INVITING FIRE (A Sydney Rye Novel, #6) (21 page)

"He picked an awfully out of the way place," I said.

"Yeah, remember peace for the Middle East happened at Camp David."

"Yeah, peace in the Middle East, that's going real great," I said.

Daniela laughed. "Who knows," she said, looking over at me. "Maybe it's all gonna turn out roses."

I smiled. "Yeah."

"There it is," Daniela said, leaning forward. There was a hole cut into the jungle. A circle of broken trees. "That's the kind of thing they did in Vietnam," she said. "This guy a vet?"

"Not from that war," I said.

Daniela hovered over the torn up circle of land. "You ready for this?" she asked.

"As I'll ever be," I answered back, scanning the tree line. I saw Robert Maxim standing at the edge. He was wearing fatigues, his arms crossed, leaning casually against a tree. His dark hair whipping around as we lowered down to the ground.

I
ducked under the blades and walked in a crouch over to Maxim, carrying my pack in my hand. I waited to raise my head until I was absolutely certain the rotors wouldn't decapitate me right there. Blue tapped my hip, reminding me he was there.

I faced Robert, slowly raising my head, our bodies a few yards apart. He wound his hand in a circular motion and I felt the helicopter rise behind me. The wind beat against my back. My hair whipped at my cheeks and the base of my neck, strands snapping at my eyes. Dirt whirled around, sticking to my damp lips. I closed my eyes, knowing that nothing as simple as sight could save me now.

The wind died down and then I felt the heat of the rising sun beating down. It burned as sunscreen and sweat met on my hot skin. Robert made eye contact and held my gaze while the sound of the propellers moved further away. As their gusts faded to stillness, the only movement in the air was coming from the hum of so many insects.

We both squinted against the sun. All around us lay the fallen parts of trees, large broken leaves, splintered bark, dark crevices and dust in the air, the smell of sap heavy. "So now you've got me," I said. "What are you gonna do with me?" His steady gaze didn't move, not a muscle twitched. I raised my eyebrows and shrugged. "You're the man with the plan."

"Follow me.” Stooping down he picked up a camouflaged pack that was at his feet and hunched into it. I swung mine around, feeling the weight of it pull my shoulders back. I tightened my ribs, bent my weight slightly forward and prepared to hike.

It was hot and humid as we entered the jungle, and there was no space, only life pressing up against us, leaving trails of dew on my clothing. Leaving Blue's coat wet. The mud sucked at my boots, trying to drag me into its grip. When it succeeded I would fall forward onto my knees, the stuck shoe releasing with a slow and disgusting suck. Bobby turned when I fell and looked down at me, his face almost blank. But I could see, or at least I imagined, some kind of satisfaction there. He liked to see me on my knees.

After each fall I struggled back to my feet, Blue nudging me forward. His legs were coated in mud almost to his armpits. It clung to the hairs on his snout and flecks of it spotted his chest and shoulders. The tip of his tail looked dipped in chocolate.

After trudging up a steep hill I'd need to rest. Bobby would sip from a plastic bottle of water, his breath barely perceivable. He was like that in the world and here in the jungle too. Never fazed. I wanted to see his face contort. He passed me the water and I drank deeply, feeling no shame in my physical exhaustion. I was a human after all.

I marveled at how a man I thought was born wearing a suit fit so perfectly into his jungle fatigues. That walk he had in the city, the one like an animal stalking in the jungle, was amplified here so that I sensed the other animals’ reactions. As the sun began to set, we came upon of group of monkeys who began to follow us. A young male, soon to be kicked out of his pack if he didn't prove himself in some way, hooted at Robert as we passed. Maxim looked up at the small furry black creature with its hands and feet and human little face, and I saw its expression change. It realized quite quickly that the man walking through the jungle was the most dangerous thing for miles around.

When the sun set it grew very dark, the moon's light hardly enough to see my hand in front of my face. Long leaves, some sharp, other slick, touched me everywhere. They tickled my face and pulled at my hair. Sticks, vines and roots entangled my feet as the mud disappeared and we entered a drier world. We'd been traveling uphill all afternoon and as the dark of night surrounded us the path began to even out.

The darkness did not slow Bobby down. I had my night vision goggles with me but was loath to put them on. Feeling as though it would show some type of weakness. Like I couldn't see in the dark.

I heard the waterfall long before I saw it. Starting as a simple rushing sound in the background behind the louder caws and cries of the night. But as we continued on, the sound grew, rising up until it dominated the soundscape. Maxim led me to the edge of the pool where the water landed. The moon shone down in the open space, lighting the water. It was choppy from the heavy spray, which cascaded down from the height of a three-story building. Frothing and white, it looked almost like ice in the moonlight. Like an icy citadel except that it was so hot.

Bobby took off his pack and dropped it onto the ground, which was covered in soft tufts of moss. I did the same, relieved to feel the air where the straps and bulk of the bag had been against my back. Bobby began to unbutton his shirt. I watched him, his silhouette dark against the moonlight reflecting off the pond. He dropped his shirt off his shoulders and laid it on his pack, then sat down on the moss to untie his boots. Neither of us spoke. He pulled off his socks and stuffed them into his hiking boots, which he picked up and placed next to his pack. Then he stood and began to unbutton his pants.

Blue went over to the water and drank from it, lapping at the little waves the waterfall sent to shore. He walked in further and his fur floated up, becoming weightless in the water. I watched Blue as he moved further into the pond. Hearing Bobby folding his pants and laying them on top of his pack I kept my eyes averted. But then he walked to the water's edge and I could see him. Naked, his tanned skin marred by white scars across his back and buttocks and thighs. It looked like he had been whipped mercilessly long ago. Robert walked into the water, his calves disappearing and then his knees. When the water lapped at his thighs he dove forward, disappearing beneath the surface leaving a trail of bubbles behind.

Blue barked with excitement and splashed toward Robert as though this was a fun day at the beach. I touched my knife, caressing the handle for a moment, then ran my fingers over the syringes in my belt before unbuckling it. I sat down in the moss, feeling the movement in my lower back and knees. I untied my laces, breaking off chunks of dried mud as I did. I pulled the first boot off, feeling intense relief followed quickly by renewed pain. I placed the boot aside and turned to the other, unlacing it quickly, ready to set the other foot free. My socks were molded to my feet, muddy at the top and stuck to my pants. More hunks of dried muck cracked off as I removed them. I wiggled my toes in the soft moss feeling the moisture and warmth there.

Standing up I took off my top, pulled off my bra, and felt the jungle night caress my skin. Blue came out of the water to encourage me to join him. Pausing at the bank to shake himself, he sent cold water splattering across my skin. I yelped and stepped back, covering my breasts with my arms. I couldn't help but laugh.

Looking out over the surface of the water I couldn't see Bobby. And then I did. He was just a bobbing head across the pond, swimming for the other shore, not going near the waterfall. I pulled off my pants quickly and tossed them onto the moss. Then with Blue tapping his nose against my hip, I stepped into the water. It was warm, almost as warm as the thick air around me.

But as I walked further in, the water grew deeper and colder. By the time I was up to my waist the water was chilling my skin, sending goose bumps over my entire body. I dove in, relishing the chill against my hot face. I came back up to the surface, treading water, rubbing at my arms, splashing my face, trying to clean myself. I dunked my head under and ran my fingers through my hair, rubbing at my scalp. Then I turned and swam toward the waterfall.

The temperature dropped as I approached. The sound of the water rushing through space and crashing into the pond became the only thing I could hear. When I could feel its spray against my cheeks, my teeth were chattering from the cold and the sound was overwhelming. Blue swam in circles around me and I looked up at the water rushing over the edge, the white foam reflecting the light of the moon. Clear droplets sprung off of the falling cascade, catching the light and dancing with it for a moment before plunging into the pool.

Blue swam around me, his tail swishing back and forth. "Wait here," I told him, then dove under, holding my breath and kicking forward. I felt the pressure of the water from above, heard the muffled gurgles of its pounding entry into the pond. I opened my eyes but it was so dark that I closed them again. When I felt the pressure from above relent, I kicked back toward the surface. Reaching out with my hands I felt slime-covered stone. I opened my eyes as I broke through. The moonlight reflected off the choppy water and lit the rocks around me with facets of light.

There was a ledge in the cliff face and I pulled myself onto it. I brought my knees to my chest and hugged them. I rested my chin on my knees and watched the waterfall, letting the sound of it crush any other thoughts that might enter my mind. I sat there trying to be still, to quiet my mind, but the cold was too much and my teeth chattered.

Bobby was waiting for me at the water's edge, dressed, sitting in the shadows. I swam toward him with lazy strokes, my body warmed from the movement and the increased heat of the water as I approached the shore. I wondered what to do. Should I just stand up and let him see me naked? Really, I didn't have a choice.

The idea that hiding my flesh from Robert would provide any type of protection almost made me laugh aloud. My feet floated to the bottom of the pond, touching silky mud down there. I walked out of the water, slowly revealing myself to him, the moonlight glowing on the palest parts of my body. Robert was shrouded in darkness, but I could see his eyes, pinpoints of light, watching me intensely. Blue ran ahead and shook, droplets of water spraying everywhere. Robert held up his arms to block his face from the shower. I laughed as I walked over to my pack and picked up my towel.

I held it in my mind not to hide from him. To towel myself dry and dress as though I was alone. I wanted him to know that I didn't care about him or what parts of me he saw. I wanted Robert Maxim to get that he didn't scare me.

"Are you hungry?" Robert asked. "You must be."

I sat down on the moss to put on a fresh pair of socks. My stomach growled, giving my hunger away. Robert stood and lifted his pack. "I know a good place we can sleep tonight, follow me." I finished tying my laces, my feet feeling like prisoners inside my boots. I stood and brought my towel to my hair, taking my sweet time to rub it dry. Robert waited, his pack on his back, those bright eyes concentrating on me. When I was done I picked up my pack and  followed him a short distance to a clearing where a circle of stones marked a fire pit.

B
obby lit a fire using the wood that was waiting in the stone pit. He pulled out a pot from his pack and cans of food. "So domestic," I said.

He smiled. "Well, we all know you can't cook."

"How do you know I can't cook?" I asked as I sat down across from him.

"Intuition. Cooking takes a level of balance that you don't have."

"I'm very balanced," I said.

"In your body," Robert said, looking up at me for a moment. "But not in your mind," he continued, returning his attention to the fire. "And you taste with your mind, and if your taste buds are off, then your cooking won't taste good. But if your mind is right your taste buds will be right and you will be an excellent chef to all those you serve."

"What is that, some kind of proverb?"

"My own, if you will."

I snorted and he looked over at me and smiled. "Heating up a can of something in a pot is hardly cooking," I said.

Bobby shrugged. "I think you'll be impressed."

Blue nudged my arm and looked at my pack. He wanted his dinner, too. I fed him while Bobby finished heating up our meal. We ate in silence. I was so hungry that anything would have tasted good. But I would say his beans were delicious. After we finished I went down to the pond and washed our dishes, Blue lapping at the water by my side.

When I returned Robert was sitting against his pack, a silver cup in his hand. He held up a flask, offering it to me. I shook my head and sat down across from him, the smoldering coals between us.

"What have I ever done that makes you not trust me?" Robert asked.

I laughed. "Shall I count the ways?"

"Can't you see that all I want is to work with you? How many other men have given you not one, but three bodies?" I glared across the space at him. "Juan Carlos most recently," he said. "But really, that was for Malina more than for you—"

"What do you know about her?" I hissed, her name bringing up emotions like a mushroom cloud.

"That she was a good woman who died before her time fighting for something she believed in." I had no argument. He continued, "I killed Kurt Jessup for you."

"I wanted to do that myself," I said, the old wound feeling hot again.

"Well, I didn't know that."

"You should have asked," I said, my voice low and cold as I forced my rage back into its cage.

"You would have been honest? I don't think so. And instead of being honest you showed up in his office shooting willy nilly all over the place, touching everything, leaving prints behind." I didn't answer. "You practically set yourself up."

"Practically," I pointed out, "isn't the same as actually."