Page 77 of Love in the Wild

“We do.” He opened the back of the car to show three rifles.

“I think we need another gun,” Lofty said. “Thorne, old boy, you have no weapon.”

Thorne flashed a dark look at Lofty. “Iamthe weapon.”

* * *

Eden followedHolt through the forest. A rope was knotted around her waist, keeping her tied to him. Twelve men followed behind in a single column as they began the ascent into the mist-shrouded mountains. Eden wiped at the gathering sweat on her brow as the heat began to build. She managed not to trip when Holt moved too fast at times and pulled her sharply forward by the rope.

The tall forest of bamboo proved more difficult to navigate, since she had to be careful not to tangle the rope. Holt moved almost as easily through the jungle as Thorne. Eden realized it was because he had spent almost as much time here as Thorne had. He knew the jungle, knew the dangers, knew the lay of the land. Escape would be almost impossible, assuming she could find a way to get free of the rope.

They were nearly at the site of the wreck when the rain began, and the mist coiled around their feet in growing clouds like ghostly anacondas. Eden thought that some of the landscape was starting to look familiar. Any minute now they would be near the spot where the Cessna had gone down. Thankfully, Holt had found gorilla nests empty. Eden had breathed a sigh of relief each time he’d cursed when they’d found an empty nest site.

The parrots flying above her were singing shrill warning cries, and for a second, she swore she could understand them. It wasn’t so much words as it was visions inside her head.

She could see herself and Holt from far above in the trees, as thoughshewere a parrot. Eden pursed her lips together and began to whistle. She’d never been very good at it, but somehow she was able to emit a birdlike call. She imitated their warning song, and the birds took flight in a sudden panicked flutter.

Holt seemed almost as in tune with the forest as Thorne at this moment but rather than being at peace with it, he seemed determined to rule it. He stilled, watching the birds madly scattering above them. The warning cries spread to the monkeys in the canopy. Eden continued to whistle until Holt spun with an open palm, striking her across the face. Pain flashed inside her head, and she went down with a grunt.

“Make a sound again ...,” he warned in a snarl. He gripped her left arm and jerked her savagely back to her feet.

Holt pulled a pistol out of his canvas backpack and started walking again. Eden clutched her right cheek, her head throbbing as she tried to keep up with him.

A flash of darkness moving ahead of them caught her eye, and Holt’s. He held up a hand, and the line of mercenaries behind her all stopped. Eden held her breath as a soft hooting echoed around them. A welcoming sound.

Oh no. They can’t be here. Not now .. .

Eden coughed loudly. It was a human noise, but she hoped it would catch the attention of the band hidden around them. Though Holt didn’t move, she could feel the force of his anger at her.

A gorilla emerged from the forest ahead of them. Thorne had called him Sunya, the silverback male who ruled the band. Holt stared for a long moment at the gorilla. Man and beast faced each other down in an ancient ritual that was a prelude to every battle ever fought, but it was a battle that didn’t need to be.

“Please,” Eden whispered. “Don’t hurt them.” She moved a step closer to Holt. “They won’t hurt you. Not if I’m here.”

Without looking at her, he said, “They are in my way. The only way forward is to destroy them.”

“You don’t have to destroy them to get what you want.” All Holt saw was the gleam of gold and the glitter of diamonds, and the power they would bring him. Eden knew a man like him would never have enough to be satisfied.

Sunya stood on his back legs and beat his chest with balled fists, a warning that Holt couldn’t ignore. He raised his gun, pointing it at the gorilla.

Eden had half a second to make a decision, but it was no decision, really. She threw herself at Holt, hitting him low around the waist and causing them both to fall to the ground.

“Bitch!” Holt snarled.

Sunya let out a sound of rage and charged Holt. From the bushes around him more males joined him. The men behind her and Holt opened fire upon the gorillas rushing out from the misty forest. Eden screamed, and Holt rolled her beneath him, but rather than shoot her, he fired his gun above her. Eden tilted her head back and saw Sunya halt, stagger a few steps, and fall to the ground.

“No!” She surged up and punched Holt as hard as she could. He grunted, and she reached for the gun. All around them were the screams of men and gorillas, fighting and dying.

One, she recognized with horror, was Akika. He lay on his side, breathing in wheezing gasps. Bullet wounds pierced his chest. Eden couldn’t breathe. Thorne’s brother wasdying. The sight of him reaching out toward her with one hand shattered her heart and drove her to a blind rage. She wrestled free of Holt and kicked him in the side again and again. He rallied and countered her, knocking her to her stomach, but she was up on her feet again, lashing out with her fists. She would avenge Akika and his band.

A distant roar vibrating with the force of an earthquake, shook the jungle around them into silence. She knew that sound. Guns stopped firing, and even the gorillas paused in their attack.

“What the hell was that?” one of the men asked.

Holt then looked at Eden, his gun raised to her chest. “You know who it is, don’t you?”

Eden wiped her mouth, her hand coming away with blood. “I do. And he’s coming for you.”

Holt cursed. “Forget the gorillas. We need to get to the plane.” He grabbed Eden’s arm. “It’s time I set the bait.”

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