“Doesn’t sound like nothing. We want her to be certain she writes the report in our favor. Showing her a night in a tent isn’t going to do it, Liam. Now I don’t know if you hate this woman or want to fuck her. Either way, get over it with. I’d like her to see some drilling. Have her witness first-hand exactly what the oil rigs are doing to our landscape. Then take her out again. I want her so much in love with this place that she doesn’t even want to return to
Washington
. I want her to fight for it like a mother bear protecting her cubs. Do you understand?”
Suitably chastised, Liam nodded. “Yeah.” He brought up his maps on the computer to determine the closest drilling site to the lodge.
“Good. Whatever is happening there, I want you to put it behind you. The Quintursa have given you a mission. Make this woman see that she cannot even hint that it would be okay to expand drilling in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. She has to believe in it enough to fight like hell against those who want to drill up here. She has to believe it enough to risk losing her job.”
“What?” Liam rested his hip against the desk. “But her firm sent her here.”
“I don’t think their goals and ours are the same, Liam. We have reason to believe that her mission wasn’t supposed to be quite as unbiased as she’s been lead to believe. As soon as we have more information I’ll let you know, but do not, under any circumstances, tell her this. She’s going to have to find out what kind of shark-infested waters she’s swimming in on her own.”
At the seriousness in the Quintursa agent’s voice, Liam sank into his chair. “Shouldn’t we tell her? She has to guess something isn’t right.”
“Negative. She is not to know anything from us. Look, Liam, I know this is difficult. But the truth is, according to her you’re just a self-employed Ecotourist Guide. If you start telling her these things she’s going to wonder where you received the information from. She’s not stupid. She’ll figure out your secret if you start feeding her things you shouldn’t know.”
“You have a point,” Liam admitted.
“Of course I do. Now you know what to do. Show her the drilling and take her back out into the woods. I don’t care if she sees a hundred bears, so long as she doesn’t figure out our secret, the Quintursa doesn’t care. She has to write her report in our favor.”
Liam finished up the call. The Quintursa didn’t care. In his mind, that was the problem, not the solution. A bunch of stodgy old men who thought they knew what was best for everyone. He snorted and put down the phone, only to pick it up again. If they wanted him to show Sarah drilling, then that’s exactly what he’d do.
It took a little under twenty-four hours to make the arrangements and hire the plane to fly them out to the drilling site. In order to give her a good overview of the drilling, Liam decided to take her well away from the lodge. That way she could watch the landscape change as they moved closer to the drilling sites. And now, sitting beside her in the plane, he knew he wouldn’t have missed it for the world.
Sarah was an adventurer like him. She sat in the seat, face pressed against the window, watching as the Alaskan landscape unfolded beneath them. Mountains, valleys, glacier passes, the plane took them over all of it, and Sarah watched with wide-eyed wonder. Moments like these took his breath away.
Another time, different circumstances, Sarah would be the kind of woman he’d want to pursue a relationship with. Not now. Not when he reported to the Quintursa and had secrets he couldn’t reveal and she worked in the middle of
Washington
politics. Getting together with Sarah would be a bad idea, a very bad idea indeed.
And yet, as the plane descended, he thought of her lips, soft and pliant beneath his and the way her body molded to his. The plane bumped onto the makeshift runway, slowing down as it neared the drilling site. Gravel flew from the tires, and he saw Sarah’s exuberance fade until she looked crestfallen. “This is it, isn’t it?” she said, her voice soft as the plane slowed to a halt.
“We’re here. This is a land based drilling operation.” Liam unfolded himself from the small plane’s seat. He gave instructions to the pilot to wait for them as they’d be flying back tonight, and then held out his hand to help Sarah from the plane. No sooner had they stepped onto the ground, he felt it, the tiny tremors of the drilling operation. His heightened senses picked up the disturbance to the ground. The smell of chemicals filled the air.
He tried to see it through Sarah’s eyes as he led her nearer. Not too close, only authorized personnel could get within several feet of the drilling operation. A chain link fence surrounded the monstrosity. No trespassing signs hung every so many feet, warning humans and animals away from the site. Liam doubted any self-respecting wildlife would be caught close to this place with the chemical scent in the air and the noise.
Behind the site hills rose into mountains, lush and verdant in the high summer. Though the chilly air threatened to cut through his windbreaker, the sun shone high overhead in a nearly cloudless sky.
“Dear goddess, I never imagined,” Sarah breathed, her first words since landing. She curled her fingers into the chain link fence and leaned forward. “I knew it’d be difficult to be impartial on this assignment, but I didn’t know how hard.” She drew a shuddering breath.
Sarah was a tree hugger. He didn’t know whether to give her a hug for being on his side of the war or pity the difficult position she must be in. A little bit of both, he supposed. Stepping forward, he rested his hand on her shoulder. He squeezed gently.
“I’m sorry. You must think I’m a nut or something,” she said. “But it’s true. I mean we drive our cars and most of us never think about where the oil comes from. The
Middle East
, we figure, or somewhere. It doesn’t matter because it’s so far away. And yet, it’s right in our own backyard. We’re taking what we want without asking for permission or thinking about how it’s going to affect the planet. Maybe I feel too strongly about this to be objective.”
Workers bustled around the equipment. Loud, mechanical noises filled the air, and she winced as something crashed.
Liam stepped behind her. He pulled her against his body, his hand around her waist. “I understand,” he whispered into her hair. Even here, amid the workers and the oil rig, he smelled lavender. “It’s why I wanted you to see this. You have to know what the government wants before you can give it the truth.” He pointed to a dying patch of vegetation just beyond the fence. “Not only is there an impact to the environment when they set up the drilling site, but they have to haul equipment, chemicals and fuel in here constantly. All those make waste products and that has to go somewhere. Here, there was a leak and it’s going right back into the environment.”
“Can’t they fix it?”
“It’s expensive. I’m sure they will. Or they’ll try, but it’ll happen again and again. Let’s walk.” He stepped away, sliding his fingers into hers. Liam led her along the fence line, away from the makeshift runway down to a small road. It cut through the countryside, a sore on the surface of the land. He watched as Sarah cast glances back at the drilling. A frown marred her face. A tiny smudge of dirt rested high on her cheekbone, and he curled his fingers into his fist to avoid reaching out and brushing it away.
Sarah reached into her bag to retrieve a notepad. She pulled a pen from the spiral binding, then flipped it open. Dating the page, she began to scribble notes. Liam tried not to watch over her shoulder, but the urge to know what she wrote made him look. First she jotted a few things about the view, the hills and mountains. Then she wrote about the drilling itself. For someone who was supposed to write an impartial report, the words she used were anything but. As he watched her write, a smile grew on his face. Perhaps the Quintursa was right after all. He wondered how
Washington
would receive her report and if she knew the hornet’s nest she was about to kick over.
Liam halted halfway up the stairs to tell Sarah that they were headed out to camp again, this time without consulting the Quintursa first, he stopped. Her raised voice drifted into the hallway. She must be talking on the phone. His brother had left early in the morning for a personal hiking trip. Aside from him, no one else was in the lodge.
He crept up the stairs, not wanting to eavesdrop, but if her conversation had anything to do with her report or him, he needed to know. The Quintursa needed to know. Liam frowned, not liking reporting everything back to them, yet knowing how important it was. Two doors down, he halted.
“I don’t care what you say, it’s more important than that, Walt. You haven’t seen the drilling. All you care about is that you get cheap gas for your BMW.”
Liam flinched at the vehemence in her words. Whoever Walt was, he didn’t envy the man.
“Look you’re the one telling me that I have to see this issue from both sides. Why can’t you see it from mine?”
Her voice stopped, as if the person on the other end of the phone had cut her off. In her room, Sarah paced. Her steady footfalls carried her across the room and back again, the swishing of her socks against the hardwood floor, paused only when she stepped over one of the braided rugs. Listening to them, he could count the number of times she paced. Various sighs and groans, none of them happy, emanated from the room.
“Walt, now isn’t the time to bring up the ring,” Sarah sighed.
Ring? He remembered not seeing one on her fingers. Could this Walt be a boyfriend? If so, he was an ass for letting her come to
Alaska
by herself. He would have demanded to go with her if Sarah were his girlfriend. Of course, she might call him lots of names like Neanderthal, but at least he’d be with her, not all the way across the lower forty-eight shouting into a cell phone. Liam smirked.
“Yes, I know I haven’t worn it except for special occasions. We’ve talked about this. I’m not sure I want to be the wife of one up DC’s up and coming lawyers. You’re as married to your job as I am. I want—”
Liam leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. So she didn’t think she wanted to be his wife, did she? He struggled to stifle the grin that spread across his face. Had to give the woman credit, she stood up for what she believed in. But then, if she didn’t, he doubted he would have taken on her request for this tour and the Quintursa wouldn’t be so involved in this report. Then again, who knew what the Quintursa knew or did? He certainly didn’t. He simply took orders from them.
“Walt, I’m tired of discussing this with you. I’m here and I’m going to do the best damn job I can on that report. If you don’t like that, then maybe there’s a reason why I’m not wearing your ring. I’m sorry.”
Liam straightened. He hated listening in on her private conversation, knew he should turn around and walk away, come back later to tell her about the camping. Yet, like a moth to a flame, he couldn’t leave. He half expected to hear something bad about himself, after all eavesdroppers never heard anything good, or so the saying went.
“No, there isn’t another man.” Sarah snorted. “What makes you think that?”
See, and there it was. With the memory of the kiss they had shared still imprinted on his lips he knew what he meant to her.
“He’s just the guide. I hired him, or rather my firm did to show me around
Alaska
so I could write this report. If you think there’s something between us, then you’re sorely mistaken.” She laughed a bit too shrilly to be believed, and Liam wondered if Walt on the other end of the phone line believed her too.
His body hardened thinking of her soft against him, her breasts crushed against his chest, the way her curves nestled against him. He stepped forward, intending to finally announce his presence. He hated himself for not doing so sooner.
“Walt, if you believe that I’d just jump into bed with someone because he’s available and male, then maybe you don’t know me after all. I’m not like you.” Her words held venom, as if Walt might not have been as faithful as he claimed. “I’ll give the ring back to you as soon as I get back to DC. I think it’s over. You never trusted me or the integrity of my work. I guess I was too blinded by all the power brokering to see the real you. Good bye, Walt. Don’t call me again.” She snapped the cell phone closed hard enough to be audible in the hall. With a heavy sigh, she sat down on the bed, the springs creaking beneath her.
Liam longed to be right there beside her, an arm on her shoulder, offering her whatever support she needed. He might not have known Sarah for long, but he knew she didn’t deserve a jerk like the guy she’d just talked to. Slipping from his hiding place, he hurried downstairs before she saw him. If the dynamics of her relationships back in
Washington
DC
changed, the Quintursa needed to know. It would affect her report and affect them. Pausing at the head of the stairs, he rubbed the bridge of his nose. Things would be so much easier if only he could be honest with her about everything.
Back in his den, Liam wrestled with the decision that had already been made for him. For a moment he debated about not passing the information along to the Quintursa. After all, what business was it of theirs whether Sarah slept with anyone? Her love interests held no bearing on keeping his kind and their abilities a secret, right? Liam frowned. He knew the truth. If she dated a prominent
Washington
lawyer, her pillow talk might pass along sensitive information. With a snarl he picked up the handset on the phone and punched the speed dial button for the ruling body for his kind.
His contact answered.
After few pleasantries, Liam got right to the point. “Did you know Sarah Doyle dated a lawyer named Walt? Apparently the two were engaged. I overheard a phone conversation. She broke it off.”
“Walt Beamer is a rising star in political circles. Rumor has it the young lawyer can get anyone out of anything. This is important information.”
“Does it change anything?” Liam asked. If it didn’t, then he was nothing better than a gossipmonger. Hadn’t his grandma told him if he didn’t have anything nice to say, then not to say anything at all? “I hope this was important to the cause.”
“It is. Mr. Beamer sides with those who believe drilling won’t cause any problems. He could have had a negative effect on Ms. Doyle’s report. As it stands now, there’s a good chance she’ll side in our favor just because she doesn’t like Mr. Beamer’s actions.” Liam heard the smile in the Quintursa agent’s voice and didn’t like it.
His scowl deepened. Though admittedly he didn’t know Sarah very well, he knew her. To think she’d change sides, or bias her report over something like a broken relationship painted her in a disturbing light. “You wouldn’t think she’d do that, would you?”
“She’s human.” The Quintursa agent bluntly responded.
The absoluteness in the agent’s voice made Liam snarl. He sat straighter in his chair. The hairs on the back of his neck rose, and he bared just a hint of teeth. Fingers clenched against the edge of the desk hard enough to jab a splinter into one of his nail beds. “Just because she’s not one of us doesn’t make her any more, or less, trustworthy. I reported this information to you. I didn’t sign on to be her babysitter. I signed on to show her the terrain so she could write a report. If you want me to do something useful for you, I will. Otherwise, I’ll continue to show her around as I was paid to do, and whatever she does is none of your damn business.”
“Stand down,” the agent ordered. “You have no idea what you’re dealing with.”
“Oh, don’t I? I know when I was stuck in a Siberian prison, not a single member of the Quintursa’s elite force came after me. My own brother, one of your operatives, would have languished there if I hadn’t gotten both of us out. What the hell have you ever done for me and my family?” Liam struggled to keep his voice down.
“The situation that occurred was…regrettable. However, there were things you didn’t—”
“There are always things I didn’t or my brother didn’t. Is that all you guys know how to say? Do they teach you to speak in cryptic when you go through agent supervisory training or whatever the hell it is that you go through?” Liam snorted. “Look. I did my duty. I reported the information. If there’s anything else that you’d like to tell me, I’m all ears.”
“Not at this time. I highly suggest though that you rethink your position on the Quintursa, Liam. I know you don’t like our organization, especially since your brother joined. You think you and your family can live up there in your semi-remote lodge offering tourists a bit of the Alaskan wilderness. A few bear sightings, maybe some salmon fishing, and they’ll go home content to have tamed the wild. It doesn’t work that way. The more people come up there, the more they’re going to want what we have. Ms. Doyle’s report could go a long way into keeping these people away, far away from us. It’s up to you to make sure she writes that report,” the agent said. He truly sounded repentant, as if he were receiving orders from somewhere he didn’t like. Or maybe something else was at stake. Not knowing the inner workings of the organization, maybe the agent had a past, one that made him too close to this mission.
Liam hated to speculate. Cameron couldn’t tell him much, but what he didn’t say spoke volumes about this illustrious, mysterious organization. The legends boggled his mind, and he was one of them, a
Homo interans.
If he told them to Sarah, undoubtedly she’d be on the first plane back to DC she could find, and call a shrink to come get him. He stifled a grin, not wanting the agent to know the direction of his thoughts.
“I don’t think I can make Sarah do anything,” Liam replied after long moments of silence.
“You’re a charming guy, Liam. I bet you could make her do anything you wanted. Think about it.” The agent disconnected the phone.
Chills slid down Liam’s back. His stomach churned. The urge to get up and wash his hands filled him. Maybe he’d wash his ear where the phone rested, anything to keep this unclean feeling from creeping over his skin. What kind of person did the agent think he was? It sounded almost as if the agent wanted him to seduce Sarah.
His body reacted instantly. Insistent throbbing rode low in his veins, pooling his blood and making him hunger. The bear inside him roared, demanding he unleash his passion upon a mate. Her lavender smell haunted him, as did the memory of her lips warm and pliant beneath his. A low groan reverberated from his throat.
Seduce Sarah into writing an anti-drilling report. The man found the thought abhorrent. If—no when—he took Sarah it would be of her own free will, because he wanted her and she wanted him. The bear thought only of claiming a female. And the bear knew, once he did, she’d belong to him. He shuddered at the thought.
His jeans tight, his breath shallow in his chest, he battled the urge to stride from the room and do just that. Dragging his fingers through his hair, he stopped. He couldn’t. Promising his bear a good, long run to burn off energy, he strode upstairs to tell Sarah they were leaving in the morning. He’d convince Sarah all right, but he’d do it on his terms.
~* * *~
When Liam barged up stairs two days ago and ordered her to be ready to hike out again at dawn, Sarah had been surprised. She’d expected more down time. Then, he’d marched her out like some new recruit, and they’d hiked so long her legs had burned. A camp and then out again into areas she swore had never seen another human being before her. She’d wanted to see the real
Alaska
.
Be careful what you wish for
. Her lips twisted into a pained grin.
Her thighs burned. Though the temperature outside hovered in the forties, her skin burned with the energy she expended. A brief stop for an energy bar and to refill their canteens at a stream an hour ago left her stomach rumbling from hunger. Physical exertion allowed her mind to wander. She’d always been a dissociative person when it came to exercise, choosing to use her runs as time to think things through rather than focus on the demands she placed on her body. Hiking through the pristine wilderness brought her attention to small flowers and colorful birds sitting amid the branches. She focused on her surroundings in a futile attempt to ignore the burn in her thighs and her panting breaths.
How could she ever write a report that would harm this place? Walt’s words rang in her mind, his accusations that she focused too much on her guide then on her job. Watching Liam’s broad back as he led her down the trail, Sarah tried not to admit Walt might have been right. Just thinking about their kiss sent heat spiraling through her. Lips tingling, her steps slowed. She touched her fingers to her mouth. In spite of being engaged, she wanted him.
Sarah hurried to catch up with Liam. Whatever happened out here, she couldn’t take this any farther. No matter how much she wanted to. She drew a deep breath and tried to shove Liam’s image from her mind. Think about her work, about writing a report that walked the fine line between persuasion and truthfulness. Truthiness. Now there was a word she could get behind if she were a different kind of person.
She closed her eyes and swallowed hard. Liam didn’t even look back. Sarah hoped he hadn’t noticed her faltering. She didn’t want to explain to him why she wasn’t keeping up and didn’t want him to think she couldn’t. The last thing she wanted was to be a burden.
Frankly, Sarah wondered why she even wrestled with this dilemma. She knew this day would come from the day she’d accepted the assignment. Her personal feelings demanded she keep drilling far away from this place. Even if she wasn’t prone toward nature spirituality, she firmly believed the wild should be left that way. Out of all the people working for Hodges Associates, she was the only candidate for this trip. The fact that she’d jumped at the opportunity only made it imperative that she keep her personal feelings out of it.