Matthias

I should’ve known the instant I laid eyes on her that she was a disaster waiting to happen. I should’ve realized during the first ten seconds that she was a menace to my plans. But hell, this woman had sneaked up on me while my radar was focused elsewhere. She’d hit me like a smoke grenade and clouded my horizon with the shock of her landing. But now the smoke was clearing and my threat assessment radar recalibrated. My brain ramped up and went into full SEAL assessment mode. I backtracked to catalogue my first impressions of her.

Long legs. Tight ass. Olive skin, smooth like a baby’s bottom. Eyes green, cool, and sparkling like Montana’s glaciers. Small breasts that pressed against the buttons of her shirt when she huffed at Drake, which she’d done often. Tight ass. Hell, I’d already noted that. Move on, soldier. High quality gear. Regulation grade combat boots, weathered, sturdy, capable, dark desert tan, a shade that had grown on me.

The impressions kept coming. High cheekbones. Wide mouth. Small nose, like an afterthought. And yes, she’d been familiar from the start. I’d seen her face somewhere.

The contrast between light eyes and brown skin stunned. Distinctive. Exotic. Striking. Tall, taller than most women. Long-limbed and elegant. Her body’s construction reminded me of the Makonde’s exquisite woodcarvings. Standing against the background of the plains as the sun did a slam-dunk on the horizon, she looked like a rare and mysterious creature, like one of the Serengeti’s most striking mirages.

A mirage, damn, that kind of poetic crap is what happened when a guy didn’t get any and for a while. No time for that right now. Boots on the ground, Matthias. Like every person who worked at the station, she had just come under my protection. Off-limits. Out of bounds. Don’t even think about it.

And then she opened her mouth. Attitude. Too much of it. Couldn’t blame her at first. Drake was a royal dick. Brains. She knew what questions to ask. Not a tentative bone in her body. She was smart, feisty, frisky. Boldness. Check. Arrogance. Check. Insolence. Damn. Who the hell was this hurricane wearing boots?

Jade Romo. She was the hippest, hottest thing that had happened to wildlife conservation in a while. The founder of Mission Protect, not much was known about her personal background. Word was she didn’t talk about herself, only about her work.

Nobody knew where the hell she’d come from, only she’d skyrocketed on to the scene to raise awareness and funds to save wildlife from extinction while managing to grab the attention of a new generation. She used social media to fuel her fires. If there was such a thing as a celebrity in the conservation world, she was the closest thing to it, which explained why the new research assistants, Cara, and Zeke were staring at Jade, eyes wide, mouths slightly open.

“Oh, my God.” Sarah grinned and put her hands together in little claps. “That’s why you looked so familiar. Your hair is short now, but you are Jade Romo!”

The hair, yeah, it’d thrown me off too. I’d seen several of her documentaries. She was good, no question about it. It’s why she’d landed a regular segment on Nat Geo’s most popular show.

“I love Mission Protect,” Lara said. “And I read your blog every week.”

I read her blog too. Sometimes. When I had time. Okay, not often, but I’d watched many of her segments. She had guts and she was fierce. A little reckless too, if the stories I’d heard about her stay in Montana were true. Something about a face-to-face with a grizzly. She filmed on her own, no crew, no support team. She’d written a book. And she took good pictures. My dad, who was a veterinarian, was a huge fan. He had one of Mission Protect’s calendars on the fridge.

But man, she attracted trouble. And publicity. I couldn’t afford the attention right now. One rogue tweet and all hell could break loose. As if I didn’t have enough shit piled up on my plate. I couldn’t have her here, not now and never at the station. Her work was usually based out of the Americas. She liked Alaska too. What the hell was she doing on my side of the world?

“Are you gonna feature the station?” Cara asked, eager, hopeful. “Can I be in your segments? So good for my resume. I bet you I’d look good on TV.”

Jade’s face flushed in a way that betrayed she was clearly uncomfortable with the attention, a trait I found unexpectedly charming. “Look,” she hesitated. “I…yes, I want to feature the work you do here, but I’m not sure how I’ll do that yet.”

People didn’t typically impress the tough, cynical operator I was, but this woman? She showed potential, projecting a unique combination of competence and modesty. Eyes on the mission. I might like the woman, but I couldn’t have her anywhere near the reserve.

“This can’t happen,” I said too strongly, startling not only the research assistants but Zeke as well. “I’m gonna get Drake to fly you back to Arusha.”

“I’m not leaving.” She planted her damn boots on the ground as if she were gonna grow roots. “I’ve traveled across the world to be here.”

Having Jade Romo at the station was dangerous. For the mission. For me. The acid churned in my gut. I had to make an effort not to growl. “You might be used to getting your way wherever you show up, but I’m in charge here, so what I say, goes. Is that clear?”

“Like a window washed with vinegar.” She cranked up the glare. “You sound like a self-appointed king. Go ahead, call your director. I’m here to stay.”

“The hell you are,” I grumbled to myself.

Stalking away from the group, I snatched the cell from my pocket and clicked on the director’s number. Zeke just stood there, looking worried, black eyes shifting between Jade and me, while the women huddled together and murmured excitedly.

“Good afternoon, Matthias,” Ari answered the phone in his perfect English, his voice muffled against the background noise of a crowd. I could almost see him in my mind, wearing his white linen robe and cap, a dark, devout, small man who had a giant vision for conservation in his homeland.

“I’m at the airstrip,” I reported. “I’ve got a woman who says she’s Jade Romo, as in Jade Romo from Mission Protect? She claims she’s authorized to be here, but I’m happy to send her on her merry way with your compliments.”

“So she’s arrived.” The director’s long sigh crackled in my ear.

I cupped the speaker with my hand and lowered my voice. “You knew she was coming?”

“Yes, I knew.”

I couldn’t believe my ears. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I only found out this morning and as you may remember, I’m not at the reserve. I’m in Dar es Salaam for a conference.” He paused before he continued. “I tried calling you, but you were out of range. I didn’t know she’d be here this soon.”

“Ari?” I said. “This is a very bad idea, a dangerous one—”

“So is denying Ms. Romo permission,” Ari said softly. “Don’t you think?”

Fucking hell. He was right. Refusing a permit to a Nat Geo Explorer with a global profile as high as Jade’s would’ve raised all kinds of flags and maybe even endanger our funding. At the same time, we didn’t need anyone coming to check us out in detail, especially not right now.

“You and I will talk when I get back tomorrow.” Ari was right about not wanting to tackle the specifics over the cell. “We’ll sort this out. Surely, we can find a solution to this…predicament.”

It was Ari’s diplomatic way of saying I’d have to find some other way to deal with the problem. He knew what was at stake. I bit down the nasty string of curses that wanted to burst out of my mouth, hung up with Ari, and turned around to face the little group. The acid in my stomach roiled as if I’d just downed a dozen sour lemons.

Jade’s glittering stare fell on my face. “Well?”

She should’ve been called Jade Defiance Romo.

“You’ve arrived at the worst possible time.” I scoured my brain for a quick out. “I don’t have a place to put you up.”

She lowered her chin and leveled those sparkling green eyes on me. “Why can’t you put me up wherever you were going to put Pat Schumer, or whatever her name was?”

“Because Pat Schumer wasn’t going to take up any available room, given that her father, Doctor Schumer, and her mother, also Doctor Schumer, are the lead researchers for our rhino program and already reside at the station. Do you want to spend the night with Pat Schumer’s parents?”

Her lips quirked. “Not really.”

“Yeah.” I said. “I didn’t think you would.”

“I can stay pretty much anywhere,” she said. “I can bunk with the rangers.”

“Did I hear that right?” Drake grinned like the jackass he was as he rejoined us, carrying an overnight bag. “Jade at the bunkhouse? What a great idea.”

“Negative, no.” Drake’s leer ramped up the acid in my gut. “Jade, you will not be staying at the rangers’ camp and that’s final.”

Her hands fisted by her sides. Judging by the furious gleam in her eyes, she wanted to clobber me. Part of me wanted to slap myself, because she was gorgeous, even in anger—especially when her eyes flashed with green lightning. She was also brave as hell to defy an intimidating son of a bitch like me. Problem was, I liked brave. I had a thing for brave. But no, goddamnit, this wasn’t about me. It was about something greater than me: the mission. And it was gonna get done.

“It’s okay, Jade.” Petite Sarah eyed me crossly, stood on her toes, and put her arm over Jade’s shoulder. “You can stay with us.”

“Yeah,” Lara agreed, closing ranks around Jade. “Wherever we stay, she stays.”

Cara, Drake, and Zeke stared at me, gazes expectant. Well, damn me. Solidarity was all good and well and I liked a squad that watched each other’s back, but I had to put an end to this shit show and fast.

“The two of you are staying in a quad currently sleeping six,” I said. “It’s tight. Ask Cara. She lives there.”

Cara’s forceful nods confirmed the overcrowding situation. I’d never liked Cara as much as everyone else at the station did, on account of a private misunderstanding we’d had when she first got to the station. But she’d been fine after we straightened that out. Right now, I was grateful for the assist.

“On the other hand,” I went on, flicking my gaze between Sarah and Lara, “If you ladies want to camp out on the deck, that could work. You just have to watch for the mambas. They’re as poisonous as cobras.”

The women shuffled nervously on their feet. They didn’t look so certain anymore. I didn’t blame them. I avoided snakes too. The look that Jade gave me was as lethal as a mamba’s bite.

“Thirteen is vacant,” Zeke put in.

I glared at him with all I had.

“What?” He shrugged his shoulders. “It’s true.”

Zeke was an outstanding ranger and he knew the stakes, but he hated conflict and his instincts always skewed amiable. Plus, he was a huge fan of Mission Protect. In fact, he was the one who’d insisted we incorporate some of Jade’s documentaries in our ranger training.

Jade flashed a dazzling smile in Zeke’s direction, making me jealous as hell. Jealous? Hell, I was trudging on a slippery slope. Stick to the mission, Matthias.

“Thirteen is out of commission,” I said. “The place is a goddamn wreck. Maybe you should fly back and wait in Arusha for something to open up. Hell, maybe you can just take your pictures in Arusha and spare us the trouble altogether.”

“I don’t think so.” She flicked her long bangs away from her face. “I’ll stay in thirteen.”

This woman was gonna be a handful. She had the potential to wreck my world. But I couldn’t turn her away for no reason, so I postponed her eviction until tomorrow and threw my hands up in the air. “Suit yourself, but don’t complain and—whatever you do—don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Oh, you’ve warned me all right,” she bit out between gritted teeth. “Too many times. So I’m going to warn you now. About me.”

Fucking hothead. Sexy as hell. She was provocation in the flesh. The way she was looking at me right now? Had I been a total caveman, I would’ve dragged her into the bush and mauled the breath out of her.

I sucked in some air and counted to ten, grappling with the part of me that was getting out of control just thinking about it. I needed to find a way to blow off some steam. I was hopped up with a twelve-month supply of horny and busting at the seams. Yeah, that explained this clusterfuck. Big time. Nip it in the ass, soldier. Keep it official.

I opened the Land Rover’s doors one after the other and gestured toward the truck. “We need to be back to the station before dark.” The poachers were most active at night. “Drake, Cara, with Zeke. New arrivals, with me.”

Drake grabbed his duffel and mounted the other truck, followed by Cara and Zeke. The new research assistants crammed into the backseat, leaving only the front seat available. Jade climbed in it without saying a word, launching a surly glance in my direction. I deserved it. I hadn’t exactly been a warm and fuzzy welcoming committee. But what the hell was I supposed to do?

I came around the vehicle, sat at the wheel, and buckled my seatbelt before I switched on the ignition and started down the cratered road. If only we had a few extra dollars to improve the infrastructure around here. And more rangers wouldn’t hurt either, to expedite the poachers’ send off to hell. I shifted gears and the wheels gained traction in the mud. We sped on the rough trail, bouncing and rattling, followed by Zeke and the others.

“Okay, pay attention.” I half-yelled, speaking over the roar of the truck’s engine. “Your orientation begins now. We run an organized, safe research station at the reserve. We’re not a vacation destination. We’re a workhorse. The bulk of the money goes to research. It’s my responsibility to keep everybody at the station safe. That also means you. Understood?”

In the rearview mirror, the girls nodded in unison. I gave them the usual speech. Rule number one, nobody went out in the field alone. Rule number two, all research parties had to be authorized by me. Rule number three, everyone stuck to the compound and circulated through the elevated walkways to minimize animal encounters. That’s how you kept people and animals safe when you shared habitats.

As I spoke, I glanced over at Jade. She was ignoring me, or at least making a show of it. She lowered her window, closed her eyes, and inhaled big gulps of warm African air. Her small nostrils quivered with her breaths, and her chest rose and fell as she took it all in. Recalling my own arrival to Africa, I identified with the joy she must’ve been feeling inside.

I’d grown up hiking Montana’s rugged ranges and exploring the wilderness with my brothers. During my years in the Navy, I’d traveled all over the globe. But there was no other place on earth like the Serengeti, where humans were contained and beasts roamed free, where battles raged every day for the soul of the planet and warriors like me traded blood for service and service for life. This is where I’d come to put in my time, pay for my sins, and battle for my soul. This was my prize and punishment and for the precious lives here, I went into combat every day.

“It’s my job to keep the wildlife safe,” I explained, although I wasn’t sure if Jade was listening. “Mostly from poachers, but also from the local tribes, tourists, researchers, and yes, even from you, well-intended people. So bear that in mind when I tell you no.”

Jade glanced at me and flashed her ferocious smirk.

“Something funny?”

“Hail to the great Matthias.” Her smirk widened. “Carry on.”

I glared at her, because I was in command around here, but I had to smile inside. If I’d wanted peace and quiet I would’ve stayed home. Although I appreciated a soldier who followed orders, yes people never lasted long on my teams. I liked folks who spoke their mind and lived their lives with integrity, who were not afraid of showing who they really were. Watching Jade eyeing the plains with a greedy gleam in her eye, it hit me. She was like that, wild, free, and fierce. She belonged here.

Hell, this was just getting harder. I stomped down on the accelerator. I didn’t want to like her. No sense in admiring the grit of the spitfire I was gonna vanish from the Serengeti ASAP.

“Oh, my God, look, giraffes!” Somebody yelled in the backseat, unleashing a squealing festival. “Are these the same ones we saw from the plane?”

“Probably.” I braked to allow the herd to cross the road.

The giraffes were spectacular animals, tall, majestic, and elegant as they strolled across the road. We had a lot of giraffes in the reserve, and yet I never got tired of watching them. Jade whipped out her camera. After uncapping the lens and adjusting the focus, she started to shoot. Oblivious to the trucks, the animals glided across the road and headed west, paralleling our route.

As soon as the herd crossed, I shifted into gear and stepped on the gas, negotiating the craters that puckered the dirt road. The late afternoon light conditions turned from good to ideal. Jade shot lots of pictures, tracking a particularly tall individual through her camera lens, a male, judging by his size, his median lump, and his bold, bony antlers.

“My God.” She hid a huge grin behind her camera. “That’s a phenomenal specimen, the Channing Tatum of the giraffe world.”

I almost burst out laughing. It was one thing to see these animals in a zoo, surrounded by people and fences. But seeing and photographing them in their environments, interacting with their peers, and free? Phenomenal.

Jade’s eyes were light and luminous with discovery as she looked through her viewfinder. I’d been doing this long enough to recognize that her passion for wildlife was an authentic force. Her energy was contagious. No wonder she inspired others with her work. I could get used to riding in my truck with her sitting beside me. If only I didn’t have to get her out of here, STAT.

The giraffes moved away from the road, sauntering into the bush, stopping only to snack on the tops of the acacias. The big fellow became an outline against the sunset. Jade leaned out the window, brown hair rippling in the wind as she adjusted her lens to keep track of the tall male in the distance.

A crack rang in the air and echoed through the bush. My gut went cold. I knew that sound too fucking well. A flock of birds took to the air. I stiffened in my seat and stepped on the brakes. The truck screeched to a stop. On our tail, Zeke’s Land Rover braked as well.

“What was that?” someone asked from the backseat.

The sound rang again, followed by several others.

“Firearm,” Jade said. “High caliber.”

She pressed her eye to the viewfinder and turned the ring between her fingers, zooming in. I stuck my head out the window and craned my neck, until I caught a glimpse of that very long neck as it wobbled in the air before it leaned over and disappeared with a crash that resonated in the bush.

Jade’s gaze met my stare, wide and liquid. “He’s down.”