Amazon Burning (A James Acton Thriller, #10) (13 page)

Milton
shook his head. “No can do. Got a call late last night. Leather and his team
are here.” Acton’s heart leapt with hope. “They’ll be parachuting in late this
afternoon, early evening. And they’re going to need the boat.”

“Why?”

When
Milton explained the plan, Acton shook his head in disbelief. “Those Special
Ops guys are effin’ nuts.”

“Tell me
about it. Thank God we have them.”

“Amen to
that.” Acton looked at his watch. “But we can’t wait for them. We’ll lose
another day, especially if they don’t get here until evening.”

“Agreed,”
said Milton, positioning his chair at the aft of the boat, Acton perching on
the edge of a chair beside him, looking out at the village. People were
starting to move, most like zombies, their joints still impaired from the
overindulgences the night before. “Where’s Hugh?”

Acton
grinned. “Our friend got a little somethin’ somethin’ last night.”

“No
kidding!”

“All
damned night from the sounds of it.”

“Hugh
Reading, breaking hearts the world over.”

Acton
laughed knowing full well Reading would cuss Milton out if he heard that one,
last night’s actions not in the man’s character from what Acton knew.

But
sometimes you just have to let go.

The poor
man had been alone for so long, blowing off some steam with a willing partner
in the middle of the jungle was well deserved. Acton was happy for him and
couldn’t wait for the ribbing to begin.

“You’re
never going to let him forget this, are you?”

Acton
winked at Milton. “You know me so well.”

Reading woke to find himself under a blanket, his head still thick
from whatever godforsaken homemade alcohol had been handed about through the
night around the communal fire. As he tried to remember all the details, one
thing became abundantly clear as it wiggled beside him.

He had
had sex.

Oh
god! Please don’t let it be—

A face
popped out from beneath the blanket and he sighed in relief as the young woman
from yesterday smiled at him, kissing him gently. She said something to him,
words that had no meaning, but she seemed content.

“Honey,
I have no idea what you’re saying, but you have no idea how relieved I am to
find you here.”

She
kissed him again and he returned the kiss, which was when he discovered he was
naked, a hand suddenly gripping his growing manhood. He looked about and
realized he was in a communal cabin, but most people seemed to still be asleep.

Oh,
what the hell!

His
hands began to roam her incredible body, she far prettier than he was handsome.
As his mind began to wonder what kind of protection they had used last night,
he not in the habit of carrying condoms at his age, he remembered being tossed
a strip by one of the crew.

Thank
God!

But
where were they now? As things began to grow more heated, and hard, he pushed
himself up on an elbow and smiled when he found one more unopened sitting on
the floor. He grabbed it then the girl yanked it from his hand, putting it on
for him, obviously well versed in how they worked.

I
hope she learned that last night, otherwise she’s the camp tramp.

But at
this moment he didn’t care.

She
pushed him on his back and mounted him, both sighing in ecstasy as he got one
last memory of his time with this woman whose name he had no clue of. And this
time alcohol wasn’t going to interfere with the memory.

He
pulled her down and kissed her hard, hoping he wasn’t going to regret this, and
as their love making progressed, slow and steady at first, then quickening in
intensity as he heard her begin to climax, he did his best impression of a
twenty year old in a fifty something body, leaving them both gasping and
satisfied, he quite pleased with himself in the end. It was the best sex he
could remember, and he was happy they had one more go at it, one that he could
remember and savor for years to come.

Somebody
yelled, nothing panicky, more like an announcement, and the entire lodge
stirred. He suddenly blushed, his British sensibilities returning, but his
lover refused to move. Instead she continued to lay on top of him, quietly
cooing in his ear, whispering words he wished he understood.

I
hope she’s not falling in love.

He’d
hate to break this young girl’s heart, but then again, it was more likely she’d
break his. He was a novelty she was trying out for one night, a story she could
tell her friends about, about the night she spent with the tall white man. She
was a memory he could tell no one about, he the dirty old man who had “taken
advantage” of a young naïve girl.

Though
that wasn’t how he felt.

If
anyone was taken advantage of here, it was him—that much was pretty clear. She
knew what she wanted from the start, and she pursued him.

He was just
a little surprised and pleased that he had let her.

The
desire to just continue lying with her, to continue feeling her warm, soft body
against his, to continue to make love to her throughout the day was
overwhelming, but he knew he had to get up. The search for Laura would be
getting underway soon, and she was far more important than another roll in the
hay.

“We have
to get up, beautiful.” The words meant nothing to her, but a quick double-tap
on her bum and him pushing himself up on his elbows was enough of a hint. She
grinned, pushing him back down as she climbed out of bed, revealing her entire
spectacular body for the first time.

He
gasped, shaking his head at how damned lucky he was.

Nobody
would believe me if I told them.

He
wondered if a cellphone picture would be appropriate, just to remind himself.

What
are you, sixteen?

At the
moment he felt it, but he thought better of capturing the moment. She quickly
donned her short skirt from yesterday, then motioned for him to stay put.
Returning several minutes later, she had water and some sort of plant roots
that she crushed in a small bowl then mixed with the water. She then took an
incredibly soft animal skin, soaked it in the mixture, and began to give him
the best sponge bath he had ever had, a happy ending had by all.

By the
time they were done they were alone, sounds of activity outside making him feel
guilty. He kissed her one last time, rising from bed and dressing, his clothes
in a pile beside the bed. He shook out his boots, some massive insect dropping
out causing him to start.

He shook
harder, smacking them together.

Nothing.

He
tentatively put his feet in the boots, hoping to not feel anything squish or
worse, bite, and was relieved to reach the steel toes without any surprises.
Dressed, the young girl grabbed his arm and led him out. As they emerged into
the sunlight, the entire camp turned and cheered, turning him a shade of red he
hadn’t seen since he fell asleep on the French Riviera during his honeymoon so
many years ago.

The crew
of the boat were particularly boisterous, jabs in Portuguese flying fast and
furious, he for once happy he didn’t understand the language.

And to
his embarrassment, everyone seemed ready to go. He looked for Acton and saw him
waving from the boat as he walked down the ramp, backpack strapped across his
back.

“Have a
good night?” asked Acton with a grin, his teeth covered tightly behind his
lips.

“Umm,
ahh, yeah, I guess you could say that.”

Acton
slapped him on the shoulder, returning the smile from the beaming young girl.
“Well, I’ve got some good news and some bad news. What do you want first?”

Reading
hated that question.
Just give me the damned news!

“Bad
news.”

“Bad
news is Greg’s back is pretty bad, and we’ve got Leather’s team parachuting in
late this afternoon or early evening, and they need our help. I don’t trust the
crew to follow the instructions correctly, and I’m afraid Greg will overexert
himself if he has to get involved.”

“And the
good news?”

“I need
you to stay here with him.”

“How’s
that good news?”

Acton
looked at the woman on Reading’s arm. “You’ve got nothing to do until late this
afternoon, and a cabin on the boat that isn’t being used that perhaps you’d
like to give Kinti a tour of.”

Reading
felt himself flush as he glanced down at the woman’s smiling face.
Kinti?
The memory of learning her name rushed back and he felt ashamed for having
forgotten it. “Kinti,” he said, smiling.

“Hugh,”
she replied, placing her hand on his chest.

Reading
cleared his throat. “Umm, well, that sounds like a good idea. I mean, me
staying behind to take care of Leather’s arrival.”

“Thought
you’d agree,” winked Acton. “Keep the satphone charged and on either you or
Greg at all times. And try to make sure that Greg gets some rest.”

“Will
do.”

“Fabricio
is remaining behind, Sandro will be coming with the search party, so you guys
should be safe.”

Reading
nodded. “I’ve been around a few years, lad. I can take care of myself.”

Acton
laughed. “Sorry, I’m acting like a mother hen, I know. I’m just worried about
Greg. I know I’m leaving things in good hands.” He slapped Reading on the
shoulder then bowed slightly to Kinti who giggled, gripping Reading’s arm even
tighter. “We’ll see you soon.”

“With
Laura.”

“From
your lips to God’s ears.” Acton walked toward the group, Sandro, the second
mate on the boat, and the only other one who could speak English, beginning to
bring him up to date on what was happening.

Apparently
even Fabricio doesn’t trust his men.

Reading
pointed to the boat and Kinti nodded, smiling. They climbed the ramp and he
introduced her to Milton, then made some excuse to go below. Milton grinned.

So
I’m transparent.

He
opened the door to his cabin and found it in shipshape condition, just like he
had left it.

With an
entire large box of condoms sitting on the pillow.

Kinti
grinned, pulling him inside and closing the door.

She’s
going to be the death of me.

She
quickly stripped him down, pushed him on the bed then jumped on top of him.

But
what a way to go!

One Day’s Travel from Rio Negro, Northern Amazon, Brazil

It was a feast Laura Palmer thought she could never partake in, but
Tuk had insisted, in a pleasant way, and she was curious. She had eaten snake
meat on several occasions, but never one as large as a female Green Anaconda.
This thing must have been approaching ten meters in length, with the girth of a
small man.

And they
had killed it, together.

After
lying on the ground for several minutes, Tuk had jumped up and immediately
gutted and skinned the creature, taking large chunks of the meat and cooking it
over a fire made from the fat reserves of the female. Tuk clearly was visibly
upset about so much of the creature going to waste, it obviously not his
people’s way, but there was little choice. She was certain the jungle would lay
claim to the rest of the carcass and none would go to waste.

The
taste was as expected, it similar to other snakes she had eaten, but just with
bigger chunks—chicken with a hint of fish, but not as chewy as chicken. The
flavor really came from the roasting over the fire, and some type of herb
mixture Tuk sprinkled over it, a tiny animal skin pouch for just such an
occasion tucked away in his larger bag.

Once she
got over what she was eating, and positioned herself so there was no risk of
seeing their kill below, she had stuffed herself on the white meat, sleeping
heavily, Tuk only feet away, both exhausted.

And this
morning they were pushing forward, and had already been doing so for hours. Tuk
had cooked a lot of extra meat and was liberally handing it out to her, to the
point where she was too full, having to refuse him otherwise she might find
herself throwing up with the pace they were keeping.

Why
so fast today?

She had
the impression that today he wasn’t just heading in a direction, but heading to
a specific location, he stopping occasionally it seemed to get his bearings.
They were going at such a speed she was having a hard time marking their trail,
and had to admit on occasion she just plumb forgot. This never lasted more than
a few minutes, but she had to remember she was a hostage. Stockholm Syndrome
was real, and if she weren’t careful, she’d fall into its trap. She was
creating a bond with him for her survival so that James and the others would
have time to follow her trail and rescue her.

She
couldn’t risk thinking that Tuk was a real friend with no maleficent
intentions. He had kidnapped her, he had some obvious plan, which she still
thought involved eventual marriage or their tribal equivalent. And that meant
sex.