adjusted to the dim interior, and she nodded at several of the Black Stripe members. She knew the second Jake entered. Her heart slammed against her chest, and she turned her head in his direction. Her ability to breathe ceased to exist.
He didn’t occupy the empty chair beside her but stood against the far wall, placing the entire width of the room between them. Neither did he return her stare. Cassidy bit the bottom of her lip and bent her head, scrutinizing her nails. The application to Black Stripe she’d submitted to Colonel Price must have been denied. Therefore, self-preservation kicked into place and a return to her safe, work-consumed life lay before her.
“Ladies and gentlemen …” Colonel Price entered the room and immediately took command. “I wanted to have a final briefing before we scatter to the four corners of the world.”
Cassidy glanced up and thought she caught Jake staring at her. His eyes shifted and focused on Colonel Price.
“As you know, we have begun an investigation into ZEBRA. Valerie Baxter has returned to Atlanta and is in the middle of an ass-deep analysis of the corporation, its structure, and employees.” Colonel Price glanced at Cassidy and grinned. “Of course, we have one or two members here that don’t require that intense level of study.”
Cassidy sighed and offered him a polite smile. Nothing seemed to excite her these days. She’d attempted to invigorate her interest in the fauna of Principe, but even the success of actually witnessing a giant sunbird elicited only a slight rise in her normally exuberant quest for wildlife.
Colonel Price moved to the front of his desk and sat on the corner. “Everything that has transpired over the past three weeks was, in reality, just the beginning of our mission. The only aspect that we’ve managed to conclude is the gray wolf and Yellowstone. Dr. Lowell, would you care to update the squad on that area?”
Cassidy nodded and rose to her feet. She walked toward Colonel Price and turned to face the remaining members of the Black Stripe squadron, acutely aware that Jake was no more than three feet to her left. “Liv Somers has concluded that the northwest quadrant of Yellowstone did, in fact, suffer a drastic loss of gray wolves. There are eight packs that were infected with CPV-19. Those wolves didn’t survive. With the aid of Dr. Fiske’s research and the CDC, along with many man hours by the park rangers and a …” Cassidy paused, frowning. “White Stripe?” Colonel Price nodded, and she continued. “And a White Stripe pod, they have confirmed that the remaining packs are clean of infection.”
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