Page 30 of Smoky Lake

Their theory, which they’d been so delighted about a few hours ago, now struck Gil as unlikely. Would the discovery of a hallucinogenic plant attract this much attention from the military?

Sergeant Thomson beckoned them toward an inflatable Zodiac beached along the shore.

Gil crouched to allow Ani to slide off his body. Right away, he missed her soft warmth as the cold dawn air chilled his back.

“Thanks,” she whispered as he stretched out the kinks in his shoulders from carrying her. “I owe you a back rub.”

Something to look forward to, in the midst of all this mess.

“Come on.” Sergeant Thomson beckoned toward the Zodiac. “It’s getting light. We need to book.”

Efficiently, she rowed them to the helicopter and helped load them in. Another sergeant strapped them in, while Thomson swung into the copilot seat. Moments later, they were skimming across the still surface of the lake. Ani grabbed his hand as they went airborne with a lurch.

“What if they fire at us?” Ani asked him in a low voice.

Despite the drone of the engine, the sergeant overheard and answered. “We’re keeping them busy. We know exactly where they are and we’re headed the other direction.”

Hmmm, a member of the military with a chatty streak. Gil jumped at the opportunity. “Where are we going?”

“Fort Wainwright,” he said. “Fairbanks.”

What the hell? Gil was starting to wonder if this was a kidnapping rather than a rescue. “You can’t just take us to Fairbanks. We haven’t done anything wrong.”

“It’s for your own protection.”

“From what?” he demanded. “We need some answers. You can’t just grab us and take us somewhere without telling us why. Not sure if you know this, but I work for the Diplomatic Security Service, which is basically Secret Service. I know what our rights are.”

The pilot looked over at Sergeant Thomson, but she was busy scanning the lake below.

“I’d like to call my lawyer,” Ani said firmly. “I know I have that right.”

“We’re clear.” Sergeant Thomson sat back in her seat. “And you’re not being arrested. You’re not in any trouble, I promise you.”

“Good to know. Then is it a kidnapping? My lawyer is really going to love that. She’s right in Firelight Ridge, by the way. Molly Evans. She’s a member of the New York and the Alaska Bar, and believe me, you don’t want to get on her bad side.”

That sounded like bravado to Gil, but nonetheless, it worked. Sergeant Thomson spoke into her helmet mic, too low for them to understand. Then she turned to look at them. “It’s a simple interview. We’re being directed to the Blackbear airport instead. Does that meet with your approval?”

Gil couldn’t miss the sarcasm, but that certainly sounded better to him than being whisked all the way to Fairbanks. And maybe this “simple interview” would actually give them some answers. Their next move was going to be to track down the soldiers who’d been looking for them in Firelight Ridge anyway.

He exchanged a glance with Ani, and caught her quick nod of agreement. “That will be fine, thank you,” he told the sergeant.

More inaudible speaking into the comm, then the helicopter changed direction.

Gil relaxed into the jump seat and watched the glory of the sun rising over the peaks of the Wrangells. The cumulus clouds turned gold and pink and lilac. The forests below took on a rich hue, an undertone of gold layered into the deep green. It seemed absurd that this vast magnificent expanse of wilderness had just played host to a missile attack and a gun battle.

That was humans for you. Maybe all those years guarding diplomats had made him jaded and hardened his heart.

He stole a glance at Ani.

There was a lot to be said for certain human beings. Kind, compassionate, surprising ones.

Ani caught him looking and gave him a small smile. At some point in the midst of all this, they’d learned to interpret each other’s expressions without words being spoken. He knew she was thinking, at least we’re in this together.

He took her hand, which he’d dropped after the helicopter had leveled out. There, that was better. He didn’t care if any of the military folks in this helo noticed. He didn’t care about anything except making sure Ani was okay.

He had no idea where this intensity had come from, but he was pretty sure he couldn’t do anything about it now. Ani had done something to his heart that could never be undone.

The flight to Blackbear took about half an hour. When they landed, they were shepherded into a small side office where several army personnel stood guard.

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