The Pleasures of Winter (6 page)

Almost as quickly as it started, it stopped. A few last heavy drops signalled the end of the rain. For now. Jack checked the compass again and led them out into the thick wall of vegetation.

Pictures didn’t convey the reality of a jungle, she thought, as she watched him hacking away at the undergrowth. Each step involved several swings of his knife. It was a pity he didn’t have a proper machete. Every foot of progress disturbed more insects and wildlife. Kevin chatted to her but she didn’t pay much attention to what he was saying – she was too busy watching out for bugs. She was glad when Kevin brushed them off her head and back a few times.

Kevin and Jack swapped places and Jack fell in beside her. The four of them walked in silence, all focused on conserving their energies and simply making their way. Abbie suggested taking a turn leading, but Jack and Kevin just stared her down. She didn’t push it – she wasn’t confident she would be that good at hacking through the greenery.

By the time lunch came around, she needed to sit down. Jack lit a small fire, collected a number of larvae and grubs and put them on makeshift wooden skewers. She watched the bug kebabs cook, wondering how on earth she’d eat them but realizing that she had no choice.

‘Not haute cuisine, but edible,’ Jack said.

She wasn’t sure.
Starving New York journalist forced to eat bugs – my jungle hell,
she thought as she took one off a skewer and reluctantly put it into her mouth. Imagining the headlines was the only way she was going to swallow anything. Oh god, oh god, she was going to be sick. She cast a sidelong glance at Jack. He was staring at her. Waiting to see if she would spit it out.

Not a chance. If Hollywood and his sidekick could swallow one of these babies, so could she. It was just like sushi.

Who was she kidding? It was a bug. A truly foul-tasting bug. She swallowed and flashed Jack her brightest smile.

‘Would you like another, Abbie? Plenty more to go round.’

‘No thanks, I’m good.’

The sound of retching made her stomach clench. Zeke was bent over a log, puking up his lunch. Abbie gritted her teeth, trying not to do the same. Kevin winked at her before going to fetch some water for Zeke.

Jack stretched his arms over his head and she caught a glimpse of a well-developed six-pack when his T-shirt lifted. Well, there was proof positive: he really had it. He didn’t use a body double. Then she had another flash – those rock-hard abs pressed against her back, his hands roaming her … S
top it, Abbie. Just behave.

Jack winked when he caught her stare and she turned away quickly before he could see her blush.

‘You OK, Zeke?’ he called.

The agent stood up, his face pale and beads of sweat along his forehead. ‘Of course I’m not OK. My gastroenterologist will go crazy when he finds out what I’ve been eating. My digestive system is very delicate.’

Jack ignored that. ‘Great. I’ll take point. We’ll walk for another couple of hours before we make camp for the night. Abbie, you can walk with Zeke, and Kevin will take the rear.’

‘I bet he will,’ she laughed, then realized she faced two hours of listening to Zeke now that he had her to himself.

‘Can I take a turn with the knife?’ she asked again.

‘No,’ both men chorused.

Jack struck the first blow at the green curtain and they set off into the unknown. Abbie chose not to think of how far they still had to go.

Zeke turned to her. ‘So, what’s a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?’

He was hitting on her, and with a line that corny? Abbie resisted the urge to break his other arm. He was old enough to be her father. She smiled sweetly at him. ‘I was chasing down a connection between an international drugs cartel and Antonio Tabora.’

‘Antonio who?’

‘Tabora,’ Jack’s voice came from in front. ‘He’s running for the Honduran Congress. Charming, wealthy and dirty as hell.’

Abbie was surprised that Jack had heard of him. Tabora was being courted in the States as a new hope for Honduras.

‘And did you find it?’ said Zeke, only vaguely interested.

‘I found enough,’ she said. ‘DEA agents have been working alongside the Honduran security forces to stop the trans-shipment of drugs. The State Department has put helicopters at their disposal to trace illegal landing strips funded by the Barrio18 and MS13 gangs. But I’m picking up hints of a leak in the State Department.’

The lawyers for the paper were probably going through her stuff with a fine-tooth comb at the moment. Suddenly she missed the newsroom. The other reporters, the lousy coffee and the occasional ‘princess’ jibe. What would they do when she failed to arrive in the office? Would they assume that Tabora’s men had taken her?

And her family. Her dad would go crazy and her sister, Miffy, would let loose a big refrain of ‘I told you so’. Abbie’s style of gritty journalism wasn’t feminine enough for Miffy. If she had to be a journalist, why couldn’t she write about the art scene or fashion? Or better yet, stop parading the Marshall name through the papers and find some nice charity committees to sit on. Yada yada yada. That was what most of the women in their circle did – got a nice, undemanding job in a gallery or PR company before landing an investment banker or a lawyer and then embarking on a merry-go-round of charity fund-raising and competitive parenting. From the age of sixteen Abbie knew she would never be able to follow that path. Still, Miffy got on her case at every opportunity. She could just imagine the uproar when they got home after this escapade. If they got home.

Kevin came up behind her. ‘You OK, Abbie? Jack’s daily special staying down?’

‘They were delicious.’ She raised her voice enough for Jack to hear. ‘Best I’ve tasted since I last ate in Chinatown.’ She smiled at Kevin. He really was a charmer. ‘What about you? I get the impression that you and Jack do a lot of double dating.’

‘For sure. We’ve been friends since Trinity.’

‘Trinity?’

‘College.’ He shrugged. ‘Back in Dublin.’

‘So, he really is from Ireland? I thought you just put on the accent to pick up women.’

Kevin kicked a tangle of vines out of their path. ‘Nope, it’s real, and Jack never needed to fake anything to pick up girls. Like flies around –’

‘I am not deaf,’ Jack shouted. ‘And if you’re interested, Abbie, you only had to ask.’

She cringed. She had let her curiosity get the better of her. Wouldn’t make that mistake again.

Kevin grappled with an overhanging branch. ‘He’s not so bad, when you get to know him.’

‘I have no intention of getting to know him,’ she said primly.

Kevin gave her a sly grin. ‘Well, you did sleep with him last night.’

‘I did not sleep with him.’ She could feel her face beginning to flush. Maybe she should have stayed with Zeke.

‘So, you were awake, then. All night …’ Kevin whistled.

Her right hand itched to punch something. ‘I was not –’ His snort of laughter brought her to her senses. ‘You’re a sly, underhanded …’

‘Keep it up, I love compliments. And I’ll tell you what else I’d love, Abbie –’

‘You’d love a dig in the head from my fist.’

Abbie hadn’t realized that Jack had returned. A large patch of sweat covered the front of his T-shirt and the damp fabric clung to his abs like a second skin.
Will you stop with the abs fixation. You’re turning ab-normal
. She dragged her eyes to his face. His skin was flushed from exertion and his blue eyes could cut through her like a laser.

Jack handed the knife to Kevin. ‘Your turn, bro.’

‘That’s what I was kind of hoping for.’

Kevin whistled as he took his place at the front. Abbie thought it was some Irish rebel song, but she couldn’t be sure.

The journey was endless. Even with Jack beside her to help, several times Abbie stumbled over large roots hidden in the undergrowth. Her clothes were glued to her body and her hair to her head. What she wouldn’t give for a shower. A nice, long, hot shower. Hell, even a cold one would do.

‘Snake!’ Zeke’s shout dragged her out of her fantasy.

‘Where?’ Jack shouted.

Her gaze followed the direction of Zeke’s pointing finger. Oh dear lord. She swallowed hard. She had seen them in the reptile enclosure in the zoo, but never a real one, and never one that big.

Jack and Kevin set off in pursuit. She hadn’t thought that snakes could move that fast, but within seconds the men had disappeared into the foliage and all she could hear were their shouts.

‘I can’t do this any more.’ Zeke took a seat on a log. ‘The heat, the terrible food. No communications. How do people live like this?’

Beneath his perma-tan, his skin looked ashen. Maybe he really was ill? Abbie placed her hand on his forehead. He was hot, like everyone else, but he didn’t feel feverish.

Zeke placed his hand on her wrist. ‘You know, Abbie, maybe when this is over we can meet up and –’

It took a moment for the penny to drop. She hadn’t imagined it earlier: Zeke was coming on to her and he meant it. When she slapped his hand away, he wasn’t a bit perturbed. He smiled as if it were an everyday occurrence to paw someone thirty years his junior. Abbie stepped back. ‘Oh, for heaven’s sake. What is wrong with you?’

The green curtain of leaves parted and Jack and Kevin reappeared, both wearing matching expressions of triumph. ‘How much do you love me?’ asked Jack.

‘Would you believe me if I said not a bit?’

He grinned at her. ‘Suit yourself, but you better cosy up to me and Kev, because we have just caught dinner.’

Her stomach did a somersault. ‘A snake. We’re having a snake for dinner?’

‘No, not a snake, Abbie,’ Kevin said. ‘A roasted snake. Trust me, it tastes just like chicken.’

The triumph of the returning hunters was marred by the sound of Zeke puking.

They pressed on for two more painful hours. Even with sensible boots that were well broken in, the soles of her feet felt as if they were on fire.

‘OK, let’s call it a night,’ Jack said at last.

They were the sweetest words in the English language. Kevin organized the hammocks while Jack busied himself making a fire. ‘Fetch me some leaves, Abbie. The long ones.’

She went off to get the leaves while he butchered the snake. Only when she was a few feet from the clearing did she realize that he had sent her away deliberately. Jack was protecting her? Hollywood had a soft streak?

The thought pleased her.

‘Abbie, what the hell is keeping you?’ he roared.

So much for his soft side. She hurried back to camp.

They had dug a small fire pit and the snake was now cut into rough chunks. Even Zeke had gotten over his upset stomach and was eying the meat with interest. ‘Like chicken, you said?’

‘Chicken,’ Kevin repeated.

They watched as Jack parcelled the meat up in the damp leaves and placed it on a makeshift spit over the fire. It smelled wonderful and, despite her disgust, Abbie’s mouth watered. They’d had nothing to eat all day but bugs and sour berries. This was a feast.

‘I’ll go bury the rest,’ Kevin offered. ‘We don’t want to attract predators,’ he said by way of explanation.

Predators. She hadn’t thought of that. They were in a jungle and the only thing that stood between her and the dangerous environment was Jack and Kevin.

As if he could read her thoughts, Jack winked at her. ‘Don’t worry, babe, I’ll take care of you.’

‘That’s what I’m afraid of,’ she muttered.

She dreaded the night to come, not sure how she would react to all that rampant masculinity pressed up against her for a second night. But she had barely eaten half her portion of snake before fatigue crashed over her. She fought to keep her eyes open and was startled when Jack said, ‘I’ve set up the hammock. Go to bed and I’ll finish settling the camp for the night.’

She nodded gratefully, too tired to argue. The damp hammock was more welcome than the most luxurious bed she had ever slept in. For a few minutes, she held
herself stiffly, waiting for Jack to join her. But exhaustion won. She was sleeping soundly by the time he came to bed.

There was something wrong, Jack realized, as they beat their way through the vegetation the next morning. When he checked behind him Abbie was looking up at Kev in a way that made his teeth clench. He had thought that if Kev and Abbie got together it would cure his inconvenient fixation. But now he knew that was the last thing he wanted. The previous night she had slept soundly beside him and he had gathered her in his arms. Despite himself, he wanted to protect her. They had woken together and for a brief moment had held each other’s gaze before tumbling out either side of the hammock. He couldn’t get away from it – he couldn’t remember the last time he had wanted to fuck a woman the way he wanted to fuck Abbie Marshall. But even more than that, she had a quality that frightened as much as attracted him. She was sophisticated but still innocent. She had no idea how alluring she was and the more she did her superior-woman-of-the-world routine, the more he wanted to show her just how far down into the depths she could go with him. But that was impossible; he could never go there with Abbie. Yet still he was on the alert for any sign that she was falling for Kev’s easy charm. It would kill him to see Kev with her.

Suddenly he realized what was different. For the first time in two days, Zeke had stopped complaining. He hadn’t noticed it all morning, but now that they were settling into a routine the blessed silence had finally registered. He stopped to check on the older man. Zeke was white
in the face. He had stopped complaining simply because he was beyond words. His breathing had become laboured and uneven.

‘Kev,’ he said sharply. ‘I thought you were keeping an eye on Zeke.’

Kevin dragged his attention away from whatever Abbie was saying to look at the older man. ‘Oh fuck,’ he said.

That about summed it up. Jack made Zeke sit down and checked his arm. It was swollen and painful. Zeke flinched and whimpered with pain at any movement. Jack forced another couple of painkillers into him. He looked longingly at the paracetamol. His own head hurt like a bitch, but there were only six left, and Zeke needed them more than he did.