Dreams~Shadows of the Night Read online

  “Does that mean you’re expecting a private welcome home party yourself?”

  She hesitated a moment. “That will depend on me.” She slipped her backpack over her shoulders. “Let’s go see what surprises the jungle has in store for us today.”

  Josh winced at her words. This would be the first time they planned to venture so far from the base camp and he didn’t want to tell Marie the prospect was part of the reason he felt on edge. One of the guides had found several footprints the day before by a spot in the river where no one from camp had been. Despite Marie’s lack of concern and the team leader having assigned an extra security guard to accompany them, Josh couldn’t shake the feeling that those testy locals Marie had mentioned might decide to make an appearance today. He just hoped they’d be in a friendly mood if they did.

  Although this work was providing the change he’d craved from his desk job, Josh found himself marking off the days until he returned to Catherine. He took it as a good omen. He admitted he needed the time away to test his feelings for her. When a man had marriage on his mind he’d better be sure he was hooking up with the right woman.

  >>>>dreams<<<<

  Later as Josh stopped to examine a rock formation beside the trail, a startled sound slipped through his consciousness.

  "Ooh Dios!"

  He jerked up and recognized their guide's voice.

  "Come, Senior! You must come now!"

  Josh ran toward the moored boat. His body froze at the sight of the two security guards lying unmoving on the ground, each with a long slender primitive looking dart protruding from his chest.

  The guide continued to yell, his arms flailing frantically while Josh looked desperately around. "Marie! Where the hell are you?”

  She burst from behind a cluster of tall plants. He grabbed her arm, turning her away from the grisly scene on the river bank, and ran with her to the boat. They'd barely scrambled aboard the small craft when a group of men rushed through the wall of thick foliage, with rifles clutched in their hands aimed and ready.

  One, apparently the leader, stepped away and shouted to the others in rapid Spanish. Three of them rushed forward; one man dragged a struggling Marie back onto the bank while the other two seized Josh. The leader spoke harshly to the guide who'd fallen on his knees holding his hands out in tearful supplication.

  The terrified guide stopped babbling and carried out the order to untie the boat. Josh watched, as the small craft maneuvered out from the bank taking away their only means of escape. He cursed and struggled until he felt the tip of a rifle thrust in his face. Realizing rebellion could get him killed, he forced himself to clamp his jaw shut and submit to being bound.

  Marie’s hands had already been tied. She stood trembling while darting frightened glances at the men who surrounded her. Josh recognized the sheer terror on her face and felt his own raw fear kick in. The man issuing orders led them away from the river and in a matter of seconds the entire group was swallowed up by dense vegetation.

  The leader set a grueling pace with ruthless disregard for the welfare of his captives, leading them ever deeper into the all-enveloping jungle. Time and miles crept by. Muscles burned with fatigue while sweat drenched their clothing in the sauna-like atmosphere. After watching her stumble and fall for the third time, Josh tried to communicate to the leader that Marie needed to rest but his efforts earned him a hard jab to the shoulder with the butt of a rifle.

  When they finally broke through a thick wall of plants and entered a large clearing, he and Marie both sank to their knees panting with exhaustion. In front of them, an assortment of rustic dwellings constructed from crude wooden poles and slender saplings clustered together. Overlapping leaves formed roofs, but as a concession to the torrid climate, the huts had no walls. Mesh sleeping hammocks hung from rafters.

  Wide-eyed natives stood silently watching, as one of their captors kicked Josh in his ribs motioning him to get up and another hauled Marie roughly to her feet ignoring her gasp of pain.

  Rough hands shoved them into one of the huts where they collapsed onto the dirt floor. Tears slid down Marie’s face leaving grimy tracks through the sweat that clung to her cheeks. The gloss and teasing Josh had come to associate with her had disappeared.

  “Oh, God, what are we going to do?” she moaned. Anxiety robbed her voice of its usual cool self-confidence.

  “All right now. Hang on – just hang on.” Josh inched himself as close to her as he could, hoping his nearness might help to calm her. But as fear slid through him like a slithering snake, he realized he wasn’t feeling too steady himself.

  He looked at his surroundings with a helpless feeling and a vulnerability that he’d never experienced before, as he watched the armed men bullying their way around the encampment. Josh knew he’d been seduced by the lure of the unseen challenges he and Marie had talked about, but none of his other jobs over the years had prepared him for this terrifying turn of events.

  Any lingering exhilaration he’d felt for the work vanished with the ominous threat they now faced. He’d discovered jungle living did not come without danger when one considered the insects, wild animals, and possible exotic illnesses. He had known there would be risks before he took the job, but as long as they had their armed guards to protect them, no one on their team had anticipated that the worst threat would come from humans.

  “I just can’t believe this is happening,” Marie whispered.

  Josh nudged her gently with his shoulder, knowing it wouldn’t do any good to mention he’d had a bad feeling about leaving camp this morning.

  “I’m sure our guide is back at camp raising the alarm,” he said, in a futile effort to reassure her. “Our people aren’t going to waste any time coming after us.”

  “I hope to God they hurry,” she said and began to cry in soft little sobs.

  “They will.” Josh hoped he was right because he’d never felt more unnerved. He let her have her cry hoping it might help to relieve some of the strain. “I know you’re scared Marie, but I need you to focus,” he said when the tears finally stopped. “You speak Spanish. Do you know what these thugs want with us?”

  She sniffed and wiped her face on her shoulder.

  “I’m not usually such a crybaby.”

  “Nobody’s keeping score.”

  “They want a ransom. Apparently Orlando has a beef with Americans and feels the money will help to soothe his wounded sensibilities.”

  “Who the hell is Orlando?”

  “He’s the leader of the men who brought us here. I heard him tell our guide that people like us owe him for invading his country. He wants a million dollars from our company or he’ll return us to camp in little pieces.”

  Josh watched the color drain from her face and felt as though a hand had reached inside his chest to squeeze his heart.

  “Jesus! It’s not like we’re doing anything wrong.”

  “It’s just his excuse to get money. I’d be willing to bet that we care more about this land than Orlando and his scum. The other people are indigenous natives and they’re not happy to have the outsiders here, but they appear terrified by the guns.”

  “But weren’t those native darts that brought our two men down?”

  “Yes, but whoever used them was probably forced to. My guess is that Orlando didn’t want to fire a rifle and take the chance he’d alert anyone from our team.”

  Josh struggled to take it all in. Everything had happened too fast, like an unexpected punch. “Better not let this Orlando know you speak Spanish, so he’ll continue to talk freely in front of us."

  They stopped talking when a native woman ducked into the hut. She bent down and using a knife, cut through the ropes that bound their wrists. Marie groaned and Josh hissed out a breath, as the blood began to flow painfully back into their swollen hands. The woman took turns briskly rubbing their wrists to help ease the discomfort.

  She left and returned a short time later accompanied by a young girl. They each carried a cup w
ith water and a plate of what looked like some kind of stew. Josh had no idea what the ingredients were and he didn’t care. The aroma wasn’t bad and he was hungry enough to gnaw on his shoe. But thirst was his most immediate concern. He drained his cup and instantly wished for more. He wiped the back of his hand across his mouth and saw Marie wrinkle her nose after taking a tentative sip.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “This water hasn’t been treated. Despite having shots it could still make us sick.”

  “I’m sure it’s okay. I saw some of the natives drinking it.”

  “We can’t go by what they eat or drink. Over the years their bodies have built up immunity to any microorganisms. Bacteria that could make us ill most likely wouldn’t have any effect on them at all.”

  Josh stared into his empty cup and swore. “Great. An amoeba cocktail. That’s all we need on top of everything else. I don’t know about you, but I have to say so far this day really sucks,” he said, trying to infuse a bit of humor into the situation for her benefit.

  She rewarded his efforts with a weak smile. “I’ve had better.”

  They ate in silence and a tenuous calm gradually settled around the area. People had finished eating and began climbing into their hammocks for the night. The darkness beneath the jungle canopy reminded Josh of thick molasses. He looked at Marie where she lay sleeping curled on the ground with her head pillowed on her arm. Weary from the day’s march, he settled himself on the dirt floor and folded his hands behind his head.

  The jungle reminded him of a surly mistress sulking through each day punishing everything with her suffocating heat. As if that wasn’t enough to make a body miserable, the rain and humidity could rot a man’s feet inside his boots if he weren’t careful.

  He’d always enjoyed going to new places, but what happened today was undeniably the downside of being adventuresome. He hoped for Marie’s sake things weren’t going to get any worse. She’d turned out to be a lot more vulnerable than he would have expected considering she’d always acted so confident. But then that was before someone had pointed a loaded gun at her.

  A tired sigh escaped as he wished he had clean water to drink, a shower, and a change of clothes. Most of all he wished to God he had taken Catherine’s advice more seriously. Maybe if he hadn’t been so damned determined to prove it’d take more than a nightmare to scare him off, he may have reconsidered taking the job.

  Whether or not she had some kind of psychic connection with the future or it had been that mysterious woman’s intuition thing that guys never understood, he’d obviously been wrong to ignore her. He shifted his body trying to find a more comfortable position on the hard packed dirt and closed his eyes.

  He supposed he should at least be thankful she hadn’t been right about his being unconscious, soaked to the skin, and coated in mud.

  Chapter Three

  Dressed in faded sweats, Catherine propped her bare feet on the coffee table and leaned her head back against the sofa cushions. She’d turned the TV on more for the sound of voices than any interest in the program. Images from the screen sent lights dancing over the carpet in flickering patterns.

  It had been a long day. Two nurses calling in sick had made it necessary for her to work a double shift. The extra hours had left her feeling more tired than usual. But there was an added dimension to her weariness now – a disturbing sense that something wasn’t quite right. The feeling had started as an unsettling mood when she’d drifted off to sleep last night and had slowly developed into a disturbing dream.

  The details were too vague for her to understand much, but she did know it concerned Josh and he appeared to be surrounded by a group of armed men. Catherine assumed these were the security people hired to keep him safe, so it didn’t make sense when fear continued to scrape at her nerves.

  Setting the TV on mute, she closed her eyes hoping to block out the unwanted intrusion when three sharp raps at the door broke into her thoughts. Her eyes snapped open and her heart jerked in uneven thumps. She sat up and glanced at her watch. It was late for unannounced visitors. She slid off the sofa and walked warily toward the door.

  When she saw Josh’s close friend Tom Wolden through the peephole the strange feeling that had plagued her all day instantly developed into full blown distress. A cold shiver that shouldn’t have been there in the warm room trembled through her, as she fumbled with the latch before flinging the door open to stare at him with anxious eyes.

  “Something’s happened to Josh. That’s why you’re here isn’t it?”

  He blinked in surprise. “Huh? No. As far as I know he’s fine. I just came from a movie and was in the neighborhood, so I thought I’d stop by.” He peered at her more closely. “But maybe this isn’t a good time. Are you all right? Did I wake you up?”

  “I’m fine and I wasn’t asleep.” She smiled at him feeling relief sink in, soothing her uneasiness. “I’m sorry for being a drama queen. It’s been a weird day. Would you like a glass of iced tea? I’d offer you a beer, but I don’t keep it unless Josh is here.”

  “Tea would be good,” he said, as he entered and she motioned him to a chair.

  She went into the kitchen for a moment, returning shortly with two tall glasses and handed him one before settling on the sofa with her legs tucked under her.

  “What have you been up to besides going to the movies?”

  He shrugged.

  “Not much – working mostly. How about you?”

  “The same, but it’s not enough. I can’t help missing Josh.”

  “Yeah, I know what you mean. His absence does tend to leave a big blank spot.”

  “He told me you’ve been friends since you were kids. Do you ever get a sense you might lose him when he takes off like this – that he’ll want to stay away for good?”

  “Nope. I believe he’s like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. One of these days he’ll realize everything he needs is right in his own backyard.”

  She wondered if Josh realized how wise his friend was. “Maybe you ought to remind him of that fact.”

  “I have plenty of times, but I’ve seen Josh take off on too many escapades to know I couldn’t stop him from going to play Tarzan Believe me I did try.”

  “So did I. It’s so frustrating that we can’t have any contact with him.”

  “I don’t like it either. It’s like having him drop off the face of the earth. But I bet he’s counting the days until he can get back to you. Just think about the great reunion you’ll have. You’re his soul mate.”

  “Am I? Men and women often have different interpretations on what that means.”

  “I don’t know much about women, but I'm right about Josh’s feelings for you. He’s kind of hard to understand sometimes, but if you’re patient it’ll be worth the wait.”

  “I’m trying.” She took a sip of tea. “Josh told me you’re shy around girls.”

  His face reddened and he shifted uneasily on his chair. “Josh has a big mouth.”

  She chuckled softly. “Have you ever had a steady girlfriend, Tom?”

  “Not really. I kind of came close a couple of times, but they didn’t work out.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “Don’t be – they weren’t any big deal. One treated her cat better than me, and the other one baked me fruitcakes. What kind of a girl gives a guy fruitcake for Pete’s sake?”

  “Maybe one who likes to bake?” she said, smothering another laugh.

  She studied him from beneath her lashes. Hair the color of dirty straw hung over his forehead in scattered waves and his brows hovered above his eyes like a pair of dark slashes. His slenderness made him appear frail and his modesty added to the illusion.

  He and Josh were so dissimilar that Catherine found it hard to believe they’d become close friends. It wasn’t only Josh’s superior physique that set them apart; there was also his powerful persona. She couldn’t imagine Josh being unable to get just about anything he wanted. She was a perfect exam
ple; one minute she was telling him she never dated patients and the next thing she knew she’d agreed to have dinner with him.

  “Your families must have been quite friendly with you two growing up together.”

  “Not really. My parents weren’t what you’d call sociable.” His hand tightened on the glass he held. “I’ve always thought the concept of a family unit is a good one, but it has to have proper nurturing to develop into something meaningful. Sometimes there are too many gaps and missing pieces for things to work the way they should.”

  She sensed too much unspoken pain to ask more.

  “Is Josh close to his family?”

  “Very close, but I expect you’ll find that out for yourself when he gets back.”

  ”I know Josh had his share of women before we began dating. One of them sent me a nasty warning note that I was encroaching on her territory. No signature, of course.”

  “Really? Well, obviously he’s not lived like a monk, but that’s in the past. With you, it’s not just physical. There’s real emotion involved. What’s your family like?”

  “You’re evading my questions. It seems males have their own code of ethics when it comes to discussing their buddy’s old girlfriends with the current one.”

  “I don’t know enough about any of them. I’d really like to hear about your folks.”

  She hesitated, swallowing down the familiar sick feeling that always came when she had to repeat how they’d died. “There’s not much to relate. My parents drowned in a boating accident with my uncle when I was seven.” She heard his sharp intake of breath. “I was an only child. My aunt raised me. She and my mother were sisters.”

  “God, I had no idea. I’m so sorry, Catherine. That must have been awful for you being so young. Do you remember very much about them?”

  “Bits and pieces. It’s been twenty years since the accident, but I do recall they laughed a lot and liked to hold hands.” She had always hoped they’d been able to reach for each other in the end. Her cruel dream hadn’t given her even that small comfort.