Winter of the Passion Flower (The de Vargas Family) (9 page)

Zane woke slowly, his muscles aching from the
physical work in the plantation. Indigo turned to him and cupped his face in
her hands before placing her lips gently on his.

“It is time to leave, Captain,” she said
and he could hear the regret in her voice.

The cascading waters provided a cooling shower
and quenched their thirst. They dressed quickly and made their way back to the
plantation. Maracuja fruit picked from the vine at the base of the cliff
satisfied their hunger. Crossing the plantation to the edge of the jungle, Zane
sensed Indigo gradually withdraw from him as they prepared for the return
journey. Carefully wrapping the stamens in his shirt, she reminded him of the
need to keep them in the light.

“They must be opened and exposed to the
sunlight at least once an hour. It is not long until sunset.”

Sending a quick message to Mr. Grimoult
letting him know of their success and imminent departure, Zane set the alarm
cog on his chronometer to an hour hence. Setting off down the shorter path, he
led the way ignoring the stinging of his skin when the thorny vices slashed his
bare chest and arms. Indigo followed him quietly and did not speak. The trudged
silently through the afternoon heat and descended the path more quickly than
the trip up into the plantation.

Zane stopped suddenly, pulling Indigo off
the track into the jungle as a loud buzzing intruded on their senses. She
pushed him away with both hands flat on his scratched chest. He glared back at
her, grabbed her shoulders and sat her on the trunk of a fallen tree.

“Stay there, Madame.” He spoke quietly but
firmly and passed her the shirt containing the stamens. “The hour is almost up.
Make use of the time to give them some light.” Indigo’s mouth dropped open. He
smiled when she obeyed him without argument.

Zane crept silently along the edge of the
trail; he was satisfied that Indigo was safe on the log. He slowed, and the
hairs on the back of his neck rose as a sweet smell drifted across his to him.
He moved closer to the source of the noise. Carefully making a break in the
foliage at the edge of the path, he peered out through the gap and gagged as
the bile hit his throat.

A body lay sprawled across the track, the
throat slit from ear to ear. Black congealed blood circled the gaping throat
like a macabre necklace. Luis was almost unrecognizable; the intense heat of
the jungle and the carrion feeding on the body had rendered it to a pulp. Huge
black army ants marched through his eyes, mouth and nostrils. Zane turned back
to the jungle, silently making his way back across the slippery ground. Indigo
sat quietly, the stamens spread around her in the filtered sunlight, as she
stared into the distance. Her beauty contrasted with the ugly scene further
down the path. Zane’s stomach tightened, and protective warmth surging through
him. Pushing herself up from the log, Indigo turned to face him, her arms
folded across her chest.

“Well?” she demanded but her face was pale.

Zane walked slowly toward her, and sat on
the log dropping his head to his hands. Indigo reached over, the warmth of her
hand clutching at his bare shoulder, soothed him.

“Luis?”

“Yes.” Zane closed his eyes, unable to
block the horrific sight from his mind.

“Is it safe?”

“I think so. There is no sign of anyone,
but we must take great care.” Zane pulled her close, burying his face in her
hair.

Lifting her head, Indigo said, “I think it
may be best if we go back the long way.”

Zane nodded. “I think that would be best.”
He did not want her to see the putrefied remains of her guide.

* * * *

It took them three hours to complete the
return trip. Arriving back at the small bay, hot and tired, they stood in the
deep cover of the thick foliage and Indigo sagged with relief when she saw the
barge was still tied to the pontoon.

“Thank God,” she breathed.

The cacophony of the jungle disappeared as
the sun slipped under the horizon. Indigo’s limbs trembled with exhaustion but
Zane insisted on waiting until it was dark before they left the cover of the
jungle. Indigo followed him quietly to the barge. Dropping silently onto the
deck, he moved across to the motor.

“Damn. The motor has been sabotaged. They
have ensured if Luis had company, no one could leave.”

“You’re the mariner,” Indigo whispered in
frustration. “What do we do now?” She disliked feeling helpless and being
dependent on another, especially a man did not sit comfortably with her.

“Wait here.” Zane disappeared up the muddy
bank before she could stop him.

A few moments later, he scrambled down the
bank carrying two long sticks.

“We’ll pole down the river. The current
will be with us on the way back.” He passed one of the long sticks over. “I
trust you have some strength left to help?”

“I will try,” she replied shortly.

Zane pushed the barge away from the bank
using the pole to steer out into middle of the river. The swift current swept
them along and all was quiet in the villages they passed. The moon rose and the
small bays and inlets were faintly visible to them, and it was with great
relief that Indigo finally recognized the bay where their journey had begun.

She grabbed his arm and pointed before they
swept passed it and Zane turned the barge into the short pier. Indigo slumped,
exhausted, across the back of the barge, and carefully cradled the stamens as
he secured the boat. He held out a gentle hand her to as she stepped onto the
bank and she grasped on to him tightly as he led their way to the deserted
building.

* * * *

Zane woke with a start when the morning
orchestra of the jungle roused him from a deep sleep. Rolling over, he peered
down to the lower bunk where Indigo was still fast asleep. After swinging down
off the top bed, he gently shook her bare shoulder, running his fingers down
the scratches on her arm. Indigo woke slowly, her face rosy with sleep. Smiling
sweetly as she reached for him, she pulled him down for a most satisfying
meeting of their lips.

“Thank you, Captain Dogooder, you worked
hard yesterday.” Her lips were soft against his and he pulled back reluctantly,
aware they had to leave soon.

As Indigo used the radio in the building to
contact the expedition base and advise them of Luis’ fate, Zane carefully
packed the stamens into two plastic crates from the storage area. He groaned
softly when he reached into the back of the Land rover; his muscles sore from
the exertion of the day before. Pulling on an old shirt he found in the back of
the vehicle, Zane smiled at the look on Indigo’s face as she came out of the
building.

“At least it covers the scratches,” he
said.

She seemed very unsure of him since their tryst
under the waterfall. Although she now accepted his decisions, he was still wary
of her temper.

Unease settled in his chest when she
climbed into the driver’s seat. “Are you able to drive one of these vehicles?”

“As you are unable to drive—” she snapped
“—I will have to manage. Come on, we are running out of time.”

The acceleration pushed Zane back in his
seat when she pressed the pedal to the floor. He put both hands over his eyes
as the Land Rover slewed toward a steep ravine. Indigo held tightly to the
steering wheel, her knuckles white, as the vehicle slid sideways down the
steeper hills. A couple of times, when it shuddered sideways through the
corrugations on the road, Zane gripped the sides of the seat. Each time he
cringed, Indigo threw her head back, laughing as she took great delight in his
reaction.

“Keep your eyes on the track, woman,” he
growled. “We have come this far. I don’t want to die in a vehicle that’s not
even steam-powered.”

Her driving skills and the steep descent
enabled them to complete their journey down the mountain road in a much shorter
time than the outward journey.

“What time is it?” Indigo slowed the
vehicle as the outskirts of the township appeared. “See if you can raise Mr.
Grimoult for a revised departure time.”

Zane did not move and looked across at her.

“Please,” she added.

He flipped open the chronometer and a
series of dots and dashes clicked away. The reply was instant.

“First window for departure is in twelve
minutes—” he said as the clicks continued “—and the next is in forty eight
hours.”

“Tell him to surface now. We can make it.”
She accelerated and shouted a warning at him. “Hang on to your hat, captain.”

His head hit the back of the seat as the
vehicle surged forward. “I’m not wearing a hat.”

Their progress slowed as they approached
the town center. It was market day in the portside town, with crowds of
shoppers spilling onto the road. Colorful stalls lined the footpaths and
animals wandered along with their herders, blocking the road. Children darted
in and out of the stalls, forcing Indigo to slow the vehicle to a crawl.

“Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,” Indigo muttered
under her breath. Spotting a gap between two stalls, she swung the vehicle
between them driving down a narrow alleyway. With barely an inch to spare between
the vehicle and the walls of the building, she turned onto the main road toward
the harbor.

“We will have to leave the vehicle at the
marina. We don’t have time to secure it.” She planted the accelerator once
more. “Climb over to the back and get the stamens,’’ she ordered. “Please,” she
added with a quick glance at him.

She swung the vehicle into the car park of
the marina, narrowly missing two men standing on each side of the entry.
Stopping close to the water’s edge, Indigo jumped out of the vehicle and Zane
passed her one of the crates. Clutching them, they ran for the end of the pier.
Suddenly, shouts and thudding footsteps came from behind them. A ray of light
whistled past Indigo’s head, bouncing off the post in front of her. It exploded
in a white flash. She screamed at Zane.

“Run—run quickly, they have ray guns!”

A cloud of steam rose in front of them, and
they ran into the fog, which hid them from their pursuers. The brass fin of the
Artemis
broke the water at the end of the pier and Indigo grabbed for
Zane’s hand and they jumped for their lives as a stream of rays flashed past
their heads.

Indigo stood quietly in the doorway of the
guest room, looking across at the four-poster bed. The side curtains were open
and Zane’s body was hidden beneath the covers. His soft breathing broke the
silence as she moved across the room closer to the bed. Black hair and tanned
skin contrasted with the virginal white of the feather pillows and the soft
lace edgings of the covers were at odds with the angry scratches on the side of
his face.

Indigo moved across to the side of the bed,
and she watched him sleep.

I must take care. This man is dangerous
to me in more ways than I could possibly have imagined
.

Strength of character, integrity and a gentle
nature. A dangerous combination.

Indigo enjoyed flouting acceptable social
norms, and was frequently criticized by members of high society. This afforded
great amusement to her as those same people did not hesitate to make use of her
elite holiday facilities. Now, she remained wary of the relationship forged
with the captain over the past two days. Zane respected her opinions and
challenged her, which was a new experience for her. Nevertheless, she was not
going to pass up the opportunity of a handsome man in a bed in her guest room,
particularly after experiencing such a pleasant interlude at the waterfall.

Pulling back the covers, Indigo climbed
into the bed beside him. She sighed with pleasure when her legs encountered the
roughness of warm, hair-covered limbs. Zane woke slowly as she pressed her
breasts to his side, and Indigo looked up to meet dark eyes, still hazy with
sleep. “Good morning, my captain. I trust you slept well?”

Her captain smiled down at her. “I did,
Madame.”

“I have a proposition I wish to discuss
with you.”

“Hmm,” he murmured as his mouth moved
toward hers. “And this discussion could not wait until we breakfasted?”

“Perhaps I have two propositions,” she
murmured against his lips. “I believe we can get one out of the way before we
rise.”

Before he could answer, Indigo climbed
across and straddled him. Reaching up, she pulled the red lace nightgown over
her head and threw it aside. He was instantly ready for her, cupping a full
breast in each hand as she flung her head back, letting her tight, wet
womanhood accept him. She arched to meet each possessive thrust and he delved
deeper into her with each rhythmic movement. Urgent hands held her hips and she
leaned down to him, gazing at dark, dark eyes, enjoying the feel of the smooth
ripple of muscle beneath warm bare skin. Indigo moved against him, hot, wet and
abandoned as her pleasure increased. She cried out with unabashed delight as
she reached her final shattering release, sucking in gasps of air as spasms of
delight rocked through her. Zane quickly followed, groaning long and low as his
pulsing life flooded her. Lying side by side, their labored breathing gradually
returned to normal.