Forrest, Dawn - Sweet Water Wedding: Sharing Shannon (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

DAWN FORREST

Copyright © 2011

Prologue

Shannon rifled through the packet of Jelly Babies, seeking out her favorite purple one. Before she popped it into her mouth and savored the fruity flavor, she made a final voice recorded note for her report. Her work contract was for a large environmental consultancy. They had been commissioned by the Ugandan Government to investigate the potential impacts of more oil exploration in and around the Lake Albert area. She sucked on the little sweet and sighed, admiring the beautiful vista across the lake and appreciating the stunning African natural landscape. One of the perks of her job was that she traveled to remote and interesting places. The past three weeks had been hectic but yielded some very interesting information. There were a lot of complicated and interrelated issues to consider and she was looking forward to flying back home to Ireland tomorrow, finishing the report and maybe taking a well earned break from work.

Shannon felt the exact moment when Alex tensed. She stilled and tracked the Ugandan Guide’s gaze as he stared intently at a rocky outcrop on the edge of the lake about four hundred and fifty yards away.

“Rebels or poachers,” he whispered urgently. “Get into the Jeep!”

She hesitated for only a fraction of a second while her brain engaged her legs. She spun on her heel and sprinted to the vehicle, yanked open the door, and threw herself inside. For the first time in her life she heard the sound of bullets hitting hard baked soil. A cry of pain caused Shannon to turn and see Alex writhing on the ground, struggling to bring his rifle to bear on men moving along the waterline toward them.

“Crap!” she exclaimed as she scrambled to the other side of the Jeep. She fell out of the driver’s door, crawled to the rear of the vehicle and carefully peaked out past the tailgate to assess the situation. Alex was down with what looked like a hit to the lower leg, but he was still conscious and now returning fire at the three men cautiously approaching.

A rush of adrenaline surged through her body and she shouted, “I’m going to drag you backwards, for goodness’ sake keep firing.”

She ducked out from the cover and relative safety of the vehicle, praying to God, Mother Nature, and The Wizard of Oz that no more bullets would find their target. Grabbing the sturdy, thick cotton collar of the guide’s shirt, she heaved and slowly dragged him backwards. He was heavy but able to assist her with his good leg. Once they were behind the Jeep and unable to return fire, the rebels, or whoever they were, gained ground, closing the distance between them.

“Get in, get in,” she cried as she helped Alex to haul his body into the Jeep.

He gave a strangled cry of pain when she none too gently pushed his legs out of the way and crashed down into the driver’s seat. She couldn’t waste the time trying to be careful because the men were now only two hundred yards away. The ping of metal impacting on metal had Shannon gasping for breath and shaking as she slammed her foot on the gear pad, yanked the stick into first, and hit the accelerator. The wheels skidded and the Jeep took off rapidly, fishtailing with a cloud of grit spraying behind. In quick succession she went through the gears and was able to pick up speed even as the Jeep bounced over the deeply rutted track. She grunted, and Alex hissed with each jarring movement.

Soon she could no longer see the men in her rearview mirror nor hear gunfire, but decided that she couldn’t risk stopping just yet.

“Alex?” she shouted, not daring to take her eyes off the potholed track as they sped along. He was slumped forward, wheezing gulps of air. “Can you hang on for just a few minutes?” She wanted to put as much distance as possible between them and the shooters.

“Yes, but I am feeling dizzy, and the pain, it is very great.” He barely managed to reply in agony.

“Hang in there. Just don’t go to sleep, and I’ll stop in a minute.” She tried to keep the panic that she was feeling out of her voice, knowing that they needed to quickly stem the flow of blood from his leg before he went into shock.

She drove a little further and then stopped the Jeep. From the first aid kit in the glove box she tied a tourniquet above the wound and pressed a thick pad of gauze on it.

“There, hold that down tightly. It’s the best I can do just now, the camp isn’t far away.”

“Yes, Miss Shannon, it is better to get to the base quickly. Perhaps you could radio ahead?”

“Of course, sorry I didn’t think of it.”

She mentally scolded herself to calm down and think logically. She quickly explained the situation to the radio operator at the base camp of the government-private joint venture oil company assisting her. As fast as the road conditions would allow she drove to the other side of the lake where the base was located.

She nearly wept with relief as she pulled into the camp and saw the group of people, including a medic, waiting to take Alex.

“Are you okay, Miss O’Reilly?” asked a heavily built man with a startlingly ruddy complexion and thick South African accent.

Shannon looked at the man whom she recognized as Mr. Van Zyle, the head of camp security.

“Yes, I’m fine, luckily,” she replied shakily.
But I’ve bloody well had enough of this nonsense.

She quickly told him details of the incident.

“Were they carrying backpacks or any other equipment?”

“One had a pack on. I only saw guns, AK-47s I think.” Even Shannon who knew next to nothing about firearms could recognize the weapon of choice in Africa. “But they had been hiding behind rocks, so I don’t know what was stashed there.”

“Okay, we’d better get the army in. If they are rebels they may have mined the road by now, expecting us to come chasing after them. Are you sure that you’re okay?”

“Yes, Alex spotted them first and warned me.”

“Good, he was doing his job,” he said bluntly.

Shannon knew that the guides didn’t get paid much and that Alex would not be able to work for a while. He’d been very helpful to her on this visit and she really liked the man. Although she didn’t have a lot of money, he’d definitely be getting the biggest tip that she could afford.

Van Zyle headed to the radio shack just as her cell phone rang. She saw that it was from her best friend Rachael Harrison, and gave a yelp of delight and relief. A familiar voice was just what she needed right now.

“You know you pick your moments. I’m so very,
very
glad to hear from you.” Her voice almost cracked and she realized that she was more affected by the incident than she had thought.

“Shannon, I’ve got something to tell you that will shock your socks off. Where are you? Are you sitting down?” Rachael’s excitement was evident by the flurry of her words and the tone of voice that Shannon loved and knew so well.

“Well, I’m in the middle of Africa, Uganda to be precise. About half an hour ago I was shot at. My guide was hit but is okay. I need a stiff drink and I wish you were here, or rather, I wish,
really
wish that I were there. Top that if you can.” She took a long draft from her water bottle and sat down on an old wooden bench under a tree.

Rachael was quiet for a moment. “Wow. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just a little shaken. What’s your news?”

Rachael exhaled loudly. “I’m in love and getting married to a Texan in eight weeks time and I want you to be the chief bridesmaid.”

Shannon nearly fell off the bench as she reeled back in shock and was momentarily lost for words.

“Bloody hell...you win.”