Chapter 7
Luke picked up on the first ring, jumping in immediately. “Got everyone here. What’s your status?”
“We’re fine…she’s a little bruised, nasty bump on her head I’m keeping my eye on, but otherwise, unharmed. Brace yourselves for this though—someone fucked with not only my plane, but my equipment. Stole almost half my emergency supplies. And that’s while my plane was sitting in a goddamn secured FBI hangar.” Ignoring the freezing wind, it was barely able to cool his fury.
“Fuck!” was heard in the background from every Saint back in the conference room. Rubbing his hand over the back of his neck, Marc continued, “I’ve got some food, one sleeping bag, and I still have two guns. If the thief took the stuff last night, I’ve got a feeling that whoever did the stealing figured I’d check things this morning and knew I’d notice if everything was gone. If it was someone this morning, which narrows down the suspects significantly, then they probably didn’t have time to take it all after I checked it.”
Jack spoke, “Marc, I’ve got Nick on the line. He’s already incensed about the entire mission changing and him not knowing anything about it, but this is upping the stakes. So now we have to go off the assumption someone is after Dr. Rhodes.”
“Do you think they were after her father or is she the target?” Marc wondered aloud.
“No way of knowing right now. When you talk to her, see if you can find out what she thinks. How’s she doing?”
“Mostly just cold and scared right now. Being stuck in the wild for a night is not her forte, but I’ll make sure she’s taken care of. We’ll make camp here and wait for you to get a rescue to us tomorrow.”
Jack agreed. “We’re all on it and Bart’s working with a contact—someone he trusts completely.”
“Gotta tell you that I’m worried about someone looking for the plane…someone who might just want to make sure we’re dead,” Marc confessed. “I’m going to make a shelter away from here for us to stay the night. Let me know what you work out.”
“The low will be about 15 degrees tonight,” Luke cautioned. “And the wind chill will make it worse.”
“Got it,” Marc said. “We’ll be okay.” Hearing the hesitation from Luke, he asked, “Is there something you’re not telling me?”
“You know snow was predicted but, what you may not have heard, is that the storm has been upgraded to blizzard conditions.”
“Fucking hell, can this get any worse?” Marc growled. “Okay, I’ll build a really strong shelter,” he deadpanned. “You let me know when we can get picked up. It may be harder to get someone to agree to fly in here.”
“I’ve got Bart and Jude on it,” Jack said. “They’re working with one of Bart’s old commanders who flies. They’ll coordinate as soon as they get the information. Tough to say this, but we might have difficulties communicating once the weather hits hard. We’ll keep trying, but if we don’t hear from you, or you from us… keep a level head.”
“I always do,” Marc assured him.
After a few more details were discussed, Marc disconnected and turned around, the biting wind forcing his mind to building a shelter, when he noticed Kendall on the ground.
“Fuck!” he yelled, jogging to her. Kneeling next to her, he checked her pulse as her eyes flew open. “Kendall,” he said, gaining her attention. “What hurts? Your head?”
Sitting up, blushing furiously, she ducked her head. “I’m sorry. I just felt…overwhelmed and then faint. I’m sorry…I’m really fine.” She tried to push up, but he blocked her way.
“Just stay there for a minute until I make sure you’re okay.” He looked over at her purse and asked, “Do you have anything sweet in there?”
“Yeah, some candy bars. Do you want one?” she offered.
Shaking his head, he said, “No, no. I want you to eat it to get your blood sugar level back up.” He grabbed her purse and handed it to her. “I’ll let you get it out.”
Nodding gratefully, she reached inside and pulled out two Payday candy bars. “They’ve got peanuts in them,” she stated proudly. “Full of protein. Here.” She held one out to him.
“You eat one and keep one,” he said.
“No,” she protested. “I won’t eat if you don’t.” Unwrapping one she broke it in half and handed a piece to him. “Here.”
“I’m supposed to be taking care of you,” he argued.
Ducking her head, her lips curved in a little smile. “I’m afraid sharing a candy bar is about the most helpful thing I can do. Please take it. I need you to be all right too.” Looking back up into his handsome face, her smile faltered as she continued to hold the candy bar out toward him.
Taking the candy and popping it in his mouth, he chewed the sweet, salty goodness. “Hey,” he said, “don’t worry. We’ll be fine. I’m going to find us a place to camp tonight and tomorrow we’ll make our pick up arrangements.”
“Camp?” she said, her eyes wide. “What about the plane?”
Rocking back on his heels, Marc tilted his head to the side. “The plane? Kendall…we can’t…it’s not usable any more.” Surely she understands that!
A bubble of hysterical laughter burst out as she admitted. “I know that! It’s missing its wings!”
He watched as her mirth slowly left but had to admit, he missed her smile as her face settled once more into fear. Reaching out, he tucked her hair behind her ear and said, “The reason we need to move away from the plane is because it’s still very unstable and we don’t want to be nearby if it falls closer to the ground.”
He hesitated, wondering how much to caution, but decided she needed to know a little more of what the Saints were thinking. “Listen, there are other things that I have to be concerned about and I need you to understand as well.” Gaining her attention, he said, “To be blunt, someone didn’t want us to make it. Someone tampered with the plane and stole half of my gear. I have stayed off all traceable channels so, hopefully, they think we’re dead.”
She gasped at his words, so he took her hands in his, rubbing her cold fingers. “I have to consider that whoever they are, they may try to find the crash site. So, we’ll go a little distance and I’ll find a good place to build a warm campsite.”
Her eyes shot to the side, seeing nothing but thick woods. “Do you know how to do that? Have you ever camped outdoors?”
Chuckling, he nodded. “Yeah…I’ve got this.”
Wincing, she said, “Oh. You probably do this all the time, don’t you?”
“I’ve camped quite a bit, you could say,” he confirmed.
“I’ll try to help,” she offered, her eyes darting around, “although I don’t know what to do. I’m not very…um…outdoorsy, but I’m good at following directions.”
“No worries. This is my job. Your job,” he paused, holding her attention, “is to try to think who might want you dead.”
At that, Kendall’s eyes jerked open wide in shock. “Me? Me dead?” she squeaked.
“I think we have to face the reality that someone wanted either you or your father gone. He was my original mission, so there’s the possibility that he was the target. Or…,” he held her gaze as he continued, “whoever did this knew about the switch.”
Standing, he walked over to his two duffle bags and slung one over each shoulder before picking up her small suitcase and coming back to stand in front of her. “Get your purse and tote and follow me. We won’t go far.”
She quickly scrambled up to obey, but found her legs wobbly as she walked behind him, her mind grappling with the notion that someone might want her dead.
*
Marc slowed his stride, allowing Kendall to keep up. He noticed her shoes were unsuited for the outdoors, but was grateful she had dressed casually and was not trying to teeter in high heels. Her simple flats would keep her from turning her ankle. Thank God we don’t have to walk far.
Moving to just out of sight of the plane crash, he discovered a natural shelter where a few downed trees created a covering that resembled a teepee. Dropping his bags, he quickly kicked the twigs out of the way and cleared an area where they could sit out of the wind. Retrieving the tarp from one of his bags, he threw it around the lean-to and secured it with some of the rope.
He pulled the one sleeping bag out next and laid it on the ground inside before putting the duffle bags in as well. Turning back to her, he saw her dubious expression. Trying to lift the mood, he swept his hand out in a grand gesture. “May I show you to your table, madam?”
Her pinched lips relaxed as a smile slipped out. She stepped forward and sat underneath the canopy, making sure to scoot to the side, knowing Marc would require a lot of room. He settled next to her, stretching his long legs out after arranging the bags nearby.
“Marc?”
He turned toward her, seeing the concern in her eyes.
“I’m having trouble wrapping my mind around all of this,” she confessed, her breath coming in faster spurts.
“Whoa, whoa, slow down,” he warned. “You’re going to hyperventilate again.” Twisting to face her, he placed his hand on the middle of her chest and pressed slightly. “Inhale…exhale with my hand. Push against my hand.”
She worked to control her breathing so that she felt her chest expand against his hand, the pants coming slower and slower. He could not help but notice the curve of her breast underneath his palm. Inwardly chastising himself, he re-focused on her breathing.
“Better?” he asked, watching her carefully. She nodded and he moved his hand away.
“I’m so sorry,” she said, tears filling her eyes. “I’m not usually like this. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“Hey,” he said softly, taking her hand in his. “Look, this isn’t everyday life for me either, you know? I’m not used to emergency landings over the Canadian wilds.”
She felt his fingers squeeze hers and the warmth spread up her arm. For one ridiculous moment, she wondered what it would be like to have a man like Marc holding her hand because she was an interesting woman…and not a mess like me. “So you don’t usually crash land your plane?” she attempted to joke.
“No,” he chuckled. “This is a first for me too.”
Looking up at their tree accommodations, she said, “But you’re used to being outdoors?”
Nodding, he answered, “Hiking is what I do to relax. I guess I’ve always liked being outside. This is not much different than what I usually do when I go camping.” Glancing at their still connected hands, he realized he had no desire to let go. “Kendall, don’t be too hard on yourself. You’re doing really well.” Hearing her give a derisive snort, he squeezed her fingers again. “No, I’m serious. You’re not used to flying…you’ve just lived through a crash…you’ve held it together and not fallen apart on me. You’re sitting here in a tree shack and not having a fit. Honestly…I’m impressed as hell!” As the words left his mouth, Marc realized they were true. She might not be the typical woman I find while camping, but she’s a lot stronger than she realizes.
Her large brown eyes held his gaze and another small smile crept across her face. “I’m glad you’re the one with me out here,” she said. “You seem like the type of person who can handle anything.” Looking around, she asked, “So, what’s first with Survival 101?”
Reluctantly letting go of her hand he pulled one of the bags over to him. “Okay, first you have to think about a water source. Then the weather, shelter, and food. Not everything was taken, so we’ve got some supplies and I have a half-gallon of drinking water. So that’s taken care of. The temperature is going to drop severely in another hour or two, so we need to be prepared for that. I have one sleeping bag and clothing we can use to help stay warm. I’d build a fire but the winds will be too high, so the bag and clothes will have to do. Now, as far as shelter, we have this for tonight. We are almost surrounded by branches and fallen tree trunks. There’s snow in the forecast, but we’ll be long gone before that. Food? We’ve got that also. Always come prepared.”
“Sounds like you’ve got it all taken care of,” she said, admiration in her voice.
“Don’t worry,” he assured once more. “We’ll be fine tonight.”
“Uh…what about…well…uh…”
Seeing her blush as she stammered, he caught on quickly. “Toilet facilities, right?”
“Yeah.”
“The best we can do out here is just give each other some privacy, while not going too far. And I would advise going while it’s still daylight before we try to get some sleep so you don’t have to go in the dark after getting warm.”
Sucking in a deep breath, Kendall nodded. “Okay, I can do that.”
He looked down at the one sleeping bag, sighing heavily. “Here’s where it gets tricky. Normally when in a sleeping bag, you don’t need many clothes. You don’t want to sweat and have your clothes end up holding moisture. But,” he sighed again, “we only have the one sleeping bag and therefore won’t be as wrapped up as we would if we each had our own.”
She started to speak and then thought better of it, deciding to let him work the problem out on his own. It’s not like I have a clue what to do in this case!
“You’d better go through your clothes in your suitcase and put on something warm but not too constricting.”
“Like just pants but no tights underneath?”
“Absolutely. I’m going to give you a chance to change.” Crawling out of the shelter, Marc walked away for her privacy and quickly donned thermal long underwear and then two pairs of socks. Looking around, he found a place to relieve himself and noted a place to provide for Kendall. A few minutes later, he approached the camp. “Are you decent?” he called out.
A muffled laugh answered him, which he took to be a positive. The wind had kicked up and blew her hair about her face as she tried unsuccessfully to hold it back.
“Here,” he said, as he pulled her cap off her head and twisted her hair all together before sliding the knit cap back on. Her cheeks were rosy with the cold air and the exertion of pulling on extra clothes. “Follow me and I’ll show you where you can have some privacy to take care of your needs.”
Crawling out, she trotted along until they came to a clump of bushes along a dense copse of trees. “You can go behind there and I’ll…um…wait over here.” Seeing her blush again as she hurried out of sight, he turned his back to give her more privacy.
Squatting behind a clump of trees, she fumbled with shaky fingers to get her pants down. Searching the ground to make sure she did not see any critters or snakes, she squatted. Quickly finishing, she fumbled getting her pants back up. God, I hope he couldn’t hear me peeing! Trying to force her mind back to rational thoughts…peeing is a bodily function just like sneezing. Dropping her chin to her chest, she shook her head. Nope, can’t make this any better than it is. I so hope he couldn’t hear me pee!
Marc thought of the women he usually picked up on the trail who had no compunction about getting naked outdoors, taking care of business, or just getting down and dirty in the tent. Shaking his head at the direction his mind had wandered, he watched as Kendall came walking from behind the bushes, her shyness unexpectedly refreshing.
Stepping up to him, she lifted her eyes, forcing her gaze to hold his. “I’m ready to go back,” she said, hating the way her face continued to flame with embarrassment.
Determined to make her feel more comfortable, he smiled and said, “Come on, let’s get something to eat,” as he guided her back to the camp. The sun had dropped beyond the line of the trees, casting their world into deep shadows. Marc held the tarp, allowing her to enter before he crawled inside and said, “It may seem kind of early, but let’s get settled for the night so we can get warm.”
Sharing a bottle of water, he handed her a high energy bar. Watching her sit cross-legged, nibbling the food, he hated to make the situation worse but knew questions had to be asked.
“Have you thought of anyone who’d want you or your father killed?”
Swallowing wrong, she began to cough and sputter. Quickly handing her the water bottle, he apologized.
“Damn, I’m sorry.”
Eyes watering as she coughed a few more times, she looked up, saying, “No, I’m sorry. I was just surprised by your question, although I know you told me to think about it.” Clearing her throat once more, she held his gaze. “It just makes no sense to me at all. Marc, I know we work on ways to identify possible biological terrorism, but we are certainly not the only researchers. We presented at the symposium, but there were many others there as well.”
“Is there any particular group or issue that came out of the symposium that involved you or your dad directly?”
“The IOC…uh…International Olympic Committee met with Dad and me separately for a while and then Dad got the call that he was supposed to meet with a contingency at Homeland Security. During the symposium, we started discussing micro-organisms that haven’t been used in terrorism before, but may become a threat in the future. The IOC wanted to learn more about that, considering all the countries present in one location for the Olympics.”
“If I was to take your dad to D.C. then how were you getting home?”
“I was flying back commercial—the same way I got to Alaska.” Seeing him tilt his head to the side, she explained, “We were originally going to fly together back to Louisiana, but then Dad was supposed to meet with Homeland Security along with the International Olympic Committee in D.C. and they wanted him to get back early. Then the agent came to my room this morning and told me plans had changed since Dad needed to leave in the middle of the night.”
“Did that seem unusual?”
A slight chuckle escaped and she responded, “For the FBI? No. Every time we discover something new, they want in on all the information, even though Homeland Security is in charge of our labs. I sometimes think there is competition between the two.”
“I’m sure there is,” Marc nodded, thinking back to his days with the CIA. “There’s always cooperation but each agency loves to pull some kind of rank and file shit.” He watched her eyelids droop with fatigue and decided to question her more tomorrow. “I think it’s time we turned in,” he said, noticing her grateful smile. Reluctant to lose it, he had to continue anyway. “Sucks, but I’m gonna have to wake you every couple of hours to check on your head. Can’t mess around with injuries like that.”
Kendall sighed, wanting nothing more than to sleep, but nodded her agreement. Settling in, the smaller thermal blanket that had not been stolen was placed on the ground as he instructed, “Since we only have one sleeping bag, we’ll lay on the ground with it over us.” He hesitated before adding the next part, hoping she would have no objections. “Kendall,” he began, “we need to sleep together so our combined body heat will keep us warm underneath the shell of the bag.”
Nodding, she said, “Okay,” hoping her voice did not sound as breathless to him as it did to her. Glad for his presence, she threw up a thankful prayer that they both survived the crash, knowing if she were out on her own, she would probably die this first night. “I’ll do whatever we need to do to stay alive,” she promised.
Smiling his appreciation, he lay down after making a pillow out of her bag. Opening his arms, she accepted the invitation and lay down next to him. She squeaked as he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her tightly into him before covering them with the thermal sleeping bag. She pulled off her glasses and lay them to the side before resting her head on his arm.
Stiff at first, she began to relax as the warmth settled over her. Exhaustion pulled at her body as she allowed the feel of safety to overtake her. Crashed in the wilds of a Canadian forest and sleeping with a true outdoorsman…never in my wildest nightmares could I have even thought this would happen. But as her eyes began to close, she knew if it had to happen, Marc was the person she would want to be with.
Marc felt her slip into sleep as her breathing slowed and evened. Thoughts of the enigmatic woman in his arms made sleep difficult. With her glasses off, he had noticed once more the colors in her eyes, making them so much more expressive than just the dark brown he originally saw. The floral scent of her shampoo, mixed with the earthy smells of the forest around them created a memorable perfume. Her body tucked in perfectly to his large frame…
His mind wandered to the women he had camped with…and slept with…and he knew Kendall was not like any of them. And yet, at this very moment…why does she feel so right? Dismissing it as nothing more than his protective instincts for a woman who needed him, he joined her in sleep.