Page 15 of Secrets of the Dragon's Heart

“That was the woman’s name, Kennedy,” Stella said, then looked over at Cameron. “Oh my, she was talking about you, wasn’t she?”

***Kennedy***

Kennedy knew that the smart thing to do would be to cancel the hiking trip. Being near Cameron had become almost painful since he’d kissed her, but she still wasn’t ready to give up on the story. She’d been over and over it in her head, and the truth was, she’d done nothing wrong. She’d just been doing her job, working a story. He was the one who’d stepped over the line, and she’d immediately set him straight. Her integrity was still intact, and the story was still viable if she could only figure out what Cameron was up to in that lab of his.

The hike would be her last chance to get what she wanted, then she’d have to back away. There was really no choice, the longer she hung around him, the more likely she was to give into temptation. That could not happen. Even if the story was dead, her feelings for Cameron had grown enough that she knew her heart had become involved, a dangerous place for her to be. Cliff had already done enough damage; another broken heart was more than she couldendure, and Cameron would break her heart of that, she was sure.

Her phone buzzing on the desk next to her computer made her jump, and she picked it up, surprised there was enough signal for her to get a call, then groaned when she saw who it was. Switching on the satellite connection, she took a deep breath, then connected with her editor with no idea what she was going to say. She couldn’t tell him the truth. He’d just say I told you so.

“Steve, I was thinking about calling you,” she lied. “I was trying to figure out the time difference. I’m horrible at it.”

“It doesn’t matter what time it is. I haven’t heard from you in days,” Steve said, an edge to his voice. “What’s going on down there?”

“I’m sorry, I keep meaning to email you, but I’m making progress,” she lied again. “I’ve been working on both stories, and I think you’ll be pleased with what I’ve got.”

“Work something up and send it to me asap,” he said. “The big guys upstairs are getting anxious about the money we’re spending. What have you got on that Cameron guy?”

“Well…nothing concrete yet, but I’m hiking with him tomorrow. I’m sure I can nail him down then,” she said, then, hoping to distract Steve, quickly changed direction. “The other story is going even better. I made friends with someone who has direct knowledge of what this island does, and I think it’s more than just making people fall in love. I’m going to have coffee with her tomorrow.”

There was a long silence. “Kennedy, I didn’t send you to the island to get a feel-good piece about love and romance. That kind of stuff doesn’t sell papers,” Steve finally said. “It would be a nice addition to the investigative piece, but it’s not going to be enough to make up for what we spent sending you there. I don’t have to tell you that both of our jobs are onthe line here, so you had better not be wrong about Cameron Sullivan. I was worried about this. You promised me that you were sure, but now I’m hearing something else in your voice.”

“Steve, I’ll get the story, I always do,” she said. “You’re just going to have to trust me. I know what I’m doing.”

“You’d better,” Steve said. “I’m not going down for you, Kennedy. Get me something soon, or I’m pulling you back in and taking the cost of the trip out of your salary.”

The line went dead and she sat staring at her phone for a second, then quickly turned off the satellite connection, just in case it was on her dime. “At least he didn’t threaten to fire you,” she said, slamming her computer shut, getting to her feet, and walking over to the mirror on the wall. “You’ve made a big mess of this Kennedy. What are you going to do now?”

Quickly turning away from her reflection, wondering if she was losing her mind, she took several deep breaths, telling herself that she wasn’t beaten yet. She just had to come up with a plan, treat Cameron like any other subject of a story, and stop letting her feelings interfere. If she could do that, she could get the story. Control was the key, she decided while climbing into bed. She had to keep Cameron off balance, sneak in her questions while he was distracted, then she could go in for the kill.

She fell asleep thinking about the moment Cameron revealed all his secrets to her, a smile on her face, her confidence restored, no idea that the reality of what would happen in only a few hours was going to be vastly different than her fantasies. Nor did she know that right outside her cabin, a man was settling down to wait out the night under the shelter of a bush with leaves so big they completely concealed him. Around him, the creatures that roamed freely in the dark kept their distance, frightened by the foul scent of the anger and jealousy that consumed him.

He was still hunched under the bush the next morning when Kennedy came out of the cabin and started down the trail, a backpack slung over her shoulders, another one in her hand. When she was out of sight, the man climbed out, took a couple of seconds to let his cramped muscles relax, then started after her, mumbling under his breath, having his own fantasies about what was going to happen that day. He’d waited a long time to give Kennedy Fisher what she deserved, and his pulse quickened as anticipation flooded his system. After two years of waiting, he would finally have his revenge.

CHAPTER 10

***CAMERON***

Cameron couldn’t believe he’d let Max talk him into keeping an eye on Kennedy. The woman was bad news all the way around, and he just wanted to be done with her before he made a huge mistake. But here he was, setting off on an all-day hike, just the two of them. It would be a test of his control, one he wished he didn’t have to endure, but Max didn’t want her on her own until they knew who she really was.

He'd been telling himself that there was probably a perfectly good explanation and had even suggested that they just talk to her, but Max had shut him down. Now he was playing reluctant spy, a job he was sure that he was going to screw up since Kennedy kept him so off balance that half the time he didn’t even know his own name. If she really was up to no good, he probably wasn’t the best person to be watching her. He’d tried to tell Max that, but he wouldn’t listen.

Spotting her waiting for him, he ignored the way his heart sped up, the thrills that swept through him, and the little surge of power when his dragon began to pay attention. “I was beginning to think that you weren’t going to show up,” Kennedy said, throwing a backpack at him. “This one is yours.”

“What’s this?” he asked, holding up the surprisingly heavy backpack. “Are there rocks in this thing or something?”

“It’s your day pack,” she said, looking at him like he was an idiot. “I knew you wouldn’t come prepared, so I put that together for you. It’s just a few essentials: emergency supplies, extra water, and food.”

“Do we really need all this?” he asked, letting the backpack drop to the ground. “We’re just going for the day, and the island isn’t that long. We can’t really get lost.”

“I guess you were never a boy scout,” Kennedy said, shaking her head. “Always be prepared, surely you’ve heard that before. A lot can happen out there, and I’d rather go in prepared for the worst than find myself in trouble because I was unprepared. But if it’s too heavy for you, I’m sure we can leave something behind.”

“That’s not necessary,” he said, picking up the pack and swinging it onto his back. “It seems excessive to me, but you’re in charge. I’m just along to make sure you don’t get into any trouble.”

He winced at his choice of words, but Kennedy just rolled her eyes at him. “I think it might be the other way around, but think what you want if it makes you feel better,” she said. I hope you can keep up. We’ve got ten miles to cover, and we can’t take it slow.”

“Ten miles,” he said. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Nope, you should have looked at the map,” she said, a superior smile on her face. “It’s not too late to change your mind.”

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