Primordia_In Search of the Lost World Read online

  “Okay.” Dan nodded, looking pleased with himself, and turned back around.

  “Whoa.” Emma leaned out of the side of their buggy as they approached their hotel. She turned and grinned. “You’re unbelievable, Mr. Murakami.”

  “We Japanese have class.” Dan winked at her.

  Waku Lodge was done in a tropical grass hut style, but the large buildings in the center of verdant green grass were far from holiday hokey.

  They eased to a stop on a glass-smooth asphalt driveway, and the drivers immediately leapt out to shepherd them inside, promising to bring their bags in after them.

  “I like it.” Ben nodded his approval. “Grass hut outside, first class inside.”

  “Mr. Murakami?” The young woman behind the reception counter flashed them a stunning smile.

  “Yo.” Dan raised an arm and almost jogged to the desk. He looked around. “Beautiful place.”

  “Thank you.” She beamed.

  “Hi.” Ben came and leant on the countertop. “Any other guests?”

  “No sir, we –”

  “Any booked, or been here in the last few days?” he pressed.

  Her smile dropped a fraction at his abruptness. “No, sir, and none for a few weeks; until the tourist season really starts. You have it all to yourself until then.”

  “Thank you.” Ben felt relieved. Though he would have loved to administer a little payback justice to his intruders, he didn’t want them using this as their launchpad as well.

  Dan had booked them in for the night, and then again for a few more nights later. But it was left as a standing order and line of credit – whenever they got back, everything was prepaid.

  They were each shown to their rooms, and when Ben pushed his door open, he just stopped and took it all in. The rooms were each a jungle fantasy – lamp shades designed to look like birds of paradise, bamboo wall paneling, with ceiling fans slowly rotating to move the warm flower-scented air. New porcelain gleamed in the bathrooms, and thankfully, the mini-bar was well stocked.

  “Oh yeah, this’ll do just fine.”

  His bags were already on the small blanket table beside the bed, and on a side table, a pitcher of fresh pineapple juice. He sat down, poured himself a glass and drank half, before letting himself fall backwards and then threw an arm over his eyes. It was only three in the afternoon, but he could have drifted off then and there. In the past week, he had travelled more in a few days than he had in years. Though he was only 35, right then, he felt about a hundred.

  “Anyone home…or at least awake?” Emma grinned in his doorway.

  He turned his head. “How can you look so fresh?” Ben groaned as he tried to sit up. “Whatever you’re taking, Ms. Wilson, give me some right now.”

  She laughed softly and came and grabbed his arm to haul him up to a sitting position. “What sort of people is our military turning out these days?” She crossed to the side table and sipped at his juice.

  “Ex-military.” Ben rubbed his face. “A quick shower, something to eat, and about a weeks sleep, and you watch, I’ll be good as new.”

  “Pfft.” She knelt up beside him on the bed. “Come here.” She grabbed his shoulders and started to knead his aching muscles. Then put the point of her elbow in at the base of his neck and ran it down his spine a few inches.

  He moaned, feeling like he’d been sent to heaven. “Okay, yep, that’s it, right there.”

  She changed hands. “Feels like a stack of knotted wood in there.”

  “Thank you, you’re not too bad yourself.” He chuckled and tilted his head back, mouth open.

  Emma moved her hands up to his head, and her fingers began to gently make circles at his temples.

  “O-oooh boy.” Ben felt like he was floating. He opened one eye. “Knotted wood, huh?”

  “Hmm, maybe something a lot more dense.” She sniggered.

  Ben felt himself relax, and he breathed deeply. He felt the small movement of the air from the overhead fan as it stirred the balmy, tropical heat. But he also caught the delicate scent of Emma’s perfume, mixed with a slight hint of perspiration. He found it intoxicating.

  After another moment she gently slapped his shoulder. “There you go, big guy.”

  Ben rolled his neck muscles. “Thanks.” He turned, and she still knelt on the bed. Emma’s eyes locked with his, and they both just stared for several moments. Her eyes seemed to darken as her pupils dilated.

  She reached a hand out, and the tips of her fingers gently ran down along the scar on his face. Her hand stayed on his chin, the thumb stroking there for a second.

  Ben’s lust rose and he reached out a hand, first to her shoulder, and then to her chin, cupping it. Her eyes never left his as he drew her face to his.

  “Yes,” she whispered. “I’ve waited so long for you.”

  Their lips just touched.

  “Knock, knock.” The door handle turned and Dan poked his head around the door. “Sorry, hope I wasn’t disturbing anything.” His eyes widened theatrically. “Oh, was I?”

  “Wassup?” Ben asked, easing back from Emma.

  “Dinner at six, and then we have a date with, ahem, some gentlemen who’d like to sell us some portable self-protection.” Dan waggled his eyebrows.

  “I’ll be there,” Ben replied.

  “Great; see you at six.” Dan went to shut the door, but paused. “Carry on.” He sniggered as he shut the door.

  Ben sighed and looked back at Emma. “Where were we?”

  Emma slid from the bed. “Getting interrupted.” She headed for the door.

  “But…” Ben groaned, feeling annoyed – primarily with Dan.

  She got to the door, but instead of leaving, she locked it and turned, smiling wickedly back at him. “And that fixes that.” She pulled her T-shirt up over her head. She didn’t wear a bra, and two small but perfect breasts jiggled slightly.

  “Beautiful.” Ben got to his feet and she crossed to him. He grabbed at her small figure, pulled her close, and kissed her deeply, tasting pineapple as her tongue danced in his mouth.

  Emma stepped back and began to unbutton his shirt. She looked up into his eyes with a dusky expression. “I’ve dreamed about this.” She finished his buttons and pulled his shirt open. “Oh wow.” She stood back, admiring his physique. “And now my dreams come true.”

  Following leaving the military, Ben worked to stay in shape, and his body was still ripped and powerful looking. The downside was the multiple scars – the burns, stab marks, and surgery scars.

  Emma traced one with a finger. “I’m glad you’re not doing that anymore.”

  “No.” He enfolded her in his arms. “These days, I’m playing it safe by coming to a deadly jungle to search for a lost world that may be inhabited by monsters. Oh, and with some bad guys willing to bash my head in along the way.”

  She smiled and shrugged. “Keeps the boredom gremlins away, huh?”

  He kissed her again, and she pushed him back onto the bed and climbed on top of him. Her legs came up on either side of his hips. Ben had never wanted a woman so much as he wanted Emma then. And it seemed she was the same with him.

  She moved herself back and forth, grinding down at him; making him so hard it became painful. Emma leant forward to kiss and then nibbled at his ear. “Mmm, I can feel more knotted wood – better take care of that too.” She reached for his belt.

  *****

  After a dinner of roasted meats, local fruits, and vegetables cooked with way too much precision for a hotel on the edge of an Amazonian jungle, Steve, Andrea, and Emma retired to the bar for a nightcap, and Ben, Dan, and Jenny prepared for their rendezvous.

  Having Jenny there was bad enough, but she had to be there. However, it had taken all his persuasive skills to keep Emma out of it. He liked that she was concerned and wanted to be with him, but meeting gun smugglers in the night for a cash transaction has the potential to go wrong in so many ways that he knew he’d need eyes in the back of his head, as well as all the milita
ry intuition he could bring to bear.

  Ben drove the buggy out into the darkness. Both Dan and Jenny sat in silence, and he could sense the nervousness coming off them in waves. Ben hoped the transaction was going to be fast and uncomplicated. As it wasn’t his money, and Dan had plenty of it anyway, haggling over price was not going to be an issue.

  Ben had seen the results of dumb people trying to deal with black market weapon militias before and trying to play hardball – sometimes the militias just decided to keep both the money and the guns, and if they left behind a few bodies, well, then that was just bad luck and the cost of doing business for the patsies.

  Dan checked his GPS and then held up a hand.

  “Pull in here.”

  “Here?” Ben scoffed. “You’re kidding, right?” It was dark jungle on three sides, plus the sound of the falls in the distance masked any potential sound of approach.

  “I don’t like it.”

  “Neither do I.” Dan grimaced, his teeth showing white. “What do you suggest?”

  Ben looked one way then the next. “How long until our meet?”

  Dan checked his watch. “I said oh eight hundred. So, in ten more minutes.”

  “Got it; stay in the car. I’ll do a quick recon.” Ben went to leap out, but paused. “You guys speak Spanish?”

  “Yes,” Jenny replied.

  “A little,” Dan added.

  “Suficiente para tener una conversación?” Ben said, and raised his eyebrows.

  “Okay, well then, no, not really.” Dan grinned back sheepishly.

  “Let Jenny do the talking. But first prize is to get them to speak English.” Ben reached into the cart. “And I’ll take this.” He grabbed the moneybag. “See you soon. And remember, be cool.”

  “Wait, what?” Dan hissed, but Ben had already slid into the brush.

  Ben moved back along the edge of the track, and then did a big loop back towards the vehicle, staying low and quiet.

  The sound of the Angel Falls was a constant background roar, so he didn’t need to creep. He pushed bracken out of his way and was thankful the moon was near full; the silver light gave him more than enough vision even though the jungle was raw and thick in this area.

  He had worn a hooded pullover and drew it over his head; though his tanned and stubbled face wasn’t that pale and reflective, he had refused to wear insect repellent, as the odor was distinctive in a jungle, and so the only protection he had against biting insects was his clothing.

  He heard movement above the background noise in the jungle – it was them. He eased down to watch.

  *****

  Dan fidgeted in the front seat. “Jesus, I don’t like this.” He looked over his shoulder. “Where’s Ben? I wanted him here, to goddamn be here, not be out there somewhere.”

  “Heads up. Company.” Jenny reached forward from the back seat to grip his shoulder.

  “Fuck.” Dan felt his heart rate kick up threefold.

  “Hola?” The three men ambled from the jungle, each carrying large bags. All had sidearms.

  “Hola,” Dan replied, hating that his voice had a tremor in it.

  “Buenas noches para los negocios, ¿sí?” The lead man held up a hand.

  “Jesus, I have no idea what he just said.” Dan licked his lips.

  Jenny leaned forward, whispering. “He said it was a nice night for business.”

  “Okay, got it,” he whispered over his shoulder before turning to the men. “Yes, it is. You speak English?” he asked.

  He went to step out and Jenny grabbed him. “Stay in here…”

  “I got this.” He got out anyway.

  “Damn it.” She got out as well.

  “A little.” The man’s grin was luminous in the dark. His two colleagues spread out to the left and right, hands hanging loosely over the holsters on their belts.

  “You are Mr. Dan, yes?” the man asked.

  “Yes, that’s me,” Dan replied. He tried to project a cool confidence, but felt his legs shaking.

  “Jose.” The man tapped his chest.

  “Nice to meet you, Jose.” Dan swallowed.

  “Yes, yes, good to know you too.” He looked about. “Just, ah, you two?” he asked.

  “Don’t answer that.” Jenny whispered. “Let’s get this over with.”

  “Did you bring the guns?” Dan asked.

  “Sure, lots of guns. Not easy to get. Did you bring the money?” Jose had stopped but his two friends walked forward a few paces to stand at each end of the buggy.

  “You stay right there,” Dan said.

  One of the huge men kept coming in, and then stuck one huge hand out. “Money.”

  “Sorry, it doesn’t work that way,” Jenny said evenly.

  “I think we will tell you the way it works.” Jose laughed corrosively, and then spoke rapid Spanish to his man.

  “Oh shit,” Jenny said as the guy lunged in and put a hand on Dan’s shoulder, grabbed a handful of shirt, and started to drag him closer.

  “I haven’t got the money,” Dan said.

  There was a thump and a grunt, and the guy who held Dan looked over his shoulder. Dan also peered around him.

  Ben was holding the other of Jose’s henchmen from where he had knocked him to the ground. He lifted him and turned the still groggy man around, holding him by the collar.

  “I’ve got the money.” Ben’s voice was full of controlled menace. Immediately, the dynamic changed. The guy who held Dan let him go and swung around to focus on the bigger threat.

  Dan felt relief wash over him. “My security. Protection against wild animals and all that.”

  Jose stood side on and waved his remaining man to be at ease, who now had his hand on his gun. “You are armed, señor? Why don’t you let my friend go and come out where we can see you? All friends here.”

  “You think I’d come to this transaction unarmed?” Ben stepped further in, and shook the men he held. He kept his other hand in his pocket.

  Jose cursed under his breath. Ben was a big man and obviously immediately had an impression on the smaller Venezuelan.

  “Ex-military,” Dan said. “And I’m afraid, very short-tempered.”

  “I hope we can conduct a pleasant transaction, and then all go home happy,” Ben said continuing to maintain an edge to his voice. He pushed the man he held forward where he sprawled for a moment, and then got up to crawl forward and rub his jaw.

  There was silence for a few moments, and Jose’s colleague looked to him and then back to Ben. After a moment, Jose chortled and waved his hand.

  “Sure, sure.” He turned to his men and snapped his fingers. “Poner las armas, rápidamente.”

  The two men set to laying a sheet on the ground on which they placed row after row of handguns, rifles, and ammunition.

  Dan exhaled with relief as Ben came in closer, and Dan and Jenny came to his sides.

  “Flashlights,” he said and kept his eyes on the men, as Jenny and Dan turned on their lights and shone them down on the weapon’s cache. Ben glanced down briefly, his experienced eye running over the cache.

  “We’ll take six of the Sig Saur, 9mm semi-automatic handguns.”

  “Six?” Dan straightened. “One for Andrea as well? I don’t think she can even shoot?”

  “She’ll learn.” Ben eased Dan out of his line of sight. “Also two spare magazines a piece.” He edged closer, looking at the larger weapons. “Nice. I’ll take that M4A1 carbine, and two spare mags.”

  “Very good, señor.” Jose grinned. “But not elephants down here.” He chuckled. “Maybe in a zoo.”

  Ben grunted. “The zoo, huh? In that case, I better take that Mossberg shotgun as well. Plus two boxes of shells.”

  Jose rubbed his hands together. “Excelente.” He waited.

  “That’ll do.” Ben stepped back. “Best price.”

  Jose blew air through his lips. “These weapons, top of the line, very hard to acquire.” He began to shake his head. “And premium for discretion
.” He shrugged. “Fifty thousand, American dollars.”

  Ben snorted. “Make it –”

  “We’ll take em,” Dan shot back. And turned to Ben, nodding vigorously. “No haggling remember?” he whispered.

  Ben hiked his shoulders. “It’s your money.” He turned back to Jose. “Collect them all up into one of those bags, ammunition included for me to do a spot check; then we’re done here.”

  Jose had his men separate out their chosen weapons and lay them in the bag. Ben put his hand in, took one of the handguns, snapped a magazine in, and quickly turned, firing two test rounds into a tree trunk.

  “Now, I’m armed.” He tucked the gun into his belt. “Pleasure doing business.”

  Jose snorted, and Dan handed over several wads of cash. Jose quickly counted it off. He then saluted with two fingers. “Good luck, señors and señorita, with whatever war you intend making in our beautiful country.” He chuckled and then the three men vanished into the darkness.

  They watched them go for a moment and over the sound of the waterfall, they could just hear the faint rev of an engine for a moment before that too vanished.

  “They’re gone.” Dan exhaled and then slapped his thighs as he bent over. “Je-zuz, was that a rush or what?”

  Ben grinned. “Expensive day’s work, Mr. Murakami.”

  Jenny smiled. “Oh well, we got the guns, and no one has any holes in them, so, there’s that.”

  “Yep. I’m happy with that,” Ben said.

  “Now what?” Dan asked.

  “We get these home. We leave tomorrow morning, and when we’re in the jungle, we do some limited practice shooting.”

  Dan looked in the bag and hefted the Mossberg shotgun. He looked up at Ben. “So, looks like you’re starting to believe there really might be something out in that jungle, huh?”

  Ben closed the bag. “Well, as the saying goes, it’s better to have a gun and not need it than need a gun and not have it.” He hefted the bag. “And yeah, this jungle, the Amazon, is a land of mystery and myth. If there’s anywhere in the world where something can remain hidden, this is the place.”

  He headed to the buggy. “Let’s go.”