Outcast (SEAL Team: Disavowed Book 2) (8 page)

“Do you know anything about a hidden treasure?”

He shook his head.

“Eden, I told you to—oh.” Jasper froze.

“Jasper.” She pulled him into their shelter. “This is Dane. He saw my dad yesterday.”

“Where?” Jasper asked.

“In a sub of all places. Leo has interesting friends. Turns out for years he’s been part of an incredibly well-funded Neo-Nazi group who call themselves the
True Reich
.”

“What are you doing here?” Jasper’s gaze narrowed. “Why did they force you from the chopper?”

Eden didn’t like Jasper’s distrustful tone. “Can’t you tell Leo’s men took him, too? He was trying to run away, weren’t you, Dane?”

“Yes.” Dane shuddered before working up a faint smile. “Exactly.”

Jasper’s gaze narrowed. “And out of all of Antarctica, you just happened to run here? Right where we were hiding?”

“No, you don’t understand. Leo’s men have been following you. Eden, Leo told me you were with a friend. When your father escaped, they brought me here to talk with both of you. Leo wants me to try getting Eden to spill whatever she knows about this supposed treasure he believes is linked to a conspiracy theory about Hitler having constructed an underground compound. I told him that even as your father’s closest friend, I had never heard such a farfetched, outlandish claim, but Leo insists the treasure is real.”

“Whether it is or isn’t,” Jasper said, “the bullets those guys have been shooting are very real. Let’s table this discussion, then get over that ridge.” He nodded toward the spot where he’d previously asked her to go.

“I’ve got a better idea.” Dane left the rock’s cover, emerging with his hands up. “Gentlemen!” he called to the shooters. “Please, hold your fire! I’ve found Carl’s daughter, and she’s agreed to go with us peaceably.”

“The hell she did,” Jasper mumbled.

Eden elbowed him. “Hush. I’m sure Dane knows what he’s doing.”

“Unless he’s planning to get us all killed. I don’t like it. I’m not going anywhere with those guys, and neither are you.”

“I’m unarmed.” Dane steadily moved closer. “Please, call back the chopper and we’ll cooperate.”

One-by-one, men emerged from their cover. Once they’d all joined together, Dane stepped closer. He said something out of earshot, then gestured for Eden and Jasper to follow.

“Not happening!” Jasper shouted. “This is voodoo,” he said under his breath. “How do we know all of this isn’t an act? This Dane character could be one of them.”

“Stop. I’ve known him forever—much longer than Leo. Trust me, he’s one of the kindest, most gentle men I know.”

“Eden! Come!” Dane urged her forward.

“How do we know we can trust you?” Jasper shouted before she’d even opened her mouth.

“Will this help?” He pulled a menacing looking gun of the sort she’d only seen in movies out from under his coat and shot man after man in rapid-fire succession.

Eden retched.

Jasper held her.

“That’s for what you did to my friends!” Dane dropped the last man standing, then crumpled to his knees. He pitched the gun a good three feet away.

“Damn . . .” Jasper slowly exhaled.

Eden escaped Jasper’s hold to run to her old friend. “That was either very stupid or very brave,” she said through tears. “I didn’t even know you knew how to shoot.”

“I don’t,” Dane admitted, shaky while pushing himself to his feet. “I just put my hand on the trigger and hoped for the best. I stole this gun from them on the flight over.”

Still a nervous wreck herself, Eden slipped her arm around his waist for a sideways hug. “Thank you. That was horrible, but now we’re all free.”

“Free to do what?” Jasper asked. “The wind is picking up and it’s not exactly balmy. And if the helicopter comes back, what then? Do you really trust Leo’s gang to fly us to McMurdo?”

“They never had the chance to radio the pilot,” Dane said. “But their snowcats are parked at the canyon entrance—the pilot picked them up there. I was already onboard. All we have to do is hike to them, and voila—we’re saved.”

“Interesting . . . If you’re telling the truth.”

“Jasper, stop. Dane is one of the good guys. He killed those men to save us.”

“Whatever.” He picked up their dropped gear and Dane’s weapons.

This wasn’t the Jasper she knew. He didn’t used to be so paranoid. But then how much had she really known about him?

“Let’s get going,” he said. “We’ve got a long hike out of here and it’s not getting warmer.

“Jovial fella,” Dane said for only her to hear. “How did you get mixed up with him?”

“We used to date back in Denver. Remember? I was talking with him the day I dropped the sat phone . . .” Her voice trailed off when her mind’s eye drifted to the horror of that day.

“What’s with his attitude?”

“He’s a Navy SEAL—well, used to be. Now, he does bodyguard work. I guess it’s part of his job description to believe the worst of people until they prove themselves loyal.”

“Makes sense. Has he taken good care of you?”

“The best. Promise, once you get to know him, you’ll like him as much as I do.”

“Less chitchat, more walking,” Jasper said.

“When will I start liking him?” Dane asked.

Eden laughed.

Time passed almost pleasantly while hiking back to their original cat.

Upon arrival, just being out of the wind made her shoulders sag in relief. Once Jasper added heat, the vehicle’s interior felt downright tropical.

The canyon was so narrow where they’d parked that he had to drive in reverse for a mile. Upon turning, they made it six miles closer to the mouth before running out of fuel.

By then, it was two a.m. and Eden could hardly keep her eyes open.

Dane had long since fallen asleep in the back.

Jasper, on the other hand, looked pensive, tapping his index fingers against the steering wheel while staring at the remaining path. She strained to hear when he whispered, “Let’s ditch him.”

“What? Why?”

He glanced over his shoulder. “I don’t trust him.”

“You should. No way am I leaving him out here to die. He doesn’t even have a sleeping bag.”

“We’ll leave one. And food. He’ll be fine until we send the authorities back from McMurdo to fetch him.”

“I’m going to pretend we didn’t have this conversation. Dane is a second father to me. When I lost my mother, he was a rock when my own father couldn’t be. I love him.”

Jasper clenched his whisker-stubbled jaw.

“Trust me.” She cupped her hand to his forearm. “He’s a wonderful man.”

He snorted, refusing to meet her gaze.

How could they be so close on some levels, yet miles apart on others? An infinitesimal voice wondered if Jasper could be right, but then sanity stepped in. This was one more reason why they shouldn’t be together. What they’d shared hadn’t been real. More like a brief, intense fantasy that dulled when brought out of her bedroom and into the glaring sun.

She scowled at Jasper, then reached over the seat to jostle Dane’s knee. “Wake up. Time to walk again.”

He was slow to open his eyes, but then jolted upright from a slouch. “Everything all right?”

“Fine.” Eden cast Jasper another dirty look before slipping on her coat. “We ran out of fuel, so we’ll have to hoof it the rest of the way.”

“Ugh,” Dane said with a good-natured smile. “Not the best news, but even this temporary reprieve helped.”

“With three of us,” Jasper said, “I want to take more gear.”

“Why?” Eden slipped on her hat and gloves. “We already have more than we could ever need for a fast trip to McMurdo to find help. Our station is on the way, if it looks clear, let’s stop to search for my father. Leo’s cats were way faster than ours. They probably have longer-range fuel tanks, as well, but just to be safe, we can refuel.”

“Good call,” Dane said.

“You would know this how?” Jasper asked. “Thought you never left the chopper?”

“How do you think I got to the chopper? There are plenty more cats where these came from. Did you miss the part where I told you Leo is
very
well-funded?” Dane cocked his brow. “Please don’t think me overly forward, but have I done something to offend you? I don’t feel comfortable with your level of animosity.”

“Take it or leave it.” Jasper left the cat, closing the driver’s side door behind him.

“Sorry,” Eden said. “I don’t know what’s gotten into him.”

“It’s okay. I’m actually glad he’s on our side.” He winked. “I wouldn’t want him as an enemy.”

The trek to Leo’s cats thankfully proved uneventful, although the climb over Jasper’s newly made snow and ice mountain had her sweating.

Once there, Jasper insisted on driving. Eden protested, but was too exhausted for much of a fight.

Dane didn’t even try staying awake, preferring to settle onto one of the rear seats, using his heavy parka for a pillow. It made her smile when he was comfy enough to start snoring.

“Won’t you at least stop long enough for a nap?” she asked Jasper.

“Not a chance. If you want to stop off at your father’s station to check if he’s there and Leo’s not, we’ll try it. But I’m driving.”

“Why do you have to be so stubborn?”

His sideways glance was still steal-her-breath gorgeous, but since adding Dane to their group, Jasper’s personality had taken on a hard edge. She didn’t like it. But given their circumstances, Jasper’s mood swing was the least of her worries. They had to find her dad before Leo did. After that, she’d have time to mourn her lost friends while letting authorities figure out what to do with the criminal elements who had descended upon their formerly enchanted corner of the world.

As for what happened after that? Once she returned to Denver?

She hadn’t thought it through. The last thing she wanted was for Jasper to bring this level of steely-eyed intensity to finding her a cure. Her mother hadn’t had the blessing of dying gracefully, but Eden was determined that she would.

They’d driven for hours when the familiar sight of her father’s station grew steadily larger on the horizon.

“What do you think?” Jasper braked when they were still a mile out. “See anything out of the ordinary that makes you believe Leo and his pals may be here?”

“Looks good to me.” The four prefab pods looked eerily vacant. No vehicles were parked in the open-doored garages. Even the six snowmobiles were gone. “Our sat phone and internet were down when all of this started, but we could try fixing it. Leo’s men destroyed the radio room, but Dad has back-ups for every system.

Far from Jasper looking encouraged by this news, he looked even deeper in thought. “Let’s look for your dad. Get rest. Refuel. After that, you and I are following through with the plan to get to McMurdo.”

“What about Dane?” she whispered, glancing over the seat at his sleeping form. “We’re not leaving him. What if Leo’s men come back?”

“Not my problem.” The cat lurched forward, then settled into a smooth forward progress. Eden wished she could say the same for her and Jasper’s relationship. If anything, she felt less connected. When had he grown callous enough to believe someone she trusted completely could be as guilty as Leo?

Wasn’t Leo a trusted family friend?
her conscience nagged.
What if Jasper is right, and Dane is no longer the man you believe him to be?

She refused to believe Dane was anything other than the sweetheart she’d always known him to be.

They arrived at the station without further incident.

She wasn’t sure what she’d expected, but normalcy wasn’t it.

Warmth that was the comfort equivalent of stepping into a heated blanket.

Everything looked much as it had when they’d left. White walls and blue carpet. Rec room tables and chairs were all in place. Pinball machines beckoned with flashing lights. The pool table was set up for a game. All that was missing were the scientists, students, and support crew who made the otherwise sterile environment a home. Posters featuring sandy beaches and aqua water had poorly Photoshopped headshots of the six crew members who’d wintered-over taped to the bodies of the people lounging in the sun.

All six were now dead.

Eden looked away.

How had Leo snapped to such a degree? Had there been signs he’d been headed for a mental break?

“Home sweet home,” Dane quipped, touching the photos of their fallen friends. “If you two want to look for Carl, then work on solving our communications problem, I’ll cook everyone a nice, hot meal.” He crossed into the small, but well-stocked industrial kitchen. “I make a mean cheeseburger and fries.”

“Sounds like heaven,” Eden said. “Thanks.”

“You’re not touching our food.”

“Really?” Dane released a put-upon sigh. “Suit yourself. Eden, my love, would you like one of my world-famous burgers?”

“Only if you’re adding pickles, mayo and extra cheese.”

“Will do.” After a quick smile, he got to work.