Deadly Desire

Where was Mac?

Jane held her hands at shoulder level. The warrior continued watching her, spear in hand. She noticed he had an old AK-47 rifle slung over his shoulder.

“I’m a doctor,” she said in Spanish. “I’m here to help the Yura.”

He took a step closer and raised his spear. Jane didn’t flinch or back up. She figured her rudimentary knowledge of martial arts would buy her some time if she needed it.

“The Yura aren’t around here, they are closer to the Madre de Dios River,” he replied in Spanish, gesturing to the south.

“My plane had engine trouble,” she said.

The man just looked at her. There was nothing threatening in his gaze. Jane had the feeling that he’d come out to make sure there was no threat.

“Can you point me in the right direction?” Jane asked. She wanted to find Mac. But getting her gear and heading toward the Yura was her first priority.

“Why are you going to them?” he asked.

Not wanting to alarm the warrior, she sidestepped the question. “Have you had any dealings with them recently?”

“No. More trouble than it is worth to trade with the Yura lately.”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

Three more men emerged from the forest. All were armed like the man holding her at spear-point. And all wore identical face paint. She wondered if any of them were infected from contact with the Yura.

“Where is your guide?” he asked. “Too dangerous for a woman alone in the jungle.”

“I have a guide waiting in Puerto Maldonado. And another doctor parachuted out with me. Have you seen him?”

“My men are looking. Are you crazy?” he asked.

She couldn’t help but smile. She’d been asked that question before. Mostly it stemmed from the fact that she always had to do things by herself. “No. Just in a hurry.”

“You can travel with us as far as our village. From there it is a day’s journey to the Yura.”

“I’m Jane,” she said.

“Reynaldo,” he said. “Saturnino and his son, Daniel. That’s my son, Aldo.”

Jane nodded to the men. What had Reynaldo meant by trouble with the Yura?

He conversed with his men. Jane wished she understood the native dialogue. And she had more questions for them. Finally, Reynaldo came over to her.

“We’ll travel in a line. Aldo will lead then you follow. We’ll be behind you.”

“I must find my friend and my gear,” Jane said.

Aldo said something to his father in a language she didn’t understand. She heard a few Spanish words mixed in, but couldn’t follow their conversation. She pulled her Blackberry phone from her belt and checked her location via the GPS function. She wasn’t that far from the Yura. She should be able to reach them in a day, maybe two if the terrain was rough, just as Reynaldo said.

But she had to find Mac first. She couldn’t leave him alone in the jungle.

“Aldo saw your gear and a man, as well. We will take you to them now.”

“Thanks, Reynaldo.”

Aldo moved off at a fast trot and Jane followed behind him. She wasn’t used to running like this and after a few minutes she was breathing heavily. The scent of fresh flowers mixed with wet soil filled the air. Monkeys chattered overhead.

Jane slipped on a patch of wet earth. Throwing her arm out to brace herself against a peach palm and stop the fall, she felt Reynaldo grab her arm and jerk her off balance before she could make contact with the tree trunk. She gasped when she noticed the needlelike spines on the trunk. She had forgotten such dangers.

“The spiny plants are dangerous. Just fall next time.”

She nodded. Aldo hadn’t stopped and the other men just looked at her. She felt incompetent and didn’t like the feeling. She shook her head to clear it, pushed her glasses up farther on her nose and moved to catch up to Aldo.

Jane kept moving at a steady pace following the men through the jungle. It was hot and humid on the jungle floor. Rotting leaves and other vegetation provided a cushioning layer. She let the lush greenery soothe her mind as she moved. She flashed back to her childhood, remembering one time when the village they’d been living in had moved. Jane had been a child then and she’d traveled with the other children, singing a song whose words escaped her now. But the rhythm beat through her mind and body as she jogged along behind Aldo.

* * *

After fifteen minutes they stopped under a large canopy. Aldo pointed up and Jane saw her gear suspended from the trees. Jane looked at the base of the tree, which was the size of a compact car, and wondered how the hell she was going to get up there to retrieve her stuff.

But Daniel was up the tree before Jane could say anything. He pulled a knife from his waistband and cut the cords. The packs dropped and Jane hurried forward, afraid the fall might have damaged the vials.

Jane moved toward the packs, but Reynaldo stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Someone’s coming.”

“It might be—”

Reynaldo covered her mouth and the men all drew their weapons. Jane found herself in the middle of a protective circle. She thought about trying to explain that she could take care of herself, but it was such an odd feeling, having someone try to protect her, that she was bemused.

Mac burst through the underbrush. Mac had survived, but then she’d figured he would. He had the look of someone who had survived a lot of things. But she was still relieved to see his familiar face.

Mac put his hands up, showing that he was clearly not armed.

“Jane, tell them I’m with you.” The command in his voice rubbed her the wrong way. Given the tension in the air she understood his impatience but she didn’t like it.

“He’s with me,” she said to Reynaldo. But the men didn’t lower their weapons.

Reynaldo said something to Mac in the same language Aldo had used earlier. Jane listened in shock as Mac responded. What was going on? Was Mac known to them? Why weren’t they lowering their weapons?

The conversation continued for a few minutes and then Reynaldo and his men lowered their weapons. “You can check on your stuff now.”

Jane moved forward. Mac joined her at the packs. She opened hers first and saw that the Styrofoam was cracked around one of the vial containers. Digging deeper in her bag she removed some medical adhesive tape to repair it.

“What was that about?” Jane asked in English.

“I’ve spent a lot of time in this area. They wanted to make sure I wasn’t from one of their rival tribes.”

“Why are you in South America, Mac?” she asked, suddenly wishing she’d asked a few more questions before leaving Lima with this man. He wasn’t Peruvian, but here in the jungle he looked as if he was in his natural environment.

“You invited me,” he said, his voice low and quiet.

She was well aware that he hadn’t answered her question. She couldn’t help but think there was more to this man than he’d revealed. There was so much ambiguity around this virus and the people who were denying its existence. Had Mac been sent to keep her from reaching the Yura?

Actually, she knew why she wanted to find out his secrets. Then maybe she could answer some of her own questions. She wasn’t burned out by her job, but she did fear misdiagnosing something, or getting a treatment wrong as she’d heard Mac had. Going to an outbreak hot zone and killing everyone instead of curing them. That fear always lingered at the back of her mind. And with this trip it was in the forefront. What if something she did in the lab translated not to a treatment, but instead to death?

“And you always go where you’re invited?”

“Always,” he said, in a way that made her realize he wasn’t as cocksure as he seemed. The man was a mystery to her. By rights he should have left the world of virology and locked himself up in a lab. But instead he was here still fighting to save people despite the devastating setbacks he’d encountered. How had he gone on?

She shook her head. “Reynaldo mentioned that the Yura were in trouble. I want to find out what he meant. Would you ask him?”

“I doubt your friend will tell me anything. He doesn’t trust me.”

“Why not?”

“Let’s just say I’m friends with some of his enemies.”

The way he said it sent shivers down the back of her spine. She realized she should have conducted a more in-depth interview of this man, looked closer at his past. “I need more answers.”

“That’s all you’re getting right now. You’ll have to trust me.”

“Trust has to be earned.”

He leaned in close, speaking in a very low tone. “Do you want me to leave you here alone with these men? Or do you want to get to your father?”

She sensed he was manipulating her. Deliberately using her father’s peril to keep her from asking any more questions.

“I’m focused on what needs to be done.”

She jerked away only to trip on the buttressed roots of a strangler fig. The trees were called killer trees by the natives because they completely covered the other trees in the forest and eventually strangled them. But they also provided much-needed fruit for year-round consumption by the animals.

Mac reached down and pulled her to her feet. She noticed again how strong he was. She just hoped she had someone at her side who she could count on personally as well as physically.

Jane wasn’t used to counting on anyone, let alone a guy with a tough reputation. And Mac was hiding something from her.

Did Reynaldo know something that Mac didn’t want her to know?

Jane didn’t know who to trust. There were more dangers in the jungle than the disease infecting the Yura. Diseases she could handle. Liars just pissed her off.

The rains had held off for a while, but now they fell in a steady pattern. The water was unexpectedly cold, making her shiver with each drop that hit her skin. When she felt a chill moving up her spine she knew she needed to put on something else. She’d packed a vinyl rain jacket for just this kind of situation. She stopped. Aldo continued moving and Saturnino and Daniel jogged past her as did Mac. But Reynaldo stopped.

“What’s wrong?”

“I need my jacket.”

He nodded. Jane pulled out the vinyl shell and pulled it on over her clothing.

“How much farther to your village?” she asked.

“Not long now. You and your companion should consider staying the night with us.”

Nothing sounded better to Jane. Especially when they arrived at the village fifteen minutes later. The cluster of huts was nestled in a small clearing, surrounded by tall trees. A well stood in the center, along with a fire where women were cooking. The dry huts were tempting. But her mission was urgent, and they had no time for rest.

Mac disappeared as soon as they got into the village. Jane was shown to a dry, clean hut. She didn’t bother changing her clothing because she knew being wet was part of being in the Amazon.

She got out her Blackberry and called the airport. They hadn’t heard from Bob.

She used her Blackberry to check her e-mail and was stunned to read a message from Meredith to the staff saying that she, Jane, was on a sabbatical and that her current projects were being reassigned. So she was really on her own.

Meredith hadn’t mentioned moving Jane’s workload around. Jane started to respond to the e-mail but decided it wasn’t worth the effort.

She did send an e-mail to Tom and Angie, telling them that things weren’t going too smoothly and that they’d been forced to jump early. She gave them her coordinates and asked Angie to check to see if Bob had survived the crash.

She found a table in the corner and removed everything from her bag. She found her grandfather’s knife and attached the holster to her ankle. She also took out her insect repellent and doused herself and her bag with it. Then she repacked everything and knew it was time to get on the road.

She searched out Reynaldo and found him speaking to some men. He looked up at her, his gaze concerned.

“Would you send some men to the crash site?” she asked.

He paused before he answered. Her heart sank.

“These men have checked it out.”

“Did they find the pilot?”

He shook his head. “There were no survivors.”

Jane swallowed hard and wrapped her arms around her stomach, struggling not to cry. She closed her eyes, remembering how Bob had always seemed so wild and funny to her. He’d amazed her with his wild tales.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and spun around. Mac.

Reynaldo and his men drifted away, probably to give them privacy.

“Where have you been?” she asked.

“Getting some information from the villagers about who’s warring with who. We don’t want to get caught in the cross fire of a tribal war.”

“That was a good idea.”

“I heard Bob didn’t make it. You okay?”

“Yes,” she said. But she wasn’t. She wished she was still safe in her lab, where she was in control. She turned away from him.

His voice made her pause and collect herself. “Do you know where the Yura are? Reynaldo thinks we’ve got a good day’s hike or more in front of us.”

“I know. I programmed the coordinates into my GPS before we left Lima,” she said. Focusing on business helped her shock at Bob’s death. In his note, her father had left some coordinates for the tribe.

She thought about her dad and how much had changed since he’d left civilization. Not just in the way of available products, such as satellite phones in the private sector, but also in her. She was older now. More experienced with the CDC.

She wondered what had gone so wrong with her father.

Mac put his hand on her shoulder. She glanced back at him. “My watch has a GPS. I’ll program the coordinates in there so we have a backup.”

Jane gave him the coordinates. His watch looked as though it had been invented for NASA. He programmed it and then glanced up.

“I have some light sticks we can use once darkness falls. But I’m planning to keep moving if we can,” she blurted out.

“That makes sense,” Mac said.

“I’ve been thinking about hiring Aldo to come with us,” she said.

“I’ve got enough jungle experience to get us to the Yura.”

That was all well and good, but there was something about Mac that made her uneasy. He was hiding something and she didn’t really want to find out on her own in the jungle that her faith in him was misplaced. “I’m going to check in with Reynaldo, but I want to leave in five minutes.”

“Sure thing, boss lady.”

Jane walked away, ignoring his smart comment. He liked to needle her, and she didn’t know why. She spotted Reynaldo and he waved her over to him.

“Do you need anything for your journey?” he asked.

“We do need food. And some information.”

“I gave food to your man. What do you want to know?”

“Could you tell me more about the trouble with the Yura?”

Reynaldo glanced across the clearing at Mac and then drew her farther away from him. “Six months ago something weird started happening with them.”

“Weird how?”

“They stopped trading with us and refused anyone who journeyed to their village.”

“What do you mean by refused?”

“They wouldn’t allow anyone to come into the village. No food stores could be replenished. A white man…gave them orders.”

“Did you see him?” Jane asked. Was it her father? Or someone else? Maybe Mac?

“No. But Aldo did.”

“Was the man Mac?” she asked.

He shook his head. Jane started to ask another question but saw that Mac was moving toward them. “Thank you. Would Aldo be available to act as a guide?”

Reynaldo shook his head. “No. We are getting ready to start the Spring rite and Aldo is needed here. If you wait two weeks I can give you a group of men and a guide.”

She didn’t even have two days and well she knew it. “Thanks, but I can’t wait.”

Reynaldo nodded. He closed his eyes and put his hand over her forehead and muttered some words. Jane didn’t know what he was saying, but sensed he had blessed her.

From his neck he took a necklace made of shells and bamboo and handed it to her. “Be careful. The way is not always straight or clear but don’t doubt the path.”

Jane nodded. “Thank you.”

Mac joined them with his gear on, clearly ready to go. They said their goodbyes to Reynaldo and went back to get Jane’s pack.

“So what’s the plan?” he asked. “Just us, or did you find someone else to come along?”

“Just us. I’m not sure how far we can get tonight but I think I might go crazy if we stay here.”

“Yeah, I kind of had that feeling. Why is this so important to you?” he asked.

“Saving lives is always—”

“Don’t give me that. This feels personal.”

“It is. My dad’s involved.” She hoped he’d leave it at that because she wasn’t sure she even understood the deeper reasons why she was doing this. But she knew they involved being the one to right the past.

He moved closer to her, something she realized he did when he wanted to needle her.

“I think there’s more to it than that.”

“Well, save your brainpower. I just like to do my job well.” He was more perceptive than she wanted him to be.

“Whatever you say. You want to take the lead?”

She nodded and lifted her backpack up, sliding the straps onto her shoulders. She groaned under the weight of it. Damn, it was heavy. She wished she’d done a little more than just weight training at the gym. She was going to have the mother of all backaches before this was done. But it would be worth it if she could save her father and prevent more people from dying.

The scent of fruit and rotting vegetation hung heavy in the air. They were far removed from the real world. She closed her eyes and saw her father’s face. The pressure and the time clock beat loudly in her head once again.

“Tell me about this disease,” Mac said as they moved out.

“The symptoms are similar to Lassa fever as far as I can tell. As I said in Lima, I didn’t have time to do any tests on people.”

“Do you think it’ll spread to the brain?” he asked. Now he was acting like the other virologists she knew. She could almost hear his mind working as he processed what she’d told him and what he knew of viruses from the past.

“From what research I did…yes.”

“Is your father infected?”

She swallowed. “Yes.”

“How advanced is he?” he asked. There was no concern in his voice. He was just gathering information.

“I don’t know.” And somehow that made it worse. If she knew he was in the advanced stages, she could be better prepared. “He sent me two different packages. The second one contained his infected blood sample.”

“Did he include notes?”

“Yes.”

“Was his handwriting shaky?” Mac asked.

“No. It was the same bold strokes he always used.” She was tired of talking about this. It wasn’t helping. Somehow being here in the jungle made the threat all the more real. Right now she felt out of control. Only the glances she kept taking at the monitor on her GPS unit made her feel more in charge.

Less a victim of this Yura disease that might spread throughout the entire Amazon basin region. A disease that the government and Raul Veracruz both denied existed. She didn’t understand that. Raul had always been a top-notch virologist. She couldn’t believe he’d have missed something this lethal.

“When we stop tonight I’m going to have my assistant send me some further information on Lassa. Did you definitely rule that out?” Mac asked after several minutes.

“Yes. Why are you questioning me?” she asked. Did he doubt her research?

“I don’t want to give an untried treatment to people,” he said at last.

“Why not? The disease is fatal. A treatment gives them a good chance to stay healthy.” She’d bet that his doubt had something to do with his Southeast Asia experience. She wanted to know more about it. Had he put glory in front of human lives?

“Experience.”

There was an expression in his eyes that she’d seen once or twice on a virologist fresh from a hot zone. There was nothing like fighting a disease in its environment and coming home barely the winner. “Does this have something to do with—”

“I said experience. Leave it at that.”

She stepped away from him. He was surly now, as if it was okay for him to probe into her life but not vice versa. He wiped his brow with the sleeve of his shirt. “I don’t understand you,” she said.

He closed the gap between the two of them. There was something challenging in the way he crowded her. Man-woman challenging, and it made Jane take a step back. She wasn’t used to dealing with men who got in her face. She was kind of an ice queen at work and in the field she was all business. Damn. This trip was making her crazy already.

“That makes two of us,” he said.

When he pulled his arm away she realized the sleeve had blood on it. She searched his face in the waning light, finding a cut at his hairline. “Are you injured?”

“It’s nothing. Just a flesh wound,” he said, moving out of her reach when she tried to check it out.

“We’re in the jungle. A flesh wound—”

“I know it could mean death. I put some antiseptic on it.”

“Let me see it,” she said. He stood still. She had to step very close so that each breath he exhaled brushed her face. He smelled of sweat and mint. She hadn’t been this close to a man in a long time. In fact, Raul had been the last man.

It had taken her a long time to get over him. Not because she’d been mooning or anything like that. But because she’d felt, of all the men she’d dated, Raul was the one she could have gone the distance with. They’d both shared so much. Work and career, similar outlooks on life and of course white-hot passion.

Mac stared at her and she realized she was just looking at him. Carefully she probed around the cut with her fingers. He didn’t flinch, and she saw that the wound had started to close.

She went up on tiptoe for a better look.

“Going to kiss it and make it better?” he asked. His lips brushed the side of her cheek when he spoke.

Shivers spread down her body from the warmth of his breath against her skin. Maybe it was the fact that she didn’t trust him or maybe it was just some sort of animal magnetism that he possessed. But whatever it was, he made her very aware of needs she’d ignored for too long now.

He was trying to rattle her. She knew it and he knew it. But Jane had been holding her own against hard-ass men her entire life. And it took a lot more than intimidation to scare her.

Jane put her shoulders back and stood a little taller. It helped that she’d spent a lifetime getting to know herself so well, because she had utter confidence in her ability to do what she’d come to the Amazon basin to do. Her nature wouldn’t let her accept failure.

“Maybe it’s worse than you think and I’ll have to put you out of your misery.”

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