Page 36 of Poison Evidence

She could forget everything as her computer translated the data into terrain that was invisible to the human eye.

The Battle of Peleliu was fought between September fifteenth and November twenty-seventh, 1944. In the battle, over two thousand three hundred US soldiers and marines and nearly ten thousand seven hundred Japanese soldiers had been killed. Long and brutal, the battle left scars above and below the earth.

Her job was to record them all. She was creating more than a map; each layer added to the known history of the battle. Data points were a tribute to the men who’d fought and died on both sides.

Maps told a story. Maps showed power, sacrifice, tragedy, even love.

With GIS, she could choose which layers to show, which story to tell. The natural landform. The vegetation. The scars of war. In a sense, she was the author of the map—and therefore of the history—but she believed it was her job to get out of the way and give each layer their say.

Did the terrain influence the battle, or did the battle reshape the terrain?

Usually the answer was both.

For the next two hours, she lost herself in the beauty and simplicity. She forgot about Dimitri and lies and treason and sex. She forgot about terrorists and betrayal and heartbreak as CAM and RON did their thing and collected data, just as she’d designed him—it—to do.

She should probably stop anthropomorphizing CAM. People were going to think she was nuts. Well, if they didn’t already.

She tapped a few buttons, and the three-dimensional image transformed into flat contour lines. She traced the zig and zag of an underwater ridge. Crystal clear, better than if it had been mapped with side-scan sonar. And she’d done it all above water. “Is there anything more beautiful?” she murmured, not even really hearing herself.

“I can think of one thing,” Dimitri said.

His voice pulled her from her mapping-induced intoxication. She shook her head, to break away from the haze. “What?”

“You.”

“Me, what?”

He laughed. “You have no idea what I’m talking about?”

“No. Did you say something?”

“You’re freaking amazing. That’s all.”

She felt a little flutter at the way he said that. His voice was light. Warm. Jack’s tone, when they were in bed together.

Except that had been Dimitri. There was no Jack.

He’d sat by her side these last hours and watched her work. He’d asked questions, even helped. But he hadn’t interfered. Hadn’t directed. She would never know he was looking for something except that he’d studied each image she created intently. Part of her wondered if today’s work was just a test, to familiarize himself with the system, or if he believed the object he sought was nearby.

It didn’t really matter, because she’d been able to do her job unfettered.

She used the remote control to land RON on the deck. “That’s it for the day. It’s going to take another hour or two for the system to process the data and upload to the satellite.” She glanced around the deck. They were close to the island, and another boat was anchored in the distance. “I need to leave everything on the deck while it uploads. I’m concerned about security.”

He tapped the portable console. “I’ll take us out farther. It’ll be shallow enough to anchor but far enough out radar will pick up anyone approaching.” He cleared his throat. “In fact, we’ll stay out overnight. I haven’t slept since yesterday morning. I need to rest tonight. We’ll be safest if we’re in open water, with no islands to hide an approaching vessel.”

She furrowed her brow. “You didn’t sleep…at all? I could swear I remember…”

A corner of his mouth curled up. “I crawled into bed for about an hour, right before dawn, but didn’t sleep.”

That was what she remembered, the way he’d held her. She’d been comforted by his body pressed to hers. Together they were a study in soft and hard. He was all muscle, triangles galore, while she was round, circles and spheres.

The last months of long hours meant twelve- to sixteen-hour days on her ass in front of the computer and not in the gym. She’d gained weight because all she ate was junk food at her desk. The result was bigger breasts—which she didn’t mind—but also a bigger butt and belly—which she did.

Given her height and extra pounds, she felt like a giant. But next to Dimitri, she felt normal. Petite, even. He was taller and broader.

His shoulder muscles alone were a turn-on. He had abs she could have—and had—stared at all day. His body narrowed perfectly at the hips, and his thighs were a thing of beauty. She’d enjoyed the feel of those thighs tucked behind hers, his hand resting on her round, soft belly.

She cocked her head, her thoughts had taken an alarming path. “What are the sleeping arrangements tonight?”

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