Chapter Four
Reese sat beside Diesel in the nest of boughs and stared through the gaps in the camouflage he’d applied to the netting. Every time the man moved, he brushed up against her, making her heart race and her body light up. What was wrong with her? Even if she wanted, she couldn’t begin to sleep with her thoughts running wild over her rescuer.
When Diesel had flashed his smile and winked at Reese, butterflies had erupted and swarmed in her belly, and heat had spread from her center outward. Not only was the man as hard as a bodybuilder, he was charming and sexy, too. A triple threat to her libido. She shook her head. She was in a tree, in a jungle with a man she’d met only a few hours ago. How could she be having lascivious thoughts about him when they were both covered in sweat and dirt?
She could hear the steady breathing of the man beside her. Darkness kept her from studying him. Time passed slowly with nothing but her thoughts to keep her company. Every sound made her tense up until her back ached. In the wee hours of the morning, her head dipped, and sleep threatened to overtake her.
She didn’t want to wake Diesel. He was the one who was wounded. His body needed time to recover.
Guilt made a knot in her gut. She’d already botched her first assignment. Ferrence’s father would fire her as soon as she got back to civilization. She wouldn’t have a job, and word-of-mouth about her failure would see to it she never had another bodyguard client. The least she could do was watch over the navy SEAL.
But she was so darned sleepy.
The man lying beside her moved. A second later, a hand touched her shoulder, and Diesel pressed the drinking tube against her fingers. “Drink and then sleep.”
She didn’t argue. Too tired to do anything but what he commanded, she sipped from the tube, the liquid soothing her dry throat. Then she lay on the bows and closed her eyes.
Reese must have fallen asleep right away. When she opened her eyes, she could make out all the shapes and shadows within the nest Diesel had created.
One thing she couldn’t see was the man himself.
Reese bolted upright and listened for the reassuring sound of him moving around outside the mosquito netting.
She heard sounds, but they weren’t the sounds she expected. Something was moving down below—a lot of somethings. And there were several grunts and other sounds she couldn’t quite place. She leaned forward and pressed her face to the netting. In the clearing below, dark shapes moved about. Some big, some smaller, but none of them human.
Her heart leaped into her throat, and she fought back a gasp.
A troop of gorillas had moved into the clearing and appeared to be setting up camp. Even from her perch high above them, Reese could tell they were big. Mothers sat preening their babies. Adolescent gorillas romped in the clearing, wrestling and tumbling.
Reese looked for the alpha male but didn’t see him. He had to be there. All troops had an alpha male, and the alpha could be extremely fierce.
Where was Diesel?
“Shh,” came a soft whisper close to her ear.
The sound was so quiet, she almost didn’t hear it. Reese turned toward Diesel on the other side of the mosquito net.
He pointed down and mouthed the words alpha male.
Reese gulped. She worried that, if the alpha male caught their scent, he could climb the tree and rip them apart. Holy hell. And she thought being caught by Congolese rebels was bad. At least they hadn’t been capable of ripping her apart with their bare hands. There would be no reasoning with a male gorilla.
Reese remained still, afraid to move and disturb the branches of the nest Diesel had built. Thankfully, they were at least twenty-five feet from the floor of the jungle. More importantly, they were twenty-five feet from the male gorilla. At the very least, they had a head start at climbing higher.
Her heart raced and her hands grew clammy. How good would she be climbing if her hands were slick with nervous sweat?
Silence and minimal movement were the orders of the day. Reese settled back and observed the social structure of the troop. Never had she ever imagined she’d have a front-row seat at a family gathering of giant apes.
They ate, groomed and dozed in the morning heat, in no hurry to move on to a different area. The strong scent of their bodies drifted upward to where Reese sat, but she didn’t let that bother her. The social dynamics of the group of gorillas was fascinating.
For a couple of hours, the gorillas sat. Reese grew uncomfortable and needed to relieve herself, but she didn’t dare move. She wondered how much longer the troop would be in the area.
Suddenly, the bigger gorillas sent out a disturbed cry. Mothers gathered their offspring and herded them to the other side of the clearing, disappearing into the jungle. The male gorilla left his position beneath their tree and powered out into the center of the clearing.
Men erupted from the shadows, yelling and firing AK-47s, aiming for the larger gorillas.
Reese gasped. “What are they doing?”
Diesel’s lips pressed together. “Poachers. Gorilla hands and feet sell for a lot of money on the black market.” He lifted his rifle into his hands and straightened from his position next to the nest. “Stay down.”
Her heart grinding to a stop, Reese stared from Diesel to the men below. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to stop the carnage.”
“But they outnumber you. You’ll be killed.”
“They don’t know I’m here.” He slipped off the limb and lowered himself to the one below, moving away from where Reese hunkered low against the branch, wishing she had a weapon.
The smallest gorillas screamed and ran ahead of their mothers. The alpha male ran toward the two men bearing weapons closest to him, roaring loud enough to make the leaves shake in the trees.
Before the men could yank their rifles up, the gorilla swept out a mighty hand and knocked the two men across the clearing.
Once the other men realized what was happening, they turned their rifles toward the huge silverback and fired.
With every bullet that hit the big ape, Reese flinched. The gorilla had done nothing to deserve this attack. Even though he could just as easily have killed her and Diesel, he hadn’t, and all he was doing was protecting his troop.
Reese pressed a hand to her chest as the big gorilla charged the men shooting at him. In her heart, Reese hoped the big ape killed the men trying to kill him. It would serve them right for what they were doing to the endangered species. She wished she still had a gun.
A yell suspiciously similar to the ones from the old Tarzan movies sounded below, and shots rang out from beneath the tree in which Reese hid. Diesel, covered in leaves and camouflage, charged out of the shadows, firing his M4A1 rifle. He ran toward the group of poachers like a creature straight from hell.
“Are you insane?” Reese shoved aside the netting and climbed out on the limb. “You’ll get your fool-self killed.”
The group of men hadn’t expected the gorillas to fire back at them. Apparently, they were so stunned by Diesel’s appearance, they shot rounds into the air on reflex, then turned and ran into the jungle.
The huge gorilla spun around and roared in Diesel’s direction, but the man had already ducked into the brush, completely blending into the foliage.
Blood oozed from the gorilla’s wounds, but he was able to run after his troop, into the woods.
Minutes later, the clearing was empty and nothing moved.
Reese counted to fifty, praying Diesel hadn’t been hit by a stray bullet. Why wasn’t he coming back to the tree?
Then she noticed a movement at the far end of the clearing, where the two men had been knocked out by the male gorilla.
They rose, grabbed their weapons and spoke to each other in hushed tones. Then they walked around the clearing, their rifles held out in front of them, ready to shoot anything that moved.
Reese stared at the two. They were both dark-skinned—possibly Congolese. And one of them had on a shirt she remembered from her time in captivity with the rebels. She wondered if these thugs could be the same people who’d captured her and Ferrence?
She remained still, refusing to move a muscle. Since she could see them clearly, they could potentially see her, if they looked up.
The two men frowned, shrugged and started in the direction the others had gone, when suddenly a twig fell from the tree below where Reese hovered.
The men spun around and aimed their weapons up at the branches.
Reese knew the exact second the man in the shirt she recognized spotted her. His eyes widened, and he said something to the man beside him. Then he tipped his rifle upward, aiming directly at her.
The man beside him did the same.
With no way to protect herself, she stood transfixed.
A shot rang out and then another.
Reese braced herself for pain, but none came. She pressed her hand to her racing heart and stared at the ground.
Then the two men below crumpled to the ground below her, their weapons falling from their hands. They lay still.
Finally, Diesel emerged from the brush, but followed the shadows up to the point he had to step out into the open to check the two men.
“They’re dead, but their buddies might circle back to check on what the gunfire was all about.” He glanced up at her in the tree. “Need help getting down?”
She shook her head. Sure, she was still petrified of heights, but what had just happened was more intense than getting out of a tree. She worked her way down, slipping from limb to limb, until she reached the last one. Then she dropped to the ground and ran to where Diesel stood over the bodies of the two men.
“Are they dead?”
“Very.” He drew in a deep breath. “We need to keep moving.”
“Do you think the male gorilla will survive?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. He took quite a few hits. But he’s a big guy. Hopefully he’ll make it.”
Reese hoped so, too. She stared at Diesel’s arm. “That was a reckless stunt. You could have been killed.”
He grinned. “Would you have missed me?”
“Yes, damn it. You’re supposed to be rescuing me, not ditching me in the jungle. And you’re bleeding again.” She started to rip the hem of her shirt again, but his hand stopped her.
“You won’t have anything left of your shirt at that rate.” He shed the vest with the metal plate and his outer shirt, then he pulled the black T-shirt from the waistband of his pants. “You can use this.” He yanked the T-shirt over his head and handed it to her. Then he reached into a scabbard on his calf and handed her a knife.
Her heart thudding against her ribs, Reese focused on slicing off the bottom four inches of the shirt, refusing to focus on Diesel’s naked, tanned chest. If she thought his muscles were sexy in the shirt... Reese dragged in a shaky breath and let it out slowly. The man had no idea what he was doing to her libido. His being hot, sweaty and covered in jungle grime didn’t put a dent in his appeal. If anything, it made him appear even more rugged and badass.
Her hand slipped, and she almost cut the tip of her finger.
“Hey.” Diesel grabbed her hand and the knife. “Careful. One person injured is more than enough.”
“It’s okay. It didn’t break the skin.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.” He studied the finger and then lifted it to his lips.
Reese’s breath caught in her lungs, and her eyes widened.
Diesel kissed her fingertip and winked. “You’re right. You’ll live.”
Only if she remembered how to breathe. Reese pulled her finger out of his grip and glanced down at the T-shirt. What was it she was doing? Oh, yes. She was playing combat medic to Diesel’s wound.
His hands closed around hers. “Want me to do it?”
“No,” she said. “No. You can’t dress your own arm.” She shook her head free of her lusty thoughts and directed her attention to Diesel’s arm. The skin around the wound was an angry red, and the sore oozed. “We have to get you to a doctor ASAP. This gunshot wound is infected.”
“I’m all for finding a doctor, only I’m not sure where to start.” When she finished binding his arm, he shrugged into his shirt and stuffed the tail into his trousers.
Reese folded the remainder of his T-shirt and tucked it into her blouse for use later, if needed.
A finger touched her beneath her chin and tipped her head up. Her gaze skimmed across his lips, noticing how full and firm they were. Dragging her glance from his mouth, she stared into Diesel’s eyes.
Bad move. She hoped he couldn’t tell what she was thinking by where her gaze had lingered. At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to kiss the man.
“Thank you for taking care of me,” he whispered. His head lowered, his lips hovering over hers. “I can’t help it. I have this insane urge to kiss you.” And he did. His mouth claimed hers in a deep, mind-melding kiss that rocked Reese to her very core. She’d placed her hands on his chest, but they found their way to the back of his neck, pulling him closer.
The jungle, the bugs, killer animals and dangerous men faded into the background as she pressed her body to his.
His tongue darted out, skimming the seam of her lips, urging her to open. When she did, he slipped his tongue inside, caressing her tongue with his in a long, sensuous swirl.
When at last Diesel lifted his head, Reese’s head was spinning. Her thoughts fogged, and she dragged in a steadying breath. She wiped the back of her hand over her swollen, pulsing lips. “Why did you do that?”
He chuckled. “I’ve wanted to since I found you in the rebel camp.” Diesel brushed her cheek with the tips of his fingers. “I’d kiss you again, but we need to move before those jokers return.” Diesel, dressed in his shirt and vest, took her hand and led her out of the clearing, heading north again.
Reese hurried alongside him, pulse racing, heart tight in her chest and lips tingling from his kiss. What had started as an escape from enemy territory had almost changed into an exotic adventure with a man whose mere presence made her body burn with desire.
How could this be? They were in a life-or-death situation where anything could kill them, from raging hippos to angry rebels. Not to mention, they could die of starvation or dehydration, infection or disease before they found some form of civilization where they could seek medical attention. And here she was thinking about what else was beneath the clothes this man wore.
Hell, she didn’t even know him!
Pushing hard to keep up with him, Reese didn’t have much breath available to ask questions, but she tried. “So, what exactly is this team of yours? Army, navy, marines?”
“If I tell you—”
“You’ll have to kill me.” She sucked in a deep breath and double-timed to keep up with his longer stride. “Cut to the chase. I’m in this with you, and I can keep a secret.”
“We’re navy SEALs.”
That would explain why he was so well trained and in remarkable physical condition. Whew. Not only was he hot, he was one of America’s elite forces. Wow. Talk about every woman’s dream—to be swept off her feet by a navy SEAL. And she’d been swept off her feet more than once. Well, she couldn’t let that happen again. Navy SEALs were bad boyfriend material, and even worse at marriage. Not that she was thinking about marrying the man. Hell, she hadn’t even had a date since she’d been released by the Taliban. She hadn’t really been interested in men, and wasn’t sure she ever would be again. A relationship with Diesel was completely out of the question. Reese marched forward, determined to keep her head out of the clouds and her feet firmly on the ground.
* * *
DIESEL COULD TELL his revelation about being a navy SEAL wasn’t welcomed by his jungle escape partner. Most women found it exciting to be with a SEAL. Why was Reese different? He realized he didn’t know much about the woman he’d rescued from the Congolese rebels. “What made you become a bodyguard?” He glanced down at her. “Don’t tell me it was a dream of yours as a little girl.”
She shook her head and stared at the path in front of her. “No. I kind of fell into it.”
“You’re in good physical shape. You had to have worked up to that.”
Reese shrugged and kept moving. “The physical regimen kept me sane. I had some things to work out of my system.” Her voice was tight, her body stiff.
Diesel wasn’t going to let her end her life history on a statement like that. “For instance?”
She walked faster, as if she were being chased by demons. And maybe she was. Diesel had a few demons of his own. A SEAL didn’t live through so many battles without something bad plaguing his nightmares.
He reached out and snagged her arm, bringing her to a stop.
“We need to keep going,” she said, pulling away from him.
Diesel didn’t release her. “What are you running from, Reese?”
“None of your business. And who said I was running?” She jerked her arm free of his hold and glared up at him, defiantly.
He cupped her face, his heart tightening. She’d been hurt. “Whatever it was, I’m sorry it happened.”
She slapped his hand away. “Why should you be sorry? You didn’t do it. The filthy Taliban did it. And I swore I’d never let anyone capture me again, but it happened.” She sucked in deep breaths, blowing them out through her mouth. The color was high in her cheeks, and her eyes shone with moisture. “I swore,” she whispered.
Diesel cursed and pulled her into his arms. “Babe, whatever they did is done. You’re a wonderful person and a strong woman.”
“Not strong enough,” she said into his shirt, her fingers curling into his chest. “And not strong enough to keep those men from taking me this time. What do I have to do? Where a suit of armor, rigged to electrify anyone who lays a hand on me?”
Diesel chuckled. “I for one am glad you’re not wearing an electrified suit of armor.” He held her at arm’s length and stared down into her eyes. “You don’t have to tell me what happened unless you want. I’ll just know that you were hurt, and I’ll do everything in my power to keep you safe from harm.”
She shook her head, a single tear rolling down her cheek. “But you don’t get it. I should be capable of defending myself. Otherwise, what was all of this good for? Mixed martial arts are only good if you’re conscious.”
“Is that what happened? You were knocked unconscious?” He hugged her again, running his hands down her back. “You can’t always plan on being conscious, can you? But I’ll bet that if you had been conscious, they’d have wished you were out cold. You’d have given them a run for their money.”
Reese drew in several deep breaths and pushed away from Diesel. “Sorry. I haven’t had a meltdown in a long time.”
“You call that a meltdown?” Diesel laughed. “Far from it. Most women I know scream, kick and sob buckets of tears in a meltdown.”
She sniffed and tilted her chin up. “I’m not most women.”
“I’m beginning to understand that about you. And I like it.” He held out his hand. “Ready to find civilization?”
“More than ready.” She hesitated before placing her hand in his.
Together, they set off, moving upriver. The heat was debilitating, and they soon ran out of drinking water. With all the water flowing beside them in the Congo, they didn’t dare drink it.
Though she put up a good front, Reese was slowing down. Lack of food and fluid was taking its toll on her and on Diesel, as well.
He worried that if they didn’t find help soon...well, he didn’t want to think about the alternative.
Several times, they strayed too close to the riverbanks and had to hurry out of the way of giant crocodiles and wading hippos. The sun hit its zenith and plunged toward the opposite horizon, and still they hadn’t found a village or other people.
Just about the time Diesel was considering where they would sleep that night, he spied someone in a dugout canoe, paddling by on the river. Hope surged through him, and he stopped, bringing Reese close beside him. He ducked, staring through the branches to the river beyond. “See that?”
She nodded.
“He’s not in a motorized boat. He can’t be too far from a village.”
She sighed. “That would great, as long as the villagers are friendly, and the village is on this side of the river.”
“We’ll have to ease up on it before we announce ourselves.” Diesel set off, moving with more care and an awareness that they could walk right out of the jungle and into a village before they realized it. The jungle often crept in on villages if they didn’t fight it back on a regular basis. Nature had a way of reclaiming what was hers.
Twenty minutes later, people’s voices and the hum of a generator were like sounds from heaven. Diesel pressed a finger to his lips. They were in luck. The sound was on their side of the river.
Reese nodded and followed him, doing what he did, moving from shadow to shadow, until they stood at the edge of an encampment scraped out of the jungle. A dock had been erected, jutting out into the river. Several small skiffs with outboard motors were tied to the jetty, and canoes lay beached on the banks nearby. People moved about the small village, some carrying what appeared to be bags of grain. Others had handmade baskets filled with a variety of fruits and vegetables.
Diesel’s mouth watered, but he didn’t dare step out of the jungle until he knew for certain they were not in danger.
Reese tugged on his shirt and pointed to the far side of the village, where a large white tent had been erected with the words MEDICINS SANS FRONTIERES written across the sides. She grinned at him and mouthed the word “Bingo.”
An older woman with white hair, wearing blue jeans, a T-shirt and a yellow-and-white jacket stepped out of the tent and stretched her back, staring out at the river.
Diesel backed away from the village, far enough that their voices wouldn’t carry. “We need to get to that tent. Hopefully, whoever that woman is speaks English and can tell us how to get a ride out of here.”
Reese nodded.
“Follow me.” Diesel led the way, making a wide circle around the camp, coming up from behind the medical tent. He couldn’t see straight into the tent. The back was closed off, with only the front opening for an entrance.
Fortunately, the white-haired woman stepped around the tent with a bucket of water and walked toward the jungle. Just as she swung her arms back to empty the bucket, Diesel spoke. “Hey, do you speak English?”
The woman yelped, dropped the bucket and stepped backward. “Who said that?”
Reese stood, exposing her position to the woman. “We did. Hi, I’m Reese and this is Diesel.”
Diesel rose to stand beside her. “Ma’am, are you American?”
She nodded, pressing a hand to her breast. “You scared the bejeezus out of me.” The woman frowned. “I’m Martha Kowalski. And yes, I’m American. Why are you hiding in the jungle?”
“My friend was held captive by Congolese rebels. I helped her escape, and they might be looking for us.” Diesel glanced behind the woman.
The woman looked over her shoulder and back to Diesel and Reese. “You’re right to worry. We’ve had to be very careful. If it weren’t for the fact they need us here so badly, I’m sure we would be in more danger than we are. How can I help you?”
Reese spoke before Diesel. “He’s been shot and needs medical attention.” She pointed to the bloody scrap of T-shirt on his arm.
The woman moved closer, frowning. “We have the medications and bandages you’ll need. But to get you into the tent to take care of it will alert the village to your presence.” She bit her bottom lip and narrowed her eyes. “Wait here. I have an idea.”
Diesel and Reese ducked low into the foliage and waited for the woman’s return.
Several minutes passed. Diesel began to think she wasn’t coming back or had run into trouble. But then she appeared around the side of the tent, carrying an armful of packages. A man followed her, just as old and white-haired as the woman, carrying more sealed packages.
They walked into the jungle and kept going until they were well outside the perimeter of the camp. Diesel and Reese followed.
“Reese, Diesel, this is my husband, Dr. Jerry Kowalski.”
The man nodded and set his packages on the ground. “These suits will get you into the tents, past the other patients and their families, no questions asked.”
They tore into the sealed packages to discover personal protective suits. “We had these shipped in recently because there have been several reported cases of the Ebola virus. We use these suits to protect medical staff from patients infected with highly contagious diseases or viruses.”
Diesel grinned. “And they will cover us from head to toe.” He reached for one of the packages and winced. He hadn’t said anything to Reese, but his arm had become increasingly sore and achy over the past few hours. He suspected infection had set in. He handed one of the suits to Reese. “Suit up.” The sooner he got the arm treated, the sooner they could be on their way back to civilization and safety.
Then he and Reese would part ways. Somehow, that end goal didn’t make him happy. He’d dated other women, but none he’d considered going out with more than once or twice. Reese would have been another story. He could see spending time with her and enjoying it. But what else could he do? His job would be done, and she had hers to resume.