Ransom (Benson Security 4)

John stood, rubbing his chest in the spot where the spider had clung. His hands shook as he backed away from the log with the spider under it. His eyes were continuously scanning the ground, looking for more man-eating insects that were waiting to jump out on him. Belinda watched, open-mouthed, as he fought to get himself under control. His jaw was tight, his naturally tanned skin was pale and she could have sworn his hair was standing on end.

When he caught sight of her staring at him, his shoulders went back and his hands dropped to his sides. Although, she noticed the hands became fists and his eyes moved restlessly, keeping a lookout.

“That was a Goliath birdeater spider,” Belinda said. “They’re nocturnal and tend to stay in their burrows during the day. I think you pissed it off when you fell on its house. They’re big but harmless, and they don’t actually eat birds. They eat frogs and grubs. As far as I know, they’ve never eaten a human.”

He pointed a finger at her. “We will never speak of this again.”

She gave him an angelic smile. “Of course. How about we talk about the hammock being a bad idea instead?”

He let out a strangled growl and stomped over to the hammock. He pulled out his clothes and got dressed in record time as he kept scanning the area around them.

Chapter 15

“Bloody hell,” Callum barked when Ryan walked into the ballroom just after dawn. “What are you doing out of hospital?”

“I’m doing my job, old man.” Ryan wasn’t in the mood for dealing with Callum. His shoulder was killing him, but he refused to take anything stronger than ibuprofen, because it made his head feel fuzzy.

Callum folded his arms over one of his regulation grey Henleys, his self-imposed uniform since getting a medical discharge from the SAS. “What job are you going to do, son? This is a search and rescue operation—with a side serving of arse kicking for any kidnappers we find. You’re in a sling and you’re supposed to be on intravenous antibiotics.”

“Still am.” Ryan held up his free arm to show Callum the cannula still in it. “I brought the antibiotics with me. I’ll hook them up to the vent later. I know I can’t go out in the field, but there’s nothing to stop me helping out here. Is there?”

Callum glared at him, but Ryan was more interested in the fact there was a buffet table set up near the bar. He headed for it and grabbed a plate, piling it high with everything in sight before going back to take a seat at the table.

“Nice to see your appetite isn’t affected,” Callum said.

“Takes a helluva lot more than a broken shoulder to put me off my food.” Ryan looked around. “Is there any coffee?”

“Here, doofus.” Megan set a mug on the table in front of him before plopping into the vacant seat on his right. “How long until you’re fixed?”

Callum snorted. “Never.”

Again, Ryan ignored him. “Six weeks, give or take.”

“You’re right-handed.” Megan helped herself to one of the mini-pastries from his plate.

Ryan smacked her hand. “Get your own. I can still shoot better than you using my left hand.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You might have to prove that.”

“Okay, enough of this crap!” Callum called the meeting to order with his usual lack of charm.

Lake’s lips twitched in his version of a smile. “Rachel, what happened to the men we detained?”

Rachel had changed into a black trouser suit and crisp white shirt, with black-widow stiletto heels to match. Ryan glanced around the table, noting that everyone else was in jeans and T-shirts. Guess a designer suit was Rachel’s idea of casual. He shrugged then clenched his teeth as a wave of pain washed over him.

“You okay?” Elle whispered to him. “You turned grey.”

“Forgot not to shrug.” He squeezed the words out as the pain passed.

She winced and gave him a sympathetic smile.

Meanwhile, Rachel had consulted her phone. Whether it was to check on notes she’d made or take a selfie, Ryan wasn’t sure.

“For those who managed to get broken and miss some of the action,” she said to Ryan, “the police chief insisted in taking the men we apprehended into custody.” She tossed her head, sending her poker-straight, dark brown hair over her shoulder. “That meant Callum didn’t get a chance to talk to the men, which means we have nothing. They clammed up as soon as they went into custody. They now have lawyers and are eating a gourmet breakfast in the local jail.” Her eyes went hard. “And I do mean gourmet. It was ordered from a local five-star hotel.”

Eyebrows went up around the room. Dimitri let out a low whistle. “Looks like you were right, De la Cruz. The gang have the local police in their pocket.”

Ryan shook his head in disgust. “We won’t get anything out of them now.”