Page 15

FIFTEEN

The stench of crude oil hung heavy in the humid jungle air, clinging to Merritt’s skin like a suffocating blanket. She stood beside her father at the makeshift wash station, her small hands trembling as she tried to hold the struggling, oil-coated bird still.

Tears streamed down her face, mingling with the sweat and grime, as the bird’s pitiful cries pierced her heart.

“Daddy, why are we here?” she asked, her voice quivering. “It wasn’t our company that did this.”

Clay Harland’s jaw clenched, his eyes hard as he surveyed the devastation around them. He gently took the bird from Merritt’s much smaller hands, his touch surprisingly tender as he worked to clean the sticky oil from its feathers.

“Look around, Merritt,” he said. “Really look.”

She blinked away her tears and took in the scene before her. A village of rickety houses clung to the edge of the jungle, their tin roofs gleaming dully in the oppressive sunlight.

People moved about in a daze, their faces etched with grief and despair as they packed up what meager possessions they could carry on their backs. Some wept openly, their sobs carried on the heavy breeze.

“It’s our responsibility to do better.” His words weighed heavy with conviction. “By protecting the earth when we drill, we protect the people. We can’t trust others to do it.”

He turned to face her, his gaze boring into hers with an intensity that made her heart race. “Don’t trust anyone, Merritt.”

Merritt jolted awake, her father’s words echoing in her mind as her heart pounded against her rib cage. She blinked rapidly, trying to orient herself in the harshly lit office.

The dusty scent that coated everything at the mine and the ring of metal followed by a shouted command brought her from the South American jungle to the Alaskan wilderness.

The nightmare clung to her like a second skin, the memory of the oil-soaked bird and the devastated village blurring with the cryptic warning that had haunted her since her father’s death.

She pushed herself up from the desk, wincing as her stiff muscles protested the sudden movement. Papers scattered beneath her elbows, and she stared down at the chaos of geologist reports and safety audits that littered her workspace .

The discrepancies glared up at her, taunting her with their secrets.

Merritt rubbed her temples, trying to ease the throbbing headache that had become her constant companion. She’d been searching for answers, desperate to unravel the mystery of her father’s last message and the nagging doubts that plagued her about the mine’s safety.

But the more she dug, the more the inconsistencies piled up, until she felt like she was drowning in a sea of contradictions. The official findings painted a picture of a safe, compliant operation, but the raw data told a different story.

One of cut corners and hidden dangers lurking beneath the surface.

Merritt’s stomach churned as she reached for another report, her fingers trembling slightly. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was very wrong, that the truth was just out of reach.

She had to find answers, had to protect the land and the people who depended on her, both the employees of the mine and the people she’d promised in the villages.

But as she delved deeper into the tangled web of secrets and lies, Merritt couldn’t shake the growing dread that the truth might shatter everything she thought she knew. The nagging suspicion that her father’s insistence on no-harm mining was nothing more than a carefully crafted illusion gnawed at her.

Merritt sank back into her chair, the leather creaking beneath her weight as she tried to bring order to the chaos before her. She methodically sorted through the papers, her eyes scanning the notes and reports for what felt like the hundredth time. Each word, each number, was seared into her memory, but still, the truth eluded her.

She cross-referenced their company geologist’s findings with the safety audits, her brow furrowed in concentration as she searched for the missing piece that would make everything fall into place. The inconsistencies teased her, like a splinter beneath her skin that she couldn’t quite reach.

Merritt was so lost in the labyrinth of data and discrepancies that she didn’t register the footsteps approaching her office until the door burst open. She jumped, her heart leaping into her throat as her head snapped up.

Tiikaan stood in the doorway, his broad frame filling the space as he stared at her.

For a moment, Merritt forgot how to breathe. The sight of him, so solid and real amidst the swirling uncertainty that surrounded her, made something deep within her ache with longing. She wanted to escape into the calm he provided.

Would confiding in him be so wrong? He hadn’t known her father, didn’t have a play in this confusing game she found herself in.

But reality came crashing back in. Sure, she was certain she could rely on him, but telling Tiikaan would put him in danger. No matter how much she respected him and was drawn to him like she’d never been before, she couldn’t risk him getting tangled in her mess.

Merritt straightened in her chair, trying to compose herself as she took in the worry in Tiikaan’s gaze. “What’s wrong?”

She braced herself for his answer, anticipation coiling in her gut.

What else could go wrong?

“They found Sunny.” His voice cracked with emotion as he paced in front of the desk. “She’s alive, Merritt. She’s in the hospital, but she’s going to make it.”

Merritt’s heart leaped with joy at the news, a smile spreading across her face. But as she took in Tiikaan’s agitated state, the smile faltered.

“What happened?” she asked, a sense of foreboding creeping up her spine.

“She was shot.” His words came out in a rush. “Sunny stumbled upon the murder of a friend and spent days running from the people who killed him.”

Merritt’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Wait, what? Wasn’t Sunny in the middle of the bush, miles away from people?”

Tiikaan nodded, his expression grim. “I know. It’s crazy.” He took a deep breath, as if steeling himself for what he had to say next. “She found our friend’s gold mine, and apparently, some terrorist group had been up in the area testing some kind of weapon.”

Merritt stared at him, her mind reeling. A terrorist group? A weapon? In the remote Alaskan wilderness? It seemed so unbelievable, like something out of a thriller novel.

She pushed herself up from her chair, her legs feeling unsteady beneath her. Her own problems suddenly seemed insignificant in the face of what Tiikaan’s sister had endured.

Merritt crossed the room to him, her hand reaching out to rest on his arm. She could feel the tension thrumming through his body, like barely contained fear and anger simmered beneath the surface.

“I’m so sorry. I can’t even imagine what Sunny must have gone through, what you must be feeling.”

He looked down at her, his dark eyes searching her face. For a moment, the rest of the world fell away, and it was just the two of them, connected by a shared sense of disbelief and a desperate need for answers.

Merritt’s heart ached for him, for Sunny, for their friend who had lost his life. She knew all too well the pain of losing someone, the gnawing emptiness that came with unanswered questions.

As she stood there, offering silent comfort to the man who had become her champion, she couldn’t help the desire to lean in and press her lips to his. Merritt’s heart raced as she tilted forward, drawn to Tiikaan like a moth to a flame.

The air between them crackled with tension, a heady mix of comfort and desire that made her pulse quicken and her skin tingle. She could feel the warmth radiating from his body, could smell the faint scent of pine and fresh air that clung to his skin.

Time seemed to slow down as she inched closer, her gaze dropping to his lips. They looked so soft, so inviting, and she wondered what it would feel like to press her own against them.

Would he taste like the wilderness he loved so much? Would his kiss be gentle and reassuring, or fierce and passionate?

Merritt’s eyelids fluttered closed, her breath hitching in her throat as she surrendered to the magnetic pull between them. His hand gently, cautiously slid from her shoulder to just above her elbow.

Every nerve in her body was alive, humming with anticipation and longing. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d wanted something, someone, so badly.

His breath warmed her lips as the shrill ring of the phone shattered the moment. Merritt jerked back, her eyes flying open as reality came crashing down around her. She stared at Tiikaan, her cheeks flushed and her heart pounding, as the phone continued to ring insistently on her desk.

What was she doing?

She wanted to ignore the phone, to lose herself in Tiikaan’s arms and forget about the rest of the world, if only for a little while.

But the moment was gone, the spell broken. Merritt stepped back, her hand falling from Tiikaan where her fingers gripped the front of his shirt. She couldn’t even remember doing that.

She shouldn’t be doing that.

With a shaky breath, Merritt turned away, her feet carrying her toward the phone. Each step felt like a mile, a painful distance between her and the man who made her feel things she’d never experienced before.

Life sure had a way of sucking. She reached for the phone, her hand trembling slightly as she lifted it to her ear .

“Hello?” Merritt’s voice sounded breathless, even to her own ears.

“Is this Merritt Harland?” The man’s voice on the other end of the line was deep, with a slight rasp that sent a shiver down her spine.

“Yes, who is this?” She glanced over her shoulder at Tiikaan, who was watching her with concern and curiosity.

“I’m Dr. Ethan Erikson. I’m a geologist your father hired to investigate the safety of the mine.”

Merritt’s heart skipped a beat, her grip tightening on the phone. “My father hired you?”

“Yes, we were supposed to meet, but he never showed.” Dr. Erikson’s voice was tinged with regret. “When I found out about his death, I… I decided to lay low.”

Merritt closed her eyes, a wave of grief washing over her.

“Why are you calling now?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

“When I heard the mine was moving forward, I knew I couldn’t stay quiet.” Dr. Erikson’s tone grew urgent, almost desperate. “Merritt, there are things you need to know, things your father wanted to discuss with me.”

Her eyes flew open, her heart pounding in her chest. “What things?”

“Not over the phone.” Dr. Erikson’s voice dropped, as if he were afraid of being overheard. “We need to meet in person. It’s not safe to discuss this any other way.”

Merritt’s mind raced, a thousand questions swirling in her head. What had her father discovered? Why hadn’t he mentioned it in his journal? And why did Dr. Erikson sound so afraid?

She glanced at Tiikaan again, her gaze locking with his. In that moment, she knew she couldn’t keep this from him. Not after everything they’d been through, not after the almost-kiss that still lingered on her lips like a promise unfulfilled.

“I’ll meet you in Fairbanks on Saturday,” Merritt said, her voice steady despite the fear that coiled in her gut. “Where and what time?”

Dr. Erikson rattled off an address and a time, his voice low and urgent. “Come alone, and make sure you’re not followed.”

“I’ll be there.” Merritt ended the call, her heart racing as she slowly lowered the phone from her ear. She stared at it for a long moment, trying to process the bombshell that had just been dropped on her.

Her father had hired a geologist to investigate the mine’s safety. The same mine that was now her responsibility. The same mine that appeared more and more like it led to her dad’s death.

“Merritt?” Tiikaan stepped closer to the desk. “You all right?”

She turned to look at Tiikaan, seeing the unspoken question in his eyes. He had been there for her through everything. But could she trust him with this? With the truth about her father’s message and the threats she’d received?

The words were there, hovering on the tip of her tongue. She wanted to tell him everything, to unburden herself of the secrets that were slowly eating away at her. But something held her back, a fear that telling him would put a target on his back.

The safest thing would be to keep him from this mess.

She schooled her features and pulled on her icy facade, the muscles in her face feeling stiff and unnatural.

“Everything’s fine.” The lie tasted bitter on her tongue. “Just some business I need to take care of.”

Tiikaan studied her for a long moment, his gaze searching her face. “Okay.”

She tipped her head, raised one eyebrow, and took on the tone she used with Joni. “Anything else?”

His eyebrows furrowed as he shook his head. “I’m here if you need me.”

“Noted.” She turned from him and rounded her desk, focusing on papers stacked on her credenza.

A few seconds passed before he huffed. The door closed with a soft click. Merritt’s shoulders sagged, her vision blurring with unshed tears.

As she turned back to her desk, her gaze fell on the scattered geologist reports, the pages seeming to mock her with their secrets. She knew that nothing would be fine until she uncovered the truth.

But as she gathered the papers with trembling hands, she couldn’t shake the feeling that the price of that truth might be higher than she ever could have imagined. The question was, was she willing to pay it?