Amazon Burning (A James Acton Thriller, #10) (39 page)

“You, of
course!”

Tuk took
a moment to process what she had said, then when it finally clicked, he smiled,
pulling her closer and kissing her.

The
warriors a thousand strong erupted in cheers, eventually turning into chants of
“Tuk! Tuk! Tuk!” once gain as Tuk, the once terrified young man respected by no
one, reveled in the glory deserved of the greatest leader the people of the
northern Amazon had ever known.

More
than worthy to be the mate of the beautiful TikTik.

Dawson backed away from the public display of affection, happy for
the scrawny guy, as Niner and Jimmy ran up.

“They’re
gone boss. What remained of them took one of the transports to the river. My
guess is they’re scramming.”

“For how
long is the question,” replied Dawson. “Casualties?” he asked Red.

Red
shook his head. “Negative. Everyone made it, including Charlie Team and the
civilians.”

Dawson
shook his head. “Not everybody.”

All
around them warriors were picking up their dead and wounded, carrying them over
their heads into the forest, their numbers quickly dwindling.

“Oh
shit,” muttered Dawson as he saw Acton running toward where Tuk had thrown the
spear from that changed the tide of the battle. They all turned to see the
young woman that Reading was head over heels for, lying on the ground, Reading
kneeling over her body.

“Not
everybody at all.”

“You’ll be okay, you’ll be okay,” cried Reading, tears rolling down
his cheeks as he repeated the comforting words to her, over and over, knowing
she couldn’t understand them, and knowing he was lying for her benefit. He
could see the life draining from her face, her eyes barely open, but her smile
still there as she whispered his name, holding his cheek.

“Kinti
love Hugh.”

A gasp
erupted from his chest as he kissed her, holding her head in his hand as he
caressed her cheek.

“Hugh
loves Kinti,” he whispered, her smile spreading as she closed her eyes, her
last breath escaping her lungs with a sigh that seemed to echo through the
forest, bringing silence with it as all watched the grief and pain caused by
wars the world over, no matter the size or side.

Reading
grabbed her, lifting her up, hugging her hard as he cried harder than he had
ever cried, not giving a damn about British reserve, cultural norms, or what
others thought. He had lost friends before, family before, but never someone he
had loved and cared for so intensely, in such short a period of time, and
though the words exchanged between them could probably be counted on two hands,
his heart felt like it had lived a lifetime with this young woman, and he had
no idea how he could possibly recover from this loss.

He had
known he’d have to leave her behind, and had prepared himself for the temporary
pain it would cause, but he would be leaving knowing she was alive and well and
would eventually move on to live a long, happy life.

But now
she was dead. Because of him. If he had never spotted the inlet, they never
would have set up camp there. Tuk would never have kidnapped Laura, and he
would have never met Kinti.

She would
be alive.

“It’s my
fault,” he whispered.

He
sensed Acton kneel beside him, then felt his friend’s hand on his shoulder.

“You
know that’s not true,” he said gently.

“I’m the
one who spotted the inlet,” he said, repeating his twisted logic.

Acton
squeezed his shoulder. “You were merely the
first
to spot it. Fabricio
would have spotted it if you hadn’t. It was the perfect place to set up camp
and it was nearly sunset.”

Reading
sniffed, knowing that Acton was right, though knowing made it no less painful.

“But
she’s dead, Jim. She’s dead!” he sobbed again, his chest heaving several times
before he could get control. “She’s dead,” his voice barely a whisper.

“But she
died with the man she loved, knowing that he loved her. She could have died
tomorrow from a snake bite, but she died today helping save this entire forest
of people, fighting alongside the man she loved, and dying in his arms. I saw
her face when you told her you loved her. That was the happiest woman I’ve ever
seen. You have to remember that.”

Reading
nodded and looked up as Skip and several of the others from Kinti’s tribe
stepped forward. Skip said something in Portuguese, and Leather’s man
translated. “They need to take her now.”

Reading
gently lay her body down on the ground and kissed her forehead one last time,
then stood up, stepping back as her family and friends picked up her body,
carrying her over their heads into the forest.

“Give me
a moment,” he said, his back to the others, as he watched the procession slowly
disappear into the trees. He heard the others leave, and as the tears began to
subside, control exerted once again over his emotions, he wiped his face dry,
then swore to never love again.

Acton Residence, St. Paul, Maryland

Acton squeezed Laura’s hand as they sat on the couch, Reading on the
TV’s Skype app, Milton sitting in the La-Z-boy in a state of bliss as it
massaged him from head to toe.

“I
definitely have to get one of these,” he said, his voice monotone as he
exaggerated the vibrations going through his body. “Maybe my health insurance
will cover it.”

Acton
laughed, as did Reading, one of the few he had heard from him in the two weeks
since they had left the Amazon behind them. Milton’s back was nearly fully
recovered, it just needing some rest and physiotherapy. It was Reading they
were all concerned about, he refusing to talk about Kinti or what had happened.

“The
past is the past,” was all he would say, but they knew he was hurting, and in
true Reading style, was keeping it bottled inside.

“I
assume you’ve heard the news,” said Reading. “It broke yesterday.”

“Yup,
watched the report on the BBC last night,” said Acton. “Great coverage. Looks
like everybody is picking up on it.” The environmentalists had broken the story
on the Internet, posting all the footage they had taken, plus taped interviews
they had done with each other, making sure there was no way the evidence could
be hidden, it shared thousands of times on social media long before they went
to the press.

And once
they had, the story caught on like wildfire, the public loving good villains
like the Chinese and Venezuelans, and heroes like the natives who had fought
back and won. No mention was made of the help from the Delta Force or the
ex-SAS operators, and any rumors to that effect were sloughed off as just that,
rumors. The important thing was that the mine was officially closed, the
Venezuelans denying all knowledge of it and imprisoning a few patsies. The
Chinese simply ignored questions.

Acton
was still left to wonder how many other secret mines were out there in the
world, or even in the Amazon itself.

He hoped
if they were there, they weren’t exploiting the natives like this one did.

“So,
have you two made a decision?”

Acton’s
eyebrows popped. “About what?”

Reading
shook his head. “About where you’re going to live? You said within two weeks of
being back you’d decide.”

Acton
blushed, realizing they hadn’t really made the decision. They’d talked about it
a bit, but they both kept saying they were willing to live where the other one
wanted.

“How
would you feel about living in England?” asked Reading.

Acton
shrugged. “Perfectly fine. The only problem I think I’d have is learning the
language. You guys can’t seem to make up your mind on what words you actually
use. Some of you swear you never use the word ‘daft’ or ‘guv’ yet every night
on your television you’ve got people saying those very words! I’m afraid to try
and use any of your slang when I’m there for fear somebody jumps down my throat
who thinks their colloquialisms and only theirs extend to the entire Empire!”

Reading
laughed, tossing his head back and Acton exchanged a wink with Laura who was
happy as well to see their friend finally having a good time. “Nobody here
speaks the same bloody language. Just make sure you keep that damned accent of
yours, and you’ll be forgiven every time.”

“I
wouldn’t be so sure of that,” laughed Acton. “But I’ll just keep plugging
along, doing my bloody best even if I sound like a daft nutter if that’s okay
with you, guv.”

Reading
pissed himself laughing as Milton vibrated out his own laugh, Laura’s head
resting on Acton’s shoulder as she giggled.

“Well, I
have a little tidbit to contribute to this conversation,” said Laura, turning
in her seat to face Acton. I was offered a job in Washington, and I’m thinking
of taking it.”

Acton’s
smile spread from ear to ear. “That’s only an hour from here!”

She nodded.
“What do you think? Decision made?”

He
grabbed her by the shoulders, beginning to pull her in for a hug then stopped.
“Is it a good job? I mean, will you be happy doing it like you’re happy in
London?”

She
nodded. “It’s a great job. And I’ve arranged for it to be only part time, and
London has agreed to let me keep the dig going in Egypt, as long as I fund it,
which I was doing anyway. But it means I get to keep my students!”

Acton
pulled her in, hugging her hard.

“Decision
made!”

Tuk’s Village, Northern Amazon, Venezuela

Tuk strode through the forest, his hunting party behind him, a large
boar he himself had taken down draped between the shoulders of two men far
larger than him. As he had discovered at the Battle of Tuk versus the Panther
People, as it had become known, he realized the weakness he thought he had for
throwing the spear was something from his childhood. As an adult he had become
quite strong, but simply had never learned to put the power into his throw
until it had become necessary.

His
throw had felled a yakumama snake and the leader of the Panther People. One had
been seen only by Lau-ra, the Woman of Light, the other seen by a thousand men
throughout the forest, the story now legend.

He
stepped into the clearing that was their rebuilt village, the neighboring
tribes helping them after the complete destruction left behind. It had been
almost two seasons since the battle, and sometimes it seemed like a dream, but
the constant reminder that it wasn’t rose to greet him as he came into sight.

TikTik.

Round
with child, his child, she was now his mate, enthusiastically endorsed by her
parents, it impossible to refuse the great Tuk his desires.

“Tuk!”
she cried as she ran up to him, embracing him hard, kissing him with a passion
that still fired him up every time. Many had died that day, including the
precious Kinti and his friend Bruk days before, but he had travelled to the pit
in the earth several times since to see it abandoned, now merely a scar on the
great Mother’s surface.

He was
happy. More happy than he could have ever imagined possible. He had TikTik to
thank for that, for agreeing to be his mate, and for always having loved him.

And he
had the great Mother, who had sent him a messenger, a messenger that had sent
him down a path he could never have imagined for himself, turning a small,
insignificant man, full of self-pity and self-loathing, into a respected
hunter, warrior, father and husband.

He
looked up at the sky overhead and thanked the Mother’s messenger with a silent
prayer.

Lau-ra-pal-mer.

THE END