Devil's Gold (16 page)

“Thank you.” He released her hand. “You never returned my calls or my letters.”

Cassidy stared at the ranger emblem stitched onto the pocket of his shirt. “Ethan, let's not do this now. We have work to do.” This was worse than she'd imagined. He was confronting her.

Relieved when Ethan addressed the rest of her pod, she glanced at her team and caught Jake's expression. She turned her back when he sidled up to stand beside her.

“What was that all about?” he asked.

“The past,” she answered softly, stepping farther away.

“You're shaking.”

“It's nothing but a few unexpected nerves. I can't wait to head out to the observation post.” She smiled reassuringly and urged him forward.

“No titillating details?”

“No details,” she stated flatly. “It was a lifetime ago.” Her heart clenched, and Cassidy realized the ache of loss suddenly felt unbearable. It must be Anna's recent death that had ripped off the seal from the pain she'd spent all these years fighting against. Mom and Dad were gone. Ethan's voice irritated the loathing that lay curled in her chest. Cassidy didn't want to live this way: one foot on hate, the other on regret.

She shrugged, trying to dislodge the memories that floated uninvited in her mind and indicated with a quick nod of her head that they should follow Ethan into the building.

The park headquarters featured several small offices and a tiny front hallway. The door slammed behind Cassidy, enclosing the small group in a tight, almost suffocating arena.

Ethan stood in the center, commanding their attention. “Welcome, everyone, to our humble abode.” His voice boomed loudly within the confines of the hall. Cassidy rolled her eyes at his comment and was rewarded with a scowl from Ethan.

“All the park facilities and resources are at your disposal,” he continued. “Any questions?”

“Where are we meeting?” Cassidy had been scrutinizing the floor, avoiding any form of eye contact but was forced to glance up when there was no response to her question. She was startled to find her eyes in line with Ethan's chest. She tilted her head, not backing down to this silly attempt at intimidation. Her sudden emotional see-saw shifted to annoyance.

“One of the deputies will be available shortly to provide you with any information you require. I, however, am in the middle of an important investigation and will not be available.”

“That's convenient.” Cassidy's eyes widened in dismay as Ethan's gaze darkened in anger. It was cruel to patronize him, but she couldn't help herself. It was her best defense.

“Dr. Lowell, my investigation will not overshadow yours. Don't worry your pretty little head over official park business.”

Cassidy saw red. “Don't you dare speak to me that way, Ethan Connor. I've worked damn hard to achieve my position within ZEBRA, and I resent the tone of your voice.” Why the hell was she explaining herself? After ten minutes together, she'd allowed him to usurp her authority and dent her professionalism. Punching bag. Punching bag. She fisted her hand and glared at him.

Ethan leaned forward and placed his hands on her shoulders. “I know you have, honey.”

A blanket of pure white fury suffocated her. Cassidy could hear Jake's protests in the background. She saw a large hand grab Ethan's arm; then suddenly he was gone. Air, wonderful sweet air, surrounded her. Shaking her head, she focused on the two men standing before her facing one another with the testosterone of two rams in rut. Night and day. Their differences were as startling as their beauty.

“Jake, it's okay. I can handle this.”

Jake speared her with a glare, and she narrowed her eyes. Stepping forward, she pushed between the two men. This wasn't at all how she'd envisioned her reunion with Ethan Connor. She could fight her own wars, thank you very much. She flung Jake a don't-mess-with-me look and then faced Ethan.

“I'm sorry, Ethan. I'm certain your investigation is extremely important, and I'll respect your position.” She was going to ream Jake a new one for making her apologize.

Ethan offered her a genuine smile. “No problem, Cassidy. It's a drug investigation, so I caution you and your team to be careful. There're some unscrupulous characters roaming around Yellowstone.”

“Drugs?”

Ethan grunted and shook his head. “That's all I can say.”

“Thank you for the warning,” Cassidy said.

Jake gripped her shoulder and pulled her away from Ethan. His touch shocked her, and she pushed against his hand. He glanced down at her, his mouth set and firm. Blue eyes bright with anger glared, and Cassidy bit her bottom lip at the reaction they provoked. Before she could analyze her feelings, Jake spun and faced Ethan. “Don't touch what doesn't belong to you.”

Cassidy's stomach fluttered between anger and anticipation. Impatient for the comforting embrace and relaxing ambiance of the wilderness, she bit back the words that were burning a hole in her cheek.
Damn Jake
.

If Steve hadn't hurriedly ushered them out of park headquarters and into their vehicles, she'd have laid his arrogant ass flat on the ground. How dare he? She wasn't a commodity. Cassidy gritted her teeth as he maneuvered the Jeep off the main road and ground to a stop in a blur of dust and gravel.

“Spill it,” he demanded as they both jumped from the vehicle onto the dried streambed. The park was in desperate need of rain.

Cassidy huffed and tugged her backpack from the backseat. “Spill what?”

Jake stood on the side of the road, peering up the path. He shook his head and turned to her. “What's your history with Dudley Do-right?” Observation Post 29 lay at the top of that overgrown, boulder-strewn trail, and he wasn't about to let her pass without an explanation.

“Ethan?”

“Is that his name? It must have slipped my mind somewhere between the magnificent display of your cowardice and his testosterone overload.”

“I don't owe you an explanation.”

He nodded. “No. You don't. But maybe it'll help.”

“With what?”

“It's my experience that if you talk a problem through, then it ceases to take on the life form of a one-eyed gorilla out for vengeance.”

She didn't know how to respond. Cassidy paused. She inhaled deeply, swept her fingers across her brow, and used them to shield her eyes against the sun's glare. “Leave it alone. It's none of your business.”

Jake didn't move. “Yes, it is. If you're incapable of separating your personal emotions from this assignment, then I'll have to request that you be transferred.”

Cassidy's mouth dropped open. Her heart thudded against her chest and even though it galled her, she couldn't deny his accusation. “You're right. I behaved badly.” She narrowed her gaze and pointed a finger at him. “But so did you.”

Jake grinned. “Suppose I did. Want to talk?”

Cassidy inhaled deeply. The pine scent of millions of acres of nature soothed her temper. She decided the best avenue would be to ignore Jake's bizarre behavior and redirect his attention to something other than her relationship with Ethan Connor. “Forget it,” she spoke softly, mentally praying he'd leave it at that. The thought of discussing this part of her past had Cassidy's cheeks burning with embarrassment.

He stared long and hard into her face, his expression impassive. “Okay.” He stepped back and walked to the other side of the Jeep. “Water samples were all negative.”

“Not surprised. That would've been too easy.” Cassidy sighed and raised a questioning eyebrow at the Glock 9mm that suddenly appeared in his hand. She closed the gap between them, cocked her head to look into his eyes, and dropped her bag at his feet. With a flick of her wrist, she grabbed the gun. “What're you doing with this?”

“What I always do with it.”

“You carry a weapon on your assignments?”

Jake frowned. “Yes. It's company policy, oh fearless one.”

“But here?” Cassidy glanced around in concern, the echo of machine gunfire still fresh in her mind.

Jake smiled and took the weapon back. He shrugged. “I don't think there's anything to worry about.”

Cassidy breathed deeply. She'd forgotten how wonderful the clean air of Yellowstone smelled, and she pulled it into her lungs praying it would clear the haunting memory of Africa. The light, pungent scent of wildflowers mixed with pine teased her senses, tugging her away from distasteful memories.

He handed the gun to Cassidy. Her brows knitted in concern, and Cassidy glanced at the weapon with disdain. “I don't want this.”

“Take it. Obviously you left yours back at the inn.” His eyes darkened, and she felt a kick of fear. “You know and I know that you're breaking all the wilderness hiking rules by insisting on going up there by yourself.”

Cassidy sighed, planted her feet, and squared her shoulders. This argument she was prepared for. “ZEBRA supersedes any park regulations that might be in place. I'm more than capable of doing this by myself.”

“Still…”

Cassidy didn't back down an inch. “Jake, this is my job and it's what I do. Don't go all macho and insist on the buddy system. It's condescending.” She lifted the gun beneath his chin. “Now, why would I need this?”

He paused before answering, his eyes moving to gaze up the steep path. Jake shifted the weight of his feet and glanced in the other direction. “There's something that has my neck hairs standing at attention.”

“I hate guns.”

“Take it anyway.”

“I can't shoot.”

Jake barked laughter. “Yeah, right.”

She'd taken the required gun course, but it didn't change the fact that she honestly couldn't shoot. With a sigh, she decided not to argue. “If you insist.”

“I insist,” he reiterated, checking his watch. He glanced back at her. “You'd better get going. What specifically will you be looking for up there?” Jake lifted his chin toward the trail.

“Any type of trail or marking,” she said. “This is a huge park, but the wolves are carnivores. Did you know that before we successfully reintroduced these little beasties, Yellowstone was in a huge ecological crunch?” She tried not to laugh when he rolled his eyes.

“How's that?”

“Because the wolf is an integral part of this ecosystem, the lack of the packs had created an overpopulation of their prey. The deer, moose, bison, and elk just about destroyed the park vegetation.”

“Is this why we're here? To prevent it from happening again?” He tilted his head and gazed into her eyes.

“Well, the wolves never had the fully desired effect regarding the ecosystem. They did, however, offer a few astonishing impacts. This is what I'm personally concerned with. If the wolves are disappearing, what's this doing to the other animals? The ones that rely on the wolf's kill for survival? We could be facing an even greater problem than what had existed before we reintroduced them.”

“Such as?”

“The elimination of the wolves from this park could seriously endanger the existence of the beetles that grow within the carcasses of their kill.”

“And that would be a bad thing, because?”

“The smallest creature can create a broken link in the food chain, Jake. Magpies and other assorted birds rely on these beetles.”

“I know; I was only kidding. Do you have any theories?” Jake asked.

“Not a one.” Cassidy offered up a lopsided grin, shaking her head and hefting her backpack over her left shoulder. She opened an outside zipper of the canvas bag and placed the gun inside. The weapon didn't make her feel secure or safe; the slick metal caused more angst than reassurance. But she refused to waste anymore time arguing with Jake. “But hopefully that'll change after tonight.” She peered back over her shoulder and waved to Jake. “I'll see you in the morning, right?” Now why had she said that?

“You betcha. Coffee in hand and a smile on my handsome face.” “You make sure of that. The coffee that is, I couldn't care less whether you're smiling or not.”

His laughter followed her up the steep trail.

She hiked slowly. It'd been years since she'd been to the park, and her lungs responded with the burning of oxygen deprivation. The trail twisted in odd angles as it wound upward. There were sections of lightly grassed, sparse plateaus then a sudden incline through thickly pined, snake-thin ravines.

Cassidy paused often to snag dearly needed gulps of water from the canteen slung across her shoulder. It bumped and slid against her hip like a jackrabbit in a trap each time she hauled herself around an especially difficult cut in the trail. She inhaled in frustration, transferring the canteen to her other shoulder and securing the strap to her backpack. With the water forced into a more secure and less mobile position, she concentrated on her surroundings.

Her eyes absorbed the beauty of the terrain. Crystal blue skies blanketed thick woods that danced with Quaking Aspens and Lodgepole pines. The snowcapped peaks of the Tetons offered a constant background to the serenity of the park.