Dark Summer

Viper? 'Bridget?'

'I don't believe vipers swish,' Nick said. 'Try slither.'

'It don't matter,' Janet said. 'If she comes around me, I'll crunch her head.' She swung back to Devon. 'What's this on your neck?' She reached out a surprisingly gentle finger and touched the ban dage. 'Who did it?'

'Not these people. I'm okay, Janet.'

'See that you stay that way.' Janet passed her as she entered the bunkhouse. 'I'm working on a way to get us out of here. I'll tell you when I have a plan.'

'That's good.' She reached out and pressed Janet's arm. 'I have to go back to the house now.'

'You should stay down here where we can keep an eye on you,' Janet said gruffly. 'I was going to go up and take you out of there.'

'I'll be fine.' She tried to distract her. 'How are the cats?'

'Pretty good,' she said grudgingly. 'They gave me salmon to feed them. It's too rich. It will probably make them sick. They're not used to it.'

'They're adaptable.' She paused. 'That's a good trait.'

'You mean you want me to be like Nick and cozy up with these people?'

'No, I just don't want friction. It will make it more difficult for me.'

'I'll see what I can do.' Janet turned away. 'Until I can think of a way to get us out of here. You take care of yourself.' She closed the door behind her.

Lord, Janet was going to be a problem. She didn't need this right now.

'Ready to go back to the house?'

She turned to see Marrok still standing by the corral fence where she'd left him. She didn't answer as she started back in the direction of the house.

Gracie ran forward to greet Ned, and they both took off ahead of them.

He fell into step with her. 'How did you find Gilroy?'

'Not bad.'

'No bruises, no psychological trauma?'

'You know that didn't happen. He feels safe.' She made a face. 'And he likes your coffee.'

He smiled. 'Then I'll make sure it's always available for him. I'm sorry I haven't been able to find a comparable security blanket for your housekeeper.'

'Janet would throw it back in your face. She thinks Bridget is a viper.'

'What do you think?'

'I think she could be dangerous, but not as a snake in the grass.'

'You're right. But I'm surprised you picked up on that side of her. She doesn't usually come across as a threat.'

And Devon had not felt threatened by her. But she had been aware of hidden depths, and the unknown was always intimidating. 'I believe she must be very clever. And she's very loyal to you.'

'Yes.'

'She talked about you as if you were some kind of King Arthur setting knights out to battle. You must really have her snowed.'

'I hope not. I've never tried to deceive Bridget.'

'How long has she worked for you?'

'Three years. I was lucky to have found her.'

'Found?'

He shrugged. 'You don't really want to talk about Bridget, do you?'

Not really. But Bridget seemed to be an integral part of this place, and she had been postponing the questions that might not be answered. 'Everything and everyone I don't know about is important right now.'

'You're shivering. Are you cold?'

'No.' She hadn't been aware that she was shaking. She had gained some mea sure of calmness and composure in her time with Nick, but the shadowy darkness was still clinging to her. 'You don't look cold at all.'

'I'm not. Heat and cold don't bother me. I suppose it's my genes.' He turned and started back in the direction they had come. 'My people are used to living outdoors.'

She remembered the foreign words he'd spoken to Ned that night. She lifted her brows. 'Oh, hobos?'

He chuckled. 'You couldn't resist the jab. No, Apaches. I'm half-Apache, half-Spanish. I lived on a reservation until I was twenty.' His smile disappeared. 'Are you ready to talk now?'

'I'm ready to ask more questions. Unless you have more bad news to hurl at me.'

'I never believe in dribbling bad news out. I thought you'd rather take it on the chin. Ask your questions.'

'Who is Danner?

'A bastard, a son of a bitch, a murderer.'

'What else?'

'A billionaire who dabbles in any research that will bring him megabucks.'

She stared at him in disbelief. 'Oh, for God's sake, are you telling me that this is all about some damn secret scientific project? What is it? Germ warfare or something? I don't believe it. People like me don't get involved in stuff like that. It sounds like something out of a spy movie.'

'You seem to be involved, don't you?' He looked away from her. 'And no, it's not bacteria warfare. Danner wouldn't be interested in germ warfare. It's not profitable enough for him to risk working his deals.'

'Then what is he dealing?'

'Promises. Many, many promises.'

'Don't you do this to me,' she said through clenched teeth. 'Don't talk around it. I want black-and-white facts, dammit.'

He shook his head. 'You don't get everything. I'll give you what I can.'

'Damn you. I deserve to know what you know. You hurt me.'

'Yes.'

But he wasn't going to give an inch past the line he'd drawn, she realized in frustration. She attacked from another angle. 'Why was Ned shot?'

He was silent a moment. 'Because he'd be easier to retrieve than if he was taken alive.'

She frowned. 'Retrieve?'

'I think Danner knew that Ned was carry ing information that he wants to get his hands on.'

'What? How?'

'Ned's microchip. He has info encoded on the message tapped by the microchip embedded in his neck. If Ned were dead, Danner could just steal the body and decode the message.'

'Slimeball,' she said curtly. 'Using a dog to carry some dirty message in his body sucks. No one cares what happens to the dog.'

'I care.'

She knew he cared. She didn't know how he felt about anything else, but his love for the dog couldn't be questioned. 'And you're not going to tell me what was on that message?'

He didn't answer.

She shrugged. 'Well, it was for nothing anyway. Whoever encoded the message screwed up. It didn't make sense.' But maybe part of the chip made sense. 'I thought it was garble. Could it have been-'

'What the hell are you talking about?' He'd stopped and whirled her to face him. 'What was for nothing?'

She stiffened warily. He was no longer contained, controlled. His face was taut, his eyes glittering with violence. 'The chip. We decoded it.'

He began to curse. 'Why? You knew I was coming back for him. I promised you.'

'Hugh did it without asking me. He thought we should know where you-' She flinched as his hands tightened on her arms. 'Take your hands off me, or I'll knee you in the nuts.'

He didn't release her but his grip loosened. 'You decoded the entire info on the chip?'

'I suppose we did. I couldn't tell. I told you, it didn't make any sense.' She stared him in the eye. 'Or did it? What I thought was garble could have been a language I didn't recognize. Apache isn't exactly common. Are you