Luke was glad to be able to give her something she wanted, but he still wished he could have left her at the cabin. The searches for the missing women had only taken him away for a few hours of whacking and insult ducking, but there was no way he could stand to leave her unprotected for two entire days. Now that they were out here though, the feeling of danger was only getting stronger. Even so many years out of action couldn’t dull the instincts he had once trusted his life to and LJ sped them up a little, hand staying close to the sheath on his belt.
In his hurry to get her someplace safer, Luke stepped over the very shallow grave without recognizing it for what it was. Whoever had put it there hadn’t been concerned with the body staying buried.
2
An hour later, the feeling of menace had faded and the afternoon started with a sudden brightness that lifted Luke’s spirits. He loved being in the jungle again. Before, when he’d been so alone, the greenness had been suffered through. Now, because of Kendle’s love of nature, he’d begun to make peace with his past. She finally knew his full story. He’d told her while she was sequestered in bed last week, and he was still stunned by her easy acceptance of the mistake he had made. Adamant it hadn’t been his fault, her comforting arms had seemed to break the shroud his secret had built around him.
The enemy had purposely held the POW’s below that Laos village, hoping the innocent civilians would provide a cover. When he and Frank had gotten the others clear and called in that they were alive, the small town had been firebombed despite their attempts to convince HQ to handle it from the ground. Luke had carried the guilt all his life until finding Kendle on the beach. She’d gotten through the wall and her needs were now more important than his. When she’d said she wanted to start hiking, he’d had to force himself to agree, but once out here, the beauty had returned for him, bringing peace. Because of Kendle.
Who’s probably hungry, he thought, able to hear her quiet footsteps behind him, but no sounds of her being winded yet. Their hiking was helping her body, returning her strength and he was glad her cold had been only that and not a return of the pneumonia she’d been battling when he’d found her.
Luke steered them around a huge, vine-covered Miro tree and stopped, using his arm to wipe at his forehead.
“Are you feeding me now?” Kendle joked, shifting her pack from her shoulders to the ground.
“Some bread and water and then you’re back on the road.”
She laughed, the noise echoing off the thick pad of treetops above them. They ate a small meal in the shade of an enormous Piñon tree that had more branches than she could count. Obviously old, she wondered what stories it might tell about those who had come this way before them. Some of its bark was petrified, and near the top of her head, Kendle could see lines that seemed like carvings. She spent a few minutes examining them while they finished eating.
The markings were rough, old, and she strained to see. What name was that? It started with an A, but that was all she could make out. The rest of the lines weren’t in any order that she could see, not even forming a picture, and she wondered if it was an ancient map. Maybe to a pirate treasure? That was the old world, Kendle told herself sharply. Fame and fortune weren’t worth shit now.
“Did you say something?”
Kendle shook her head; still busy trying to banish that part of herself that had sent her into films and the spotlight. “No, why?”
“Thought I heard…engines?”
They both waited in silence, listening hard, but there was only the jungle – chattering monkeys and chirping birds.
Luke laughed it off, gathering their mess. “Hearing things again.”
Kendle raised a brow. “Again?”
Luke’s shrug looked embarrassed. “I was doing…rounds of the cabin last night and thought I heard footsteps.” He grinned. “I’m old, it happens.”
Kendle smiled, but she wasn’t fooled by the joke. He was worried.
Luke handed her backpack over. “Let’s roll.”
She snapped a smart salute, eyes lightening. “Yes, sir!”
3
The excitement of the trip began to wear off for Kendle as the day warmed and sweat started rolling down her back. Skin covered for protection, the heat was thick, smothering, and she was very glad to see the sun glare finally start to fade behind the tree tops. Soon, it would cool off.
Luke passed a canteen of water back and she sipped at it lightly, stomach unhappy with the heat and walking. None of their hikes had lasted more than a couple hours and she was feeling tired, something she recognized as a side effect of the radiation or whatever she’d been blasted with. It hit her hard when it came and she swayed a bit, steps no longer light and careful.
Luke knew she needed a break, but he wanted to reach the creek before dark and he tugged gently on the rope until she was at his side. He slid an arm around her and kept them moving, feeling her relieved body melt against his. Damn, she was hot.
“Maybe we should make camp around here and go on in the morning,” he suggested and wasn’t surprised when she disagreed.
“I’m fine. The sun will go down and I’ll get a second wind.”
“We’ll be at the creek in another hour. We’ll camp there and get our supplies in the morning.”
Kendle was too uncomfortable to insist. She’d made good progress, but it was clear she had a way to go before she would be really healthy again.
The day got warmer as they wound through the jungle, following a faint path that Luke kept track of. The tracks he saw were old, mostly animals, and it made him feel better to know they were the first ones to come through here in a while. Much like when he had been Whacker in Vietnam.
“Do you smell that?”
Luke inhaled deeply. “No. What?”
Kendle sniffed again, sure it was strong enough for him to pick up too. “Sort of like…oil or gas fumes.”
Luke didn’t know if there was anything in the air or not. He wasn’t picking up much beyond the plants and animals around them. “People here have stashes. It’s probably a resident.”
Kendle slipped on a sharp rock, clutching at his arm, and LJ hauled her back into place, thinking she was still too light. “All right?”
“Yeah, my shoe flap caught a rock.”
That was one of the many things on their list, what they had gone to Baxter’s for yesterday, and Luke began steering them around the more obvious ruts and stones. Damn stupid townspeople!
Kendle could feel his sudden upset through the rigid lines of his body and guessed what had triggered it. “You know there’s a good chance I wouldn’t have gotten a pair anyway, right? Did you see that puke green tennis shoe? Who wears that?”
Luke chuckled despite his anger. She hated to see him upset. When he fell into one of his…moments of the past, she was quick to snap him out of it with a joke or comment he wasn’t expecting. Life with Kendle was all peaches and sunshine. But for their past and the apocalypse, their life together would be perfect.
With Luke supporting most of her weight, Kendle was able to get her wind back and cool down a little. The sun was beating harder, but his big shadow kept some of it from her and she instinctively leaned into his side like a lover, enjoying being so close. He was hard and rippling strength against her, sending those stray curls of want into her stomach whenever he looked down at her with those sexy blue eyes. No, she definitely didn’t see him as a man old enough to be her father. Luke was as far from that, for her, as it got.
Wondering about her thoughts, Luke didn’t want to interrupt the moment with words and settled for pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her head and drawing her closer. Her arm went around his lean waist, the rope now coiled in his free hand, and the rest of the walk to the creek flew by.
4
An unnamed snake winding through Pitcairn’s lush greenness, the creek was a narrow, deep waterway with mossy banks and a slow current. It twisted out of sight in both directions, almost hidden by the bushy leaves, and
Kendle stared in awe.
“Beautiful.”
There was no paralyzing fear at the sight of it, as Luke had been half expecting, and she moved closer with a smile on her face.
“Can we swim across?”
Before he could answer, the water rose near the bank, crystal drops swelling into the air as a large crocodile padded out.
Kendle recoiled in horror, stumbling back into LJ’s arms. She stayed there.
“Yeah, she might not like that.”
The amusement in his voice calmed her and she flushed, thinking of the survival challenges she’d been on. She knew better.
“I didn’t realize crocodiles were so far south,” she stated, watching the huge animal pad into the shade of an uprooted tree.
“They’ve been moving further away from the big landmasses. We get a lot of things out here that are trying to escape progress.”
Kendle shook it off, turning to peer around for a bridge. “So where do we cross?”
Luke motioned to the rippling water. “There.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Nope.”
“Is there a boat or something?”
Luke was busy digging through his pockets. “Or something.”
Kendle waited as patiently as she could. Thanks to the crocodile, she was now feeling the same dread that struck her when she heard the ocean. When he began tying ropes together, her brows drew together in concentration, trying to figure out what he was doing.
A few minutes later, her lips curved into a grin as he put together a rope ladder. Upon recognizing it, she tilted up to find a tree house. Cleverly built around the trunk, the small shelter was so well hidden; she doubted many people even knew it existed.
“We’ll hang up there til morning and then cross.”
Her thoughts drifted to spending the night in the small shack and she blushed.
Kendle’s thoughts changed as they climbed up. From the garbage and personal items she got a quick look at, someone was using this as a home and she wasn’t surprised when Luke immediately got them down and out of the area.
What bothered her was the concern on his face. Did he mind that someone had been using his place? She frowned. Was it even his place?
It took her a minute to realize he was leading them back the way they’d come and she stopped. “Hey, what gives?”
Luke kept walking, tugging her along. “We have to get to town.”
Kendle stopped resisting at his tone. “Why?”
“I need to see the Mayor.”
Kendle flinched. That was Ethan’s daddy. “For what?”
“I saw something back there that I need to tell him about,” Luke ground out, wishing she would leave it alone.
“What was it?”
Luke increased their pace, mind flying. They would have to walk in the dark. He could put her on his back if he had to.
“Is this about the missing women?”
Luke flinched. “Yeah, come on.”
He moved them onto a more traveled path, not liking the quietness of the jungle around them, and then stopped suddenly.
Voices came to them, male, and Luke started moving again. “Good.”
They only went a few feet into the thick greenness before Kendle could hear what he had. Footsteps and… muttering?
“Who’s out there?” LJ called.
“Who indeed, you ruffian! Tire of the game finally?”
Luke and Kendle emerged from the bushes into a small clearing, and found three servants in tan slacks and vests surrounding a fourth man. This one was tall, expensively dressed, and very angry.
“You’ll be paying for this, Mr. Johnson! I’ll see to it personally.”
“What are you talking about?” Kendle asked, but was ignored.
“I’m glad you’re here, Kraft. We found something…”
“Of course I’m here, you idiot!” the Mayor snapped, “You led me on a merry chase, but it’s finished now and I’ll have my cloak back!”
Luke frowned, listening this time. “What?”
Their complete confusion was obvious and the man seemed to wilt before their concern.
“It wasn’t you.”
Luke shook his head. “No, but listen, we found something in the creek shack. You need to gather a group of men and we’ll do another search.”
The Mayor only looked at him like he was a fool and Kendle recognized that glassy stare from her own terrors. He was afraid of something.
She stepped forward. “Are you okay?”
“No, I’m not.”
He stared at them with worried green eyes the same shade as his son’s. “I’ve been seeing ghosts and now one of them has stolen my favorite cloak and I can’t get it back.”
Shock, Luke thought.
Kendle took it a bit more seriously. “Did you see someone take your cloak?”
The Mayor fidgeted from foot to foot distractedly, removing his hat to wipe at his forehead, “I saw a shadow grab it from the line right after the maid put it out. I was in my common room with the valets.”
His accusing glare went over LJ as he said this, making Kendle want to slap him, but she kept pushing for answers instead. “What did you see exactly?”
“There was a man… a ghost man. He had my eyes!” The Mayor shoved himself away from her. “I’m getting out of here.”
“We’ll help you get back,” Kendle offered and was shocked by the revulsion in his response.
“I’d sooner walk with the ghost. Excuse me!” He was gone a few seconds later, his valets trailing silently behind him.
“He’s nuts, too,” Luke muttered.
Kendle nodded. “And scared. Something spooked him.”
She turned to Luke, noticing the breeze had cooled. “What do you think he’ll do?”
“I’m not sure he even heard me.”
“Who else can you tell?”
His snort was quick. “There’s not been any real crime on Pitcairn in years. There’s one police station, on the other side of the island, and that’s it. If someone goes missing, the residents usually band together and go searching.”
“Do you want to go try to get a search party together ourselves?’
“Won’t do any good without one of the Krafts there to nod and say ‘yes’ in the right places. We’ll have to tell the Bounty Bay sheriff.”
Kendle waited patiently and Luke finished his thinking out loud.
“We already sent for him when the women went missing. If he’s coming, he’ll be here in the next few days. It’ll take us a lot longer to go to him and we might miss each other along the way.”
He glanced up at the sinking sun. “We’ll keep going to Jenna’s store. Sheriff Cole should be in town by the time we get back. If not, we’ll go to him.”
“There’s a bridge or something, right?”
Kendle asked lightly and Luke tried not to think about what he’d found in the shack. “Or something.”
Luke led them to the base of a cliff wall that was overgrown with vines and moss. Under a far edge, he began to tug, and a wooden plank slid out from under the stone. Her attention snagged, Kendle watched him heft it over his shoulder.
“Come on.”
The plank was thick and sturdy and when he brought them through the trees a bit further up, she grinned in delight.
“Or something, all right.”
There was a rope seat hanging from a high tree branch. Connected to more cords that stretched across the dangerous creek, all it was missing was the actual seat that Luke had over his shoulder.
“Ever do this?”
Kendle shook her head, “I didn’t get to do the tree flying or the research when we flew to Brazil. The plane crashed.”
Luke slid the wooden plank in place. He’d seen that documentary after she had been rescued, thinking how lucky she’d been to survive at all, let alone to have only lost one crew member. The crash itself had been captured on film by another plane and it was ugly.
“This is sim
ple. Hang on. It sways a lot more than a normal schoolyard ride.”
Kendle smiled as he guided her into it and when he sat down beside her, she snuggled into his embrace.
“Hang on,” he ordered and she obediently clutched the harness with a tight grip.
Luke pulled the machete from his pocket and whacked through the anchor rope with one harsh swipe.
The swing jerked, sliding toward the water and then Kendle was laughing out loud. She was finally flying!
The jarring stop as they hit the ground on the other side tossed her from the swing and she landed in a pile at his feet, still giggling, “I’m gonna… wanna… do that... again.”
Luke let go of his rigid control, caught up in the moment. “Whenever you want, Darlin’, just say the word.”
Happiness was foreign to both of them, but it felt natural to lean close and seal their joy. “I love you, Kendle. You know that already.”
She moved to wrap her arms around his neck. “And I’m happy with you, Luke, honestly. This feels good.”
It wasn’t what he hoped for, but it was enough for now and he dipped his head back to her lips for a longer, fire-building kiss that had them both a bit dazed when he finally pulled back.
“We should go.”
Kendle melted against his side once more, grinning. “As long as we get to do that again on the way back, you can take me anywhere.”
5
The Crazy Lady across the creek was just that - crazy. And Kendle liked her on first sight, waving to them with a gun in one scarred hand and a cigar in the other.
“I won’t sell ya more than two of anything and I ain’t got two of much.” Her voice was younger than her face and she motioned at Kendle. “You go first.”
Adrian's Eagles: Book Four (Life After War) Page 9