Ransom (Benson Security 4)

She fell on the nuts like they were the finest cuisine, even though it was clear that swallowing caused her pain.

Beast clenched his teeth at the sight. His anger at her suffering wouldn’t help her any.

“You were right,” he said as he rummaged in the bag. “Another flashlight.” He handed it to her. “A shitload of condoms.” He looked up at her. “What the hell did he think he was going to do out here?”

“Jaguars beware,” Belinda said through a mouthful of nuts.

Beast smiled as he shook his head. Crazy woman.

He pulled the next bag over. “Bingo.” He grinned up at her. “A hammock.” He pulled out the string hammock and handed it to her.

“You think it will hold both of us? It looks like one of those shopping bags from the seventies. The kind that stretched out of shape as soon as you put something in it. I’ve seen the photos. My mum loved those things.” She stilled and looked at him. “Do you think she’s okay? She’s probably out of her mind with worry. Mum doesn’t deal well with stress. And Dad, Dad thinks he can order the situation to fix itself. Lake Benson won’t like dealing with my bossy father.” She bit her bottom lip. “They are looking for us, aren’t they?”

Beast stood and put his hands on her shoulders, making her look up at him, wanting her to see exactly how serious he was. “Damn straight they’re looking for us. Your family wouldn’t allow anything less, and my boys will rip this jungle apart until they get to us.”

She relaxed beneath his touch. “You’re right. Of course you’re right. We just have to make it to the river, and then we’ll be easier to find.”

What she didn’t say was that neither of them knew if they were heading in the right direction to find the river.

Beast crouched back down and raked through the half-empty bag. “You’re going to love this. Catch.” He tossed his find to her.

“Chocolate,” she whispered with genuine awe before looking at him. “I’ll save it for when we’re in the hammock. It can be our reward.”

It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her she could be his reward, but thankfully, he realised how corny that would sound and stopped himself.

The last bag held another bottle of booze, some snack food, a mosquito net that was in much better condition than the first one they’d stolen, and insect repellent. Better late than never, Beast thought as he looked at the can. It was obvious from the things these guys had packed that they hadn’t expected to be in the rainforest long. Which made Beast think they were closer to the river, and civilisation, than either of them had thought.

“I’ll string up the hammock.” Beast took it from her.

“I’ll stand here and eat,” Belinda said solemnly. He arched an eyebrow, and she flashed her killer smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll save you some.”

He chuckled as he looked for two decent trees, close together, that would suit his purpose. It wasn’t hard to find what he wanted—they were surrounded by trees. He was so busy working on putting the hammock up that he didn’t pay enough attention to what was going on around him. It was a dumb mistake.

“Uh, John,” Belinda called softly. “Don’t move.”

A chill ran straight through him, and his first thought was another damn killer insect. Instead, he felt something large brush against his leg. Slowly, he looked down and saw a long, hairy creature lumbering beside him. The animal scraped at the ground, sniffing around with its long, tapering nose, before its tongue darted out to chase the insects scurrying on the rainforest floor. Anteater. Beast slowly studied its body, noting the thick neck, long hair and massive bushy tail. It had to be six feet long, and it was eating the very thing Beast detested—insects. They could have used this guy the night before.

When he looked over at Belinda, she was grinning again. Beast couldn’t help but grin back. Nothing kept the woman down, and nothing stopped her from finding joy even in the worst of situations.

The anteater shuffled around Beast, completely uninterested in his presence. Once the creature had cleared the area of as many ants as possible, it disappeared through the bushes.

“It was so cuddly,” Belinda said when she

came over to him.

“Hollywood,” he said, letting out a sigh, “you need a keeper.”

He finished tying up the hammock and stung a liana between the trees above it, the way Belinda had taught him, then threw the new mosquito net over the line, making sure it covered the hammock completely. Belinda silently handed him each of the packs, as well as their last water-filled condom.

“Get into bed,” Beast said gruffly, when they’d finished securing everything under the mosquito net.

She looked worried for a second before her face flushed. “I think I’ll sleep in my clothes tonight.”

Beast understood immediately. He cupped her cheek and looked her in the eye. “You do whatever makes you feel safe, Hollywood.”

“It isn’t you.” Her cheeks had to be burning now.

“No, you want to be prepared in case someone else stumbles on us.” He got it. He’d spent years sleeping on the street and always felt safer with as many clothes on as possible.