Bitter Wild Page 13

  Casey led them out of the cave the next day, despite Jack’s insistence that she was still too weak to resume their hunt. She argued that the snow was already nearly gone and the temperature was well above the frigid levels it had been at only two days before. Wherever Jester had holed up, he’d certainly know that it wasn’t safe to stay there. She was positive that he’d get moving as soon as he could and she didn’t want him to put any more distance between them than he already had. Jack was shocked to catch himself a breath away from telling her that he wasn’t nearly as worried about Jester as he was about her.

  The fact was, she was right. They needed to stay on Jester’s trail. They couldn’t risk losing him. Jack couldn’t quite believe he’d actually let himself forget that tracking Jester had to come first. Before him. Before Casey. They had to find Jester and stop him. So he followed her out of the cave, determined not to dwell on the flash of remorse he felt at leaving their shelter behind. It had nothing to do with the slight chill in the air or the slush that covered the ground and fell out of the trees. He didn’t even truly care that leaving the cave meant their diet would go back to jerky and protein bars. What he regretted leaving behind was the cocoon of isolation they’d shared. In the cave they might as well have been the only two people in the world. Outside Jack knew they would once again become a federal agent and a guide instead of a man and woman inching their way toward one another. He told himself it was for the best and ignored the denial that instantly leapt into his mind.

  They traveled for most of the day before Casey finally admitted that she was too tired to go any further. Jack’s shoulders were tight with tension as she announced that they would stop. He’d been watching her all day and he hadn’t missed the strain in her eyes or the constant limp as she pushed herself to go on through the pain in her leg. His professional need to catch up to Jester had been warring with his instinctive desire to protect Casey every step of the way. By the time she dropped her backpack and sank onto a large rock Jack was calling himself every vile name he could think of because he’d forced himself to let her go this long.

  They hadn’t come across Jester’s trail. Jack sincerely hoped that meant the man had veered off the path before the storm in search of shelter and frozen to death somewhere. He knew wishful thinking wouldn’t make it so, though. It was possible that he had that much distance on them. Jack absolutely refused to worry about what their early stop would cost them in time. Casey was ready to drop and he’d be damned if he’d make her feel worse than he knew she already did. He set up their camp, such as it was. Casey directed him on how to use twigs and branches from the evergreens to keep their bedrolls relatively dry despite the soggy ground. He built a fire to keep them from freezing as darkness approached. Then he locked his gaze on Casey and broached a subject he knew she wasn’t going to like.

  “I think it might be a good idea if we considered staying here until the others catch up to us.”

  Casey blinked at him. “What? If we do that then Jester could gain another day or more on us.”

  Jack nodded. “I know.”

  Casey opened her mouth to ask him why he’d suggest such a thing, then snapped it closed again as the answer dawned on her. She was absently rubbing at her leg, trying to massage some of the pain away. Her hand went still as she shot him a frown.

  “You think I can’t make it.”

  Jack heard the open challenge in her voice. He shook his head. “I’d be willing to bet that if there’s anyone in the world who could make it, you’re that person. But just because you’re capable of doing it doesn’t necessarily mean we ought to try. I’ve seen your scar, remember? That was one hell of an injury and it still hasn’t healed completely.”

  Casey forced herself to bite back the sharp retort that was on the tip of her tongue. He wasn’t questioning her abilities. She knew he respected her. And he’d no doubt ask this same question of a man. She just didn’t like feeling like she was on the defensive. She shook her head.

  “I’m not quitting. I’m tired from the fever and I won’t pretend my leg doesn’t hurt like hell, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. By tomorrow the last effects of the fever should be gone. As for the leg, it is just something I have to deal with. Believe me, it’s nothing close to the pain I felt when I was going through physical therapy. More importantly, though, is the fact that Jester already has a pretty impressive lead on us. I don’t want to risk that lead getting any wider. He’s too smart. He might figure out how to lose us completely.”

  “You said it yourself. He might have frozen to death somewhere out here.”

  She nodded. “Yes and I also said he might just as likely have found some shelter. It’s not all that farfetched, considering his background. He’d know enough to read the weather. And he’d have to be a complete idiot not to know that his only chance for survival would be to find shelter and wait the storm out. We’ve already established that he’s no fool. If I had to make odds on his current condition, I’d say there’s a better than average chance that he’s still alive.”

  Jack considered her words. He trusted her enough to give her suggestion that Jester had survived the storm serious weight. She’d been tracking Jester long enough to have gotten a feel for his abilities. Which left him still torn between the need to find Jester and the desire to protect her. He didn’t have to voice his feelings to know she wouldn’t appreciate them. She wouldn’t want anyone protecting her. But he couldn’t seem to make himself forget the fear that had gripped him as he’d carried her limp body back to the cave. He’d been terrified that she’d die, that he’d spend the rest of his life remembering the blood on her face. Even now, when he knew she was going to be fine, that fear still lingered within him. He didn’t like it and he didn’t have the first clue how to rid himself of it. The only thing he was sure of was that he couldn’t force Casey to do anything. He met her gaze.

  “Okay, we’ll stay on him. You’ve got to promise me that you’ll take it easy if you need to, though. That leg of yours might need to be exercised, but too much might do more damage than good.”

  She accepted his decision and his condition without comment. Jack figured it was just further evidence of how tired she really was. They bedded down as close to the fire as they could get without risking getting burned. Jack eventually managed to fall asleep in spite of the shivers that periodically wracked his body. His rest was fitful at best, though, and when he finally opened his eyes to see the gray light of dawn he wasn’t sure if he felt better or worse. It didn’t take long for him to discover that Casey’s rest had evidently been better than his.

  Contents

  CHAPTER SIX

  Casey was surprised by how much better she felt this morning. She slept particularly well, maybe because she was bordering on exhaustion the day before. Whatever the reason, she woke feeling better than she had since she’d gotten hurt. She rushed Jack through their morning routine, anxious to get on the move. She worried that Jester would widen the distance between them, especially if her leg continued to give her trouble.

  Jacob followed Casey and the dog in silence. He couldn’t think of anything to say that wouldn’t come out sounding inane. It was strange how they’d spent those days in the cave together and talked about everything under the sun with ease. Now he wondered what had possessed him to open up to her the way he had. He kept going over all the things they didn’t have in common. They were total opposites. Well, maybe not entirely. They both liked to be in control. That was the source of all their trouble. Except as he thought about it they really hadn’t had any trouble in that area in days. Whenever they’d disagreed they somehow worked it out without the anger that had marked their first meeting. How was it that they’d so quickly settled into a workable partnership?

  He was forced to stop when Casey halted in front of him. He instantly worried that her leg was hurting her, but quickly realized that wasn’t what had brought her to a standstill. He saw her crouch down to look at the ground and he felt his stomach t
wist. She’d found something. He moved up beside her.

  “What is it?”

  She turned to look up at him. “Jester.” She straightened. “It’s no more than a day old. Maybe less.”

  Jack immediately lifted his eyes to scan the area around them. Not that he expected to see anything. It was just an instinctual reaction to being told they were that close to Jester. He turned back to Casey and she gave him a smile that took his breath away. “We’re going to get him, Jack.”

  She spun around and headed off with more energy than he’d seen her demonstrate in days. It took him a few seconds to get his mind in gear and make his body go through the motion of following her. His heart was beating too fast and his entire body felt flushed with heat. When she’d looked at him like that, with that smile on her face and the excitement in her eyes it had hit him like a kick to the gut. He wanted her. That aching physical need had been haunting him from the first moment he saw her. It wasn’t anything new. What sent him into a stunned tailspin was the sudden realization that he didn’t just want to enjoy her body. He wanted to touch her heart and soul. He wanted to put that kind of smile on her face and that thrill in her eyes. He wanted to love her.

  He mentally balked at the very idea of the word. He couldn’t have any such deep feeling for Casey. He’d barely known her a week. People didn’t fall in love that fast. But the more he thought about it, the more he felt himself craving her and there was no way for him to pretend it was just a physical attraction. He shook his head. He must be going nuts out here. The constant stress and forced intimacy had to be to blame. It was the only rational explanation.

  Casey’s leg was on fire, but she didn’t dare slow down. She was close, she could feel it. Jester must have waited a day longer than she and Jack had to break shelter after the storm. Maybe he’d been worried that the break in the weather wouldn’t last. It didn’t matter what had held him up. All that mattered was that he was less than a day in front of them and judging from the direction he was heading, he was going straight into a trap. She smiled to herself. His run was about to come to an end.

  Casey wouldn’t stop for lunch. She wouldn’t stop for anything. She was like a woman obsessed. Jack kept watching her leg, waiting for it to go out on her at any moment. But it didn’t. It had to be killing her. She was pushing them both too hard. Jack was feeling the strain of it all over his body. Even the dog looked tired. He couldn’t help wondering if she was that anxious to get the job over with. Jack kept reminding himself that he ought to be happy. She was doing exactly what she was supposed to do. They were right on Jester’s heels and with any luck at all, this whole thing would be over in twenty-four hours. The problem was, when it was over so was his reason to be near Casey. He wasn’t quite able to make himself think about leaving and never seeing her again.

  It was late afternoon when Casey finally stopped. Jack thought she was just pausing to make sure she was still on Jester’s trail, but she never even looked at the ground. She leaned against a tree and shifted her weight off her bad leg. He immediately went to her.

  “Are you all right?”

  She nodded. “I’m fine.” She nodded in the direction they’d been heading. “He’s boxing himself in. I didn’t want to say anything until I was sure that he wasn’t going to change direction at the last minute, but we’re far enough into the corridor now for me to be fairly certain he doesn’t realize what he’s doing.” She stopped and grimaced as she rubbed at her leg. Jack shrugged out of his backpack, then offered her his hand.

  “You need to sit down for a few minutes. You’ve pushed yourself too hard.”

  Casey started to argue with him, then decided there wasn’t any point in it. He was right. She slipped her pack off her shoulders, then slowly eased down onto the ground. She sighed in relief, then gasped when Jack knelt beside her and took hold of her leg.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Nothing. Go on, tell me why he’s boxing himself in.”

  Casey didn’t say anything for a few seconds. Jack was working on her leg, kneading at the aching muscles. It wasn’t exactly a pleasant sensation since it hurt, but it was the good kind of pain. The kind that hurt for a short while then left you feeling better once it was over. She wasn’t fully concentrating on the pain, though. Because in spite of his completely professional manner there was something shockingly intimate about having his hands on her in this way. She felt her body tingle with awareness, felt the stirrings of thoughts and emotions that were wholly inappropriate. He was way too close to her. It would take nothing at all for her to lean forward just a bit and touch her mouth to his. Suddenly she very much wanted to do that.

  Jack lifted his gaze from her leg to make sure he wasn’t being too rough. She wasn’t saying anything and he feared he might have hurt her. He was surprised to find her watching him intently. The surprise vanished, though, when their gazes met and locked. He felt heat rush through him. There was no way in the world to mistake the expression on her face for anything other than what it was. As if the desire in her eyes wasn’t enough, her gaze suddenly dropped to his mouth and his hands went still on her leg. He could kiss her now. The invitation was there. She wanted him to kiss her and he was all but dying to give her what she wanted. Every fiber of his being strained in an effort to urge him closer to her. He felt himself sway just a fraction and instantly jerked himself back.

  Casey saw him pull away from her and instantly snapped out of the fantasy she’d fallen into. She felt her blood climb into her face and turned away from him. He knew what she’d been thinking, what she’d wanted him to do. For some insane reason she’d let herself think he wanted it too. Obviously she was wrong. Before he could say anything, she cleared her throat and went on as if the interlude had never happened.

  “There’s nowhere for him to go up ahead. To the left it starts a steep climb that eventually won’t be negotiable to any but the most avid and skilled climber. To the right there’s a drop off that’s almost as bad. It leads into a valley that’s totally isolated. It’s surrounded by sheer rock face walls on all sides. The walls open up in only one place and that’s to let out the water from the river that runs through the valley. The rapids are impossible to navigate, even if he had a boat. The maps he took from Millie’s are at least a year old. They show a bridge over the river but it’s gone. It washed away in last year’s thaw. He’s got nowhere to go.”

  Just like that, she pretended they hadn’t been a breath away from kissing. He might have been insulted if he hadn’t been able to see the blush on her cheeks and hear the slight tremor in her voice. She wouldn’t meet his gaze and he hated it. He hated that he’d pulled back, that he’d robbed himself of tasting her. He hated that they were so incompatible and he even hated that he was so damned honorable that he wouldn’t let himself take what she was willing to give him. But he couldn’t lie to himself, even for a few minutes. There was no way for them to ever have anything viable together and he wasn’t going to take anything from her that he knew she’d only wind up regretting later. So he let her pretend nothing had happened. It was the best thing for both of them.

  “When he realizes he’s trapped he’s going to get desperate. It might be a good idea for us to find a spot to wait for the others to catch up to us.”

  Casey shook her head. “We can’t, not yet at least. We need to get closer. Right now it would be possible for him to backtrack and slip by us. I want to make sure we get close enough to keep him bottled up tight.”

  “That’s not your job, Casey. You’re just here to track him down.”

  “I know, but we’ve got a chance to end this thing here and now. Do you really want to risk blowing it?”

  His fear for her warred with his sense of duty. The closer they got to Jester the more danger Casey would be in. His instincts as a man urged him to keep her well out of harm’s way. His training forced him to put containing Jester first. He sighed.

  “Okay, we get closer. But I want you to take it slow. If he’s alre
ady figured out that he’s trapped he’s most likely waiting for us.”

  She nodded. “I know. I’ll be careful. And Chance will let us know if he smells anything out of the ordinary.”

  She braced herself against a tree as she started to struggle to get up. Jack took her arm and lifted her without thought. He let her go as soon as she was on her feet, then bent to pick up her pack.

  “You’re not going to be able to walk at all tomorrow.”

  She shrugged. “With any luck, I won’t need to.”

  She slipped her pack onto her shoulders and he saw her make a face. No doubt her shoulder was hurting almost as badly as her leg. He felt like a heartless bastard for letting her go on when he knew how much pain she was in. But he didn’t stop her. He just shouldered his pack and followed her. She halted an hour and a half later, crouching down, then motioning for Jack to do the same. When he did she spoke quietly. “We’re here.”

  He glanced up but didn’t see anything. “Where?”

  “There’s a cabin about a mile away from here. My guess is that’s where Jester will be, unless he decided to go down into the valley. Either way, he’s definitely somewhere in front of us.”