Delta set her palm on Megan’s cheek and stared sadly into Megan’s exhausted eyes. Her face was gaunt from the weight she had lost, but she was still the most beautiful woman Delta had ever seen.
“To make a long story short, I managed to steal a knife and cut my way out, and the Bri eventually found me and brought me back here.”
Connie released Megan’s hand and rose from her seat – likely to examine the interior of the hut. By the light from the single window, the four of them could plainly see five hammocks strung from one pole to another, and the hut’s floor was dirt covered with straw. Turning from her examination of the hut, Connie said, “We knew we’d find you, Meg, but even I’m confused. How is it you came to know these people?”
Sitting next to Delta and snuggling close to her, Megan continued. “These people are part of the Bribri tribe—one of the last indigenous people in Costa Rica. Tamar is Bri. I met him when Augustine and I were preparing to come here the second time.”
“You met him in the jungle?” Delta asked.
“Heavens, no. Tamar and Augustine were friends at the university. See, the Costa Rican government sponsors a program for tribals who wish to go to school. It’s all part of a program to actually save the indigenous cultures. Tamar learned Spanish and English from an ethnobotonist back in—”
Sal held up her hand. “An ethno-what?”
“Ethnobotonist. Someone who studies how indigenous people know and use the plants around them. Tamar learned much of his English from the scientist.”
“So he came back to the rainforest to do what?” Delta asked.
“Because of his schooling, and the massive rainforest destruction in Central and South America, Tamar is attempting to catalogue the plants his people use for specific ailments.”
“Fascinating,” Connie mused under her breath. “Civilization isn’t for everybody.”
“I guess not. Tamar said he felt closed in, missed the greenery and the tranquility. So he finished his botany degree and came home. He’s an apprentice to the tribal shaman now, trying to record all of the old ways so that the tribal knowledge doesn’t die out.”
Connie nodded. “We actually have programs like that back home. Both non-native and Cherokee students are learning Cherokee and then teaching it to the Cherokee children.”
Delta released Megan’s hand and stroked her cheek with the back of her hand. “But how did you get here? How did you know how to find them?”
“I didn’t. They found me. I’d been running all night long and was resting when they found me. They saw this necklace and recognized it.” Megan showed them the necklace she was wearing. “Tamar gave it to me after one of our trips. Thank God I was still wearing it. They brought me back here, and there was Tamar.”
“That necklace saved your life,” Sal said, leaning forward to get a better look at it.
“In a way, yes. The Bribri are a peaceful people, and might have simply passed me by, but they saw the necklace and my condition, and knew I needed help. All I had to do was say Tamar’s name with a smile and they were more than happy to bring me here.”
“Incredible,” Delta said, shaking her head in wonder. “Even the rainforest is a small world.”
Megan took Delta’s hand and kissed it. “Apparently so. When we got here, Tamar told Itka and his men of my dilemma, so they went looking to see if the General’s men were coming. Apparently, while they were out there, they spotted a pair of poachers getting ready to make sport out of the three of you, so they killed them. The Bri hate poachers.”
“Okay, but why the ever-so-chilly reception?” Sal asked.
“When they saw Sal’s uniform, they thought she might be one of Zahn’s soldiers. They were a little confused about you being women, though.”
“So that’s why they kept staring at me and pointing to my boots.”
Megan nodded. “The Bri were just protecting their home from the poachers and me from Zahn. See, they know I care about them and their culture. Tamar told them of my interest in preserving the macaws and other rainforest birds, so the Bri respect what Augustine and I were doing.”
Connie rubbed her chin. “But don’t these people also hunt the macaw?”
Megan nodded. “Some tribes do, when the food supply is low. In the rainforest ecosystem, the tribal people are simply another strand of the food web. Macaws aren’t their first choice, but in here, you eat whatever you can catch. That’s the beauty of it. The Bri are part of the ecosystem, not above it.”
“But how did you make it through the rainforest alone at night?” Delta asked.
Megan took Delta’s face in her hands and peered into her green eyes. “I was never alone, honey. Not so long as you live will I ever be alone. Your love gave me courage. I knew if I could just get out of there, I would come home to you. I didn’t know how long or when, but I knew I would.”
“You’re incredible,” Delta said, lightly kissing Megan. Megan pulled back with a smile and then reached for Connie and Sal to pull them close, so the four women formed a tight circle. “The question remains, how did you even know where to begin looking for me?”
Linking arms, the three weary travelers recounted their tale of adventure, beginning with the alarming phone call from Liz.
When Delta finished telling of their trials in the rain forest, Tamar and Itka returned, bearing platters of colorful fruits, roots, various meats and nuts—all laid out artistically.
“It is our custom to offer guests our finest food. You will insult Itka and the tribe if you do not eat.”
“What is it?” Sal asked, pointing to the meat.
Tamar grinned at her. “Just pretend it is the beef you Americans are so overly fond of.”
Megan reached for a piece of meat and put it in her mouth. The others waited for an expression that did not come. Instead of making a face, she smiled at Itka and nodded. “Tastes like chicken.”
“Frogs’ legs,” Sal muttered under her breath. “I bet they’re frogs’ legs.”
Connie looked down at the platter. “Cassava.”
Tamar smiled at her. “We have cassava beer, but women do not drink it.”
“That’s fine. This meal will more than suffice, thank you.” Connie plucked what looked like a large kiwi from the platter and began to eat. “It’s certainly fresher than we get at the supermarket.”
For the next fifteen minutes, the small group ate quietly, but Delta could hardly focus; all she wanted to do was take Megan in her arms and kiss her until morning. Megan was thinner than when she’d boarded the plane, but her beauty was as captivating as ever. Whatever fate had befallen her at the camp had put new wisdom in those blue eyes. As Delta gazed at her, she realized that the prostitute she’d fallen in love with was long, long gone. Sitting beside her now was a worldly woman with more poise, more confidence, and more self-assurance than the lady of the night Delta had first met.
As she finished the last of a yellow fruit, Megan caught Delta’s stare and returned it. “Later,” she mouthed, grinning warmly at her lover. Delta nodded shyly and returned her attention to a strip of meat she was sure was not beef.
When the platter was completely empty, Itka spoke to Tamar, who listened carefully, occasionally nodding. When Itka rose, he nodded to everyone, but placed his hands on Megan’s head and mumbled a few words before leaving.
“Itka says it is an honor to have you here, but he senses your weariness. He has offered you his home for as long as you care to stay.”
Megan nodded and took Tamar’s hand in hers. “Please tell him we are grateful for his kindness, but to stay would put his people in jeopardy. If we can sleep here tonight, we will be on our way in the morning.”
When Tamar rose and started to leave, Megan called him back. “Tamar?”
“Yes?”
“I don’t know how we can ever repay you or your people for your kindness and hospitality.”
Tamar stepped back into the hut. His face was a mask of seriousness. “Helping to save our ho
me is thanks enough, Megan Osbourne.” With that, Tamar left.
“Someone pinch me,” Connie whispered. “This is...this is incredible.”
“Isn’t it amazing how we view the quality of our lives by how much we have, yet there are still hunters and gatherers who understand that the quality isn’t in possessions but in the people you surround yourself with?” Megan fingered her necklace as she spoke. “No freeways, no televisions, no punching a time card. They really know how to live. It’s amazing.”
Delta slid her arm around Megan’s waist. “So are you.”
Megan blushed and looked down. “Why? Because I was able to stay alive?”
“Among other things.”
Looking up at Delta, Megan’s lips curled up in a smile. “You would have been disappointed if I’d acted like the rest of the women at the camp. I couldn’t let you down by waiting to be butchered.”
“Let us down?” Connie interrupted. “You did this all on your own. I mean, you escaped from some paramilitary criminal in the middle of the jungle.”
Sal yawned again and stretched. “Yeah, man. Who does that asshole think he is, anyway?”
“He’s a very bright, very successful crook, Sal. The amount of gold we’ve pulled from the water would blow you away.”
Connie’s eyebrows shot up. “What do you mean, water?”
“There’s an underground river flowing through some caverns which opened during the earthquake of 1991. Zahn will use the gold to back the drug cartels as well as strengthen his own empire.”
“Then, they really aren’t drug runners?”
“Not right now. Gold is the only thing they’re after here. Once they get it, they’ll be off to plunder some other resource from some other country. Believe me, I’ve learned more than I care to about the diversity of the Colombian cartels.”
“How are they going to get it out of the rainforest?”
Megan shrugged and laid her head on Delta’s shoulder. “I’m not sure. I heard something about a boat in the Caribbean, but my Spanish isn’t very good yet. That was about all I could make out.”
“They’re carrying it out of the jungle?” Connie asked.
Megan shrugged again. “All I know is about a half a dozen men leave every other day with their backpacks filled with as much gold as they can carry. They return by nightfall with empty backpacks, so they’re leaving it somewhere.”
Delta studied Megan’s eyes for a minute before pulling her closer. “You must be exhausted.”
Megan closed her eyes and nodded. “I am.”
Connie kicked Sal’s foot before standing up and pulling her to her feet. “Come on.”
“Where we goin’? I was just gettin’ comfy,” Sal muttered. Connie looked at Delta and Megan before glaring at Sal, who slowly understood what Connie was getting at.
“Oh. I bet you two would like some alone time, huh?” Sal asked, grinning sheepishly.
Delta smiled warmly at the would-be soldier. “A little. If you don’t mind.”
“Mind? Hell, she’s the reason we just ate monkey guts. Besides, the resident genius over here can’t wait to have a chat with the natives. Her eyes haven’t stopped bugging out since we arrived.”
After pushing Sal out the hut entrance, Connie knelt down and held Megan’s hands.
Megan brought Connie’s hand to her lips and kissed it.
“Thank you. Thank you for not letting her come alone.”
Connie looked at Delta and nodded. “Not in a million years. You two take your time. God knows, you deserve it.”
After Connie left, Delta turned to Megan and kissed her long and deep. It was the kind of kiss only two impassioned women could experience together—a soul-binding exchange that said more than a dictionary full of words. It was the kind of kiss women dream of sharing once in a lifetime. As Delta’s lips slowly pulled away from Megan’s, Delta knew that although they were in the middle of a rainforest, they were home.
As their lips melted together again, Delta thought of home. She’d learned so much about what the word meant. It wasn’t where her job was, or the street where her house stood. Home was wherever Megan was, and in this tiny hut in a village so far removed from River Valley, Delta had found it again.
“I missed you so much, I ache,” Delta whispered, lightly touching Megan’s collarbone. “There are so many things I need to share with you—so many feelings I never knew I could feel, but I don’t even know where to begin.”
Megan’s fingers lightly danced across Delta’s shirt buttons. “Then show me, my love. We don’t need words to express what we’ve been feeling for the past three months. Take me in your arms and show me.” Sliding Delta’s shirt off, Megan began kissing her neck, as her hands found their way to Delta’s belt and unbuckled it.
Delta closed her eyes and could hardly breathe. She had imagined their reunion so differently, yet this was somehow far better than her mind could create. Megan’s lips nuzzled her neck, her delicate hands reaching for Delta’s breasts, with only the sounds from the jungle to accompany them. Delta was in paradise.
“Take your pants off,” Megan whispered as she gently bit Delta’s ear.
Chills ran down Delta’s arms and her nipples immediately reacted. “God, I’ve missed you so very much.” Taking her shoes and then her torn jeans off, Delta lay back while Megan slipped carefully between her legs. They fit together so perfectly, it felt as if they had only been apart three days, not three months. Delta ran her hands through the long blonde hair she loved so much and didn’t take her eyes off Megan’s face. “You are everything I need,” Delta whispered, kissing her softly. Megan’s weight felt so good on her body, as they kissed with rising passion.
“I’ll never leave home without you again,” Megan said, gazing intently into Delta’s face. Locked in an embrace that nothing but death could pull apart, Megan slowly lowered her mouth to Delta’s and kissed her with more passion and more power than either had ever experienced together. With her lips gliding over Delta’s, Megan lightly ran her hand over her lover’s body, eliciting goose bumps on those long arms and legs.
“Trying to drive me mad?” Delta said softly.
“You’re already there, my love.” Megan ran her hands over Delta’s breasts, down her stomach, and over her patch of brown curls, pausing for a moment with her hand resting solidly on Delta’s mound.
Delta reached out and laid her hand on top of Megan’s. Tears suddenly sprang into her eyes and Megan’s face blurred before her. “I thought...”
“Shhh. None of that matters now. Nothing matters, Delta Stevens, except that we are here together in this beautiful, magical place.”
Delta thought she might explode before Megan even touched her. Every nerve ending was alive and on fire.
Megan grinned down into Delta’s eyes before tossing her long hair over her shoulder and out of Delta’s face. “It’s true. Nothing but death can stand in our way. Where we were, who we’ve been, doesn’t matter anymore. Our lives begin here and now, Delta.” Kissing Delta softly at first, and then with more passion, Megan slid to the side and began stroking Delta’s breast with one hand. Delta’s body came to life, her nipples hardened, and she ached to be touched all over.
Slipping down from Delta’s mouth to her neck and then to her other breast, Megan’s hands didn’t stop moving; as if trying to memorize every inch of her.
“Oh...God...” Delta moaned.
“She can’t help you now, my sweet.” Megan played with Delta’s coarse dark hair, then slowly moved her hand lower and lower, until her hand rested again on top of Delta’s vagina. The heat coming off Delta’s body was palpable.
Megan moved up so they were face-to-face. That was how Delta enjoyed lovemaking with Megan: looking in her eyes as their hearts beat in unison. But their hearts weren’t beating now. They were racing, and Delta could barely tolerate the tension building up in her body.
“Love me, Megan. Love me forever.”
With that, Megan slowly, lovingly
slid her fingers into Delta, as Delta arched her back to take them as far as she could. She wanted it all; she wanted to know everything Megan felt. She wanted to feel the love she knew existed between them. Delta wanted this purest of emotions to flow through her like the blood in her veins.
“Hold on, sweetheart,” Megan whispered in her ear.
Delta put her arms around Megan and held on tightly, as Megan’s fingers worked magic inside Delta’s body. It was as if the love Megan felt pulsated from her fingertips and into Delta’s soul. She had never loved like this before, and she knew, no matter what happened in her life, Megan Osbourne was her one true love.
“Oh...shit...” Delta said, as her heart pounded and the muscles in her body began contracting and relaxing. It was coming, like a runaway train: fast, furious, out of control, and she was powerless to do anything but lie there and feel it; feel the energy and emotions pouring into her. And like a dry sponge, Delta took it all in. Together, she and Megan moved in a rhythm born out of knowledge of each other’s bodies. Megan knew when to slow down, when to apply more pressure, when to tease and when to give in. And as the train picked up speed, Delta stared into the luminous blue eyes she loved so desperately. She could never imagine her life without this woman.
“I love you,” Delta barely managed to say.
Megan stopped her movements and lightly touched Deltas face with her free hand. “I knew you would come.” With that, Megan pulled Delta to her and held onto her with everything she had as her fingers massaged parts of Delta only Megan knew about.
“Oh...no...”
Megan smiled into Delta’s face. “Oh, yes.”
As the train zoomed over a crest and hurtled on its way, Delta felt her eyes well up with tears. There were simply too many emotions for her heart and body to take in. But still, the train sped on, and Delta’s body felt as if it were being lifted magically into the air. She no longer felt Megan’s fingers, or her body, or the breath on her face. All Delta could feel was this intense, pulsing rhythm at the base of her neck as it traveled down her spine. Her back arched, her eyes closed, Delta envisioned this barreling train as it passed through her stomach and her legs. Rising almost completely off the floor of the hut, Delta was on another plane, in some other universe, experiencing the most intense emotional feelings of her life.
Delta Force Page 17
