Blood Covenant (8 page)

FIFTEEN

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 9:47 P.M.
MT. MAJA, SENGANIE ROUTE. 7,800 FEET

Brandon stared up at the enormous sky hovering above him and breathed in a lungful of the crisp night air. The view of the snowcapped mountain they’d chased after today was incredible, but it was still hard to beat the cloudless, black African sky. After the orange glow of the sunset vanished beneath the horizon, the Milky Way had appeared and now hung like a huge band of lights surrounded by thousands of tiny jewels. It almost made him want to believe there really was a God who’d created all of this.

Jodi sat perched on the edge of the bolder beside him, sipping tea while the fire the porters had built after dinner crackled in front of them. For months before their wedding, they’d discussed cruises, Paris, and the Caribbean as options for their honeymoon, but they’d never been able to let go of the idea to trek across Africa. So they’d spent the past six weeks wandering through the magical cities of Morocco and the sand dunes of the Sahara by 4x4 before cruising the waterways of Senegal. And at this moment he couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. With anyone else.

He took a sip of his coffee. “How’s your headache?”

Her left brow arched at his question. “I never said I had a headache.”

“You didn’t have to.” He nudged her side with his elbow. She’d never been a good liar. “Taking a couple of pain pills twice in the past eight hours kind of gave it away.”

She dipped her chin, but held his gaze. “You’re far too observant.”

“There are serious issues with climbing, Jodi. You can’t mess around with altitude sickness — ”

“I know all the signs and symptoms and will be careful.” She leaned in against him. “All I need is a good night’s sleep and time to adjust to the altitude.”

He frowned, fearing her stubbornness would get in the way of common sense. Higher altitude meant lower oxygen in the air, and while there were medicines that helped prevent the symptoms, there were no guarantees. And in severe cases, illness could even cause death if the person didn’t descend quickly enough. “Tomorrow’s supposed to be rougher, with eight hours of climbing.”

“I’ll be ready.”

The fire popped, and Jodi jumped.

Brandon’s gaze jerked to the tree line surrounding them, looking for signs of movement, but he couldn’t see anything beyond the wind blowing the tree limbs. Neither could he erase Robert’s words of caution replaying in his mind.

While most of their group had already retired to their tents for the evening, several of the men were still up, their laughter mingling with the hushed voices of their guide and porters floating across the breeze from the other side of the camp.

“How serious do you think we should take the threat of an attack?”

“I think Robert’s right, and there’s nothing to worry about.”

Jodi took a sip of her tea. “Maybe, but the thought of rebels attacking the camp … Well, it gives me the creeps.”

Brandon wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer. “Think about it. We’re at almost eight thousand feet. They’d be crazy to trek all this way just for what we have in our packs.”

“On the other hand, it might be worth it.” Jodi nodded toward Ashley’s tent, which housed every modern electronic invention known to trekkers. “That girl’s got a bigger selection than Sportsman’s Warehouse.”

Brandon chuckled, then kissed the top of her nose. “Forget about Ashley James and the rebels for now. This trip is supposed to be about us and this endless night sky above us.”

“It is beautiful.” Jodi snuggled up against him and leaned her head into his shoulder.

Something snapped behind them. Brandon froze. This time it wasn’t the fire. He stood slowly, blocking Jodi with his body.

She tugged on the edge of his jacket. “What is it?”

“I don’t know.”

Their guide, Mosi, appeared beside them. “Please, go to your tents.”

“Did you see something?”

“It’s probably nothing, but I don’t want to take any chances.”

“Jodi, go to the tent. I’ll stay here in case I’m needed.”

She grabbed his arm. “I’m not leaving you here — ”

“Please.”

She hesitated, then slipped into the misty darkness toward their tent. A light flashed fifty yards away. Brandon fumbled in his pockets for something to defend himself with if it came to that and found a flashlight, a Swiss army knife, and an energy bar. Nothing that would save him against an armed rebel.

Something crashed through the dark shadows of the surrounding forest.

Instinctively, Brandon jumped up as five men entered the clearing holding guns.

“Everyone on the ground, now!”

Brandon felt the punch to his gut before he had time to respond. Unable to breathe, he dropped to the ground. He bit back the pain and glanced toward their darkened tent. Jodi was in there, waiting for him to do something … anything.

Robert jumped from his tent, flashlight in hand, then stopped short. The air rushed from Brandon’s lungs. One of the rebels had Ashley. Robert swung at her attacker.

A gun went off and Robert dropped to the ground. Ashley screamed. A shot fired from the other side of the camp, then another. If they hurt Jodi …

Brandon started to stand, but the butt of a rifle cracked against his head. The threatening figure hovered above him in the dark. Brandon dropped back to the ground, clenching his fists together until his nails bit into his palm. Robert lay motionless in front of his tent. He should have stayed with Jodi.

One by one, tent zippers ripped open. All Jodi needed to do was give them what they wanted and she’d be okay. Once they had what they’d come for they’d leave them alone. They’d be all right. They had to be.

With the cold ground next to his face, he listened to the sounds of men shouting orders and tried to come up with a plan of attack against half a dozen armed men. His only defense was brute force and the anger they’d triggered, but the odds of him taking out armed rebels were still impossible. Instead, he crouched motionless on the ground and waited for an opportunity to move.

Two minutes later it was over as they left as silently as they’d come.

“You okay?” One of the other hikers crept up beside him.

“Robert was hit.”

Brandon shined his flashlight toward Ashley’s tent and quickly bridged the short distance between him and the older man. He’d insisted on a guide who was prepared to deal with medical issues, but no one had expected this.

He dropped down beside Robert. “Where was he hit, Ashley?”

Ashley sat on the ground, rocking back and forth, her eyes wide with terror.

“Ashley?” Brandon felt for a pulse in Robert’s neck.

Ashley gripped his wrist. “It’s too late. He’s dead.”

Mosi stood over them. “What’s happened?”

“He’s dead.”

“One of my porters is dead as well.”

Brandon looked up. Light from the fire caught the alarm on Mosi’s face. By now the four Canadians who made up the rest of their group had gathered at the center of the camp. Someone whimpered in the background. No one, it seemed, knew what to say to the young woman who’d just witnessed the murder of her father.

Mosi turned to address them. “I’m sending a runner down the mountain to the base camp for help, but it’s going to take time. In the meantime, I need everyone to try and stay calm. There is no reason for them to return.”

Brandon shone his flashlight into the crowd. Where was Jodi? “I’ve got to find my wife.” He crossed the cold ground and flipped back the door of his tent.

“Jodi, we’ve got to …” He paused in the doorway and shined the light inside the tent. It was empty. “Jodi?”

A cold rain had started, sending drops of water down the back of his neck. He ran to the makeshift bathroom. Nothing. Spinning around, he swung his flashlight back toward the group. The white beam caught the figure of Ashley’s dad. Blood stained the ground and Ashley’s hands, but there was no sign of Jodi.

A wave of panic surged through him. He’d heard what the rebels had done in other parts of the country, and he’d somehow fooled himself into thinking that as tourists they were immune. But these people had burned down villages, killed people, and raped their women.

His lungs constricted.

“Brandon?”

Brandon looked up at their guide. “Jodi’s gone.”

SIXTEEN

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 10:12 P.M.
MT. MAJA, SENGANI ROUTE, 7,800 FEET

Brandon smacked his flashlight against his hand, then tilted the waning beam into the thick brush. Six of them had spread out in opposite directions, but so far there was no sign of Jodi. She’d simply vanished. Trudging through the underbrush, he weighed his limited options as the panic mounted. If they didn’t find her soon, he’d have to head down the mountain toward the base camp. But even that route would more than likely be another dead end. If the rebels had kidnapped her, wouldn’t they take her to their nearest hideout rather than to the mountain’s base camp where they’d started their climb?

Stepping over a fallen log, he tried to comprehend the mind of the rebels. What sort of motivation drove a person to burn down villages and murder their own people? Greed? Revenge? Desperation? Whatever the reason, it didn’t matter now. He should have listened to the voice of common sense and insisted on cruising the Mediterranean for their honeymoon. Living life on the edge — if it cost him Jodi — wasn’t worth it.

He stumbled over a fallen log and tried to recount how many shots he’d heard. One had killed Robert. A second, one of the porters. He’d heard three shots, maybe four. His jaw clinched, grinding his teeth together. There was no way to know. No way to know for sure if Jodi had been one of their victims.

But that didn’t stop his mind from playing out the apparent scenario. Rebels had entered the tent, shot her, and she’d tried to escape. She wouldn’t have been able to find the trail in the dark, so she’d simply run …

A rodent skittered across the white beam of his flashlight. No. His mind refused to accept that possibility. People died from altitude sickness and heart attacks on this mountain. No one was supposed to die from a gunshot wound.

Something rustled in the bush behind him. His nerves tensed. Slowly, he turned toward the noise, trying to differentiate between the night sounds of monkeys and insects as well as the dark shadows swaying in the moonlight.

He took a step forward, then froze. A branch snapped. “Jodi?”

Holding his breath, he moved in a slow circle. The beam of the flashlight cut through the darkness. Something — someone — was out there, waiting, watching —

A bushbuck scampered into the brush. Brandon let out the lungful of air he’d been holding and cursed. She had to be here somewhere, but nothing but the rustling sounds of the disappearing animal answered him.

He stomped through another ten feet of heavy bush and mud, straining to see what the darkness held. His mind worked to focus. If she’d tried to run from the rebels, she could have ended up off the path with a sprained ankle. Besides the rebels, there were plenty of dangers lurking in the surrounding dense forest. Snake and even leopard sightings weren’t uncommon on the lower altitudes of the mountain.

“Jodi?”

His shoulder scraped against the rough bark of a tree. The darkness of the forest closed around him. He couldn’t see more than half a dozen feet ahead of him, and she could be anywhere. Continuing would only end up with him lost … and do nothing to find Jodi. But if Jodi had taught him anything, it was persistence. He’d never met a woman with so much perseverance. It had carried her through eight months of painful physical therapy, and it would get her through whatever she was facing at this moment.

He turned back toward the camp, doing his best to retrace his steps in case he’d missed a clue that she’d been here.

The only explanation that made sense was that someone from among the rebels had seen Ashley and decided her stash of electronics was worth the climb. But if they’d wanted a hostage as well, why risk taking Jodi when there were dozens of hikers at the base camp who were far more accessible than those eight thousand feet up the surface of the mountain?

Entering the camp, he made his way back to his tent and began shoving items into his pack. Someone had dumped Jodi’s things across her sleeping bag. He grabbed for the headlight and flicked on the strong beam. If they’d forced her to leave the tent, she wouldn’t have had time to grab her things, but her cell phone and camera were gone. Which helped substantiate what he already believed to be true: the rebels had been here. But what had they done with Jodi?

Brandon grabbed his backpack and stood, scraping the top of the tent with his head as he exited.

Mosi approached him from the other side of the camp. “Anything?”

Brandon shook his head. “Her cell phone and camera are gone, as are mine, but there is no sign of where she might have gone. What about you and your men?”

“We can’t communicate without radios, but three have just checked in having found nothing. We’ll keep looking until we find her.”

Brandon slung the backpack onto his shoulder and headed past the flickering fire toward the main trail that led toward the base camp. “I’m heading down the mountain. If they did take her and I hurry, I might be able to catch up with them.”

“And then what?” Mosi moved to block his way. “No. You cannot leave.”

“I can and I will.”

“You do not understand the risks.”

Mosi grasped his shoulder, but Brandon pulled away from the older man’s grasp. “What I do understand is that my wife is missing and I have to find her.”

“How? By running down the mountain in the dark? You will never find her that way.”

“I will if you send one of the porters with me. They know the way better than anyone, which means we can catch up with them.”

“We don’t even know if that is where they have taken her. And then what do you do if you find them? You have no weapons. Nothing to fight against them. It is better to simply wait here until help arrives.”

Brandon shook his head. Waiting here was not an option. “If I go, I’ll be able to alert the authorities at the base camp.”

Mosi didn’t look convinced. “This is not the United States. Resources are scarce in my country, especially now. How much time do you think our army can spend searching for one missing woman when they’re not even able to control the armed rebels murdering their own people?”

Brandon dropped his arms to his sides. “So you want me to just give up.”

“Of course not. I am only suggesting that we wait until the porter I am sending down the mountain returns with help. Besides, finding her in the dark will be almost impossible.”

Brandon didn’t agree. Jodi could be out there bleeding to death for all they knew. And in a situation like that, every minute counted. If she was out there, he was going to find her. “I’m not willing to sit here and just wait. And the fact that no one has found her, means that more than likely they’ve taken her — ”

“We have no way of knowing that they took her.”

“Then where is she?” Brandon’s booming voice split the quiet night air.

Mosi dropped his gaze. “I do not know where she is, but I still believe it is best to remain here.”

“No.” Brandon brushed past Mosi before stopping and turning back to face him. “I might not have any idea where she is, but I do intend to find her. And I’ll never find her standing here arguing with you.”

Ashley ran up beside him as he started for the trail, her fancy backpack bouncing on her back. “You’re going down to the base camp.”

Brandon grimaced. He didn’t have time to deal with her. “News travels fast, but I don’t have time to babysit.”

“You don’t understand.” Panic laced Ashley’s voice. “I can’t stay on this mountain another second.”

Her eyes still swollen from crying, Ashley looked anything but the stuck-up actress who’d joined them twenty-four hours ago. He felt sorry for how she’d lost her father in such a brutal way, but even her desolate expression did little to erase his irritation. The bottom line was that she’d slow him down, which wasn’t a risk he was willing to take. Wherever Jodi was, she was in trouble and the more time that passed, the more difficult it was going to be to locate her.

“Please?”

“I said no.”

“They murdered my father — ”

“They took my wife.” He stopped and caught her gaze. Her eyes pleaded with him to reconsider, but being saddled with someone who would just slow him down wasn’t an option. “Listen, I understand what you’re going through, but I can’t be responsible for your well-being.”

“Please — ”

Something crashed through the brush on the far side of the camp. Brandon swung around, ready to attack if need be. If the rebels had returned …

One of the porters emerged from the trees, his dark face lit up by the yellow flicker of the dying fire. “We found her.”