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  "You never did tell me how you ended up at HSD."

  She stared at him as if he had asked for a loan until payday. “I expect the same way you did.” Her journal held her gaze. “I went to Arizona University, then on to the military."

  Her pert little face expressed her feelings that she didn't really want to exchange personal data, that she was hoping he didn't ask about her fiancé. Okay, try another subject.

  "You from a big family. Any kids?"

  "No brothers or sisters and never married."

  He nodded, pleased to see her icy veneer melting away. There were a lot of miles to cover, and he didn't want to be on her crap list any longer.

  For their comfort and safety, he made an offer he thought she couldn't refuse. “If you're tired, I'll stand first watch."

  "Thank you, no.” She kept her eyes on the dials.

  Well, that was better. Jake tested the waters again.

  "Can I say something, Fontana?” She had a beautiful sultry smile that grabbed him in all the sensitive places.

  "Is this business or bull?"

  "You're the most evil female I've had the pleasure to meet!” The woman had the ability to make him randy as hell and pissed him off at the same time. A real dangerous combination. Right now, he was being dangled like a puppet in the memory of her sweet smelling, smooth skin.

  After a few minutes, he couldn't let it alone. “How's the oil pressure?"

  That caught her attention, and she checked the gauges. “It's perfect. What's up?"

  He gestured over his shoulder. “I'm still catching that smell that was in here yesterday."

  Her eyes narrowed, no longer lobbing arrows at his hide. “I picked up on that too."

  Since she was aware of the odor, he became more concerned. “Probably a good idea if we stayed on top of things. You know, until we land."

  She didn't look worried, just alert to possible trouble. “I'll make a run through check."

  Not waiting for him to answer, she got up and went to the rear of the plane. Jake glanced back to see her searching the under seat storage.

  "Anything?"

  "Nothing unusual.” He shook his head as she yanked several large items from the low storage bins.

  She lugged the stuff to the front of the plane. He recognized what they were and teased her.

  "Parachutes?” He chuckled.

  "Laugh, funny man, but you'd be the first to scream for one if the need arose."

  "Right.” He made sure his grin was kept under wraps. “Want to check the route? The curve is coming soon."

  She made several notations in the log and checked the dials. “It will still be dark when we reach our destination."

  Jake got the idea she might be pretty concerned about the planes stability. But then, she yawned. So much for her being worried.

  Chapter Nine

  They made good time. No headwind, clear sky, and moonlight for ambiance. Jessica was hungry and visions of good South American food danced in her brain. A big plate of rice and beans for starters. She licked her lips.

  Minus thirty minutes and they would touch down in Managua, Nicaragua.

  Jake was tired if she read his mannerisms correctly. He yawned several times and worked his broad shoulders, then rubbed his eyes. After he checked the weather, he ate one of his calorie ridden candy bars.

  "You consume enough sugar for three people.” She had planned to make a more cutting remark but was dissuaded by the dark blue of his eyes and that wild hair of his.

  He smiled at her, and Jessica leaned toward him, staring at the dab of chocolate in the corner of his mouth. His tongue lapped out at the sweet, and her lips quivered.

  "You okay, Fontana?"

  She suddenly realized she was very okay. Being with him blanked out most of the feelings of inadequacy and filled the quiet longing for a mate.

  Jessica could almost forget the embarrassment of last night. But, not completely. He'd planned to use her vulnerability and then ruined the passionate moment with lame jealousy. She didn't argue with the tingle of awareness his nearness shot through her system. But she could irritate him in retaliation. And she would.

  "Why did you get so bent out of shape last night?” She forced a short laugh. “Did you think I was serious about sleeping with you?” Her smile was chiding. “Well. Did you?"

  He patted her thigh and nodded, wiping his mouth. “You were serious as a heart attack."

  "I'll remember how gullible you are, Claypool."

  "Not gullible, lady. Just experienced."

  He was a smart-ass with far too much sex appeal. The way he dressed, comfortable, slightly tattered jeans, a sapphire blue cotton shirt over a dark blue t-shirt looked totally GQ on him. Plus, he smelled incredible.

  But not that good. There was a lesson to be learned here, and she was the professor.

  "I don't suppose you have any kids, an experienced man like you."

  He drank from his water bottle and then grinned at her. “You must be getting bored."

  "Yes. I am.” She slowly folded the wrapper from his candy bar. “I don't want to sound like a hysterical female, but it seems to me the scent of burning wire has intensified."

  He swung around to face her, all teasing vanished. “Why the hell didn't you mention this earlier?” Jake grabbed her hand and clamped it down on the controls. “Take over."

  "I'm not the pilot.” She waved off his attempt to keep her in her seat. “Stay where you are.” Jessica took over the flashlight, anxious to have a look for herself.

  The acrid smell wasn't her imagination. It was stronger in the tail section. She coughed and pulled a plate off a circuit board that had once supplied life to a refrigerator and coffee pot.

  She flipped the overhead light off and shined the beam on the exposed wiring. “Damn.” The sight of curling gray smoke sent a shock wave through her. “We've got a problem, Claypool."

  "How bad?"

  "Well, is smoking wiring bad enough?"

  "Get up here and take over!"

  "I can handle this."

  "Get your ass up here. Now!"

  She went to the front and handed him the flashlight and then took over the controls. “I don't know how deep it goes.” She moistened her dry lips. “We have that extinguisher, but I don't think it's enough to kill the whole snake."

  "Give me a break, Fontana.” He glanced to the rear and shook his head. “Keep your mind on getting us to Managua in one piece."

  She couldn't resist looking back when he ripped a slab off the wall. The stench was becoming unbearable. It looked like he was emptying the entire contents of the extinguisher into the wiring. She coughed, trying to cover her mouth and nose with her shirt.

  He checked around in the tail section for sometime, watching the area before coming back to the front. He didn't look happy, and that made her nervous.

  "Jake, what's the situation?"

  "It'll hold.” He glanced back and exhaled roughly. “I'll take over. You keep an eye out for trouble."

  "What do you mean, it'll hold?” She couldn't sit and wait. Jessica had to investigate what he'd done.

  Her concern wasn't assuaged by his decision to drop their altitude. That meant he foresaw a possible bailout. She simply wouldn't sit still while they hurtled toward their demise.

  Nosing through cupboards and lockers, she found exposed wires and loose fiberglass insulation. She wasn't surprised that her heart flipped and stopped at the sight of smoke seeping through the cracks in the flooring. It rose like an ominous vapor.

  "How did those guys miss this?"

  Jake yelled back to her. “What? What's going on?"

  "We have more than smoke, Claypool. We have fire."

  "Okay. Get back up here!"

  No questions, no resistance. She followed orders. Jessica was scared and ready to work as a team to get out of this mess.

  He caught her hand when she sat down, tension obvious in his terse and gruffer tone.

  "We can't stay in thi
s fire trap.” He tried the radio again. The thing merely crackled like dry foil paper. “Damn it. We aren't able to let HSD or the airfield know our location."

  She figured out their position with her instruments. “What's the plan?” She quickly wrote an update in her logbook and stuffed it into one of the leg pockets of her cargo pants.

  He took the flashlight. “We don't have any choice. We jump."

  Almost as one, they secured their weapons in their holsters. She dropped a small knife and a compass in the other pockets of her pants. She ignored his glower as she ran her belt through the handles of her tote bag and fastened it around her waist.

  He took off his long sleeved shirt and thrust it at her.

  She knew why he wanted her to wear it, but she would rather freeze than know he was suffering because of her. “What are you doing? You'll need this!"

  He shook his head. “You'll need it more.” After setting the plane on autopilot, he pulled her onto her feet. “Let's get ready to rumble, baby."

  She almost choked on worry when the weight of the chute lay on her shoulders. He buckled her up and snapped her satchel onto her drop line.

  Her heart chugged harder while helping him with his chute. He appeared calm enough, but his eyes were dark with worry.

  A new concern jolted her. “Who packed these chutes?"

  Jake gave her a quick smile and roughly patted the front of her chute. “Does it matter? Don't worry about it."

  "But, I can't...."

  She didn't finish her thought, surprised when he gripped the chute's harness.

  "Come here.” He pulled her to him, cradling her head in his hand, kissing her hard. There was teasing in his eyes when he broke the kiss. “I want that back."

  He tried the radio once more. Still nothing. Jessica handed him a pair of safety goggles and put on hers. He was so awesomely superior over all other men she'd been with, her heart felt too full to beat.

  He looked around the cabin, then at her. She once again worried about his safety. “You're going to freeze, not to mention being cut to shreds by the trees. Take this shirt back."

  "Forget it.” He swatted her rear. “Let's go."

  The aircraft was being engulfed by smoke as it began a slow decent.

  She followed Jake to the cargo door and held onto a steel pole while he unlatched it. The heavy metal flew off and disappeared into the cold unknown.

  "Jake. Wait!"

  He couldn't hear her over the cold rush of win, and grabbed her arm, shouting, “I'll follow you out."

  She balked. “No. I want to make sure you get out."

  He shook her. “Don't be crazy. You go now or we don't make it."

  "Okay, damn you.” Tears of stress streamed unnoticed down her cheeks.

  "Fontana. I'll find you. Wherever you land, baby. I'll find you.” He pushed her to the door. “Wait for me down there."

  "I will.” She gripped his hand a final time. “Don't lose me Claypool."

  "Never happen, honey."

  There was no more talk, no more safety of being with Jake.

  She was falling through the night. Alone.

  Chapter Ten

  He'd heard her yell a “boo-yah” as she jumped from the plane. He'd been able to keep her chute in sight until the wind flipped him upside down.

  That's when he lost most of the supplies he'd jumped with. The wind shear tore at his clothes and face until losing his entire hide was not entirely out of the question. Thank God Fontana had thought of the goggles or he'd be blind by now.

  He was cold, and, if he lived, it'd be the last time he shivered. His own misery brought Fontana to mind and made him extremely anxious about her.

  Would the damn fall ever be over? His question was answered at forty miles an hour when he connected with a sturdy tree. Fortunately, it was topped with springy leaf padded limbs.

  Off in the distance, he saw their plane run headlong into a cliff, burst into flames, and fall apart. They hadn't bailed out a minute too soon. His desire to sleep was stronger than his resistance for few seconds. Staying awake was going to be really important, especially until he found his partner. Unceremoniously, he passed out, unaware of the hunting cat that watched him with its green stare.

  He had no idea how long he'd been out before he regained full capacity. Jake pulled out of his painful fog, slowly alerted to a cold nose nuzzling his bloody cheek.

  "Hey!” For a single painful heartbeat, Jake stared into the face of a savage beast. A Margay to be precise. The damned cat was small by Jaguar standards but could rip his face off with no trouble. He sucked in air and yelled like a mad man. Cry with relief is what he wanted to do after the spotted animal turned and scampered along the limbs with all the grace and no fear of a housecat.

  His blood poured through his veins in furious torrents after being frozen by shock and downright fear.

  He began to recount the earlier events. The fire. The jump. Fontana!

  He fought his way out of the chute and tangle of lines. Get out of this tree, fool!

  Shooting pain in his left shoulder reminded him that she could be badly injured. He had to hurry and locate her.

  He worked his way out of the nylon prison and freed himself from the precarious cradle only to fall through a punishing gauntlet of limbs and vines until he plummeted to the forest floor.

  He landed on something that must have broken several ribs. Feeling under his back, Jake pulled his flashlight out and forgot his cracked ribs. The flashlight was the only thing that hadn't been lost in his freefall.

  Adjusting his vision to the darkness took time. But, his hearing was perfect. Animals were moving around in the underbrush and that meant they were hunting a meal.

  On his feet, Jake tried to sort out the different sounds. Birds, cats, and things he couldn't identify.

  Filtered moonlight leaked through the heavy overhead canopy, but it was more curse than blessing. The light moved in crazy patterns, brightening the path for a mere few seconds, then skittering off.

  Listening for any sound that could lead him to Fontana, he quieted his breathing and the urge to groan in pain.

  Come on, baby. Talk to me.

  Nothing. She wasn't the type to scream if she was hurt or afraid no matter where she was. If she could make a sound.

  Fontana, where are you?

  A crust of moss on the lower trunks of the trees gave him a direction to shoot for. He walked in the way he thought was south, stumbling over vines that twisted across the forest floor.

  He looked to the canopy above his head before he went on. She could be hanging up in a tree as well as be on the ground.

  Thirty long minutes later, Jake stopped looking. He couldn't help the growing worry in his gut. Worry hell. He was scared. Thinking of her being hurt, bleeding, and maybe crying. Or worse, unable to call for help.

  Never too wary of animals, Jake had to recoil after coming face to face with a large bearded lizard draped over a low limb across the narrow trail.

  The creature was in no hurry to give up his residence, peeing off the branch to make sure Jake got the message. He made a small detour. Stepping off the path, he caught the sound of trickling water. That brought back the image of Fontana carefully laying a water bottle in her tote. She'd be thirsty by now.

  He moved ahead, his flashlight splashing a beam up into the trees. A shower of leaves from the canopy stopped his progress. He automatically checked his weapon, not wanting another encounter with that cat.

  The Glock was in his fist, and he looked up, waiting. Nothing but more leaves and a dead calm which usually meant trouble.

  * * * *

  For a time, Jessica couldn't identify anything around her. She was lying on her back in a bed of sharp stones. The air smelled of rain and a strong musky scent of dried leaves. Something heavy tugged on her leg. Someone was trying to pull her down. Down! She had jumped from an airplane, and, if the pain in her hip was real, she'd lived.

  She could almost hear Jake's gruff voi
ce as he yelled at her to wait for him. Jake! While she had been daydreaming, he could be hanging onto life somewhere in this dark, tangled world. The memory of their plane crashing into a cliff gripped her heart.

  Did he get out in time?

  She flailed her arms and clenched her teeth. She couldn't scream. Too risky. Her legs dangled, giving her the feeling of being in a baby swing. Damn it. Frustration swept through her, and she fought with the tangle of chute and harness holding her prisoner.

  She felt her weight sliding down before drawing her legs up against the sharp pain. A scream of anger worked its way to her throat, but she beat it down. No yelling. No call for help. No nothing.

  Fear of expiring in this damned narrow, rocky ravine outweighed her concern of being discovered by one of Azizi's henchmen.

  Dawn would be breaking soon if she read the sounds and feel of the air correctly. Oh great, her watch was gone, and Jake's didn't work half the time.

  Jake! The desire to whine was foolish, but Jessica knew being lost in this place meant certain death.

  Stop it! Use your head. Not your emotions.

  She shivered from the cold. The altitude was radically different than the warmer, lower regions of South America, and her clothing wasn't adequate for the temperature.

  Adding to her discomfort was the tote bag hanging from her waist. The bag had slid downhill, pulling on her bruised leg. Or was it her hip? She couldn't tell.

  Somewhere between landing and being fully conscious, she'd tossed her goggles away. She regretted it immediately. Insects flew around her face, driving her crazy. In despair, she crossed her arms over her face and whispered a short prayer her mother had taught her.

  She dozed, jolted from her nap by the flapping of wings that could raise the dead. A group of scarlet Macaws were roosting in the crevasse of the jutting rocks above her. They obviously weren't happy with their new roommate.

  "Shoo, you buggers."

  The birds flew off, still squawking, probably upset by the early hour.

  Claypool! Where are you?

  She thought she was hallucinating when a bobbing light in the distance caught her attention. No, no vision. That beautiful glow meant rescue.