She looked around while James prattled on about a publicity tour. Cameras lined up on the senator’s lawn, jockeying for the best position. A news helicopter hovered nearby. This political circus used to fuel her, give her a sense of purpose.
But now it all seemed so empty. Lonely.
It was as if life were handing her two mutually exclusive options for her future. Career or love.
She’d be forced to make that choice. And her career might not take first place.
* * *
Grizz wasn’t going to let Dani walk out of his life without him letting her know how he felt about her.
If only he could get a few seconds of her time. They’d headed back to base camp, where she’d been whisked away and transformed from lost-in-the-woods to professional newscaster in the blink of an eye. When had she had time to change?
Now he was stuck in another meeting with Rio. His third debriefing.
“I just wanted to read you in on a few things.” Rio sat at the conference room table across from Grizz. “We’re holding a press conference in about an hour. Dani will tell her version of the events.”
Grizz squinted. “But the investigation isn’t over. We’ve still got a missing biological weapon. And Doctor Cortez?—”
Rio raised his hand. “I know. Trust me. We’ve looked at the situation from every angle. But the FBI is going to ‘close the case.’” Rio made air quotes aroundclose the case. “The senator is behind bars where he belongs. The canister was recovered. If we unofficially close the case, the perpetrators will think they’ve gotten away with it. And that’s going to work to our advantage.”
“So you want me to corroborate the case-closed story.”
“Yep. You’re sworn to secrecy. We’re investigating, but as far as the world knows, we’ve got our man.”
Rio talked about the press conference, but Grizz caught sight of a blue wisp passing by the conference room door.
Dani. In that blue floral dress from earlier, complete with high heels. He wanted to bolt out the door after her, but Rio was still talking. Or wait, when had Rio stopped talking?
The man shook his head. “You’ve got it bad for Dani.”
Grizz shrugged. No use hiding it. Rio knew him too well. “I need to find time to talk with her before she heads home. Look, I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I’m willing to make changes to have her in my life. This isn’t the end.”
Rio’s smile widened. “Well, we need to make sure you find her right after the press conference. I know she’s leaving tonight. Her station is making appointments for interviews across the country.”
Rio and Grizz made their way across base camp to the hangar where the press conference would be held. Base camp had become a hotbed of activity. FBI, reporters, and military personnel littered the area.
The hanger had been converted into a mini conference room complete with a stage and microphone stand. A few of the hotshots and smokejumpers pitched in and set up chairs. Reporters lined up their cameras, and the generators hummed while working overtime.
Grizz surveyed the room. No sign of Dani. People started to fill the seats, and Rio and Grizz staked some chairs out in the last row.
“Are you ready for the circus to begin?” Rio asked.
“At least I’m not in the hot seat. Apparently, the media is clamoring for an interview with me, but so far I’ve dodged them all.”
“I’m surprised you haven’t headed out yet, gone to hide in your cabin. Away from the lights and cameras.”
Grizz shrugged. “Not without seeing Dani first. We haven’t talked about our relationship, if there is one.”
Rio slapped Grizz on the back. “The world saw that kiss earlier. There’s definitely a relationship. You just have to work out a few kinks.”
“Like the three-and-a-half-thousand-mile distance, plus four time zones?”
“I have a good feeling about you two kids.”
The volume of chatter grew louder as more people filed into the hangar. Dani was scheduled to give her story and answer questions. Would his name come up?
She entered the hangar with two other reporters from INN, and they walked to the makeshift podium his team had moved from their briefing room.
