Читать книгу Four Relentless Days - Elle James - Страница 11
ОглавлениеTalia hadn’t wanted to bring her new guest into the superstitious world of the locals. Granted, the SEALs seemed of stronger constitutions than her rich guests who’d left the day before, hurrying away because of a painting on their doors.
She stared up at the tall, broad-shouldered SEAL and wanted to laugh.
Harm would not be as easily frightened. Hell, he’d frighten those trespassers who’d dared to draw the omens on the doors. Perhaps having the SEALS there would keep the saboteurs from spreading their portents of bad juju on her property.
“Enough about my troubles.” She pasted a smile on her lips. “Is there anything I can get you?”
“No. Like you told us from the beginning, we can make do for ourselves. I was heading for the kitchen, hoping to snag a sandwich.”
“Do you mind if I join you?” she asked, not ready to be alone after everything that had happened. She’d found temporary comfort in this man’s arms, something she hadn’t counted on, especially after the loss of her husband. A tug of guilt pulled at her heart. At the same time, she felt a spark of something else. She refused to put a name to it. Not yet.
“I’d be honored.” Harm offered her his elbow.
She slipped her hand into the crook of his arm and stepped through the door with him.
They had just crossed the threshold when a shot rang out. One of the cabin doors slammed open and Big Jake burst out running backward, wearing only his boxer shorts, cursing. He held his M4A1 rifle in his hand, pointed back into the cabin.
Pitbull, Diesel, Buck and T-Mac all ran out of their cabins in varying stages of undress, carrying their weapons.
“I heard a shot fired.” T-Mac hurried toward Big Jake, wearing just his jeans, no shirt or shoes.
“Me too.” Diesel joined him on the path, in shorts and nothing else.
“What’s going on?” Pitbull asked, tugging a T-shirt over his head, his jeans pulled up but not buttoned.
Marly emerged seconds later, zipping up her flight suit. “Who’s shooting?”
Harm leaped off the veranda and ran toward Big Jake. “What happened?”
Big Jake shook his head. “I’ve never seen one that big. It was curled up at the foot of my bed.”
“What was curled up at the foot of your bed?” Harm asked as he arrived at Big Jake’s side.
His teammate shook his head and pointed his rifle toward the door. “I was having this strange dream. Drums, painted dancers, incense... I was falling into a fire when I woke up, sat up and stared at a cobra coiled at the foot of my bed, his head up, hood spread and ready to launch himself at me. I did the only thing a good SEAL could do.”
“You blew it away, right?” T-Mac shuddered.
“Damn right I blew it away.” He shot a glance toward Talia. “I’m sorry if I also put a hole in the wall.”
“Holy hell, I hate snakes,” T-Mac said. “That would be one of my worst nightmares—forget the fire and dancers. Snakes are the devil.”
Talia pushed past him, headed into the cabin, then paused at the door. “You did hit it, didn’t you?”
“I’m pretty sure I did.” Big Jake shoved a hand through his hair. “It was all pretty much a blur.”
Harm caught her arm. “Let me go in first.”
“Here.” T-Mac handed him the pistol he’d brought from his cabin. “You’ll need this.”
Harm grinned. “Are you sure you don’t want to make sure the snake is dead?”
T-Mac crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. “No. I trust you to make it right.”
“I can take care of this,” Talia said. “We have the occasional snake enter the compound. Although not lately. The villagers see cobras on occasion. They like rats and chickens.”
“And the occasional baby?” Marly asked, a shiver shaking her body.
Talia grimaced. “They don’t usually eat the babies. But some children have been bitten on occasion.”
“Nice,” T-Mac said. “Nightmare, I’m telling you.” He turned to Diesel. “Why did we decide a safari in Kenya was a good idea?”
“You wanted to come as much as the rest of us,” Diesel reminded him. “At least you weren’t stuck in the jungle along the Congo for several nights, sleeping in snake-infested trees.”
“Enough talk about snakes.” T-Mac raised a hand. “Who’s for heading back to Djibouti and the friendly scorpions they have?”
“We’re not going back to Djibouti,” Harm said. “One snake is not a den of snakes.”
“How do you know?” T-Mac asked.
“Shut up, T-Mac.” Harm unlocked the safety on the handgun and stepped past Talia and through the door, switching on the light. “I’ll let you know if there are more when I come out.”
“If you come out alive,” T-Mac muttered behind him.
Cobra bites were deadly if left untreated. But there was treatment, Harm coached himself. Although he wasn’t horribly afraid of snakes like T-Mac, he had a healthy respect for them and the damage they could create with a single bite.
He edged his way into the sitting room, past an overturned end table and a twisted rug. Big Jake had been in a hurry to get out of the cabin. He couldn’t blame the man. He probably would have reacted the same way if he’d awakened to a snake in his bed, much less a deadly cobra.
He searched every nook and cranny in the sitting room before entering the bedroom. As soon as he did, he noticed the long, sleek body of a serpent draped across the bed, its tail hanging over the side. A dark spatter of blood spread across the white comforter and the mosquito netting draped from the ceiling. He rounded the foot of the bed to the other side to check the other end of the snake before he could let go of the breath he’d been holding.
“Dead?” Talia asked from the door.
Harm jumped. “You were supposed to wait outside.”
“You were taking a long time,” she responded. “I got worried.”
“I was making certain there wasn’t another snake in the building. They can hide in the strangest places.”
“You would know this because?” She arched her brows and crossed her arms over her chest.
“I grew up in a small town in Texas. We had our share of rat snakes, rattlers and copperheads. We’d find them in garages, barns and sheds. Sometimes they would make their way into the houses through an open door or window and curl up in the base of a flowerpot or shoebox.”
“Nice.” Talia studied the snake lying across the bed. “Looks like a spitting cobra. Big Jake’s lucky the snake didn’t spit in his eye—its spit can blind a person.”
“Don’t tell T-Mac. He’ll have one more reason to be afraid of snakes, as if being bitten isn’t enough.”
Talia chuckled. “It’s hard to imagine any of you SEALS afraid of anything.”
“As a kid, T-Mac was traumatized by a snake. I think his mother made him hold one once. He’s been terrified ever since.”
“But you must have been in places with snakes before.”
Harm continued his search of the room, dropping to his knees to check under the bed. He was careful, now that he was aware that cobras could spit. “Being a SEAL challenges every one of your fears, but thankfully, they don’t stick you in a pit filled with snakes. I don’t think the cadre liked snakes any more than anyone else, or they would have used them, too.”
The space beneath the bed was free of snakes and surprisingly clean of dust.
“Do you keep all the cabins this clean?” Harm asked.
Talia laughed. “I’m worried about snakes and you’re looking at how clean this place is?”
“I’ve been in hotels that don’t clean as well as this. I don’t see a single dust bunny, even in the corners.”
“My staff keeps the entire compound clean. We pride ourselves in making it a beautiful place to stay for all visitors, not including deadly cobras.” Talia opened the closet and checked inside.
Harm slipped up beside her, ready to shoot anything that moved. “Well, they’ll have their work cut out for them, cleaning up snake parts.”
“I’ll probably handle it myself. I’ve had a hard enough time convincing them to stay after the paintings on the cabin doors. I had to scrub them off myself.”
Harm could picture her cleaning the paint off the doors. “We’ll help you get this place cleaned up.”
“No way.” She shook her head. “You are guests of mine. I won’t have you doing the dirty work.”
“We’re kind of used to dirty work. It’s what we do.” He nodded toward the pillows. “If you don’t mind sacrificing a pillowcase to the cause, I’ll start by removing the offender from the premises.”
“By all means.” She shook a pillow out of its case and held it out for Harm.
He lifted the snake off the bed, dropped it into the case and then took it from her.
“Be careful you don’t let the fangs touch you,” she said. “They still contain poison.”
Holding the bag away from his body, Harm checked all the closets, drawers and corners and then straightened. “I can take care of the cobra, just tell me where you want me to put him.”
Talia shook her head and held out her hand. “I’ll take him and put him in the freezer.”
He kept his hold on the bag. “Please tell me you aren’t cooking up cobra for dinner.”
She laughed. “No, but I know they need antivenin. They might be able to milk a dead snake for its venom, which they use to make antivenin.”
“You’re a woman after my own heart.” Harm followed her out of the cabin, careful not to touch her with the snake in the pillowcase. “Beautiful and practical.” If he was in the market for a wife, she’d be an amazing catch. But then, he wasn’t in the market for a relationship. Especially with a woman who had so completely believed in love.
Harm believed in lust, the natural, chemical reaction between a man and a woman. But love?
No. Absolutely not.
Oh, sure. Once upon a time he thought he had, but one Dear John letter cured him of that fallacy very quickly.
But that didn’t keep him from wanting women. A man had urges, after all.
* * *
“IF YOU’LL FOLLOW ME...” Talia turned toward the lodge and then back to Big Jake. “And I have a room in the lodge for you, Big Jake.”
He nodded. “Good thing, because I wasn’t gonna sleep in there. No, ma’am.”
She laughed. “I can’t blame you. But no worries. We have a snake-free room upstairs with a comfortable bed.”
“The cabin is clear, if you want to grab your gear,” Harm said.
“Yeah.” Big Jake frowned. “If you’re sure.”
“I’m sure. I even looked in your gear bag. No more snakes.” He held up the bag. “And you killed the one on your bed. He’s not going to bother you again.”
“Damn straight.” Big Jake sucked in a breath and eyed the cabin, as if the structure might assume a life of its own.
“Come on,” Diesel said. “I’ll go with you.”
“I can do it myself,” Big Jake grumbled. “I just need a minute.”
Talia fought back a grin. Seeing a huge SEAL like Big Jake hesitant to enter a building was so unlike the man. She could imagine him charging in like a bull at a bullfight.
Diesel draped an arm over the shaken man’s shoulder. “Take all the time you need, dude. It’s not every day you wake up to a cobra in your bed.”
Big Jake grimaced. “And I hope it never happens again.”
“We’ve got your back,” T-Mac reassured him.
“Good,” Big Jake said. “Then why don’t you go in and get my gear?”
T-Mac backed away, shaking his head. “I said I’ve got your back, not your bag.”
“If it makes you feel better,” Talia said, “I’ve been in the rooms and didn’t see any more snakes.”
“I’m going. I’m going.” Big Jake sucked in a deep breath and followed Diesel into the cabin.
“Let’s get that snake on ice,” Talia said.
Harm followed her into the lodge and through to the kitchen. She flipped on light switches along the way. Once in the massive, updated kitchen, Talia opened the door to the walk-in freezer and held it wide for Harm to carry the bag with the snake inside.
A cool blast of air chilled her hands and cheeks as she waited for Harm to step inside.
“Where do you want me to put him?” Harm asked.
“Let me get a box.” Talia hurried to the pantry, found an empty box and returned to the walk-in freezer. “The far side has empty shelves. I’d like to keep him separated from the food we serve the guests.”
Harm chuckled. “We’d like that, too. I wouldn’t want your chef to confuse chicken and cobra.”
“I’ll warn them not to touch the bag in the box. I don’t want the staff hurt by brushing up against the snake’s fangs.” Her lips twisted into a frown. “Maybe I shouldn’t put the snake in this freezer.”
“If there is a shortage of antivenin, saving this snake could help. You’re doing the right thing,” Harm assured her as he set the bag in the box and the box on a shelf in the farthest corner of the freezer.
When they emerged from the freezer, the kitchen was filled with the rest of Harm’s team, plus Dr. Angela Vega and Marly.
Buck clapped his hands together. “Since we’re all awake, we thought we’d come raid the refrigerator.”
Talia smiled. “I can whip up a casserole in about forty minutes, or I had the chef prepare a ham earlier to make sandwiches for the safari tomorrow. I believe there’s enough meat for snacks tonight and sandwiches tomorrow. It’s up to you.”
“Ham sandwiches sound great,” Diesel said. “But we can help ourselves. You don’t have to stay up on our account.”
Talia smiled. “I wasn’t asleep, and a sandwich sounds good to me, too.” She pulled the container filled with ham slices out of the commercial refrigerator and set it on the counter. Then she laid out freshly baked bread, garden-grown lettuce and tomatoes, plates, utensils and condiments.
“We can take it from here,” Buck said. “Thank you.”
“While you are preparing sandwiches, I’ll check the room upstairs for you, Big Jake.” She turned to leave the kitchen, crossed the wide-open living area and mounted the stairs to the second floor.
Footsteps behind her made her turn back.
Harm climbed the steps a few feet behind her.
Talia stopped midway up the staircase. “Are you following me?”
He nodded. “With all the crazy things happening, I thought I’d check the room for uninvited guests.”
“I can do that myself,” she insisted. “I’ve lived here long enough to know what to look for.”
“Would you have looked for a cobra in your bed?” he asked.
Talia shivered and pressed her lips into a tight line. “Probably not. We’ve never had that happen here at All Things Wild.”
“Then humor me. Let me look first.”
“You’re not going to be around forever. I need to do these things on my own.”
“I get that, but it would make me feel better to help, since I’m here already.” He winked and waved her ahead. “Ladies first. At least to the bedroom door.”
She led the way to the guest room she had in mind for Big Jake. “Maybe I should have all of you move into the lodge if things are getting...how did you say?”
“Hinky. If you have another room in the lodge, I’d like to snag it as well.”
Talia paused in reaching for the door handle of a room. “Are you afraid of snakes, like T-Mac?”
Harm shook his head. “No, but I don’t like that these things are happening to the resort. Someone is playing games with you. They might make it more personal.”
In the back of her mind, Talia had thought the same thing, but she hadn’t let the possibility take root until Harm voiced it. “You think someone is targeting my resort and me?”
Harm took her hand in his. “I don’t know, but while we’re here, let us help. Let me help.”
“But you’re my guests.”
“In case you hadn’t noticed, we’re not your normal uppity clientele. We’ve slept in deserts, jungles and swamps. We’ve been shot at, had explosives go off nearby and nearly been killed so many times, you start to think you’re invincible, or just that your number is not quite up yet.”
“Yet,” she whispered. “You never know when that might happen.”
“Exactly. We could step on an improvised explosive device or be hit by a bus. We don’t borrow trouble. We wait for it to come to us. But that doesn’t mean we don’t take precautions.”
“Like?”
“We brought our own weapons. We’re prepared to take on anything and anyone.”
Talia smiled. “I’m kind of glad my guests left room for you and your team to stay.” She nodded. “Thank you for offering to help. While you’re here, I accept.” She held out her hand. He engulfed it in his own, sending sparks of electricity throughout her body.
As quickly as she took his hand, she pulled hers free, heat suffusing her cheeks. “I’ll just be a minute checking on this room and the one down the hall. Do you think T-Mac would like to stay in the lodge as well? Seeing as he’s so afraid of snakes? I don’t want him to be uncomfortable in one of the cabins. I can’t imagine how that cobra got into Big Jake’s room. These things never happened while Michael was alive.”
Harm touched a finger to her lips. “I’ll ask. In the meantime, let me check the rooms first.”
Talia’s lips tingled where his finger touched them. She fought to keep from puckering and leaving a kiss on that finger.
What was she thinking? It wasn’t as if he’d want her to kiss him. He wasn’t there to get involved, especially with a grieving widow. Harm was there to relax and enjoy his vacation.
Yet Talia couldn’t deny those female parts that had been dormant since her husband’s death had come alive when Harm had touched her. How, after only a year, could she be interested in another man? Knowing what it was like to lose the love of her life, she wasn’t ready, nor was she certain she could handle the potential heartache again.
She’d been blessed with true love with a kind, gentle man who saw the beauty of the earth and shared it through his photography. Talia wasn’t at all sure she could love anyone else. And Harm was completely different. He had harder edges and deeper scars. He wasn’t anything like Michael.
But those hard edges called to her, making her want to smooth them. When he touched her with his callused hands, she could imagine those hands skimming over her naked skin, bringing her body back to life when she thought it wasn’t possible.
Talia stepped back. “Thank you,” she said. Not sure whether she was thanking him for checking the room or for reminding her that she was still alive, a woman who had a body that required more than just food and sleep.
Harm faced her. “You’ll wait here?”
She nodded.
As soon as he turned his back and entered the room, she pressed her palms to her heated cheeks.
Get a grip, woman, she chastised herself. He’s off-limits. You’re not ready.
You loved Michael.
Her last thought brought her back to earth with a thud. She’d loved her husband. Past tense. Michael was gone. But he wasn’t forgotten.
Harm was back far too soon. “All clear.”
“Good.” Talia forced a smile and stepped through the doorway, past Harm and into the bedroom. After a cursory glance to make certain everything was clean and in order, she joined Harm in the hallway and led him to the room he’d sleep in. If it was the one closest to hers, she couldn’t let that bother her. It wasn’t as though she’d picked it intentionally. The room just happened to be available, with clean sheets and a fully equipped bathroom.
So why didn’t you put Big Jake in it?
Talia shrugged off the nagging thought and waited until Harm emerged with the all-clear announcement.
“This will be your room, if you don’t want to stay in the cabin.”
“I’ll grab my gear and move in tonight.” He looked around the hallway. “Where do you stay?”
Talia hesitated.
“It’s okay,” he said with a slight smile. “I’m not going to put the moves on you. I just want to know which way to run if I hear a scream in the night.”
“I’m not worried about that,” she said. “I sleep with a pistol under my pillow.”
Harm’s eyebrows rose. “And I bet you know how to use it.”
She nodded. “With deadly accuracy. My husband taught me how. I practice enough to be good at it. A lone female in the African bush is a natural target. Even when my husband was alive, I was alone quite often when he took groups on camera safaris.”
“I’m glad to hear it. I really am surprised that you haven’t moved back to the States by now.”
She glanced away. “I don’t have anyone back in the States. My parents died in a car crash shortly after I married Michael. It was part of the reason I didn’t mind moving to far-flung places. I didn’t have a home to fall back on. The world was our playground. I followed him around for the first few years of our marriage. Then we bought this place and built it up to what it is today. I couldn’t just walk away when he died.”
“I get it. I don’t have family back in the States. Just my brothers.”
“You don’t have family, but you have brothers?” Talia frowned. “I don’t understand.”
Harm’s chest swelled with the pride of belonging. “My teammates are my brothers. I’d do anything for them.”
“And they’d do anything for you,” Talia added.
“I know families with real brothers who aren’t as close,” Harm said. “I didn’t understand the brotherhood until I became a SEAL. When the going gets tough, I know they have my back, and I have theirs.”
In that moment, Talia envied Harm. When Michael was alive, she could rely on him to be there for her. But he’d died, leaving her without a support system. Yes, she had the staff of the resort, but they had their families, and lately, they were skittish and scared of coming to work.
“I’ll tell you what,” Harm said. “While I’m here, I’ll have your back. You need something, I’m your man.”
“Thanks,” Talia said. “Again, I don’t want to rely on anyone. You and your team are only here for a week. Then you’ll be gone. Besides, I’ve dealt with rumblings before.”
“What do you mean?”
“A while back, the local witch doctor stirred up my staff and the community. Ever since Michael died, Raila Gakuru has been campaigning against the All Things Wild resort, spreading rumors and innuendos. He started out whispering that the area would have very bad luck—bad juju—as long as the resort was run by a woman.”
Harm’s jaw tightened. “Nice guy.”
“For the past year, when bad things happened, Gakuru attributed it to me. I ignored the claims, hoping the rumors would die down. And, for the most part, they had. Until a few weeks ago, when the poachers showed up stealing baby animals for sale to foreign markets.” She smiled. “Thankfully, you and your team were here to thwart their efforts.”
“Seems we didn’t stop all of it.”
Talia crossed the hallway to a linen closet, extracted two bath towels and turned. “My gut tells me this is totally different from the poachers who were stealing animals. I think someone is trying to scare me off.”
“The witch doctor?”
“Maybe.”
“I could have a talk with him, if you like.”
She shook her head. “No. That only gives him more credibility. Ignoring him worked the first time. I’m leaning toward repeating that tactic, since it worked before.”
Harm shrugged. “Seems like it didn’t work well enough, if he’s back at it.”
Talia entered the bedroom and laid the towels on the end of the bed, then straightened. “Either way, it’s not your problem. It’s mine and I’ll handle it. You’re a guest.” She gave him a lopsided smile and moved past him, back out into the hallway. “Enjoy your stay.”
Harm threw a snappy salute. “Yes, ma’am.”
She grinned. “That’s more like it. Now, let me get back down to my kitchen and see if any of your friends want to move to the lodge.” She headed toward the stairs only to be brought up short by a hand on her arm.
“If someone is trying to scare you away, you could be in danger.”
“I have my gun,” she reminded him, her arm tingling where he held it.
“Are you a good enough shot to kill a cobra in your bed?”
She nodded. “I’m that good.” At least she hoped she was. But she wouldn’t let him know she wasn’t quite so sure.
Harm held her gaze for a long moment, his hand tight on her arm. “What if whoever is playing these games gets more personal?”
Talia lifted her chin, her entire body tingling now. Why couldn’t he let go of her and sever the electric current racing along her nerve endings? “What do you mean, more personal?” she asked, her voice breathy. She cleared her throat and continued. “I’d say attacking my clients is already pretty personal.”
“What if someone corners you?” He backed her against the wall. “Are you prepared to fight for your life? Do you know how to defend yourself?”
Her body hummed with the electricity burning through her nerves and veins. “I think I can,” she whispered, her gaze shifting to Harm’s lips. Holy hell, she had the sudden urge to kiss them. What was wrong with her?
Harm shook his head. “There is a difference between thinking and knowing.” He bent close. “I can show you some moves.”
She ran her tongue over her suddenly dry lips. “I’m sure you can...” Sweet heaven, she was sure he had some sexy moves. And now wasn’t the time to demonstrate. Not when she was steps away from the room she’d shared with her dead husband.
“I... I have to go now.” Talia pushed her arms between them and raised them sharply, knocking his hands from where they gripped her shoulders. Then she ducked beneath them and made a dash for the stairs.
A warm chuckle followed her down the staircase, making her insides hot and feeling like liquid. She’d do well to stay away from the handsome SEAL. Harm could rock her world. And she wasn’t ready for her world to be rocked. Though Talia suspected he was halfway there, and it scared the bejesus out of her.
