Chapter 22

 

Beast woke to the sound of monkeys screeching inside his head. Slowly, painfully, he opened his eyes to find they hadn’t invaded his brain. They were jumping around on the branch above him.

“Go away,” he grumbled.

The little bastards ignored him. John groaned as he tried to sit up, but something tugged at his waist, preventing him from moving. He looked down to find lianas securing him to the wide trunk behind him. Belinda. He cracked a smile but found even the slightest movement hurt his head.

He felt like he’d been hit by a Mack truck. Every single muscle in his body felt bruised and aching. Just untying the lianas was exhausting. He honestly doubted he’d be able to stand, let alone walk through the jungle. Which meant they were stuck where they were for the day. It also meant the chances of their kidnappers finding them would skyrocket.

Above him, the monkeys were going insane, making so much noise it was hard to think. It was early, barely past six, and he suspected Belinda was off taking care of business before she woke him. For some reason, the woman didn’t want him to know that she had the same bodily functions as every other person on the planet. He smiled at the thought. Maybe it was an English thing. The English were a nation of prudes, weren’t they? Anyway, no matter where she was, he had to track her down. They were still very much in danger, and he didn’t like the thought of her wandering around on her own. First, he had to get some water into his body.

He reached for the water bottle she’d thoughtfully left beside him, and froze.

In the distance, in the clearing beside the lake, he saw Belinda.

And she wasn’t alone.

Pure terror flooded Beast’s system as he watched the guard from the camp strip Belinda and push her down. Beast cursed as adrenalin rushed to his abused muscles. He had to get to her. He had to stop this.

He pushed himself to his feet, one eye on the guy as he backhanded Belinda. She fell to the ground, going down hard on something and wailing with pain. Rage, like nothing he’d ever felt before, exploded within Beast, and then, just as suddenly, it cooled to a stark, deadly intent. The guard was dead. He just didn’t know it yet.

Beast tried to take a step, but his shaky legs gave way. He cursed, holding on to the tree. He was stuck, trapped by his own weak body, while Belinda was being attacked. There was no way he could climb down the tree. No way he could run to save her.

The man grabbed her hair and shoved her onto her belly over the log. The same damn log where Beast had made love to her the day before. Somehow, knowing it was the same log made everything worse. He watched her fight. Watched her struggle. Why wasn’t she screaming for him?

Fuck. Did she think he couldn’t save her?

How the hell was he going to save her?

Something caught his eye at the water’s edge, and he could have sworn he was seeing things. A huge black caiman lumbered out of the water. It must have been fourteen feet long. And its eyes were on Belinda and her rapist, drawn to them by the scent of Belinda’s blood.

Beast tried to take another step and landed against the tree trunk, unable to do anything but watch, helpless as the guard struck Belinda across the face and she hit her head on the tree. He had to do something. Anything. The guard threw her back over the log and unzipped his pants. Belinda vomited. Beast felt like his heart had been ripped out of his chest and trampled into the dirt.

No. No. No. No. No.

He fought to make his legs work and almost fell out of the tree, watching as Belinda was brutalised, helpless to do anything to stop it.

It was a nightmare.

A fucking endless nightmare.

Beast had to do something. He had to do it now. He tested his legs. They held his weight better this time, but there was no knowing if he’d make it to her in time. The monkeys were going insane above him. Something howled in the distance. He thought he heard Belinda call his name, but it could have been his imagination.

He scanned his surroundings, looking for something, anything, that would help her, and then he saw it. The rifle. He cursed himself. He’d forgotten all about it. His brain wasn’t working properly yet. He was too damn weak to think straight.

He threw himself onto his belly on the branch, snatched up the gun and aimed.

He didn’t hesitate. Adrenalin gave his muscles enough strength to keep steady, and he took the shot.

It was true.

He watched the blood spurt from the guard’s shoulder, saw him jerk back from Belinda. She didn’t move, draped over the log like a rag doll. At least she was out of the line of fire. Beast aimed high and took another shot. This time, he hit the guard in the arm; spinning the man and making him stumble. The guard landed flat on his back, blood pouring from him.

Belinda struggled to stand, leaning her weight on the log. Even from this distance, Beast could see she was shaking. There was blood trailing down her side, her breast and from the corner of her mouth. She watched in horror as her would-be rapist tried to get up. To get at her. His feet slid in the mud and he went back down. He shouted something at Belinda, making her shrink into herself. He was going to go after her again. And Beast didn’t have a clear shot this time.

“Run, Belinda!” he roared.

She stood frozen, watching her rapist. Beast didn’t even think she’d heard him.

The guard got to his knees and reached for her. She was too far away, and he lost his balance. With a furious curse, he slid onto his back in the mud, his arm stretched out at his side.

And the caiman launched at him.

The guard had been so focused on his prey that he hadn’t realised a much more powerful predator had him in its sights. The strong jaw of the caiman opened wide, and sharp teeth came down hard on the guard’s arm. Even from this distance, Beast heard the sound of bone crunching. An unholy scream rent the air, driving the animals hiding in the canopy to silence. Belinda’s hands flew to her mouth as her eyes went startlingly wide.

The guard kicked and screamed and struggled. The caiman was undeterred. He dragged the man straight into the lake. Beast and Belinda stared in horror as the water bubbled up in a cauldron of terror.

And then there was stillness.

Belinda stood immobile, staring at the water. Naked and bleeding. Alone. When she should never be alone.

“Baby,” Beast called. “Come over here. Come on.” He kept his voice soothing, afraid to scare her further.

She didn’t move. He wasn’t even sure she’d heard him. Beast pulled himself up to his knees. He had to get to her.

“Belinda,” he shouted.

No response. She was frozen in place.

With sheer determination and a clenched jaw, Beast half slid, half climbed down the tree, landing on his knees on the ground. He held on to one of the buttress roots and pulled himself to his feet, grateful that he didn’t fall straight back down. On shaky limbs, one agonisingly slow step at a time, he made his way towards her, keeping one eye on the lake in case another prehistoric reptile crawled out to get them.

Beast fell over twice more as his shaky limbs gave way. It took an eternity to get to Belinda. All the while he kept talking to her, letting her know he was coming. Making sure she was, at least on some level, aware of him.

“Look at me, baby,” he said. “Don’t look at the water. There’s nothing you can do about that now. Look at me.”

She didn’t take her eyes from the calm surface of the lake. Now that he was closer, he could see she was shaking violently. Shock was setting in, making her feel cold even in the humid heat of the jungle.

“It’s okay, Belinda. I’m not going to let anyone else hurt you. You’re safe now.”

He carefully wended his way past root joints and over shrubs as he catalogued her injuries. Her left knee was swollen, and her right hip had a bloody red line where the bastard had sliced into her flesh. Her left eye was swollen and red. There was a bloody nick on the skin near her nipple. The corner of her bottom lip was split and bleeding. There were scrapes on her hands, stomach and forearms. And around her throat there was a ring of fingerprint bruises. Beast wanted to drag the guard back out of the water and kill the son of a bitch all over again. Death by caiman was too good for him. Beast wished he could have sliced him into tiny pieces and drawn his suffering out for as long as Belinda’s skin stayed bruised.

“It’s gonna be okay. I’m gonna clean you up and we’ll get out of here. You did good, baby. You fought him and distracted him. You bought us time. You did real good.”

He closed the scant few feet between them and gently placed his hand on her shoulder. She jerked away and spun to look at him, terror on her face.

“It’s okay, baby. It’s me, Beast.”

Her bottom lip trembled. “John?” Her voice was a strained whisper, testifying to the damage done to her throat.

“Yeah.” His heart clenched. “It’s John. Come here, baby, so I can hold you and convince myself you’re still alive.”

He expected to have to keep on coaxing her, but with an agonised sob, she threw herself into his arms. He staggered, and they went down to the ground together. Belinda curled into him with her arms up and her hands tucked under her chin. He wrapped her tight and cooed to her as he listened to her weep. Each pained gasp and sob broke something inside of him. Never before in his life had he wanted to take away someone’s pain the way he wanted to take Belinda’s. If he could turn back time and face the guard himself, he would do it in a heartbeat.

“It’s okay, I’m here,” he whispered as he stroked her hair.

“It’s not like the movies, John,” she said, each word a desperate croak. “It’s not like the movies. Nothing like the movies. Nothing.”

“No, baby, it isn’t.” He swayed slightly, rocking her; aware that his muscles were weakening now that the initial burst of adrenalin was wearing off. He had to get them back up into the tree, where he could keep her safe until he was stronger.

“Nothing like the movies,” she muttered again.

“Belinda, baby, we need to get back up the tree. Can you do that for me?”

She shook so hard that he wasn’t even sure she could hear him.

“Belinda, we’re safe in the tree. We need to go back there until I’m stronger, then we’ll get out of here. I need to clean your wounds, too. Remember, you told me it’s important to clean wounds in the rainforest.”

Still nothing but painful little sobs and lots of shaking. There was only one card left to play.

“Baby,” he said softly, “I really don’t feel so good, and I’m worried I’ll pass out here beside the lake.”

She stilled, then her head lifted and red-rimmed eyes looked up at him. “Are you still in pain?”

“Some,” he said. Although the waves were faint now and he barely registered them.

“Okay.” She swallowed, then winced, making him fight another burst of rage. “Okay.” She looked back at the tree. “We can do this.” It sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

John laid it on thick: “I’m gonna need some help. That ant bite knocked me out.”

She wiped the tears from her eyes and said, “Lean on me, John. I’ll help you.”

Just like that, he knew he was falling in love with this woman.

He cupped her cheek and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I know you will, baby. I know you will.”