Rachel Lee - Deadly Hunter

Given what she had just learned, this was no longer looking like such an easy job. If the quantity of toxin was truly large, it could be all over by now. Some would have broken down, but she wondered how well. She had no idea how it reacted to the cold. She understood that fungi in the dirt would break it down, but how active were they near the surface now that it was so cold? Either way, she needed to be extremely cautious that she didn’t carry the toxin out of this area in any way.

So many variables right now that could make everything worse.

She ducked under the tape, then reached back for her supplies. It was going to be a long morning.

* * *

Jerrod watched her work, pacing around the outer edge of the delimited area. He figured he could help her if he had the protective gear, and he decided to ask her if she had any spares, and if he could help in some way. He got her concerns about exposure, but it was a lot of work for one person, he thought as he watched her use the snow shovel to clear away the snow, then twist her manual coring tool into the ground, pulling up samples that were at least six inches long. She strained occasionally as she met a particularly hard piece of ground, but as the hours passed she piled her small core samples, carefully labeled according to some grid system, into her case just outside the ring.

And everywhere she drilled, she added a blue pin flag.

Eventually, the place was fluttering with flags. She made her way back to the edge of the tape. “Can you get one of the big trash bags out of the back of my car? I need to ditch my rubber gloves and boots.”

He brought her the bag, watching the caution she exercised in removing the boots and gloves and stuffing them into the bag he held open. “Please seal it,” she said.

So she was worried she might have picked up contaminants. Great. He looked around again, wondering if it had ever crossed her mind to consider that someone might get upset if he or she thought Allison could track the toxin back to its origins. Then he remembered she had said that would probably be impossible. Given the way this crap spread, he supposed she was right. It all depended on whether the guy who’d done this understood that.

“What now?” he asked as he stood holding the tied-off bag and she bent to pick up her gear.

“I’m going to take a few samples outside the perimeter, then I want to go downstream and take some water samples.”

He looked at her, thinking that even after all that labor she was looking cold. “You should have brought a thermos of coffee. You’re chilled.”

“Rule one when dealing with toxic substances. Don’t eat or drink.”

“Bad enough you have to breathe, huh?”

She surprised him with a laugh. “Maybe. But I think the snowfall took care of that.”

He felt his lips twitch, wanting to join her laughter. The feeling surprised him. “Well, I’ve been standing here, too. I’d hate to spread it. What’s the likelihood I’m carrying some of this stuff right now?”

“Low. You’re uphill.” She waved her arm. “Just a couple more samples farther out, then we’ll drive along the stream.”

Her competence made him feel comfortable. He liked being around people who knew what they were doing, always had. The fact that he was the tyro here didn’t bother him. He was learning.

And even in that snowmobile suit she looked tempting enough to eat.

He watched her study the terrain, keeping his mouth shut, refusing to insult her by speaking. He was a capable judge of terrain himself, extremely capable, but she didn’t seem to need his help at all.

The back of his neck prickled. Moving slowly, he turned to scan the area. Someone was watching them, someone he couldn’t see. He knew it as sure as he was standing there.

But who? A hunter? Someone who wanted to keep an eye on Allison’s activities?

But then the feeling faded. Probably just a hunter, he told himself. Although given that everyone by now had probably heard of the poison, he was surprised that anyone would want to hunt in the area.

“Have they warned hunters?” he asked.

“You bet,” she answered, then marched away toward the stream’s edge where she took a few more ground samples. Then they were off, bucking alongside the stream.

It struck Jerrod that while he was of no real use, this was still the most useful day he’d spent in a while.

“Damn, man,” he said aloud, “you’ve got to get your act together soon.”

* * *

The daylight was fading by the time they got back to town. Allison had driven farther along the stream than he’d expected, and stopped frequently to take samples from the bank and the water. By the time she was done, the back of her vehicle was loaded with samples and she’d used quite a few pairs of gloves. He guessed the next time she went, if she did, she wouldn’t have any trouble giving him some protective gear so he could help. She also skipped stopping back at the ranch house for a hot drink. It was getting late.

“Want me to help you unload?” he asked when they had parked. He crossed the small space between their two driveways easily this time.

“Nothing leaves my car until the state comes for it. Why don’t you come in for some coffee? And I think I have some lasagna I can heat for the two of us.”

It would have been smart to say no, but instead, a different word popped out. “Thanks.”

Being with her all day had been easy. No reason to think another hour or so wouldn’t be just as easy. Nothing about her was pushy or intrusive.

He paused once again and scanned the street. That made twice today he’d felt watched. The uneasiness began to creep along his nerves again, a feeling he usually only had on missions, but a feeling that had too often been his companion since he’d returned to civilian life. Like some kind of training he couldn’t shake.

But the street was quiet and growing dark, and this was a safe little town in the middle of nowhere. It was as if his brain was trying to take him back to places he no longer needed to go. Not at all. Or as if he couldn’t let go of an adrenaline addiction.

Yeah, that was probably all it was. Imagining things because he was used to a whole different kind of life, one full of threats. Years of training he couldn’t quite shake.

He blew a disgusted breath and followed Allison into her house. This adjustment thing was too much. Ridiculous.

Hell, he’d even lost his sense of humor, although he supposed the kind of black humor he and his team had often indulged in probably wouldn’t fly well with civilians. But he clearly remembered it, remembered how often they had found reasons to kid around. It was a great way to break tension.

He hadn’t laughed since he’d wound up in the hospital the last time. Man, he needed to shake himself up good. Rattle his head until it settled into this new world.

Inside, he found Allison in the kitchen. Evidently she was still cold because she hadn’t even unzipped her suit yet. He needed to get one of those for himself, if the past few days were any indication of what he could expect here. A parka and jeans weren’t making it.

Assuming he stayed here, of course. He wasn’t even sure about that yet.

“Grab a chair,” she said cheerfully. “I may thaw by tomorrow.”

“And here I am looking at that snowmobile suit of yours with envy.”

“I can see why,” she answered, running her eyes over him. He didn’t miss the appreciative glimmer in them as he ditched his parka. Despite everything, he’d kept himself in fighting trim. His shoulders weren’t quite as broad since he hadn’t weight trained in a while, but all the walking and running, along with calisthenics, had at least kept his belly flat and the rest of him lean enough.