Page 13 of One Weekend in Rio de Janeiro

“What kind of meeting?”

“One with a guy who could potentially fund my entire project.”

“Then we better get walking,” she stated, and Donovan watched as she marched forward, an extra swivel in her hips.

Which he secretly hoped was just for him.

Chapter Seven

“So, tell me a little more about this project,” Kate said as they trudged through the endless greenery. With every step, her jeans rubbed against the insect bites, irritating them, but she ignored it and pressed forward. She was just thankful to have her pants back on. Yanking them off and dancing around like a crazed marionette had been embarrassing. But that’s what happens when an Amazonian centipede runs up your pant leg and attacks.

At least the bite hadn’t been anywhere more intimate. Now that would’ve been humiliating.

“I developed a new kind of drone.”

“Really?”

“Something that could change aerial warfare.”

Wow. She’d had a feeling he was smart, but this sounded other level intelligent. “Impressive. I don’t know much about drones, though.”

“An unmanned drone is ideal because if it gets shot down, there’s no loss of life. But their functions are limited. At least they were until Spectre.”

“Spectre is your design?”

“Yeah. And it’s more than just an upgrade. This thing can do it all, pull off stunts and outsmart the enemy. In theory, anyway. Now I need to create a prototype to prove it. I’m hoping this businessman I’m meeting will fund the first round as I tweak it.”

“Then what? Sell it?”

“Yes. To the U.S. government, if all goes according to plan.”

Kate’s eyebrows shot up and it occurred to her she was trekking through the jungle beside a genius. Anyone capable of creating that kind of thing was brilliant. Suddenly, her job as a park ranger didn’t seem all that important or interesting. But, she was intrigued.

“So, how does one become a genius engineer?” she asked.

Donovan chuckled. “Lots of hard work and determination. Plus my stint with the Navy taught me exactly what our guys need to help them defeat the enemy—whether the teams have boots on the ground or they’re behind the drone controls far away from the actual mission.”

“That’s right. What did you like better? Being a SEAL or working in intelligence?”

“The life of a SEAL wasn’t for me. Truth be told, I wasn’t cut out for the battlefield. I hated being in the middle of the action and the only reason I attempted becoming a SEAL in the first place was because my father told me I’d never make it. He said I wasn’t cut from the same cloth and didn’t have what it takes to make a team. That I belonged in an office, using my brain. But he’s never really understood me and that just fueled my fire.”

Donovan looked down and kicked a rock out of their path. His words made Kate sad and she realized her close relationship with her own father had been the reason she became a ranger. So she could be outside all the time and feel close to him. Her dad had been her biggest cheerleader and she couldn’t help but wonder why Donovan’s dad hadn’t supported him.

“You seem damn capable to me. When that plane went down, you were fearless. You helped so many people, including me, and made sure everyone got out safely and directed them to a secure location. Then you went to the pilot and were asking questions.” Her anger bubbled over when she thought about him having a father who couldn’t see how remarkable and badass his son was. She sensed his father’s opinion mattered, though, and his lack of confidence hurt Donovan. “You were amazing back there, Donovan. Truly.”

“Thanks. What can I say? I’m a stubborn pain in the ass and I love a good challenge. No matter what my dad believed, I knew I had the fortitude to get it done. Sure, the drown-proofing, pushups, running and all that endless swimming in the ocean grew tiresome, but I pushed through it and completed the training. I was damn proud of myself, too.”

“You should be. That’s incredible.”

He lifted the strap of his messenger bag and gave her a self-deprecating smile. “And, I’ll be the first to admit, I feel better-armed with a laptop than a Glock.”

“So all that training, you make it and then what?”

“I met some great guys who I’m still good friends with, but when word got out about my computer skills, the Navy decided to move me over to intelligence and it was a much better fit for me. I’m not like my SEAL friends who love running around the world, shooting guns and taking down bad guys. I prefer fucking up the enemy at my keyboard. And I’m pretty good at it, too.”

Her mouth edged up. She had a feeling he was being modest and underplaying his tech talents.

“So, tell me how you became a ranger at a national park,” he said, steering the conversation away from him.

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