Natural Selection Read online

  “How long has it been since you took any time off?” Shelby asked.

  “I don’t know. A while, I guess.”

  “Maybe you need to get away for a bit. Take some time and go on one of those wilderness camping things you like so much.”

  “Why?”

  Shelby shrugged. “You just seem a little stressed out. I think this last case really took it out of you. Besides, having you burned out won’t do me or the agency any good.”

  “Yeah,” Paige agreed. “You might be right.”

  “I’m always right.” Shelby grinned at her. “Besides, having had a vacation myself, I’m in a position to highly recommend them.”

  Paige laughed. “Well, if I had Mac to accompany me, I might think it was a better idea.” Paige thought Shelby and Mac were perfect for each other. They’d met on a recent case and after some persuading on his part, Shelby had agreed to a relationship, although Mac was with the FBI and lived in Virginia. Shelby and Mac were total opposites in a lot of ways, but it seemed to work for them. Paige remembered that she and David had been opposites too, but not in a way that worked. She’d ended her relationship with him almost a year ago when she’d realized that as good as the sex was, it didn’t make up for the fact that David just wasn’t a one-woman kind of guy.

  “Hey, keep your paws off Mac.” Shelby laughed. “But I’m serious about the vacation. You deserve one and there’s nothing going on here that Zoe and I can’t handle.”

  “You aren’t trying to get out of selling me part of the agency are you?”

  “I said I’d sell you thirty percent and I will.” Shelby poured a cup of coffee and sat behind her desk at the back of the room. “I’ve changed my ways, you know. I’m a regular team player now.”

  “Yeah, well, I noticed you didn’t offer to sell me half the business,” Paige retorted.

  Shelby grinned at her. “I’m still a team player. I just want to be in charge of the team.”

  “A vacation might be a good idea.” And a way to get the money she needed to buy into the agency, too. The more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea. A vacation doing exactly what she enjoyed and getting the money she needed at the same time.

  “I don’t understand why it’s such a big secret,” Paige said when she and Wade were seated in a secluded booth at Emilio’s. Wade ordered a bottle of wine and turned his attention back to her.

  “That’s because you don’t know how Hollywood works.” Wade laughed. “Trust me, if anybody knew what kind of show we’re doing, they’d be trying to sell it to the networks before we could.”

  “I thought you’d already sold it to a network.”

  “We have. In a preliminary way. We have their interest. But we think that we’ll be able to make a better deal if we don’t sign anything until we can show them the actual footage.”

  “So, all the contestants are asked to keep the whole thing a secret?” Paige smiled at the waiter who held out the bottle of wine for Wade’s approval. Wade nodded and the waiter poured a small amount into Wade’s glass.

  “Exactly. Don’t tell anyone where you’re going or what you’re doing. By the end of the summer, you’ll be able to tell everyone. Is that a problem?” Wade sipped the wine and nodded his approval to the waiter.

  “Not for me.” Paige picked up her glass of wine. For fifty grand, she’d tell everyone she was going to the moon. Shelby and Zoe already thought she was going on a camping trip, which, really, was kind of true. And she wouldn’t even need to mention it to her grandmother. They rarely talked more often than a few times a year anyway.

  “You know, you’re going to look great on film.” Wade smiled and reached out a hand to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “What’s this? Are you blushing?” He chuckled and shook his head.

  “I don’t think any of us are going to look great on film after a few days.” Paige held her head up, refusing to give in to the urge to hide her blush. Wade had left his blond hair loose and it fell in waves to his shoulders. Her fingers almost itched with the desire to test its softness. “Have you ever seen someone a week into a wilderness camp?”

  “No.” Wade grinned. “I have to admit that most of my trips involve hotels with room service.”

  “It isn’t pretty. After a week, you have greasy hair, dirt under your fingernails, filthy clothes.” She shook her head. “I doubt any of us will be looking great on film at that point.”

  “I can’t imagine you ever looking less than splendid.” Wade leaned over and brushed his lips across hers.

  Paige fought the urge to give in, and pulled away from him. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “Sorry. I couldn’t resist.” Wade grinned. “Besides I thought there was something between us. Am I wrong?”

  Paige chuckled. “Not really. But I don’t think it would be right to get involved with you before the show.”

  “Are you sure? We could keep it quiet.”

  “I’m sure.”

  “Well, then.” Wade sighed and sat back. “I guess we’ll just have to be friends.”

  “Friends would be good,” Paige agreed.

  “Until after the show,” he added, lifting his wine glass in salute.

  CHAPTER

  THREE

  PAIGE HAD ALWAYS THOUGHT OF ROCK climbing as a sport. Physically challenging. Fun to do. Probably served no real purpose in her life. But hanging on the side of a rock face with a half-grown bear just a few yards from her butt, she thought maybe it was a useful skill after all.

  Her fingers and toes ached from gripping the marginal holds in the rock face. She looked down at the bear and estimated he was about three yards beneath her. She also wondered what the hell a bear was doing on a Caribbean Island. The bear growled again, pawing the air, and she thought about what her obituary would say. Paige Blackwell, twenty-eight, part owner of a private investigation firm and former police officer, died in an unfortunate encounter with a bear during a foolish trip to appear on a reality TV show.

  How stupid would that be?

  The rock face extended up another twenty or thirty feet and there appeared to be sufficient hand and toeholds. She started climbing, buoyed by the thought that the bear couldn’t climb a rock. Her hands felt along the rock face for holds, her feet following along, making slow but steady progress. A few feet from the top of the rock, she glanced down. The bear had left. No way was she going back down. She pulled herself over the top of the rock and stood up. The ground was relatively flat, sloping off to the right and dropping off to a cliff on the left. About fifty feet ahead of her was a chasm, with more rock across from it.

  Paige stared at the slope on her right, thinking that it would have been a lot easier to climb up from that angle when the bear appeared again. Evidently, he’d had the same thought.

  The bear was growling, and shaking his head and she guessed he was getting ready to charge. Of course, he was smack in the middle of the only easy way down. Paige looked at the chasm between the rock she stood on and the one across from it. It looked to be about eight or nine feet. With a running start she ought to be able to jump it without a problem. And she doubted the bear would care to follow. The bear was swaying now and still growling. She started to sprint across the open ground.

  Her legs pumped, burning with the effort of running full out. The chasm was only a few more strides, but suddenly it looked a lot wider than she’d thought. Still, she should be able to jump it. No doubt it was a better option than being the bear’s lunch. Fighting the urge to stop and turn, she forced herself to run faster, gaining as much momentum as she could. At the edge of the precipice, she shoved off with one foot, flying through the air.

  She missed by about six inches.

  The air whooshed out of her lungs as she slammed down onto a narrow ledge about ten feet below the top of the rock. At least the bear hadn’t tried to follow her. Then again, there was barely enough room for her on the ledge, much less four hundred pounds of bear.

  Her lu
ngs gulped in air and she sat up, swearing when her head was yanked back. She reached around and pulled the end of her braid free from the haft of the knife she wore at the back of her waist. The rock face didn’t offer a lot of handholds and it took a few minutes to climb up. All the while, she was hoping the bear wouldn’t find another way around this time.

  She pulled herself over the top of the rock face, dusted off her hands and turned to see the bear still growling and grunting his frustration. He was thin and his coat was ragged. However he came to be there, it didn’t seem like the island was providing him with the food he needed to get ready for hibernation.

  Paige hitched up her backpack and walked across the top of the rock, looking for a way down. Wade had said that Xtreme Survival was going to put the real back into reality TV. The bear had been an unwelcome surprise, but other than that, she was loving this. And it didn’t hurt that she’d already gotten the fifty thousand dollars either. After signing the contract with Shelby, Paige thought of this as a celebration trip.

  She found an incline that she could half walk, half slide down. Ten minutes later she was back in the thick vegetation of the jungle. The warm, humid air buzzed with insects, and the smell of new growth and plant decomposition assailed her nostrils. Paige picked her way through the plants, her steps softened by the dead leaves, sticks, and vines on the jungle floor. Snakes, lizards, and small mammals scurried and slithered out of her way, and she wished she’d had more time to research which ones were poisonous or dangerous.

  She had only one more hour to locate food. Her ears picked up the sound of water and she quickened her pace until she reached a wide, shallow pond. Perfect. Fish would make a great dinner.

  Paige waded out into the pond and stood still for a while. Soon, the fish were ignoring the presence of her feet and legs. She pulled a plastic bag from her backpack and held it open, waiting. When a good-sized fish nosed around her legs, she stabbed it with her knife and threw it into the bag. The pond was full of them, and it was only slightly more challenging than shooting fish in a bucket.

  Food collection was the first competition for the position of Team Leader. Paige didn’t really consider herself a leader–not a natural one anyway. She was more of a loner. But she was also competitive, and, considering her teammates, she thought she’d probably do a better job than any of them.

  Aleisha Cramer, a mocha-skinned African-American, was the only other woman on the team. Paige had already written her off as no competition. Aleisha had arrived with her nails done—not just a little clear polish—but acrylic tips with little flowers painted on them. That would probably look really great after a few days in the jungle. Paige snorted, thinking that it was entirely possible that Aleisha could get Alex to do the rough work for her.

  Alex Montoya was a short, wiry man from Colombia. He seemed to be more than a little enamored with Aleisha’s supermodel looks. Physically, he was in reasonably good shape but he lacked the drive to aspire to Team Leader. Much like Barry Nakamura. Barry not only lacked the drive to be Team Leader, his physical condition was less than ideal for this kind of thing. Paige doubted that he could even handle the physical activity for a full two weeks. But he was a really sweet guy and had charisma oozing out his pores. She couldn’t help liking Barry, even though she was sure he would be a detriment to the team. Kevin Sloan could be some competition if he was inclined, but Paige hadn’t seen any inclination so far. He seemed to be laid back and easy-going.

  Ty Sullivan was her real competition. No doubt he was suffering from some testosterone related ego disorder. Still, he was in top physical condition, and he had made it clear that he wanted to be Team Leader. She might even agree that he’d be a good Team Leader, but he was too rash. He never took the time to think before acting. He seemed to think he was better than anyone at everything, and she was pretty sure that was why he thought he should be Team Leader.

  Whether she wanted to be Team Leader or not, Paige had decided that she was the best of the lot. And a strong Team Leader could make the difference in advancing to the finals on Xtreme Survival.

  Half an hour later, Paige had seven fish and was on her way back to camp. Although it wasn’t much of a camp yet. Just the place where Wade had dropped all the contestants offearlier that morning. Along the way, she picked some plantains and some greens that were edible. She would have stopped for berries and sea grapes, but she didn’t want to take the chance of missing the deadline.

  Paige trotted into the campsite and dropped her bag of fish and backpack full of fruit, greens, and a couple of coconuts.

  Alex and Aleisha were sitting on a fallen tree. Aleisha looked her usual feminine self as Alex talked softly to her. Kevin sat a little apart from them and appeared to be considering the condition of his fingernails. Ty made a show of flexing his muscles under the guise of stretching. Wade leaned against a moss-covered rock alternately watching and ignoring the contestants. Nick, the team’s cameraman, moved around the area with the camera pressed to his eye, whirring away as he filmed everyone.

  Paige walked over and handed Wade the bright yellow stick he’d given her at the beginning of the day. Wade winked at her as he dropped the stick on the ground with the red, blue, purple, and green sticks already lying at his feet. Paige smiled back, her heart doing a little two-step. The contestants weren’t allowed to know where Wade and the producers were staying, but it obviously included some modern conveniences, like a shower. Wade’s long blond hair was soft and clean, pulled back into a low ponytail with little wisps curling at the temples. He wore a pair of cargo shorts and hiking boots that showed off his muscular legs, leaving his chest and abs available for Paige to admire.

  Paige had shared dinner with Wade twice after he recruited her for the show, but she had firmly drawn the line at doing the bouncy-bouncy until after the show. She had some morals after all. Although she might have indicated that it was a sure thing at a later time.

  Paige checked her watch. Two minutes until the deadline and Barry was nowhere to be seen. She brushed dirt off her arms and winced at the slight sunburn. Her sun-screen had failed at some point. Aleisha’s dark skin hadn’t suffered at all, and Paige mentally cursed her own fair skin. Her long braid was littered with twigs and leaves, and she pulled them out as everyone waited for the last contestant to arrive.

  Wade waited the two minutes then stood up and walked over to stand before the group. “Well, let’s see what we’ve got here.”

  “What about Barry?” Aleisha asked.

  “He missed the deadline.” Wade shrugged. “He’s out of the running for the first competition for Team Leader.” He bent over and picked up one of the bags. “Yours, right?”

  Aleisha nodded and glanced at the rest of the group nervously. She took a deep breath, which caused her large breasts to jiggle under her tight tank top. Paige couldn’t help but wonder if they got in her way. She glanced down at her own breasts covered by a loose, sweat-streaked tank and tight sport bra. Nothing to sneer at but certainly not in Aleisha’s league.

  “No meat or fish. A few berries and some plants that would make everyone seriously sick.” Wade shook his head. “Sorry excuse for a meal.” Aleisha’s face dropped, and her lip trembled when she smiled. Paige thought that Wade didn’t need to be so rude, but maybe it was part of the show.

  Wade picked up the next bag and pulled out a lizard and a bunch of vegetation. “Not bad. At least it’s all edible. Still, barely enough to feed one person, much less your teammates. Sorry Alex.”

  Alex grinned and shrugged. “Que’ puedo decir.”

  “Why don’t you speak English so we can understand you?” Ty sneered.

  “What can I say?” Alex said.

  “I don’t know, just say it in English from now on.” Ty frowned and shook his head.

  “No, that’s what I said in Spanish,” Alex explained.

  “Whatever.”

  The next bag was Kevin’s and contained nothing more than a snake. “Again, not enough to feed your t
eammates,” Wade said.

  “Oh. I thought I was just providing for myself.” Kevin laughed and shrugged.

  Wade stared at Kevin for a moment, and then picked up Ty’s bag. He pulled out three small fish, a bunch of plantains and five coconuts. “Good haul. Don’t know that the fish is enough for everyone to go to bed with a full stomach, but it’s not a bad effort.”

  Ty’s chest puffed out and he smirked at the rest of the team. Nick continued to film everyone. Paige’s bag was next and she almost squirmed with the anticipation of wiping that smirk off Ty’s handsome face.

  Wade opened her bag and pulled out the greens, the plantains, and the snake.

  “Pretty good, but not really enough—”

  “You didn’t check the other bag,” Paige interrupted him. Wade opened the plastic bag and whistled. “Nice haul.” He pulled the fish out, each one larger than anything Ty had caught. “Cleaned and ready to cook, too.” He looked at the five of them and grinned. “Looks like we have a winner in the first competition.” He flashed Paige a smile that made her knees tremble just a bit. Although she didn’t think it had anything to do with winning the first competition.

  “Way to go, girlfriend,” Aleisha said. “If it’d been up to me, we’d be going to bed hungry or sick.” She laughed.

  Alex wrapped her in a warm hug. “Felicitaciones!” There was no bitterness about his congratulations.

  “Not bad, Paige,” Ty grudgingly admitted. “Although I think we need a Team Leader who can do a little more than provide food.” Paige shook her head and turned away. Idiot.

  “Paige, come help me get some stuff from the Jeep,” Wade called. Paige ignored Ty and trotted after Wade, pushing through the brush.

  “Wade,” she called as she caught up to him. He turned and looked at her, eyebrows raised. “I need to ask you something.”

  “Anything for you, darlin’.” He grabbed her braid and pulled her close for a quick kiss.