Dreams~Shadows of the Night (5 page)

“Damn it! I want our men found as quickly as possible and in one piece. I’m willing to negotiate, but I’m not about to shell out a million dollars just like that.” He snapped his fingers in mid air. “Call Lang back and make sure he hangs tough.” He sat down again and scowled when
Hamilton
hesitated. “Well, what are you waiting for?”

“Mr. Marsh, you should know that one of the captives is Marie Rabb.”

“What!”
Douglas
propelled himself out of his chair. “Are you certain it’s Marie?”

“I’m afraid so. Also a man named Josh Dallas. This is his first trip to the Amazon.”

“Good lord, man, why didn’t you mention Marie in the first place? I assumed we were talking about two men being taken. Start setting up rescue plans at once. Get back to me as soon as everything’s ready. Give me Lang’s number. I want to talk to him myself.”

“Yes sir.” Clutching his notes,
Hamilton
wasted no time hurrying out the door.

Douglas sucked in a steadying breath before he walked across the room on leaden feet to a cabinet set against a back wall. He yanked open a door and reached inside for a bottle and glass. He poured a generous amount of whiskey out before going back to his desk, where he slumped onto the chair
and rubbed a shaky hand over his square jaw.

“Oh my sweet, precious Marie,” he murmured, as
the idea of her being at the mercy of ruthless killers filled him with a gut churning sickness.

He took a long swallow from his glass and let the liquor burn its way down his throat. Other than the occasional drink at business lunches, he rarely drank during the day, but he needed the alcohol to blunt the tension that gripped him
now.

He’d met Marie at a corporate Christmas party nearly five years ago. He’d been dazzled by her youth and beauty and hadn’t been able to take his eyes off her.
Douglas
knew he was old enough to be her father, but the emotions she’d stirred in him had been anything but parental. He wanted her and intended to have her. He’d mapped out an ambitious wooing campaign, but gained only limited access to her life.

Her work kept her away from him too often, so he’d proposed marriage believing she’d be more apt to concentrate on him once she became his wife. But she had refused, claiming she wasn’t ready. He’d been angry; his pride had taken a serious hit. They’d quarreled. He threatened to have her kicked off the team until she’d promised to at least move in with him when she returned from the Amazon.

The possibility of her being kidnapped had never entered his mind. He knew there was some danger involved going into the jungle, but nothing like this. Dear heavenly Jesus, never anything like this. Would the man kidnapped with Marie be able to offer her any protection? He answered himself immediately and felt his
distress increase. What could an unarmed person do against a band
of gun toting cutthroats?

>>>>dreams<<<<

Josh experienced a distinct tightening in the pit of his stomach when a furious Orlando barged into the hut
with one of his men. Josh got to his feet and started toward Marie
, but
Orlando
sh
oved him
back.
The other man pressed a rifle against Josh’s back forcing him
to wal
k away
.
He’d gone no
more than a couple of yards when
he heard a loud slap and Marie’s cry of pain. He whirled around just in time to see Orlando slap her across the face again. Josh didn’t miss the unmistakable gleam of pleasure that mingled with the anger in the man’s expression.

Fury boiled up and rejecting his own safety, Josh lunged forward.

“No!”

He exploded in a fit of rage, flinging his body against the man with the rifle
.
Two
other men immediately
joined the fray. Josh lashed out throwing
punches wherever he could reach, as the sound of Marie’s screams pierced the air ripping into him like a serrated knife. Ignoring the blows from his combatants, he fought
until a rifle
butt landed behind his ear. Pain erupted inside his head seconds before he slumped to the ground.

>>>>dreams<<<<

Josh dragged himself out of unconsciousness by slow degrees. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth
.
He shook his head trying to clear the fuzziness from his brain, but instantly regretted the action when pain clamped like a vise on either side of his head.
One of h
is eyes had
swollen to a mere slit. He concentrated on t
rying to focus the other one. H
e’d been hauled back and dumped in a corner of the hut. It
took a few seconds to realize
the
moaning he heard wasn’t coming from him.

His eyes found Marie and the sight filled him with pity. He staggered to his feet and limped over to her, grimacing at his body’s painful protest. Her hands were tied and her shirt had a large tear in front. He lowered himself to his knees and began to work the knots loose with fingers that weren’t quite
steady. The coarse rope had rubbed the flesh raw, staining the fiber with blood and encircling her wrists like two bright red bracelets.

Josh blinked away the sweat that ran into his eyes and dribbled down his battered face. Gritting his teeth against the stinging perspiration, he continued to work the rope loose doing his best not to bring her any more pain than she was already suffering.

When she was freed she reached up and touched him gently on one battered cheek. “Oh Josh, look what they’ve done to you.”

“Don’t worry about me. They got in a few good shots, but I managed to land a few of my own,” he told her, trying to alleviate her concern and although it caused him a great deal of discomfort, he gathered her close. His attempts to protect her had been useless. Regret burned inside him like a red hot poker branding him with the knowledge.

Tension swirled in audible waves around the camp gripping all those under
Orlando
’s iron fist in a numbing fear. Josh propped himself against one of the hut’s poles with Marie laying within the circle of his arms. He felt hot and sweaty and sore, but if holding her brought a measure of relief it was the least he could do.

Late afternoon shadows crept toward the hut when one of the native women stepped inside. She carried a gourd in each hand and had a cloth tucked beneath an arm.

Josh recognized her as the same one who’d helped them before. He wished he knew her name, so he could thank her in a more personal way. She motioned for him to lay Marie down, but when he began to ease himself away Marie whimpered and clutched his shirt.

He stroked a hand over her hair.

“It’s okay. She just wants to help you.”

Marie gripped his hands, as the woman soaked the cloth with water and began to gently clean the torn flesh. When she turned to Josh to wipe the dried blood from his cuts he looked into her dark eyes and saw deep sorrow. He decided to name her Sad Eyes.

She dipped her fingertips into the other gourd and gently smeared a pale sticky substance over their wounds. Josh had no idea what it was, but was grateful for its soothing coolness. Perhaps it was a medicinal plant known only to the natives. He felt certain if things had been different Marie would be interested in trying to find out.

As soon as the woman left, Marie scooted into a corner. Her tears had stopped and she appeared dazed. Josh hated these men for making him bow to their cruelty, but most of all he despised them for what they’d done to Marie. He was suddenly filled with a terrible sense of guilt for being a male. He’d had a few women try his patience to the
point of making him angry, but he couldn’t imagine using physical abuse to get even.

Marie
sat with her knees drawn up under her chin rocking herself back and forth in mute
misery. She’
d come here to find help for her fellow man, only to be brutalized by him.
It saddened Josh to see this once vibrant woman be reduced to such a
wretched state.

“Marie
,
did Orlando . . .” He cleared his throat trying to get the dreaded words out. He needed to know what happened after he’d been knocked unconscious. “Did he rape you?” he finally managed to ask, praying she hadn’t had to suffer that humiliation.

She shook her head vigorously
.
“No! I told you he hates Americans and while he was hitting me he yelled that he loathes all women because his mother dumped him on the streets when he was barely old enough to fend for himself.”

“Damned unlucky for you being both American and a female,” he muttered.

“He was also angry because I hadn’t let him know I speak Spanish. One of his men helped haul supplies for the last team I was on and recognized me.
Orlando
thinks I’m holding back information about his chances of getting the ransom money.”

Seeing Marie’s swollen face and split lip and feeling his own sore body, Josh had a sick feeling it wasn’t just about money. The man obviously enjoyed inflicting pain, and it looked as though the ransom wasn’t going to make him curb his sadistic tendencies.

His gaze wandered to Marie again. They’d become more than
Orlando
’s hostages. They were his playthings,
his amusement. This new
insight
added
yet
another ugly layer of fear.

Chapter Five

Josh lay on the floor of the hut watching discreetly from beneath half closed eyes while Orlando and his men filed out of camp shortly after daylight. He saw that one of the native men had been forced to go with them, assumedly as a hostage to insure that the rest of his people wouldn’t abandon camp while they were gone. Josh felt instant relief at the thought of having this small bit of independence from
Orlando
’s dominance.

He sat up slowly, ran his tongue over his teeth, and wrinkled his nose. His mouth had a sour taste, but as unappetizing as it was the thought of food made his stomach rumble with hunger. God, what he wouldn’t give for a plate of ham and eggs right now.

He looked down at himself. Sweat and dried blood
stained
his clothes. He raked fingers through his matted hair and grimaced at the patches of dirt caked on his exposed skin. Since they had water to drink, he assumed the natives must have a place to bathe.

He looked at Marie. She slept on her back with her wounded wrists
resting on her chest. He hoped in sleep she’d get a break from the
disaster they’d stumbled into. Rolling to his feet, he stepped away from the hut. He spotted Sad Eyes and walked over to where she poured water into a pot. Others watched his approach, but no one stopped him. He pointed to the water and gestured as though
he was
washing himself.

She looked at him for a moment before filling a cup and lifting it toward his mouth. Josh shook his head and moved his arms through the air mimicking swimming strokes. Several children gathered around, obviously intrigued by his strange behavior. Sad Eyes frowned at him and shook her head, clearly unable to decipher his actions. Josh dropped his arms giving up his hope of a bath when one of the older boys suddenly began to jabber. He pointed to Josh and then over his shoulder until Sad Eyes nodded.

The child came up to Josh and took him by the hand. He began to pull him forward, slowly at first, and then with more insistence while other children joined in. Josh hesitated, not sure what he was letting himself in for, but Sad Eyes gestured for him to go with them. He looked at their eager faces before allowing himself to give in to their persistent pulling until they’d tugged him through an opening in the surrounding bushes.

When he looked down he realized they were on a well-worn path. The children rushed forward the last few yards and one by one jumped into a pool of water. Josh followed more slowly and watched until they motioned for him to join them. He needed no further enticement. Taking off his boots, he set them on the bank before easing himself fully clothed into the water.

Sunlight shot streaks of light through the sheltering foliage laying tints of amber over his dark auburn hair. He savored the coolness lapping against his heated body, thankful to find this small bit of relief in the harsh environment. He waited until the water had completely saturated his clothes before he removed each garment.

Gritting his teeth against the more painful areas, he began to gingerly scrub the grime from his aching body using his briefs as a washcloth. He scowled at the sight of the bruises and lacerations
scattered over his skin.

“Nice going Orlando, you sadistic S.O.B. Thanks to you and your brute squad my skin looks like a rotten piece of fruit.”

As soon as he finished bathing he took on the task of washing his clothing. He was in the process of draping everything on a nearby vine to dry when he realized some of the adults had come to the pool and stood on the bank watching him. His height, broad shoulders, and long muscular legs made a striking contrast to the smaller, more delicately built native men.