Gone Tropical Read Online Free PDF Page A

Townsville, that’s where me sugar cane farm is. We’ll go there and get supplies, then north to Cairns and the Daintree Rainforest.”
    “And we’re flying?” Amy asked, looking from Jake to Sarge. “In a small plane?” Small planes and helicopters, well, she refused to travel on either one.
    Jake cleared his throat. “He’s a good pilot. I’ll go with Sarge, and you’ll stay here.”
    “What?” The word exploded from her lips, and she moved to the edge of the seat. A few patrons turned their heads. She lowered her voice to a hiss. “No way in hell.”
    “It could be dangerous,” Jake said. He stared her up and down. “You don’t have the right clothes. There are snakes, spiders, crocodiles, and—”
    “I like snakes,” Amy said.
    That was one thing she and Firth had had in common, they’d both liked nature. Steven suited up for work, and he played the part of the sophisticated financial manager, but underneath he’d been a country kid. That should have raised a red flag, but for some reason she’d ignored any hint of warning.
    Sarge roared with laughter, and he shot Jake a quick look. Had she missed something?
    “She’s got one on you there, Turner,” Sarge said.
    Jake seemed flustered for a minute. Did the big tough dude get scared by snakes?
    “It’ll be rough, and we’ll be undercover,” Jake said, not meeting her gaze. “Firth’s a slippery character. He’s evaded the FBI for chrissakes. I’m hired to protect you. I do the job, and keep you out of harm’s way.”
    “I don’t want to be left out,” Amy said. Still, it was nice that Daddy thought about protecting her. Not that she needed protection. Maybe they could repair this rift. Ornery as he was, she did miss her father, and he’d gone through hell the past two years. Could she trust these men? She jutted out her chin. “I’m seeing this through to the very end. I owe Daddy.”
    “What does that mean?” Jake asked.
    “I was the one who found out Firth was here…through my investigations and with no connection to FBI.” She squared her shoulders. “So, in effect, this is my gig.”
    Jake glared at her, and then rubbed a finger across his top lip.
    “If he’s disguised, who’d see through his disguise better than me?” she asked.
    “I said, no. I have orders from your father,” Jake said. “He signs my check.”
    “He doesn’t sign mine.” Amy held his gaze.
    Jake blew out a huge puff of air. “Look, Sarge is a tropical tracker. He can go deep into the rainforest. Firth booked a one-way ticket last night, to Cairns. That’s all we know.”
    “Why aren’t you working with the Australian authorities?” Amy leaned forward. “If you know where he’s gone, why not have a guy at his destination, waiting to nab him?”
    “We don’t know for sure Firth is Fray,” Jake said. “We’re waiting on DNA results.”
    “I’m going.” Amy crossed her arms. “I’ve changed my appearance.”
    “Disguises don’t work when you know someone intimately.”
    She narrowed her eyes. It had been a long time since she’d been intimate with Firth, and he’d stopped noticing her anyway.
    “Scents, pheromones, the shape of a jaw, or a hairline, little things trigger memories,” Jake continued.
    Okay, she’d buy that. But she wasn’t planning on getting close to Firth without back-up. And she sure as hell wasn’t getting intimate. Her job was to I.D. him, follow him, find out his location, and then report to authorities.
    “Look, many of the roads aren’t sealed.” Jake’s eyes darkened. “Can’t use a car, wild terrain, might have to sleep in the jeep, no bathrooms—”
    “What, you think I can’t pee in the woods?” Amy asked, and then huffed. “I’m going anyway, whether you guys take me along or…or I…or I charter a plane, and go by myself.”
    “Dammit, your father told me you’d be like this. Stubborn as hell.”
    “So? No surprise then?” She quashed the thought of a dizzying flight in a light