She nodded for a moment. “Thank you for bringing me.”
He laughed out loud. “That’s it?”
She inhaled and let it out through her smile. “I feel so… alive; so yeah. Besides, your experience and expertise will make a difference.”
“Hopefully.” Ben gave her a lopsided grin. “The most important thing we can bring with us is common sense. You’d be surprised how many novices strike their camps on soldier ant nests, or on the banks of rivers where a big caiman lives, or even under trees that a band of monkeys live in.” He grinned. “A few hours of having dung rained down on you clears the sinuses.”
She chuckled. “Well, I’m still glad I’m here… we’re both here.”
He bobbed his head. “I’m glad you’re here, but seriously, I’d prefer you weren’t.”
“Big brother syndrome? Or…” She blushed a little. “Just be free with the advice, okay? I’ll be paying attention.”
“Will do.” He meant it; Ben planned to keep them all safe, but especially Emma.
The plane bumped down on the short runway, veered hard to the right, to the left, and then straightened. The small craft slowed quickly and turned before switching off its engines. There were a few golf-cart-style cars waiting to take them to Waku Lodge — somehow, Dan had managed to find the only five-star accommodation at the edge of an Amazonian rainforest.
Ben would have preferred them all to begin to acclimatize to the new geography, hours, and climate, but he knew that they were all tired, and there was no harm in a last night of luxury before a few weeks of doing it tough.
The plane door was swung open and they clambered out. The first thing that hit them was the wet-heat that immediately made their shirts and underwear cling to their bodies. The second thing was the smells; though they were in a domesticated area of the jungle, there were the suspended odors of plant sap, fragrant blooms, and a hint of rich, composting earth.
Ben caught a whiff of something else — his body odor — a damn shower would be his first priority. He didn’t know what it was about plane travel, but it managed to squeeze a lot of weird scents from the body. He jammed his hat on his head and headed for the vehicles.
In the first buggy, Dan was up front, he and Emma were in the back; Steve, Andrea, and Jenny were in the other. Dan turned in his seat.
“Got someone coming over this evening.” He looked both self-satisfied and conspiratorial as he leaned even closer. “Arranged for some stock for us.” He winked and then made a gun from his hand, jacking the thumb up and down.
Normally, Ben would have called him an idiot and told him to cancel it immediately. But he knew the dangers within a rainforest, and there was also the unknown danger factor of those assholes that attacked him and could well be moving in parallel to them right now. He knew they were armed.
And then the notebook had told them there might, just might, be something at their destination that gave him a strong desire to have more than a sharp knife for protection.
“Good.” He nodded. “Jenny comes too. Her local knowledge will be useful.”
“Okay.” Dan nodded, looking pleased with himself, and turned back around.
“Whoa.” Emma leaned out of the side of their buggy as they approached their hotel. She turned and grinned. “You’re unbelievable, Mr. Murakami.”
“We Japanese have class.” Dan winked at her.
Waku Lodge was done in a tropical grass hut style, but the large buildings in the center of verdant green grass were far from holiday hokey.
They eased to a stop on a glass-smooth asphalt driveway, and the drivers immediately leapt out to shepherd them inside, promising to bring their bags in after them.
“I like it.” Ben nodded his approval. “Grass hut outside, first class inside.”
“Mr. Murakami?” The young woman behind the reception counter flashed them a stunning smile.
“Yo.” Dan raised an arm and almost jogged to the desk. He looked around. “Beautiful place.”
“Thank you.” She beamed.
“Hi.” Ben came and leant on the countertop. “Any other guests?”
“No sir, we —”
“Any booked, or been here in the last few days?” he pressed.
Her smile dropped a fraction at his abruptness. “No, sir, and none for a few weeks; until the tourist season really starts. You have it all to yourself until then.”
“Thank you.” Ben felt relieved. Though he would have loved to administer a little payback justice to his intruders, he didn’t want them using this as their launchpad as well.
Dan had booked them in for the night, and then again for a few more nights later. But it was left as a standing order and line of credit — whenever they got back, everything was prepaid.
They were each shown to their rooms, and when Ben pushed his door open, he just stopped and took it all in. The rooms were each a jungle fantasy — lamp shades designed to look like birds of paradise, bamboo wall paneling, with ceiling fans slowly rotating to move the warm flower-scented air. New porcelain gleamed in the bathrooms, and thankfully, the mini-bar was well stocked.
“Oh yeah, this’ll do just fine.”
His bags were already on the small blanket table beside the bed, and on a side table, a pitcher of fresh pineapple juice. He sat down, poured himself a glass and drank half, before letting himself fall backwards and then threw an arm over his eyes. It was only three in the afternoon, but he could have drifted off then and there. In the past week, he had travelled more in a few days than he had in years. Though he was only 35, right then, he felt about a hundred.
“Anyone home… or at least awake?” Emma grinned in his doorway.
He turned his head. “How can you look so fresh?” Ben groaned as he tried to sit up. “Whatever you’re taking, Ms. Wilson, give me some right now.”
She laughed softly and came and grabbed his arm to haul him up to a sitting position. “What sort of people is our military turning out these days?” She crossed to the side table and sipped at his juice.
“Ex-military.” Ben rubbed his face. “A quick shower, something to eat, and about a weeks sleep, and you watch, I’ll be good as new.”
“Pfft.” She knelt up beside him on the bed. “Come here.” She grabbed his shoulders and started to knead his aching muscles. Then put the point of her elbow in at the base of his neck and ran it down his spine a few inches.
He moaned, feeling like he’d been sent to heaven. “Okay, yep, that’s it, right there.”
She changed hands. “Feels like a stack of knotted wood in there.”
“Thank you, you’re not too bad yourself.” He chuckled and tilted his head back, mouth open.
Emma moved her hands up to his head, and her fingers began to gently make circles at his temples.
“O-oooh boy.” Ben felt like he was floating. He opened one eye. “Knotted wood, huh?”
“Hmm, maybe something a lot more dense.” She sniggered.
Ben felt himself relax, and he breathed deeply. He felt the small movement of the air from the overhead fan as it stirred the balmy, tropical heat. But he also caught the delicate scent of Emma’s perfume, mixed with a slight hint of perspiration. He found it intoxicating.
After another moment she gently slapped his shoulder. “There you go, big guy.”
Ben rolled his neck muscles. “Thanks.” He turned, and she still knelt on the bed. Emma’s eyes locked with his, and they both just stared for several moments. Her eyes seemed to darken as her pupils dilated.
She reached a hand out, and the tips of her fingers gently ran down along the scar on his face. Her hand stayed on his chin, the thumb stroking there for a second.