watching as the Alaskan landscape unfolded beneath them. Mountains, valleys, glacier passes, the plane took them over all of it, and Sarah watched with wide-eyed wonder. Moments like these took his breath away.
Another time, different circumstances, Sarah would be the kind of woman he’d want to pursue a relationship with. Not now. Not when he reported to the Quintursa and had secrets he couldn’t reveal and she worked in the middle of Washington politics. Getting together with Sarah would be a bad idea, a very bad idea indeed.
And yet, as the plane descended, he thought of her lips, soft and pliant beneath his and the way her body molded to his. The plane bumped onto the makeshift runway, slowing down as it neared the drilling site. Gravel flew from the tires, and he saw Sarah’s exuberance fade until she looked crestfallen. “This is it, isn’t it?” she said, her voice soft as the plane slowed to a halt.
“We’re here. This is a land based drilling operation.” Liam unfolded himself from the small plane’s seat. He gave instructions to the pilot to wait for them as they’d be flying back tonight, and then held out his hand to help Sarah from the plane. No sooner had they stepped onto the ground, he felt it, the tiny tremors of the drilling operation. His heightened senses picked up the disturbance to the ground. The smell of chemicals filled the air.
He tried to see it through Sarah’s eyes as he led her nearer. Not too close, only authorized personnel could get within several feet of the drilling operation. A chain link fence surrounded the monstrosity. No trespassing signs hung every so many feet, warning humans and animals away from the site. Liam doubted any self-respecting wildlife would be caught close to this place with the chemical scent in the air and the noise.
Behind the site hills rose into mountains, lush and verdant in the high summer. Though the chilly air threatened to cut through his windbreaker, the sun shone high overhead in a nearly cloudless sky.
“Dear goddess, I never imagined,” Sarah breathed, her first words since landing. She curled her fingers into the chain link fence and leaned forward. “I knew it’d be difficult to be impartial on this assignment, but I didn’t know how hard.” She drew a shuddering breath.
Sarah was a tree hugger. He didn’t know whether to give her a hug for being on his side of the war or pity the difficult position she must be in. A little bit of both, he supposed. Stepping forward, he rested his hand on her shoulder. He squeezed gently.
“I’m sorry. You must think I’m a nut or something,” she said. “But it’s true. I mean we drive our cars and most of us never think about where the oil comes from. The Middle East , we figure, or somewhere. It doesn’t matter because it’s so far away. And yet, it’s right in our own backyard. We’re taking what we want without asking for permission or thinking about how it’s going to affect the planet. Maybe I feel too strongly about this to be objective.”
Workers bustled around the equipment. Loud, mechanical noises filled the air, and she winced as something crashed.
Liam stepped behind her. He pulled her against his body, his hand around her waist. “I understand,” he whispered into her hair. Even here, amid the workers and the oil rig, he smelled lavender. “It’s why I wanted you to see this. You have to know what the government wants before you can give it the truth.” He pointed to a dying patch of vegetation just beyond the fence. “Not only is there an impact to the environment when they set up the drilling site, but they have to haul equipment, chemicals and fuel in here constantly. All those make waste products and that has to go somewhere. Here, there was a leak and it’s going right back into the environment.”
“Can’t they fix it?”
“It’s expensive. I’m sure they will. Or they’ll try, but it’ll happen again and again. Let’s walk.” He stepped away,
Another time, different circumstances, Sarah would be the kind of woman he’d want to pursue a relationship with. Not now. Not when he reported to the Quintursa and had secrets he couldn’t reveal and she worked in the middle of Washington politics. Getting together with Sarah would be a bad idea, a very bad idea indeed.
And yet, as the plane descended, he thought of her lips, soft and pliant beneath his and the way her body molded to his. The plane bumped onto the makeshift runway, slowing down as it neared the drilling site. Gravel flew from the tires, and he saw Sarah’s exuberance fade until she looked crestfallen. “This is it, isn’t it?” she said, her voice soft as the plane slowed to a halt.
“We’re here. This is a land based drilling operation.” Liam unfolded himself from the small plane’s seat. He gave instructions to the pilot to wait for them as they’d be flying back tonight, and then held out his hand to help Sarah from the plane. No sooner had they stepped onto the ground, he felt it, the tiny tremors of the drilling operation. His heightened senses picked up the disturbance to the ground. The smell of chemicals filled the air.
He tried to see it through Sarah’s eyes as he led her nearer. Not too close, only authorized personnel could get within several feet of the drilling operation. A chain link fence surrounded the monstrosity. No trespassing signs hung every so many feet, warning humans and animals away from the site. Liam doubted any self-respecting wildlife would be caught close to this place with the chemical scent in the air and the noise.
Behind the site hills rose into mountains, lush and verdant in the high summer. Though the chilly air threatened to cut through his windbreaker, the sun shone high overhead in a nearly cloudless sky.
“Dear goddess, I never imagined,” Sarah breathed, her first words since landing. She curled her fingers into the chain link fence and leaned forward. “I knew it’d be difficult to be impartial on this assignment, but I didn’t know how hard.” She drew a shuddering breath.
Sarah was a tree hugger. He didn’t know whether to give her a hug for being on his side of the war or pity the difficult position she must be in. A little bit of both, he supposed. Stepping forward, he rested his hand on her shoulder. He squeezed gently.
“I’m sorry. You must think I’m a nut or something,” she said. “But it’s true. I mean we drive our cars and most of us never think about where the oil comes from. The Middle East , we figure, or somewhere. It doesn’t matter because it’s so far away. And yet, it’s right in our own backyard. We’re taking what we want without asking for permission or thinking about how it’s going to affect the planet. Maybe I feel too strongly about this to be objective.”
Workers bustled around the equipment. Loud, mechanical noises filled the air, and she winced as something crashed.
Liam stepped behind her. He pulled her against his body, his hand around her waist. “I understand,” he whispered into her hair. Even here, amid the workers and the oil rig, he smelled lavender. “It’s why I wanted you to see this. You have to know what the government wants before you can give it the truth.” He pointed to a dying patch of vegetation just beyond the fence. “Not only is there an impact to the environment when they set up the drilling site, but they have to haul equipment, chemicals and fuel in here constantly. All those make waste products and that has to go somewhere. Here, there was a leak and it’s going right back into the environment.”
“Can’t they fix it?”
“It’s expensive. I’m sure they will. Or they’ll try, but it’ll happen again and again. Let’s walk.” He stepped away,
Similar Books
