Chapter 19
Kendall stood at the doorway of the shelter watching the snow fall lighter and the sky grow brighter. Hearing activity behind her, she turned and regarded Marc as he repacked necessities back into the duffle bag. Her gaze moved around the inside of the small shack, the wooden plank walls, stark in their appearance with slits of light peeking through the places where the boards warped away from each other. The old stove in the corner stood with its door hanging crooked off the hinges, allowing the heat to fill the cabin.
Marc finished packing and turned to observe Kendall’s quiet perusal of their surroundings. Shaking his head, he said, “Bet you’ll be glad to get away from here, won’t you? It’s about as sparse as you can get.”
Her gaze lifted to his as she confessed, “Actually, I was thinking how I’ll kind of miss this place in a weird sort of way.”
Cocking his head to the side, he said nothing, waiting for her to explain.
Closing the door and bolting it behind her, she grinned, “Granted, I would hate to live exactly here for much longer.” Her smile slid from her face as she heaved a sigh, “But, it’s been…well, kind of nice to find out I can do things I never thought possible.”
Walking over, placing his hands on her shoulders, Marc held her gaze, his lips curving in a smile. “Kendall, you’ve proven yourself far more capable than either of us ever dreamed. I confess, I was perfectly ready and, okay, determined, to provide all the protection you needed…and here I am, in your debt for saving my life.”
She lifted her hand, her finger tracing his dimple before saying, “Well, considering you saved me from a grizzly bear, I’d say we’re more than even.”
Throwing his head back in laughter, he pulled her close, one hand cupping the back of her head as it rested on his chest and the other circling her back.
She leaned back and looked up, seeing his warm gaze beaming down on her. “When do we need to leave?”
Fighting the urge to strip her slowly and watch her as he brought her to orgasm again, he knew they needed to focus on their business. “We’ll stay here until we get the signal from my crew that they are close. Then we’ll leave here and it should take us about fifteen minutes to get to the clearing by the lake, where it is open but rocky.”
“Can they land a helicopter there?”
“I don’t know. The pilot is experienced and will have to make that determination from his vantage point from the air.”
“But—”
“Don’t worry,” he assured. “If they can’t land, then they’ll have a basket or a harness they can drop down for us.”
Her eyes grew wide as her mouth dropped open. “Basket? Harness?” she squeaked. “Marc…there’s no way I can sit in a basket and be raised—”
Marc interrupted again, this time with his fingers on her lips. “Sweet girl, I don’t think there’s anything you can’t do. And I promise you, I’ll keep you safe.”
Blowing out a deep breath against his finger, she planted her forehead against his chest, mumbling.
“What’s that?” he asked, unable to hear her response.
Leaning back a slight inch, she said, “I said, this cabin is looking better and better!”
Laughing again, he nodded. “I gotta say, being here with you has been the highlight of this mission. And Kendall?” He gave her a little squeeze and waited until she looked up at him before continuing, “I meant what I said last night…you mean something to me. I have no idea, when we’re out of here, if there’s any chance for us but—”
Just then, Marc’s phone alerted and he hated the interruption, but he had to answer. Connecting, he said, “Speak to me.”
Kendall stepped back, giving Marc a chance to focus on the call, but wondered what he had been about to tell her. Needing something to occupy her mind, she turned to her meager belongings and began to see if there was anything she could leave behind to make the walk easier.
Before she knew it, Marc was off the phone. Glancing over her shoulder up at him, she waited for him to speak.
“They’re on their way. Go ahead and layer your clothes again because it’s cold and we’ve got to trek through the high snow drifts to get to the pick-up point.”
Silently, she slid out of her jeans so she could don her tights first when she felt his fingertips clutching her waist. He lifted her ponytail out of the way as he planted his lips on her neck. Leaning back against his front, she turned her head so his lips could claim hers once more. Soft and smooth, with his beard prickling her skin, she loved the feel of him close to her.
“I wish…” she breathed against his lips.
“You wish what?” he murmured, not breaking the kiss. She did not answer him, so he pulled back slightly, holding her gaze.
Swallowing back the sting of tears, she answered, “I wish we could be together. I know that sounds clingy and men don’t like cling—”
“Sweet girl,” he confessed, “I’ve never wanted clingy before…until you. But I want you.”
Twisting in his embrace, she threw her arms around his neck as their lips fused together once more, breathing each other in as the kiss ignited.
After a moment, Marc reluctantly raised up, separating from her. “I hate like hell to stop this but—”
“I know,” she admitted, her lips still tingling. “We have to get going.”
She stepped back, pulling on her tights and then layering her jeans over top of them. Along with two pairs of socks, she tugged her boots back on. Two shirts and then her coat with a scarf and her hat, she once more felt like a stuffed sausage. Her bag was much lighter and she easily swung it over her shoulder. Looking at Marc, her eyes grew wide.
“Good God, Marc—you’re a big guy, but with all those extra clothes and that coat, you do look like Paul Bunyan!”
Chuckling, he hauled the duffle onto his back and then leaned down to kiss her nose. “Let’s go get rescued.” Opening the door, he led the way out.
Stopping at the entrance, Kendall took once last look back at the cabin that she was sure saved their lives. Sucking in a deep breath, she turned and began trudging in the deep snow, following his lead.
*
Hank sat at his desk staring at his computer, anger warring with fear. Afraid of losing his job, he was determined not to go down without a fight. Search after search only brought up what anyone could find. Glancing around, grateful the office was almost empty, he moved to the special programs he had recently been given access to for investigative purposes.
Grinning, he began sifting through more in-depth information. Engrossed in his search, he did not hear Kevin approach until he spoke.
“You working on something new?” Kevin asked, moving toward Hank’s desk.
Jumping, Hank gulped as he clicked to minimize the screen. “Uh…just rechecking some info on the last case I was working on.”
He held Kevin’s hard stare, trying to appear nonchalant. “Hmmm,” was Kevin’s only response. Swallowing deeply, Hank asked, “You got something for me to work on, boss?”
Kevin continued to stare for a moment before saying, “I’d like you to work on the hangar security tapes and see what you can find.”
“Me?”
“Any reason why you shouldn’t work on it?”
“No, no, I’d be glad to work on it. I’m just surprised you want me on this…” his voice trailed off.
“I figure since you’re the one who was there, you’ll be the one who wants to find out what happened.”
Nodding eagerly, Hank enthused, “Oh, absolutely. You can count on me.” He smiled at Sharon, the other agent in the Fairbanks office, as she stood from her desk and left the room.
Kevin stood and walked out of the room at the same time, leaving Hank grinning as he went back to his search, pleased he no longer needed to hide what he was looking for.
*
Jack and Patrick walked out of the large conference room with Kenneth. Making their way down the hall to Kenneth’s office, the three men entered, closing the door behind them.
Patrick ran his hand over his face before looking at Kenneth saying, “Okay, I confess that most of what was said in there was way over my head. It’s been a long time since I had biology and I never studied the medical aspect of microbiology!” Jack chuckled, having to agree as they looked toward Kenneth for a layman’s crash course.
“Essentially, gentlemen,” Kenneth said, “The IOC is concerned that terrorists, with very little trouble, could potentially shut down the Olympics and commerce with biological warfare. Deadly, infectious bacteria could be integrated into the water, food, or even the air. And with the next three Olympics in Asian countries, it could make terrorists attacks easier. Especially in China, where a large segment of the population is poor and therefore susceptible to terrorist recruitment.”
He rubbed his beard for a moment before adding, “Now, I’m not well versed in the terrorist activities, nor in the Olympics’ security, but the IOC has been working with Homeland Security, who sponsors our labs here, and they are interested in what we know about the various infectious bacteria and the antidotes.”
“I noticed Cliff wants to step in for Kendall at the meeting in D.C. Wouldn’t that go to Dr. Mahdi as the head of that section?” Jack asked.
“Normally yes, but Fahdil’s wife had surgery yesterday. Nothing life-threatening, but he had planned on taking the week off. In fact, that was the reason he did not travel to Alaska with me. It would have made sense for him to go, but he wanted to be here, of course.”
“So, out of all of this, do you see any reason why someone would have wanted you or Kendall dead?”
Sighing heavily, Kenneth pulled off his glasses, rubbing his eyes before staring back at Jack. “It’s no secret that Dr. Wallace…Cliff…wants my job and feels that he should be next in line. To be truthful, he’s a good researcher, but as you saw today, not always the best at working with a team. He presents facts but not the way that someone else can understand them. That’s why I hate to send him to D.C. alone. Kendall is very good at that type of presentation, which is why she, and not Cliff, accompanied me to Alaska when Fahdil was unable to go.”
Jack and Patrick shared a look, both having noted Cliff’s self-important pontificating during the meeting and the expressions of the others around the table as his words made no sense to them.
Kenneth replaced his glasses on his face and continued, “Now, please understand, I trust Cliff completely, but of anyone here, he is the only one who would benefit from either my or Kendall’s demise. You see gentlemen, DHS has already confirmed the succession to Kendall when I decide to step down.”
Standing, Jack shook Kenneth’s hand and confirmed, “Our team is ready to extract our member and Kendall today. They will be checked out medically and she’ll be able to contact you.”
The older man held Jack’s hand in both of his, moisture pooling in his eyes. “Mr. Bryant, you have my eternal gratitude for taking care of my daughter. She’s a fragile type and would never be able to handle herself out in the wild.”
“I appreciate it, but your thanks goes to my team-member who has guarded and cared for her since the beginning. Although, from what I hear, she’s held her own quite well.”
Kenneth appeared doubtful, but nodded just the same. As Jack and Patrick headed out of the building, Patrick was already on the phone with Luke. “Get everything you can on Dr. Cliff Wallace. Focus on him for now and see what connections we can make.”
*
Luke glanced up as Charlie came bounding down the stairs at the Saints’ compound. Sniffing the air, he grinned as his eyes landed on the large, paper sack in her hand. “Oh, sweetheart, is that what I think it is?”
“Beef and broccoli, sesame chicken, Kung Pao chicken, egg rolls, crab rangoons, and wonton soup.”
“Holy moly, woman, you’ve just made my day!” Chad exclaimed as Cam jumped up to take the bags from her.
“Back off, gentlemen,” Luke warned, placing a kiss on her lips before grinning at his co-workers all settling in around the conference table.
“How’s it going?” Charlie asked as she grabbed paper plates from a cabinet.
Luke replied, “Just got a call from Patrick and he said to focus on Cliff Wallace. Says he’s got motive for wanting both Dr. Rhodes out of the way.”
“Means? Opportunity?” Cam asked, his mouth already surrounding an eggroll.
“Don’t know,” Luke confessed, “but I’m checking to see what contacts he might have had in Alaska.”
“He has professional motive, but it doesn’t tie into a terrorist act,” Chad commented.
“Maybe we’ve been looking at this wrong,” Luke said. “Maybe it is personal and not terrorist.”
“I don’t buy that,” Charlie added. Seeing Luke’s eyes on her, she continued, “Personal, he does something near home. Not spend the time or money to hire someone to do everything that happened in Alaska.”
“What if it’s both?” Chad suggested. “Terrorists want to interrupt the business of the IOC, DHS, and can do it by killing one of the Rhodes. So, they find someone at the NCBRT who could benefit from their death.”
The group stopped chewing in unison as they pondered Chad’s possibility, their eyes darting back and forth.
Nodding, Luke finished swallowing before turning back to his computers and said, “Looks like I need to focus on Cliff, just like Jack wants!”