Black Mamba

by Tierney James

  Handsome waited at the boat dock and assisted the Brits into their mokoros. The ladies squealed when the mokoro rocked suddenly, pitching the guide in the rear, holding the pole, into the water. Laughter erupted when Handsome pulled him out. The mishap had the ladies apologizing for their clumsiness. The two British men decided to travel together this time, saying they wanted to fish. Already out in the channel, they called back encouragement to the ladies.

  Once the others had pushed off toward the narrow channels of the Okavango, Handsome helped the Enigma team into his boat. Sam and Carter were last to arrive. Carter whistled “The Yellow Rose of Texas” while Sam glowered at him.

  Why Sam had been in a dangerous mood since they’d arrived still puzzled Chase. He hoped Carter wasn’t taking unfair advantage of the situation with them being roommates. However, Sam could best the former astronaut any day of the week. The woman might look like a piece of fine crystal, but her resolve resembled steel. She squeezed in between Vernon and Zoric. The young tech immediately stopped his nonstop chatter and stared straight ahead. Zoric moved back next to Carter who pounded him on the back like a long-lost friend.

  “Handsome, once you get out into more open waters, would you kill the engine so we can talk?” Chase sat up in the front seat next to him. The big man nodded and went only a couple of miles before stopping.

  “What’s up? Is it about the woman they call Keeya? She’s still missing. I think it is odd she would walk away.” Handsome kept his grip on the wheel as he sat.

  Tessa leaned over the seat and laid her hand on his beefy shoulder. “Have you heard from your father today?”

  “Come to think of it, no. Most days we connect, but I’ve been a little busy. We never miss more than a day or two. Why?”

  Chase took a deep breath and nodded back at Zoric and Vernon. “They spotted some smoke coming from the direction of the clinic. We’re a little worried is all. With what happened this morning and Baboloki being gone longer than the rest of us…”

  Handsome located the radio in the console. “Baboloki was scheduled to be gone longer since he was on a hunt. Lunches were packed for them. And those poachers we ran into were a little far from the clinic, although I suspect they were part of the guard tagging along with the president. I’ll call my father.”

  The static brought a silence to the team while Handsome continued to try and contact his father.

  “Care if I head that way to make sure everything is okay?” Handsome fired up the engine.

  Tessa patted his shoulder. “Go ahead. Sounds like a good idea.”

  In seconds, they were flying through the water at top speed. Chase moved back next to Tessa and pulled a thin blanket over them. The late afternoon had lost its punch of heat and soon the temperatures would tumble. The others also took blankets. Tessa nudged closer as he slipped his arm around her shoulders.

  He planned to make this their last job. He considered a relationship dangerous ground with plenty of buried land mines to avoid. There weren’t many things he feared. Rejection from Tessa Scott remained at the top of the list. She wanted to talk about what bothered him, and Chase knew himself well enough to reject such an idea.

  Minutes from the landing point for the medical clinic, the smell of smoke was in the air. The boat idled slowly in when a smoldering compound appeared. People wandered around, crying and calling out words Chase couldn’t understand. The men pitched in to secure the boat immediately.

  “Go,” Chase ordered Handsome. “Go.”

  The team followed Handsome who ran ahead to find Dr. Girard. Several of the villagers met him. In seconds, he took on the frightened look of a crazed man who had lost everything. He called out his father’s name as he ran toward the main building, timbers still falling inside from the fire. Smoke curled upward and Chase didn’t see how there could be survivors.

  Handsome was rushing to go inside when Chase and Carter caught up with him, pulling him back for his own safety as a wall collapsed.

  “No!” he screamed over and over then jerked free of the hands holding him back.

  Tears flowed down his face. He staggered backward and fell to the ground. A group of villagers standing nearby also cried, some holding babies or propping up grandmothers who most likely were alive because of the good doctor’s care.

  The Enigma team stood helpless, watching the end of a man’s life’s work all because of the birth of a baby boy. Tessa was the only person who dared go to Handsome after he’d threatened several others to stay away from him. She squatted next to him and wiped his tears away. Her own trickled down her cheeks, flushed from the heat of the fire.

  With the gentleness of a loving mother, she wrapped her arms around the giant of a man then laid her head on his shoulder. His arms went around her and hugged her so tight, Chase wondered how she could breathe.

  Seeing her give love and comfort to a despicable liar, crumbled Chase’s resolve to send her packing once they returned to the States. He wanted that love for himself. The familiar pain in his chest returned, a reminder he actually had a heart capable of compassion and love.

  Chase extended his hand. “Come on, buddy. Let’s find out what happened.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Tessa moved among the people, trying to comfort them. A woman with a baby struggled to keep her other two children close at hand while consoling an elderly woman.

  “May I?” Tessa extended her hands out toward the baby girl who appeared to be around five months old. “I will stay close by.” She cooed at the baby who returned the gesture then leaned slightly toward her. Tessa lifted her from her mother’s arm. The baby pulled at Tessa’s hair and pinched her lips with chubby fingers.

  “She likes you.” The woman revealed several missing teeth when she spoke. Her boys began fighting each other near one of the smoldering piles of rubble. With a look of panic and a few cross words at the boys, the mother offered to take back the infant.

  Tessa tickled the baby into giggling then buried her head in her neck. She twirled around, enjoying the feel of holding a baby again.

  “I need to get my boys.”

  “Go ahead. We are fine.”

  “Thank you, ma’am.”

  “Tessa. Call me Tessa.”

  The mother nodded then fussed at the boys who tried to escape her wrath.

  “You’re a friend of Handsome.” A young woman in her twenties approached her timidly. “I saw him hug you.”

  Jealous girlfriend? Secret admirer? Her body tensed at the idea of another woman getting the wrong impression of her relationship with Handsome.

  “Yes, we are old friends. He saved my life once, and I owe him big-time. He is part of my American family.” The admiring glance the girl sent to Handsome, who spoke to Chase, told her she’d said the right thing. “So, you are Handsome’s friend?”

  “Yes.” She looked around her. “The doctor is not dead like everyone thinks.”

  Tessa cringed as the baby yanked her earring. Gently, she removed the fingers and kissed them. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Very sure.”

  Tessa listened then insisted she tell Chase and Handsome. She called them over so the mother of the child could continue dealing with her boys. Handsome appeared to have pulled himself together, but his puffy eyes added to the sour expression and deep frown.

  Chase tickled the cheeks of the baby, winning him a burst of laughter. “Who is this?”

  “Part of your future fan club, I imagine.” She landed a few more kisses on the baby’s head before nodding at the young lady. “I think you need to listen to her story.”

  Handsome shifted his eyes to Tessa then the woman. “Taifa, what is it? Are you hurt?”

  “No. No.” The tears rolled freely while she threw her hands up. “Your friend, Dr. Girard. He is very hurt, very bad.”

  “He is not in the rubble of the clinic?” Handsome’s hands went to the top of his head.

  “No. I wanted to help. He sent us home because no one ca
me to the clinic and the men were gone to help at the camp. My mother needed something for a headache, so I came back to beg for medicine,” she wept.

  “What happened?” Handsome gripped her arms.

  Chase pulled him off the girl when she winced. “Taifa, you’re hurt.”

  “I ran into the clinic to save what I could after they left,” she sobbed. “I am sorry, Handsome.”

  “Taifa, you are burned.” Handsome’s voice softened. “What were you thinking, running into a burning building?”

  “These people need medicine. Bandages. Things to make life easier. I got to the medicine cabinet and loaded up buckets. I went back three trips before the smoke got too bad.” She pointed to some nearby trees. “There are the supplies.”

  Handsome got over himself suddenly and retrieved two of the buckets. “We need to fix your arms and hands.”

  “I used to be a medic. Let me,” Chase insisted then motioned for her to climb up on a picnic table that had survived the fire. “Can you talk while I do this?” he asked. His knight-in-shining-armor grin wasn’t lost on Tessa. It never failed. When he used his calm, cool voice in a tight situation, someone would fall victim to his charm. Taifa nodded sweetly and sniffed back the last of her tears.

  “What did you see?” Handsome coaxed.

  The baby nuzzled into Tessa’s neck and dozed while Taifa stole glances at Handsome. She understood the young woman wanted to please him. “Tell them what you told me, Taifa.”

  “I heard men. They had guns. I had to hide to keep them from seeing me. I slipped to the back so I could look in the window.”

  She watched Chase for a few moments as he applied some ointment to her arm and added a look of endearing concern. Tessa tried to wrap her head around the idea, for the millionth time, how a man with his particular set of problem-solving skills could be so disarming. Watching him almost got her sidetracked from the seriousness of the situation.

  “Did you recognize them?” Tessa adjusted the baby in her arms.

  “No. They were not from the Okavango. They wore uniforms like some of the park rangers.”

  “How did they hurt the doctor?” Handsome asked.

  “I don’t know. His head was bleeding. I couldn’t see his face. A man talked to him, but I couldn’t see him. He wanted to know about the doctor’s family.”

  Chase stood erect and leveled a serious expression at Handsome. “What about them?” he asked as he replaced the supplies in the bucket.

  “Something about a picture they found of the doctor’s wife.”

  Handsome shook his head. “He kept a picture of his wife and child in his desk.”

  Tessa and Chase met each other’s eyes. That child stood before them. “What did Dr. Girard say about the picture?” Chase put his hands on his hips.

  “She died. Good woman. Loved children. I don’t understand why this made the man so angry.”

  “How many men, Taifa? Could you tell?” Handsome continued, his voice edged with irritation.

  “I think five, six, maybe more, but I hid after that. I hoped they would leave him. I figured they want drugs. There is no money here. The doctor treats everyone the same. Good people. Bad people. Isn’t that true, Handsome?” Taifa’s voice quivered. “I am sorry I could not save him.”

  “What happened next?” Chase moved to Tessa’s side and glanced down at the baby then at her.

  “They dragged him out. Another man said they would make him talk when they got somewhere. They didn’t say where. He cried when they set the fires.” She burst into tears again. “I was so scared.”

  Handsome cupped her chin in his monstrous hand. “Thank you, Taifa. You have helped more than you know. And all this medicine will help people. We’ll get it back to the camp where we have some refrigeration.” He patted her cheek. “You did good. We will find him. Now, go home.”

  Chase gave her some care instructions for her arms and hands before she left. Tessa watched Handsome walk her to the trail leading to her village and considered whether there might be romance between the two.

  “You look pretty happy holding that baby. You’re a natural,” Chase said, touching the baby’s toes, so they would twitch.

  Tessa took a deep breath. “I love babies. Makes me want another one.” She kissed the child’s head and wrinkled her nose at Chase. “Here comes her momma. Guess I’m back to wishing again,” she said wistfully. The child never awoke in the handoff. A sigh escaped her when the mother walked away. A glance toward Chase caught him staring at her in a new way. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “No reason,” he said abruptly. He turned and motioned for her to follow. “We are under the gun.” Carter and Sam joined them, the seriousness of the situation showing in their eyes. Chase retold Taifa’s story. “Any guesses where Baboloki was this morning?”

  “If he did this, history is repeating itself,” Tessa whispered, watching Handsome approach. “What do we tell him? We can’t keep all this from him.”

  “True enough,” Sam interjected. “We don’t want him turning on us. He’s hard enough to handle. If we’re not careful, he’ll go on a rampage and try to kill the president.”

  “Agreed.” Chase eyed Tessa. “You seem to be the only one to calm the savage beast. Are you up to telling him about his mother?”

  Tessa took in each of her friends, knowing they counted on her to keep this situation from spiraling out of their control. “Okay. I’ll call you over when you can explain some kind of plan.”

  “Don’t take long. We need to get back before dark.” As he spoke, the sun dipped toward the horizon.

  Tessa cut Handsome off as he approached then led him to some tree stumps she’d seen used for stools. They stared at the smoldering building for a few minutes until Tessa got the courage to speak.

  “Handsome, I have some things I need to tell you.” She focused straight ahead but became aware when he started to watch her. “I understand you’re worried about your father.”

  “Are you going to tell me this was Baboloki? Because if you do, I’m going to go kill him right now. I don’t care about ruling Botswana. I want revenge. He killed my birth parents and he intends, if he hasn’t already done it, to kill the only father I’ve ever known. He believes the legend of the Kifaru diamond and thinks he’s being threatened.”

  “We don’t know who did this, Handsome,” she said, daring to finally meet his gaze. “I think there is a good chance you’re right. But we have to be careful.”

  Handsome jumped up and doubled his fists. “No,” he stormed.

  Tessa sucked up her courage. Chase and the others were watching, and this was her chance to prove her worth to the team. “Sit down this minute,” she growled in her best mom voice. “So, help me, Handsome, if you don’t shut the hell up until I’m done talking, I’ll do my best to make your life more miserable than it already is. Do you understand me?” Glaring up at him helped her feel one with the captive in King Kong, a love-hate relationship based partly on fear and a little respect. “Sit. Down,” she repeated.

  He glanced over her shoulder, and although Tessa had her back to the Enigma team, she imagined them poised for confrontation if this situation didn’t go as planned. Slowly, he sat.

  “You are not a very good badass, Tessa.” His voice had returned to his normal level of unconcern.

  “My children might disagree with that evaluation.” This caused a slight upturn on one corner of his mouth. “Is this how you manage those jerks behind us, by using your mom tactics?”

  “Yes. But let’s make that our little secret. They aren’t aware I think of them as spoiled little brats who need constant behavior modification. Probably why President Austin put me with them.”

  Handsome dropped his gaze to the ground and leaned forward to prop on his thighs. “Say what you will. I’m going to look for my father.”

  “They aren’t likely to kill him, Handsome.”

  “And you believe this because…”

  “Becau
se we have something he wants.” Tessa leaned toward him.

  “And what would that be?” He turned toward her.

  “Your birth mother. She’s alive.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Dage paced outside the room where Dr. Girard slept then stepped inside to evaluate the doctor’s condition. He couldn’t justify having his men beat the man further. With a probable concussion, he had suffered enough. Dage needed to return to inform the president no new revelations about the Kifaru diamond or the child in the photo had been revealed.

  The doctor moaned and tried to sit up, squinting when his gaze landed on Dage.

  “You are one of the president’s men.”

  Dage moved closer and spotted the dried blood on the man’s forehead and around his ear. With one eye swelled shut, he resembled a cyclops.

  “Yes. Would you like some water?”

  “Yes. Please,” he answered in a gravelly voice.

  Dage retrieved a water bottle from the room next door and twisted off the cap when he returned. “I need some information first.” He moved to stand before him and poured a fourth of the bottle on the floor.

  Dr. Girard watched with his one good eye until Dage stopped. He cocked his head so he could stare up at him. “You’ve been rubbing your neck. Is it stiff? Sore?”

  Dage hadn’t realized he had rubbed the ache that plagued him of late. “You are the pain in my neck, Dr. Girard.”

  “I don’t what this place is, but I noticed some sacks of rice over there,” he said pointing to some dusty metal shelves. “Remove one of your socks and fill it three quarters full with the rice.”

  “And why would I want to do that?” Dage sniffed back a chuckle.

  “Tie a knot in the end of the sock.” The doctor pointed to a table. “I think that is an old microwave. It seems this place has electricity. Maybe it still works. Hopefully, mice haven’t eaten the cord.”

  This time, Dage did laugh. “So, if I do this?”

  “Cook it for a minute and a half. Gently put it around your neck. The heat will ease your pain.” The doctor lowered his head into his hands. “Make sure it isn’t directly on your skin. It might be too hot.”