Deadly Trouble, page 9
part #2 of Vegas Vixens Series
He cleared his throat. “Too many things could go wrong. The safest bet is the river.”
“No. If we strike first, it’ll take them by surprise.”
He yanked her arm, and the rock dropped to the ground. “Enough of this nonsense. Let’s go.” With Lily in tow, Cooper skirted the edge of the jungle. Red soil crumbled under their shoes as they climbed down the bank. Once on flat ground, she bumped into him, and he held out a hand to steady her. He took a moment to search the river for the men. “Everything looks clear.”
She scanned the area and gave a curt nod.
He shifted his backpack. “If you have anything heavy in your pack, I can stick it in mine.”
“No. I’m fine.”
“Come on.” Threading his fingers through hers, he raised his voice over the roar of the river. “Start swimming to the other side, but don’t tire yourself out. Let the current carry you. If we get separated, head north and stay near the river.”
“Okay.”
The cool water lapped up his ankles as he entered. A fish darted away. Lily slipped on the rocky bottom, and he tightened his grip on her hand. After righting herself, they waded into the widening band of the river. In the middle, light rapids rushed over a scattering of rocks. As long as the gunmen didn’t get into the boat, allowing the current to carry Lily and him downstream—away from the village—would be to their advantage. When the water reached his waist, he released her hand and started swimming. He turned his wet head to the side to inhale another breath. The pungent taste of the water seeped into his mouth.
With his next stroke, he caught a glimpse of Lily over his shoulder. She swam a few feet away. He had little time to enjoy the feel of the cool water on his heated skin. Every few strokes he would pause and scan the passing scenery for the gunmen. Above them, gray clouds circled, the scent of rain heavy in the air. The current strengthened, whisking him downstream as if he weighed nothing. For a moment he allowed himself to float to determine their position. Halfway across, the rest will be a piece of cake. He added a few more powerful strokes and lifted his head in time to dodge a protruding granite boulder. Hell! He yelled out a warning to Lily, but her head was submerged, her arms cutting into the water with determined strokes.
“Lily!” His attempt to swim against the current was futile. A split second before the collision, she looked up and twisted to dodge the boulder. Wham! His stomach pitched as she bounced off the edge of the rock like a tennis ball. She disappeared under the rushing water. Adrenaline pumped into his blood. His overhead stroke sliced into the water with intensity. She struggled to come up for air as the current carried her downstream. Finally her body floated close enough for him to grab her wrist.
In a quick motion, he flipped her over to get her face out of the water. “I’ve gotcha.”
She coughed and didn’t fight him as he secured his arm around her and positioned her in front of him. He kicked his legs and flailed his remaining arm in a battle to get to the shore. He couldn’t see most of her face through her clinging, wet hair, but he could feel her legs kicking along with his. When his hiking boots met the river bottom, he stood, lifting her into his arms.
He laid her on the bank. She coughed, and he rolled Lily partially onto her side facing him. She reached up and touched the scrape across the right side of her forehead and cringed. Blood trickled from her forehead into her wet strands. She pulled back a red-stained hand.
Please don’t go into shock. “Head wounds bleed a lot. You’re okay.” Cooper shrugged out of his shirt and pressed the garment to her head. She groaned.
“Just relax and get your bearings,” he said.
“God, my head hurts. I almost knocked my brains out,” she said, her words coming out breathlessly.
“That you did.” He tried to keep his tone light, although adrenaline had his heart galloping in his chest. How had his life spun so out of control? He kept a hand on her shoulder, halting her effort to rise. “Give yourself some time, just be still.”
She closed her eyes and then opened them to stare up at him again. Water glistened across her smooth, ivory skin. “I think I’m fine.”
He lowered his shirt and examined the scrape, relief spreading through him at the confirmation that it was just a flesh wound. No real swelling. “Thank God you dodged the rock in time, or you could have had a concussion.” He continued to hold his shirt to her head and applied pressure. Maybe all this drama will make her forget this ridiculous notion about not going to the cops. Once satisfied the bleeding had stopped, he rinsed his shirt in the river, wrung it out, and shrugged it back on. “You think you can walk? We need to trek to the closest lodge. It’s just a few miles.” He assisted her into a sitting position.
“No,” she said, her voice surprisingly strong. “We’re going to the cave.”
Cooper ran a hand down his face. Dealing with this lovely woman is as easy as swallowing a brick. “We seem to have a problem in communication. I told you I’m not taking you to the cave. This isn’t a game.”
Lily accepted his hand as she stood. Although he had several inches on her, somehow she managed to stand nose-to-nose with him. Her exotic eyes narrowed into threatening slits. “This is how it’s going to play out. You’re going to grow a pair, bugman, and take me to that cave, understood?”
He gave a short, mirthless laugh. “Oh, I have a pair, sweetheart, and just because you can stand on your tiptoes and scowl doesn’t make you bulletproof.” Anger simmered to the surface, and his jaw tightened. “Do you realize what you’ve done? Have you taken one damned second to recognize the damage you’ve caused?”
She stepped back, managing to appear baffled and angry at the same time. “Me? I’ve caused nothing.”
He scoffed. “Lord forbid that you look beyond your problem before you waltz into the village and endanger the lives of those people, not to mention jeopardizing my team’s research permit.”
“I’m sorry about the villagers. I had no idea where I was going or that those men would follow with guns.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “You act as if it’s my fault the police are corrupt, and murderers kidnapped a child. That wasn’t mentioned as entertainment in the brochure from the lodge.”
Silence ticked away as he struggled to gain control of his frustration.
“And I’m sorry about possibly messing up your permit. If the government’s a jerk about it, can’t you just apply for another one somewhere else? Mexico maybe?”
Cooper blew out an audible breath. “No. It has to be here. We’re talking about years of research, and this is our best chance to locate the necessary ingredient for the meningitis B vaccine.”
“And this is a plant?”
“Not just any plant, but ashwagandha.”
She frowned and rubbed her fingertips in a circular motion at her temples. “Ashsh-what?”
He flung a hand in the air and started pacing. “It’s an herb used in the successful trial vaccine. Grad students found that specific batch growing in the Mountain Pine Ridge area. Which is odd, since it needs a drier climate and is native to India.”
A few seconds of silence passed before she said, “Grow the plant in a lab. It’s safer.”
He stopped pacing, tempted to shake her. But since she was still rubbing her temples, clearly fighting a headache, he refrained. Doesn’t she realize the uniqueness of this region? “Geez, why didn’t I think of that?”
The screech from a howler monkey caused them both to pause and scan the dense trees.
“Maybe it’s because you’re a doctor of bugs. They need to get—”
“I have a doctorate in ecology, and I am one of many scientists working on this.”
She pulled her moist tank top from her slender body only for it to cling back to her like a second skin. A surge of deep need thrummed through him, and he tore his gaze from the contours of her breasts. He reminded himself that Lily was tempting, yet toxic, and at this rate quite possibly the cause of his demise.
“Oh, then stop worrying.” She waved a dismissive hand. “The other scientists will handle it. After you explain a boy was in danger, the vaccine company will understand. And if they don’t, you’re better off not working for them so…”
Cooper tuned out the rest of her advice and stared at the river. Tension knotted in his shoulders. He and William had two more weeks to locate all of the areas where the ashwagandha grew before the University of Belize sent over a research team for harvesting and replanting. Panic hovered at the fringes of Cooper’s mind. If the government pulled the permit, the director of the private research lab who’d secured the grant would cancel the project. In a financial sense he didn’t give a crap about losing this job; his cash flow came from the undergraduate classes he taught at Berkeley. Heck, he even paid half of William’s plane ticket to get the kid here. All that mattered was, after all these years of hard work and putting his life on hold, he had the key to the vaccine in his hands. No more senseless suffering. No more deaths because the meningitis B strain was always one step ahead of the scientists.
“But I can’t rewind the past so let’s deal with the here and now. We can do something about Jaime,” she said.
He realized she’d been talking away while he’d allowed his mind to drift. Tense seconds ticked by as he scanned the river. He leaned against the twisted trunk of a strangler fig and met Lily’s gaze, reading the pleading look. Under all those ruffled feathers, she had a lot of compassion and courage, to the point of recklessness. Maybe if he went with Lily, he could make sure the boy was safe and keep her from harm. If he deemed it too dangerous, he would get her out—even if he had to bind and gag her—and contact the police. “Fine,” he ground out, swiping a hand down his face. “We’ll go to the cave. But on one condition.”
“What?”
“You obey me.”
She quirked a brow.
“Okay, obey is the wrong word to use with you, a man-eater.”
“You talk nonsense.”
Yeah, right. He’d bet all of her ex-boyfriends were sporting nubs in lieu of hands from all the theatrics she put them through. It dawned on him he knew next to nothing about her. “You expect me to believe I’m the only guy whose life you’ve turned upside down?”
She shrugged a shoulder, her expression bland. “You’re the one who insisted on going to dinner.”
Touché. He did seem to learn things the hard way. He blew out a breath and stared across the span of the river again. “Trust me, I’m regretting that. I’ll bet I know the reason you became an embalmer. Most of the men you come in contact with are dead!”
“True. I never thought of that before. Dead men are less annoying, because they can’t talk.”
His eyes widened, and he jerked his gaze to her face only to encounter a genuine smile. He kept his expression serious, although as usual, a part of him thoroughly enjoyed their banter. “This is how you talk to the guy you want something from?”
“You started it.”
He released a short laugh and shook his head. He should let her walk in circles for the next several hours and wear herself out, but he didn’t like the thought that she might intercept the gunmen or a wild animal. Too many things could go wrong, and he couldn’t just leave her fate to chance. “If we do this, you have to listen to me. I have more experience in third world countries. If I say it’s too dangerous, we leave—no arguing.”
She cocked her head. “Agreed.”
All of a sudden she’s reasonable? He narrowed his eyes. “Come on, we have to head inland and up the side of the mountain. It will take us a few hours by foot.”
She fell into step with him.
“So why did you become an embalmer? That profession would make most people squirm.”
She shoved away low-lying tree branches. “I like hanging out at cemeteries and watching zombie movies. So I—”
“Come on. Give me the real reason.”
She made a growling sound in her throat. Would she make that sexy noise if they made love? Cooper rolled his eyes skyward and shook his head. After all this, she could turn his thoughts to hot sex with the littlest of effort.
After he waited for her, he slipped sideways between two protruding boulders. “Well?” he prompted. He thought she wasn’t going to answer.
She finally spoke. “Fine. I went to a funeral when I was fourteen, and the person in the casket looked so peaceful I knew she was happy. Wherever she was, she was happy, and just like that…” She snapped her fingers. “I stopped crying, and I decided I wanted to make other kids feel better when all they had wanted to do before was cry over their loss.”
Cooper stopped, not because she sounded emotional, but because of how monotone her voice had become. “Who died?”
Lily didn’t break stride. “It doesn’t matter.”
He started walking again and after a few lengthy strides caught up with her. They hiked for several minutes before he said, “Tell me what you have in mind once we locate this kidnapper and the boy.”
“When we find the cave, we scout it out, find a way in, and save Jaime.”
His steps faltered. After listening to her asinine plan, a wise man would walk—correction—run from the impending disaster named Lily Sanborn. Instead he shook his head. “Great. It’s nice to know you’ve given this a lot of consideration.” He huffed and gave her sexy jeans-clad backside an extra boost, earning a screech in return. Why did he have the sickening feeling that this was going to be a decision he’d regret? Given he lived that long.
…
Lily took a refreshing drink from the canteen Cooper had removed from his backpack. Perspiration drenched her skin. For the past hour they’d scaled up the side of the mountain. Her muscles screamed from overuse.
“Your stitches are holding up.” He studied her shoulder. “How’s your head feeling?”
She swallowed another drink and waved him off. “Fine. Just a light pounding.”
“I’m surprised the bruising is so minimal. You must have a hard head,” he said.
She ignored his jab.
Cooper leaned against a slab of sandstone, accepting the canteen from her. Tilting his head back, he took a long drink. Sun rays glinted off the lighter blond streaks in his hair. A sheen of sweat glistened across the strong column of his neck. Something purely female awoke inside of her. Heat pooled in her lower body, her breathing growing shallow.
He wiped his mouth with his hand. Their gazes collided.
Snap out of it, you fool, Lily scolded herself.
“You know, what’s with all the glaring? You’ve had a chip on your shoulder since you showed up at the village.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said.
“Yeah you do. If you’ve got something to say, just say it.”
Lily ignored the question and gestured with her head to the backpack on the ground. “You have anything else useful in there—like a gun?”
Cooper stared at her for a moment. “No gun. I’m not a Belizean citizen, and my license application is in limbo.”
“You go into the jungle unarmed?”
“I borrow Mary’s gun when I plan to go deep into the jungle. She has a license.”
“So what’s in the backpack?”
“Um, let’s see. I have the device for data collection, which has GPS. I have some beef jerky, a travel first-aid kit, insect repellent, flashlight, and a pocketknife.” He placed the canteen inside and zipped up the top.
She sighed. “Why couldn’t I have stumbled upon a mercenary with a bunker of ammo and a bunch of buddies who could be bought with the promise of cheap liquor?”
A laugh released from deep inside his chest. “Well, I could take you to the watering hole at the next village; you might have some luck there. I met an ornery group of men with scars and missing teeth, but their ripe smell will probably give you away during a sneak attack. You might have to give them a bubble bath.”
“No time. You’ll have to do.”
“You know,” he said, his tone thoughtful. “I could use a bubble bath. You could wash my back.”
Before she could stop it, an image of Cooper snuck into her mind: his naked muscular torso glistening with water droplets, his long legs sprinkled with hair draped over the sides of the tub. Her hand almost started moving as she imagined rubbing a suds-filled cloth over his tan skin. Mentally she gave herself a shake. “Stop talking about baths.”
“It was worth a shot.”
She scanned the rolling green hills and grabbed for another subject. “It would be smart if we had easy access to the knife. I can hold on to it.”
He shuddered. “No way.”
She widened her stance, planting her hands on her hips. “Just because I’m a woman—”
“It has nothing to do with your gender; it’s your temperament. You pounce first, ask questions later.” He shook his head. “Come on, break’s over.”
“You’re melodramatic.” She started down the leveled path blanketed with soft pine needles. Insects and seedpods periodically dive-bombed them from the jungle canopy.
“Ah, that might be,” he said. “But I’m still alive, sweetheart.”
The endearment swept over her, making her skin tingle. The rush she felt caused her jaw to tense. “I’ll bet this is how you charmed Mary.”
Falling in step with her, he scratched his head and frowned. “Mary?”
Really? Like he didn’t know. She wasn’t buying his confused, puppy-dog look. Bushes encroached on both sides of the trail. He lifted a branch, allowing her to precede him down the narrow path.
“I know you and Mary are a couple, and I resent the fact that you kissed me.” She kept her eyes focused straight ahead.
After a lengthy pause he said from behind her, “Is this what has you all worked up?”
“I’m not worked up. No woman likes a two-timing man.” An image of Mary and Cooper in a heated lip lock assaulted Lily’s mind. Her hands clenched into fists.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he scoffed. “I am not in a relationship with Mary. She’s like a sister to me.”
“A sister? Give me a break. One that rubs you with her magic fingers?”
