Chapter 4

Tim Matthews pushed himself up from his chair as the tall dark-skinned man entered the room. Not that it was required. There was just something about the man that commanded respect.

“Captain Jonas Roberts,” the man said in a deep voice, offering his hand. “CBI.”

“Tim Matthews,” Tim replied, taking his hand. “Park Director. Can I get you some coffee?”

“Thank you, sir, but no. Do you have a room we can use to establish a command post?”

“Of course,” Tim replied. “Please come with me.”

He led Captain Roberts to the conference room. He hadn’t expected the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to respond so quickly to his call. Once his rescue team had extracted Drew Jones and gotten him to a hospital, he had made the call to the CBI. His men were park rangers. They were not equipped to deal with hostiles who were murdering people.

“Will this do?” He stepped aside for the Captain to enter the room.

“Fine, thank you,” Jonas replied and activated his com link. “Hill, we have a location. I want com set up here in ten minutes with a backup unit in the van. Get teams one through four ready to deploy. I’ll brief them in twenty minutes.”

Jonas then turned to address Tim. “I want to hear everything you have on the hostiles, and a list of every man you have in the field. And—Excuse me.” He activated his com link again. “Hill, what’s the word on our tracker?”

“No response. Still trying,” the reply sounded in his earpiece.

“Keep at it,” he ordered then returned his attention to Tim. “As I was saying—”

“Excuse me,” Tim interrupted, “but I think you’ll want to know first up that Scout Windrider is already out there.”

“You already sent her in?” Jonas asked. “On whose authority?”

“No one’s,” Tim replied. “She was one of the participants in the competition, partnered with Cole Russell. They’ve been out all day.”

“I was informed that all competitors had been recalled after the incident.”

“They were,” Tim said. “But we can’t reach Cole.”

“Transmission problems?”

“I don’t think so.” Tim hated to admit it. “I think he’s gone silent.”

Jonas considered it for a moment. In all likelihood, Matthews was right. And Jonas would bet that it was at Scout’s insistence. He didn’t like the idea that the two of them were out there uninformed, but he also knew there was every possibility that Scout was already aware of trouble. Not much escaped her notice.

His problem was how to let her know about his teams so there were no potential problems.

“What can you tell me about the hostiles?”

Tim ran his hand over his face. Fatigue was catching up with him. “According to Drew, there were four. Two men he described as pale, out of shape and seemingly out of place. The other two he described as men you’d likely see out hunting. One was around five-ten with sandy hair, slim and wearing camos. The other was tall, six-two or -three, with dark eyes. Wore a black knit cap and camos.”

Jonas nodded. “Heavily armed?”

“All men had rifles. The two described as hunters also wore side arms.”

“Thank you,” Jonas said. “If you’ll excuse me.”

Tim watched Jonas walk away, and then leaned back against the wall. What had started as a friendly competition had blossomed into something out of a nightmare. If only he had been able to reach Cole. The idea of him and Scout running into four armed men made a shiver run down his spine.

Pushing himself away from the wall, he hurried to his office to try Cole on the radio again.

* * * * *

“We need to make camp,” Cole said as Scout breasted the cliff and scrambled to her feet.

“Cats are nocturnal,” she replied. “She’s been hiding all day. Now that it’s dark she’ll be on the move.”

“Be that as it may, we’re not cats. We haven’t eaten or rested and unless we do a little of both we’re going to run out of steam.”

Scout considered it for a few moments then agreed. “Okay, but no more than four hours. We need to be on the move soon.”

“Deal,” Cole said and looked around. “If I remember correctly, there’s a shallow cave a quarter mile north.”

“Lead the way,” Scout replied and fell in behind him as he headed out. For the last three hours she’d gotten wind of a disturbance. The forest was on alert, the animals skittish and wary. She was fairly certain they were no more than two miles from the origin of whatever had raised the alarm. Part of her wanted to press forward. Another part warned caution.

Which was why she had agreed with Cole that they should make camp. She could use the time to listen, and to see if she could sense anything. She was quiet the rest of the way, and they made camp without speaking.

The cave was deep enough that they would be protected from the wind. A fissure in the ceiling provided a small but natural chimney. “Fire?” Cole asked.

She nodded and he disappeared outside. She prepared a place for the fire with rocks she found lying about the cave then pulled a small break-down spade from her pack and set to work digging two holes near the fire site. Once there were enough coals, she’d fill the holes, cover the coals over with dirt and put the sleeping bags over them. It was a simple yet old and effective means of heating.

Cole returned with an armload of wood, dumped it then disappeared again. It struck her as they worked in unison that their movements were those of people who knew one another, rather than strangers who had just met. That thought had her pausing to turn and look at Cole as he entered with another armload of wood.

They went about making camp like people who’d worked together for years and understood one another’s rhythm. How was that possible? He stopped and found her looking at him. Their eyes met and the world went silent.

He could hear nothing but the sound of his own heart, beating hard and strong, the rate increasing with each moment that her cat eyes held him spellbound. It was only pride that kept him rooted in place when everything inside him shouted for him to close the distance between them. To take her in his arms. To feast on her lips, feed on her breasts, feel passion make her weak and then claim her, taking her fast and hard, slaking the thirst that burned in his veins.

The effect she had on him made him uncomfortable in more ways than just the immediate erection she gave him with a look. He felt like an animal. Something primal, primitive. A male recognizing a potential mate.

That was the idea that shook him to the soles of his feet. He’d never had such an immediate and profound reaction to a woman. He’d always been the cool one, the one who could hold back, wait for the woman to approach him, knowing she would and that when she did, she was already his.

But Scout made no move. Not even a blink. Like an animal, immobile and wary, yet curious, she stood silently, watching. Her stillness was erotic, compelling. Instinct urged him to go to her. Pride demanded that he not.

Pride was about to lose the battle when her eyes suddenly turned up and to one side, her head cocking almost exactly like that of a cat. Cole strained to hear but aside from the wind there was nothing.

Scout felt a presence. Not far, perhaps a hundred yards, off to the right of their camp. She opened her senses, letting herself become absorbed by the surroundings. After a moment she smiled. The deer was far more unsettled by their presence than she was with its. Using the technique her grandfather had taught her, Scout sent a mental message to the deer. Not words, but feelings of peace and safely. Visions of herself and the deer. Her hand on the deer’s neck, her touch and scent letting the animal know that there was nothing to fear.

She felt an answering relaxation and a moment later the rustle of leaves as the deer foraged.

Scout returned her attention to Cole to find him watching her curiously. “A deer,” she said simply and went back to her task.

“Where?” he asked as he started on the fire.

“About a hundred yard to the right.”

“I didn’t hear anything.”

She shrugged and rose to replace the spade in her pack. She shook out her bedroll, placing it near one of the holes she’d dug then looked over at him. He had the fire started and was feeding wood into it. “You hungry?” she asked.

The look that flared in his eyes had her suddenly hungering. And not for food. A totally feminine need bloomed, making her nipples pucker and a fire burn its way from her belly to her groin.

“Starving,” he replied, letting her know by look and tone that his appetite was not for food either.

There was no way they were going to be able to work together and focus with so much fire between them. Perhaps they wouldn’t act upon it, but until they acknowledged it, it would continue to rear its head.

“What are we going to do about this?” she asked.

The question shocked Cole. He hadn’t expected her to be so direct. “That depends,” he replied, deciding that the best approach would be to find out first what she wanted.

“On?”

“On what you want.”

He received another shock. Scout walked over to him, her eyes never leaving his. He stood and faced her. She didn’t stop until her body was pressed up against his, her head angled back to maintain eye contact.

“What I want is the problem. I want to win this competition. I want to find that wounded cat and save her. And I want to feel you naked and inside me.”

For a moment Cole had no clue how to respond. His body wasn’t having that problem. His dick was at full alert, straining at his pants. “You said problem,” he finally found his tongue. Once his mouth started working, his brain kicked in as well. “The way I see it, there’s nothing stopping you from having everything you want.”

“Is that right?” she breathed, her voice low and husky.

“Yep.”

“Well then,” she replied as her hands moved inside his coat and started a trek up his body to end circled around his neck. “In that case, let’s start with you. Naked.”

Cole didn’t need any more prompting than that. He snaked one arm around her, pulling her tightly to him while running his other hand behind her head to pull her mouth to his.

Plundered. That’s the only word her mind could come up with to describe the kiss. He was neither gentle nor hesitant. He assumed control and took. And the female that had lain dormant for so long beneath the hard exterior reveled in it. Wanted more.

Her fingers tangled in his thick hair, fisted, and pulled him closer, asserting her own control, diving her tongue into the warm sweetness of his mouth. The arm circling her loosened and his hand traveled lower, to cup her ass and pull her more firmly against his erection.

Scout nearly came then and there. By all the ancestors! She could feel his heat, smell his hunger and it shoved all else from her mind. Her hands worked at the buttons of his shirt, eager to have her hands on him, needing to touch him.

His skin was warm, the muscles beneath tight. She could feel the tension that sang inside him and understood it all too well. Her body was on fire. Her nipples literally burned, and her skin felt electrified, as if it had been slumbering until this moment and suddenly awakened to a world of sensation that was nearly overwhelming in its intensity.

Scout had never felt this kind of fire, this kind of wanting. It almost scared her. But the fear was eclipsed by desire. Her hands moved between them to stroke him though the fabric of his pants.

Cole broke free from the kiss and lifted her off the ground with one arm. Her legs circled his waist, settling her wet sex against his erection, providing another bolt of pleasure and longing that had her grinding against him.

His free hand unfastened her jacket and moved inside to cup one breast, his thumb rubbing over the hard nipple, creating waves of sensation that had her gasping. “Yes,” she breathed as his mouth replaced his hand, teeth scraping the fabric of her top over the sensitive nub.

That throatily gasped word almost made him come. Time and place, circumstance and reason fled his mind. Nothing existed but the woman in his arms and his need. He carried her to the bedroll and laid her down, settling his weight on her as he claimed her lips.

Her legs still wound around his waist, she tilted her hips up, pressing against his erection as her mouth slanted across his, her tongue questing within his mouth. A whimper escaped her when he moved one hand down, skimmed across her ass and rubbed firmly over her sex, feeling the damp material that gave testament to her excitement.

Without warning she suddenly shoved him off her and bounded to her feet, heading for the entrance of the cave.

“What?” he scrambled to his feet.

“Gunfire,” she said, stepping outside the cave.

Cole followed her outside but did not speak. She appeared to be concentrating, her eyes moved slowly, scanning the darkness. After a few minutes of tense silence, she turned to face him.

“Radio Tim. Something’s not right. There shouldn’t be gunfire, and this is the second time.”

Cole nodded and went inside the cave. He returned a few moments later with the radio. “Russell to base. Come in.”

They both waited, looking at one another and the radio expectantly. When Tim’s voice sounded in the silence, it seemed unnaturally loud.

“Cole? It’s about time! What the hell’s going on? We’ve been trying to reach you all day.”

Cole turned down the volume before responding.

“Tim, I think we may have some poachers or illegal hunters out here. Scout heard gunfire earlier and again just a few minutes ago.”

There was a pause. Cole looked at Scout who wore a serious expression on her face. Tim’s voice came back over the radio.

“Cole, I have Captain Jonas Roberts with the CBI here. He’d like to speak with Scout.”

“She’s right here,” Cole responded and gave Scout a quizzical look.

She didn’t react in any way. A deep male voice came over the radio. “Scout?”

“I’m here, Jonas. What’s up?”

“We have a situation. A ranger and one of the hunters were gunned down earlier today. The hunter is dead. We have vague descriptions on four men and a location. I’ve dispatched four teams, but we need a tracker.”

“Give me the coordinates. We’ll leave now.”

“Before you move, tell me about the gunfire you just heard. You get a direction and distance?”

“No. I was in a cave, making camp. But from the area of disturbance a few seconds after the event, I’d guess it was less than two miles from our current location and best estimate is a general north-east direction which would place it…” She looked to Cole for help.

“Somewhere past Ida,” Cole offered.

“Your teams shouldn’t try it at night,” Scout added. “It’ll require climbing and there’s weather coming in.”

“Affirmative,” Jonas replied. “But we can’t let the trail go cold and weather will decrease our chances. You up for night tracking?”

“Yes.”

“Is Mr. Russell equipped to accompany you?”

Scout eyed Cole for a moment. It would be faster if she went alone, and quieter. He wasn’t a greenhorn, but he didn’t know how to move through the forest silently. But then again, if she ran into trouble, he would be handy. Cole was a big man, strong and quick. If she were tracking four men, she would be smart to have backup.

“Yeah,” she answered.

“Then get to it. Radio silence until you’ve located the target. Mark the location and get to a safe distance and radio in. We’ll be waiting on your call.”

“Got it,” Scout replied, and then turned away, speaking to Cole over her shoulder as she gathered her hair up and wound it into a knot on the top of her head. “We travel light. Leave everything here except the rifle. You have any live ammo?”

“No. This was supposed to be a no-kill hunt.”

“Then take the trancs,” she said. “If we run into trouble, I’m going to be depending on you to take them out.”

It was not until that moment that Cole realized she did not have a weapon. “What about you?”

She patted the knife sheathed on her hip then squatted down in front of her backpack and rumbled around. She withdrew a small round tin and opened it. After smearing some of the dark substance over her face, neck, and the top of her hands, she pulled on a dark knit cap and stood.

Cole was momentarily taken aback. With the dark smears across her face, her cat-like eyes seemed huge and almost feral. She smeared his face, neck and the tops of his hands and wrists with the substance.

“That smells like shit,” he complained.

“Only partially,” she said and turned away, but not before he saw a smile.

He was certain she was trying to jerk his chain. No way would she smear shit on her face. Then again, just to be safe, he’d make damn sure his hands got nowhere near his mouth.

Scout took off her coat and donned a tight, matte, black, high-necked shirt that was mottled with other colors and matched her pants. Cole knew that once she stepped outside, she’d blend into the night like a ghost. Following her lead, he shed his coat and pulled on a tight black shirt designed for artic wear, along with a wool cap that fit snuggly over his head to his eyebrows and covered his ears.

“You ready?” she asked.

“As I’ll get,” he replied.

“Okay, just a couple of things,” she said. “We need to move fast, but quiet. I’ll take the lead. I want you to stay exactly five paces behind me. No more and no less. Move as quietly as possible and if I raise my left arm, stop, and don’t make a sound. Got it?”

“Yeah.”

“Then let’s go.”

Wondering what kind of trouble they would find, or what might find them, he followed her out into the night.