swaying in the moonlight.
He took a step forward, then froze. A branch snapped. “Jodi?”
Holding his breath, he moved in a slow circle. The beam of the flashlight cut through the darkness. Something — someone — was out there, waiting, watching —
A bushbuck scampered into the brush. Brandon let out the lungful of air he’d been holding and cursed. She had to be here somewhere, but nothing but the rustling sounds of the disappearing animal answered him.
He stomped through another ten feet of heavy bush and mud, straining to see what the darkness held. His mind worked to focus. If she’d tried to run from the rebels, she could have ended up off the path with a sprained ankle. Besides the rebels, there were plenty of dangers lurking in the surrounding dense forest. Snake and even leopard sightings weren’t uncommon on the lower altitudes of the mountain.
“Jodi?”
His shoulder scraped against the rough bark of a tree. The darkness of the forest closed around him. He couldn’t see more than half a dozen feet ahead of him, and she could be anywhere. Continuing would only end up with him lost … and do nothing to find Jodi. But if Jodi had taught him anything, it was persistence. He’d never met a woman with so much perseverance. It had carried her through eight months of painful physical therapy, and it would get her through whatever she was facing at this moment.
He turned back toward the camp, doing his best to retrace his steps in case he’d missed a clue that she’d been here.
The only explanation that made sense was that someone from among the rebels had seen Ashley and decided her stash of electronics was worth the climb. But if they’d wanted a hostage as well, why risk taking Jodi when there were dozens of hikers at the base camp who were far more accessible than those eight thousand feet up the surface of the mountain?
Entering the camp, he made his way back to his tent and began shoving items into his pack. Someone had dumped Jodi’s things across her sleeping bag. He grabbed for the headlight and flicked on the strong beam. If they’d forced her to leave the tent, she wouldn’t have had time to grab her things, but her cell phone and camera were gone. Which helped substantiate what he already believed to be true: the rebels had been here. But what had they done with Jodi?
Brandon grabbed his backpack and stood, scraping the top of the tent with his head as he exited.
Mosi approached him from the other side of the camp. “Anything?”
Brandon shook his head. “Her cell phone and camera are gone, as are mine, but there is no sign of where she might have gone. What about you and your men?”
“We can’t communicate without radios, but three have just checked in having found nothing. We’ll keep looking until we find her.”
Brandon slung the backpack onto his shoulder and headed past the flickering fire toward the main trail that led toward the base camp. “I’m heading down the mountain. If they did take her and I hurry, I might be able to catch up with them.”
“And then what?” Mosi moved to block his way. “No. You cannot leave.”
“I can and I will.”
“You do not understand the risks.”
Mosi grasped his shoulder, but Brandon pulled away from the older man’s grasp. “What I do understand is that my wife is missing and I have to find her.”
“How? By running down the mountain in the dark? You will never find her that way.”
“I will if you send one of the porters with me. They know the way better than anyone, which means we can catch up with them.”
“We don’t even know if that is where they have taken her. And then what do you do if you find them? You have no weapons. Nothing to fight against them. It is better to simply wait here until help arrives.”
Brandon shook his head. Waiting here was not an option. “If I go, I’ll be able to alert the authorities at the base camp.”
Mosi didn’t look convinced. “This is not the United States. Resources are scarce in my
He took a step forward, then froze. A branch snapped. “Jodi?”
Holding his breath, he moved in a slow circle. The beam of the flashlight cut through the darkness. Something — someone — was out there, waiting, watching —
A bushbuck scampered into the brush. Brandon let out the lungful of air he’d been holding and cursed. She had to be here somewhere, but nothing but the rustling sounds of the disappearing animal answered him.
He stomped through another ten feet of heavy bush and mud, straining to see what the darkness held. His mind worked to focus. If she’d tried to run from the rebels, she could have ended up off the path with a sprained ankle. Besides the rebels, there were plenty of dangers lurking in the surrounding dense forest. Snake and even leopard sightings weren’t uncommon on the lower altitudes of the mountain.
“Jodi?”
His shoulder scraped against the rough bark of a tree. The darkness of the forest closed around him. He couldn’t see more than half a dozen feet ahead of him, and she could be anywhere. Continuing would only end up with him lost … and do nothing to find Jodi. But if Jodi had taught him anything, it was persistence. He’d never met a woman with so much perseverance. It had carried her through eight months of painful physical therapy, and it would get her through whatever she was facing at this moment.
He turned back toward the camp, doing his best to retrace his steps in case he’d missed a clue that she’d been here.
The only explanation that made sense was that someone from among the rebels had seen Ashley and decided her stash of electronics was worth the climb. But if they’d wanted a hostage as well, why risk taking Jodi when there were dozens of hikers at the base camp who were far more accessible than those eight thousand feet up the surface of the mountain?
Entering the camp, he made his way back to his tent and began shoving items into his pack. Someone had dumped Jodi’s things across her sleeping bag. He grabbed for the headlight and flicked on the strong beam. If they’d forced her to leave the tent, she wouldn’t have had time to grab her things, but her cell phone and camera were gone. Which helped substantiate what he already believed to be true: the rebels had been here. But what had they done with Jodi?
Brandon grabbed his backpack and stood, scraping the top of the tent with his head as he exited.
Mosi approached him from the other side of the camp. “Anything?”
Brandon shook his head. “Her cell phone and camera are gone, as are mine, but there is no sign of where she might have gone. What about you and your men?”
“We can’t communicate without radios, but three have just checked in having found nothing. We’ll keep looking until we find her.”
Brandon slung the backpack onto his shoulder and headed past the flickering fire toward the main trail that led toward the base camp. “I’m heading down the mountain. If they did take her and I hurry, I might be able to catch up with them.”
“And then what?” Mosi moved to block his way. “No. You cannot leave.”
“I can and I will.”
“You do not understand the risks.”
Mosi grasped his shoulder, but Brandon pulled away from the older man’s grasp. “What I do understand is that my wife is missing and I have to find her.”
“How? By running down the mountain in the dark? You will never find her that way.”
“I will if you send one of the porters with me. They know the way better than anyone, which means we can catch up with them.”
“We don’t even know if that is where they have taken her. And then what do you do if you find them? You have no weapons. Nothing to fight against them. It is better to simply wait here until help arrives.”
Brandon shook his head. Waiting here was not an option. “If I go, I’ll be able to alert the authorities at the base camp.”
Mosi didn’t look convinced. “This is not the United States. Resources are scarce in my
Similar Books
