Ransom (Benson Security 4)

“I’m still not sure this is real,” she said. “You could be in on it. The stuff that happened back at the camp could have been an elaborate act.” She looked up at him. “I’ve heard they make those fake kidnappings as real as possible.”

“The kidnapping is real. I’m not in on it.”

“Ah, but you would say that if you were playing the part. Heck, even the guy who pressed my hand to his dick could have been lying. It could have been a bratwurst he shoved down the front of his jeans.”

A hand clamped on her arm and Beast turned her to look at him. “The guard made you touch his dick?”

“Or his bratwurst?” From the crazy jaw clenching and the eye-twitch thing he had going, she maybe shouldn’t have mentioned that part.

“If I see him again, I’m going to kill him.”

Belinda patted his arm and felt that familiar awareness burst into life. Only now, it was worse. Because now she knew how it felt to kiss Beast.

“Okay,” she said to appease him. “I give you permission to kill him next time you see him.” She turned away and kept walking. “If he’s real and the two of you aren’t playacting,” she muttered.

“I’m also going to punch your brother the next time I see him. It’s his fault I have to listen to this crap about being in the middle of a fake kidnapping.”

“I am totally fine with that.” As far as she was concerned, Daniel could use having someone knock some sense into him. “But seriously, this whole thing is messing with my head. Is it real or is it just an elaborate setup? It’s like that episode of Buffy, in series six. The one called ‘Normal Life,’ where they show Buffy as a psych patient and she’s just been dreaming about being the slayer for six years. At the end of the show you aren’t sure if the whole series is a lie, or if her being in the asylum is a lie. Really brave of Joss Whedon. He could have lost a lot of fans pulling a stunt like that.”

“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.” Beast sounded weary.

Belinda was outraged. “How can you not know about Buffy the Vampire Slayer? It’s seminal TV. It shaped a genre and changed the television landscape.”

“Never heard of it. Don’t care about it. Now move faster.”

“Heathen,” Belinda muttered as she lifted the bottom of her dress and used it to wipe her brow, uncaring that she was giving Beast a show. Her body was coated in perspiration, but her mouth was dry. How was that even possible? Surely if she was dehydrated, she’d stop sweating too?

“I really need some water. I don’t know how long I can go on without it. There has to be something around here somewhere.” She was back to studying the jungle, hoping some water presented itself to her.

“I don’t see anything,” Beast said. “Our best bet is to keep moving and hope we find something further on.”

Belinda had stopped listening. Her heart raced and she felt lightheaded—because she’d spotted their salvation. She grabbed Beast’s shirt and pointed. “There!”

She rushed straight towards her prize, tripping over tree roots and getting smacked in the face by a palm as she did so.

“Slow down,” Beast snapped. “I don’t want to lose sight of you. I don’t see any water. Are you having one of those delusions people get when they’re dehydrated?”

“It’s not a mirage.” No, she was seeing something way better. She screeched to a halt, put her hands on her hips and beamed at him. “Our prayers have been answered.”

“Hollywood,” Beast said, voice gentle, as though he was afraid to push her over the edge, “that isn’t water. It’s bamboo.”

“I know it’s bamboo. Give me your machete.” She held out a hand.

“Yeah, there’s no way I’m arming you when you’re hallucinating. Why don’t you sit down on that log and take a deep breath?”

“Honestly!” She let out an exasperated sigh. “Fine, you do it.”

“Do what?”

She stomped over to the bamboo and pointed at it. “Chop here. Cut a V into the bamboo and we’ll get water.”

“Belinda…” It was clear from the set of his jaw that he was going to argue with her.

“I’m not making this up. This isn’t some weird hallucination. I know this is bamboo. And bamboo is hollow. It stores water in each of its segments. Give me the machete and I’ll prove it.”

He frowned at her, thinking. She wondered if it hurt. With a grunt of annoyance, he pulled the knife from his belt and sliced diagonally into the bamboo. He changed angle and sliced upwards, taking a wedge

out of the stalk.