Crystal Clear (6 page)

She set her
briefcase
with her laptop in it on the bed, and checked the drawer for her gun.  Strange, it was right where she left it, fully loaded.

She didn’t want to think about what her team would do if they found out.  Cindy decided to keep this to herself.  If
the bad guys
wanted to play hard ball, she could too.  She walked back to the door, threw the deadbolt, and started to prepare to face the next day.

If Jaguar was already in the vicinity, then she
would
have to push herself to get there before them.  F.I.U.W. though
t she had a few days head start.
T
hey were wrong.

Cindy woke the next morning to the smell of fresh coffee from her automatic coffee maker. 
She r
oll
ed over and
glanced at the clock, 6:00.  Time to rise and shine, s
he groaned, well, maybe she could leave the shine part out.

She’d never been much of a morning person, and even
with
the thrill of a dangerous assignment looming before her, that first few steps before coffee just drug. 

She made her way to the coffee pot, poured a cup, opened her laptop, and signed into her email.

Grudgingly, she opened the five she got from
Montgomery
the night before, four of which were funny forwards. She moaned into her coffee cup at the last. 

Montgomery
mentioned Chase wanted to know how she was doing on her first solo mission, and to let her know, again, that if she needed any help all she had to do was call.

Chase knew her email address, but he also knew if he wanted a response,
Montgomery
would have to play go between.  She wrote
Montgomery
a quick answer stating she was fine, everything was fine, and to tell Chase so too. 

Cindy c
heck
ed the weather report again. She
looked out her back porch window to ensure that the weather forecaster and Mother Nature
remained
on the same page.  She grimaced at the dank look of the clouds. 

Half glad that
Montgomery
had thrown in that poncho for bad weather, Cindy moved to repack the things she would need for the trip. 

Montgomery
provided some great insight into nature hiking, not that she didn’t already know.  Cindy didn’t like the outdoors as much as some people now that
Jackson
had passed on.  Garrett had shared some valuable information about what to do if she lost her compass, but it didn’t sound as though anything
would
be
too
grueling.

Locking the hotel room, Cindy safely stowed her laptop and gun in a waterproof bag, and tossed everything she would need for the next several days into the back of her rental car.  She drove the block to the raft pick up area. 

Patrick, the guide,
stood
waiting for her with a big grin on his handsome face.  His green eyes seemed to hold some private joke as he helped her get her gear.  She guessed that it looked like she would fall right over from the weight of the pack.  The thing was as big as her.

“You sure you don’t want company on your trip?  It can get awfully lonely out in the woods.”  He teased, nudging her in the shoulder. 

Cindy stumbled a bit and gave him one of her best smiles, teasing him right back. With a flip of her
hair she countered his comment. S
he enjoyed playing this game, but she couldn’t have him tagging along.

“No, I like being alone.  It makes things more interesting.  Remember, I have done this a few times before.” 

She t
old
the truth, through multiple protests
Jackson
had
drug her out into the wilderness to go camping and rafting as a teen.  Cindy recalled complaints she threw his way as wave after wave would make her soaked to the bone. 

Secretly she loved the rush the ride through white water gave her, but she would never admit it to anyone.  Cindy was truly a city girl at heart.

The Agency set her up as an experienced white water rafter, they’d even given her a refresher course, she wasn’t about to let them down.  She just wished she was a little more experienced with undercover games. 
Montgomery
was the one who usually played the front agent.  She shrugged.  Cindy glanced at Patrick from under her eyelashes, grinning with mischief.

“Maybe some other time.”  She stashed the last of her things into the van from her rental and climbed into the passenger seat.

Normally there were two guides traveling together, but Cindy was only a party of one, and didn’t need more than Patrick’s help.  Once she got the raft underway, things would go much smoother
,
at least she hoped they would.  

The drive to the launch site was short, and Patrick jumped out to unlatch the raft and heft it down from the trailer rack where it rested with several others just like it.  He set it on the water’s edge and gave her the instructions of how to safely maneuver the raft as one person, she already knew, but he had a responsibility to his job.

They made her sign a waiver at the raft rental desk when she checked in.  Cindy watched the churning water not far from where she would be putting in, and took a deep breath. 

“Are y
ou sure you want to do this?”

Cindy looked at him.  She placed a hand on his muscled chest and leaned in close.  She may not be affected by the opposite sex, but
many men
had a potent response to her.  She had a healthy ego.  Cindy felt his muscles expand under her hand and watched his pupils dilate in his
emerald green
eyes.  Her smile grew.  She wasn’t really interested, but it was fun to flirt a little.

“It’s what keeps me alive.”  With that s
he grinned and grabbed her pack. S
he stashed it in the bow of the raft making sure it was secure.
 
Smiling at Patrick, she cocked her head to the side, “You going to help me shove off?”

Patrick flashed back a boyish grin, “Sure.  We have gone over the checklist, have fun, and remember all the things we talked about.  Be safe.”   He leaned over and grabbed the sides of the raft and shoved it onto the river. “Remember to get out after the fourth set of rapids.  You don’t want to take the waterfall.”

“No worries.  I’ll see you in a few days.”  Cindy shoved the paddles into the fast moving water and dug in.  The rise and fall of smalle
r rapids began to move the raft
through the water.

The first set of rapids c
a
m
e
up quickly.  Cindy remembered what Patrick had told her about digging into the water with her oars.  Her muscles strained as she took the first set.  The raft tossed about, and dipped into the swirling water, but remained on course.

This was a lot easier when Jackson was with me
, she thought. 

Cindy let out her breath as she maneuvered past the first challenge.  The current tugged and the raft drifted into calmer waters for a moment.

She could hear the sound of the approaching Bull Rider rapids.  Patrick had joked with her about going to the front of the
raft and riding her way through.
Cindy didn’t think that would be such a great idea. 

As she rounded the corner they came into view.  A deep churn of wave Cindy saw made her breath hitch. 
H
er feet
braced
deep underneath the bench in front, her hands griped the oars. She forced herself to take a deep breath. 

The raft dove through the first dip and the front rose almost vertically as a wave took her forward.  Cindy laughed aloud as the raft slammed down on the other side and water splashed up onto her body.  She was drenched.

Cindy t
r
ied to guide her
self over to
calmer water as Patrick advised. H
er raft bounced off the rock wall on the right.  She pushed off with her oar, and righted the craft.  It drifted into the still water.  She lift
ed
her oars and enjoy
ed
life for a moment.  Around her
,
Cindy enjoyed the dichotomy of the silence in nature surroundin
g her on the left and the right. T
he sound of the rapids before and behind her rushed in her ears.  From what Patrick had told her, she had about fifteen minutes to relax before taking the next set of rapids. 

Cindy rested her head back and took a moment to breathe.  It wasn’t often she got out into nature.  She did love camping, just not the dirt and grim that came with it, her job normally took her to more lush locales
which
provided more comfort and convenience.  It was either that or the seedy motel room when they were on stake out.

A g
rimac
e crossed her face as
she remembered as a picture of the
ir
last job came into her head. 
She’d s
pen
t
hours in a cramped van with six guys waiting for the right words to come across
a
tap
, n
ot her idea of fun.  She liked tracking down blueprints, and mapping out courses for the teams to follow.

She was always the one in the background, which was one reason why she was perfect for this mission.  No one really noticed her.

The sound of approaching rapids reached her ears.

Here we go
. 

Cindy pushed against the starboard wall of the raft. She felt the side give, and pushed again.  The raft had definitely lost air. 
T
here was no time to row to the side before the next set.  Gritting her teeth
,
she pulled her oars into place.  She could do this.

The craft hit the rapids and turned sideways.  Her feet slid out from their holding place.  Waves took her over the side of her small craft.  Current rushed up on her like a gale force wind and she tried not to panic. 

Stay calm and go with the current
, hearing the mantra in her head as she was swept along.  She forced her body to relax and flow with the currents around her.  Feeling the rocks grab at her, she couldn’t find a hold.  She was on the wrong side of the river to swim out.  The noise of the coming waterfall crashed in her ears. 

God, I hope you’re with me
; Cindy took another deep breath as she surfaced for a moment.  She noticed her raft float by and mentally cursed Killroy for sending her on this mission.

Easy my ass.

  As the sound of the falls grew louder Cindy
figured
she wouldn’t come out of this unharmed, she just hoped the fall wouldn’t kill her outright. 
She
said
a silent prayer
as
she waited for the drop.  She didn’t have to wait long. 

Suddenly
,
Cindy flung into the air hanging suspended for a fraction of a second before plunging downwards toward the river below.  She twisted around and positioned herself so she would go in feet first. 

Won’t do any good if I pass out
, she thought.

It seemed to take an eternity before she slammed into the water.  It felt as though a hundred knives passed through her legs and swallowed her whole.

Cindy s
urfac
ed in a pool of calmer water. S
he forced her arms to swim over to the muddy embankment.  Glancing further downstre
am she noticed her raft float
away.

Damn, there goes my ride
.  Cindy pulled herself out of the water and looked down at herself. 
As she took
in a glance at her clothes, they were shredded in several places from hitting rocks, logs, or floating debris.  She looked pretty torn up.

Cindy tried to rise to her feet, and
cursed again when sharp pains went up her right leg.  She bent over and tested the injured area. 

Just what I need
, she thought wincing when she hit the sprained muscle in her foot.

Great!  Just Great!

In the middle of the wilderness with a sprained foot, no transport, and of all things the water had ruined her cell phone. 

At least I still have my backup
. S
he reached for the waist pack
Montgomery
had talked her into.

The survival kit Cindy packed before coming on this mission had the bare essentials, a Snickers bar, beef jerky, a first aid kit, waterproof matches, and her hunting knife.  Cindy pulled off her pack and opened the zipper silently thanking her best friend for thinking of getting a waterproof kit.  She pulled out the items.