by Eve Langlais
“Thanks for waking me,” she muttered, shooting Liam, the closest guy to her, a dark glare.
“If it’s any consolation, I just woke up too.”
Yeah right, she thought, eyeing his clean clothes, bright eyes, and combed hair. No one looked that good before seven a.m., not without prep work.
Letting her gaze rove again as she sucked back a few gulps of water, Ruth caught Kendrick’s eye. He smirked at her and glanced pointedly at his watch.
The jerk. He intended to try and leave her behind. Not while she still breathed, he wouldn’t. Scrambling, she forewent her usual morning pee as she clumsily pulled down her tent, a tent Liam had put up before Mr. High and Mighty arrived with his orders, while she screamed in the bushes about the spider she almost sat on.
Forget Liam pulling it down, though. Kendrick had spoken. No one was to help her, which suited her just fine. She could take care of herself. How hard could dismantling one small shelter be? Considering she got whacked twice in ten seconds as she yanked on the elasticized rods, it should have come with a dumb ass warning – Please use safety glasses if the only thing you know how to set up is a PlayStation.
Bet I could do it faster than a tent, she thought with a grunt of frustration when she couldn’t fit the darned thing in its carrying case. But she didn’t need Liam or any of the others to help her. She could do it, especially with Kendrick shooting her obnoxious looks and sneers.
“Where’s the guide we picked up from the village?” she asked, peeking around. “I haven’t seen him since we stopped yesterday.”
“Probably because he disappeared,” Liam replied.
“What? Ow!” Ruth caught her finger in the zipper of her bag and yanked it out to suck on.
“We think he might have gone back to his village.”
“Gone? But why? Who will guide us now?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take you anywhere you want to go,” Fernando answered as he walked by, the shadow of a beard on his face giving him a more rugged, untamed appearance. Hot. Super-hot. And yet, it didn’t give her any of the flutters she got when she looked at Joel or Kendrick.
Didn’t that figure? Surrounded by good-looking, tall men, one who kept flirting outrageously, and yet she seemed fixated on the pair who paid her the least attention. Dream the impossible so there’s no disappointment. Maybe she should take Fernando up on his many offers to show her various heights of pleasure. It would at least scratch the itch she had for Mr. Ornery K. Grayson and his attractive sidekick.
“Better move faster, Ruth, or he might just leave without you,” Liam whispered.
“I’m moving as fast as I can,” she grumbled, still trying to stuff her belongings back in her knapsack. They’d all come from the stupid bag, the least they could do was return to it in an orderly fashion.
“I’ll get her a few extra minutes,” Fernando said. “But don’t waste them. We should get going.”
Engaging Kendrick on a discussion of their disappearing guide, a man who’d seemingly vanished into thin air right after Kendrick’s arrival, Fernando aided her by keeping Kendrick turned away and busy. He stalled their leader enough that she managed to pack up her things – if messily – pee, and even wash her face.
She couldn’t help a triumphant grin when with a wink, Fernando announced himself satisfied with their plans and ready to go. Kendrick frowned as he peered from her to the handsome Latino. He didn’t say anything, but his tight lips said it all. They wouldn’t get away with that trick twice. She’d have to make sure she got faster.
When the group finally assembled to leave, she stuck herself behind their leader – and not just because his ass appeared particularly hot in his low-hipped cargo pants. She intended to keep him in sight, no matter what. You aren’t going to lose me, buddy, no matter what you think.
“Ready?” he snapped.
“Whenever you are, captain.”
“Are you sure you want to do this, honey? It’s not too late to turn back.”
“I wouldn’t dream of turning around, darling,” she replied sweetly in a taunting tone she didn’t recognize as her own.
“Anyone ever tell you that you’re stubborn?”
“Actually, no. What can I say? You bring out the best in me.” And he did. Despite her usual shyness around men out of her league, she couldn’t help but stick up for herself, despite his forbidding glares.
“I wish I could say the same.”
She resisted a childish urge to stick out her tongue. Barely, and only because she worried a roaming insect would take the opportunity to bite it. As they began their trek, she cast glances at Kendrick’s second in command. Joel, so friendly to her yesterday, he seemed determined to ignore her this morning, never once meeting her gaze. When her hand accidentally brushed him, he snatched it away as if she bore the plague. That hurt a little. Kendrick must have gotten to him. No matter. She’d show them she deserved a place in their group.
And show them she did. How to huff and puff as they marched at a quicker pace than the day before. How to fall over roots. Snag herself on branches. Oh, and step on something that squealed, which in turn, made her shriek. The laughter kept her head down, watching her feet for what seemed like hours after that.
Despite her mishaps, she kept up. Barely. Sweated out probably a whole person in water. Discovered antiperspirants did nothing in the jungle but attract bugs. Speaking of which, anything in the Chilopoda family that could not be squished by hand was wrong. So freakn’ wrong.
The only saving grace of the moment when the thousand-legged, million-eyed, segmented body dropped onto her shoulder and scurried down her arm while she screamed like the most delicate of little girls? Joel flinched from the centipede too. Kendrick, the jerk, didn’t bat an eye when he stomped it flat with his industrial combat boots.
Of the scenery, she noted little other than the fact is was green. Green. And more green. Did she mention green? With some brown. Maybe some flowers. With sweat streaming in her eyes, and her focus on getting one foot in front of the other, she didn’t really have time to study the scenery around her. A shame, because the botanist in her would have surely drooled at some of the specimens they passed.
At their third rest stop of the day for water and food – dried meat that took patience to chew, fresh fruit that left her chin sticky, and tepid water – she noted Kendrick and Joel sniffing the air. And not little inhalations, but heads bobbing side to side, constant sniffs. What aroma tickled their noses? And what did they think they were? Dogs?
Inhaling deep, she tried to sift the odors and figure out what caught their attention. Whatever it was proved too faint for her to distinguish. Maybe they admired the perfume of the flowers, flowers she kept clear of given the large insects buzzing around them. Who knew what they did? It wasn’t like Joel or Kendrick spoke to her or acknowledged her – caught her up in their burly arms and carried her through the nasty parts of the jungle.
Not that she cared or anything. But she really needed to lay off the romances for a while. Fantasizing about guys who didn’t want to give her the time of day said something sad about the state of her love life. Yeah, that I have none.
Still, though, she’d not done anything to deserve their cold shoulder. A braver girl would have given them a piece of her mind. Ruth settled for silent, dirty looks done covertly when she didn’t think they were looking.
The rest of the group found it entertaining, or so she judged by the snickers.
One in particular, Peter, kept chuckling for no reason and when Kendrick would ask what was so funny, he claimed a fly bothered him. Speaking of which … Fernando plunked beside her on the fallen tree she’d chosen as the safest-looking spot to park her tired ass. “What has you glaring laser beams?”
“Kendrick. He’s not very nice. And neither is his friend.”
“They seem fine to me,” he replied with a wide grin.
Sure, take their side. “That’s because you’re a man.”
“Thanks for noticin
g.” Fernando winked, but she didn’t feel a need to duck her head, blush, or swoon. While good-looking and friendly, Fernando didn’t set her heart pattering or her blood boiling, not like some other men she knew – and hated at the moment.
“I don’t understand his attitude. I kept up.”
“I don’t think any of us doubted you would. No, his angst comes from an entirely different source.”
“So I’m not the reason he’s pissy?”
“Oh, you are the cause of his mood, just not for the reason you think. Poor guy. I almost feel sorry for him. But he should know better by now. You can’t fight fate.”
Forget heads or tails, his words made no sense. “What are you talking about? What do you have to pity him for?”
“Because this trip is going to change his life drastically.” Fernando’s smile, if possible, got even bigger. “He will never be the same.”
“You’re obviously dehydrated and delusional. This is a rescue mission. How is that going to change him? Don’t tell me he’s one of those guys with a hero syndrome?” Not likely, given he let her suffer without offering even one helping finger.
“Oh no, Kendrick would never do anything for fame and glory. Not his style. None of us like the spotlight. We’re here because it’s the right thing to do.”
Wanna-be heroes or adrenaline junkies? She wondered if they were men who lived for danger and adventure, or did they all trek together because of one person, a behind the scenes organizer with an ulterior motive? Once again, her imagination threatened to overtake with wild ideas. “I have a hard time believing you’d go through all this trouble and danger for nothing.”
“Oh, we’ll end up compensated. Never fear. Kendrick, and I think Joel, more than the rest of us.”
So they did expect remuneration of some sort? Did he mean some kind of special salary for people who went on crazy rescue missions? That didn’t seem to warrant Fernando’s cryptic words. Then the light bulb went off and she could have smacked herself for not seeing it earlier. As mission leader, Kendrick probably had access to all the speculation and facts around the missing women. Including one rumor that for some reason, Ruth thought held the biggest grain of truth. “Is this about the Moon Ghost tribe?”
“You know about them?” Joel’s voice from behind surprised her and she almost fell off the log. Sure, now when she didn’t expect it, he sneaked up to talk to her.
Big hands – which instantly heated the skin they touched – steadied her as she craned to look back at Joel’s frowning mien. “Of course I know of the tribe. Any researcher worth her mettle looking into the Lacandon jungle would.”
“What do you know?”
“About the Moon Ghosts, or as the locals call them, Luunnaa Xtaabay? Here’s the condensed version. No one is entirely sure if they exist or not. Just as the name says, they’re like ghosts. They come and go without being seen. Some say it’s because they wear the spirit of the jaguar, borrowing his strength and agility, his skill in hiding within shadows.”
Fernando snickered. “Borrow. That’s a nice way of putting it.”
“Shut up,” Joel hissed. “Tell me more of the tribe,” he insisted in a softer tone. “What else do the scholars know?”
“Speculation seems to indicate they live deep in the heart of the Lacandon jungle, venturing only rarely to the domesticated parts to find brides. They look for young, unmarried virgins, spiriting them from the house of their parents, unseen, unheard, leaving behind piles of treasure as dowry. Gold, rubies, diamonds. Enough to make the family rich.”
“Sounds like a fairytale. What makes you think they exist?” Joel seemed oddly curious about her answer, his head tilted as he regarded her, eyes intent.
Why did she believe in a legend? How about because of a foolish wish that something as romantic as ghostly warriors in search of love could truly exist? “All rumors and legend have a small grain of truth.”
“I’ll give you that. But this legend sounds old. Real old. What makes you think they’ve survived the advance of civilization?”
“The heart of this jungle is still untouched. Primitive. Someone, a whole tribe of someones, could live and die unknown and never see the world. It’s possible.”
“But there’s more to it than that?” Joel pressed.
“Here’s what I know. My sister and two other girls were taken. The men in the group and the one older woman heard nothing. They slept right through it. But in the morning, they saw the mound of gems left behind in each of the girl’s sleeping bags. Someone took them and left a dowry behind. The whole thing fits the legend. Who or what else could it be?” She retorted, then flushed as she realized how heated she’d become.
“I’ll admit, there are some coincidences to your story, but that doesn’t make the kidnappers automatically this moon tribe,” Joel stubbornly insisted. “It could be slavers.”
No it wasn’t, because Ruth refused to entertain that possibility. If she did, she’d have to admit her sister was gone. “Slavers? Gee, way to raise my hopes.” Joel’s face blanched as he realized what he’d said. She turned away, not wanting to see his chagrin. Thanks for the reminder you’re still a jerk. “It’s not slavers. Any idiot with half a brain could see that. Thieves of any kind wouldn’t leave a fortune in jewels behind. It kind of defeats the purpose.”
“Here’s what I think. You’re hoping it’s this tribe of savages,” Fernando exclaimed. “You want to be a kidnapped bride. Carried off by a handsome, half-naked fellow and ravished under the stars.”
“Do not,” she stammered. Not anymore, not with the reminder and reality of her sister missing. Note or not, Ruth had no proof Carlie was actually safe. Just hope.
“Intrigued by their riches, are you?” Joel snarled it more than he said it, as if annoyed by even the mention of her fantasy.
She glared at him. How dare he think her so shallow? “Not really. I’m not a gold digger.”
“Yet your eyes light up when you speak of them. Why else but for their riches?”
“For your information, I’ve always liked flowers more than shiny rocks. I don’t really care what they own or how rich they are. I’m a researcher. They’re a legend. How could I not want to meet them?”
If possible, Joel seemed even more unhappy with her. “I would have thought any woman would balk at meeting men who force women to become their brides.”
“I should, but it’s kind of romantic.” She sighed, because it was. Not that it would happen to her. Who would want to steal her wide ass and marry it? They’d need at least two men to accomplish that. Again, only something that happened in romance novels, especially those by Stacey Espino.
“Romantic?” Joel sputtered. With a shove, he heaved Fernando off the log and took his place, his thigh pressing against hers in a most distracting manner. “There is nothing sexy about a stranger kidnapping you and forcing you to go through a strange ritual where he makes you his mate for life and seduces you whether you like it or not.”
When put like that, it sounded bad, but she wouldn’t let him ruin the fantasy she’d entertained while writing her dissertation. “I could handle it if he treated me nice.”
“What about your career? Your life? Family?”
“Where better to study my botany than here in the jungle? As for my life, a cramped apartment filled with second hand stuff is not a selling point. As long as I’m happy, my parents would accept it and besides, my best friend is out here somewhere in the jungle. Possibly a bride already. Or worse.” It was the or worse part that made her eyes fill with tears.
“Ah freakn’ hell. Don’t cry,” Joel muttered. “I’m sure your sister is fine.”
She knew that. Or hoped the note she’d received didn’t lie when it said Carlie was safe and needed her to come. “I’m not crying,” she sniffled. “It’s just - I’m so worried about her. I hate not knowing if she’s okay. It’s why I couldn’t stay behind.”
“I understand.” How reluctantly he admitted it. “But understanding doesn�
�t mean I like it because I think it’s dangerous out here for you. More dangerous than you realize.”
“And if you were me? What would you do?”
A wry smile twisted his lips. “Like I said, I understand. But I still don’t like it.”
“Thanks. I think.” She said the words softly, letting her damp gaze meet his bright blue one. The air between hung heavy with expectation. Sizzled. He reached a hand toward her but it never connected.
“Let’s get a move on if we want to hit the edge of the river by nightfall,” Kendrick barked, his abrupt interruption shattering the moment. “You can gossip like old ladies later.”
This time, Ruth didn’t resist the temptation. Dignity be damned. She stuck her tongue out at Kendrick and enjoyed every second of his tight lips and blazing eyes. She should have known he’d make her pay for it. If she’d thought their pace quick before, now it was grueling.
But he’d have to try harder if he thought she’d give up.
Would she just give up already? Kendrick had pushed them hard all day, waiting for her to break down. Stumble and not get up. Cry for mercy. Anything.
He’d even readied his speech, the one where he said, ‘I told you so!’ A speech he never got to use, and which left him without a scenario he liked. Giving her to Joel to bring back to the village meant his friend getting mated without him, because he somehow doubted Joel could resist the temptation. Not acceptable.
Letting someone else in their group take her back his wolf vetoed with a jealous snarl. Having her out of his sight at all also didn’t appeal.
The one plan he and his wolf seemed to enjoy best involved him carrying her out of the jungle. Screwing her silly in a hotel, enough she’d stay put until he got back from the mission they still needed to complete. But again, that plan meant leaving her alone. Unprotected. Vulnerable.
He couldn’t decide, so he did nothing. Not that it mattered when she ruined all versions of his plan up by refusing to act as expected. Despite the slaps of the branches, the frights she’d endured – that one spider deserved a postal code it was so large – she wouldn’t give up. No matter how tough or scary the moment, she just pursed her lips, hiked her backpack higher, muttered curse words under her breath – if fiddlesticks, darn it all, and freakn’ stupid bugs counted – and trudged on.