Virgo's Vice

by Trish Jackson

  “Ta da!” Sam says, and holds up a bottle of some sort of liquor.

  “What is it?” Billy says.

  “Cinnamon Fireball whiskey. It’s good. I was gonna keep it to drink if I was really down, or if I was on a team that had something to celebrate, or something like that. But tonight seems like the right time.”

  “Yeah!” Jared drags the crumpled pack of Camels out of his pocket. “Anyone want a smoke?”

  Rodriguez takes him up on the offer.

  Jared takes both cigarettes into the shelter to light them with the candle. He hands one to Rodriguez before seating himself beside me again. I can hear him suck on the cigarette and inhale. He blows out a smoke ring, and another. They drift lazily up and into the darkness.

  We hold our mugs out and Faith pours coffee into them. The whiskey bottle is passed around and those who want pour some into their coffee.

  When it gets to us, Billy hands me his mug. He holds the bottle up above mine. “Say when.”

  I let him pour a generous amount. “When.”

  He pours about the same amount into his mug and passes the bottle on to Jared. “Old Man Dockery didn’t do much about checking what was in our knapsacks like he said he would.”

  “I’m not complaining, dude,” Jared says.

  I like the warm sensation in my stomach when it gets down there. By the time my coffee is finished I’m feeling real mellow.

  “I hope Allan Dockery brings more first aid supplies,” Maria says. “We’ve already used quite a lot of things.”

  “Did anyone see the animals?” I say, changing the subject totally. “Zebra and wildebeests.”

  No one else had seen them. I guess we were the only ones in that area.

  “It was awesome,” I say, glancing at Billy, who nods. I’m thinking about the kiss and the touch of his hands on me. I stare at his face until he wrinkles his brow.

  “You’re staring,” he says, and puts his mouth to my ear. “I want to kiss you again. I can’t stop thinking about it.”

  My body reacts, and I know I’m blushing at the thoughts going through my head.

  The conversation lags and eventually Rodriguez hauls himself up, grimaces, and announces he’s going to bed. The others start to follow.

  Billy squeezes my thigh. “Want to take the first watch?”

  “I’ll take it tonight.” Trip doesn’t give me time to answer. “You don’t have to do it every night.” He bangs the sole of his shoe to knock the tobacco out of his pipe.

  Billy shrugs. “Okay. I guess it’s time to turn in then.” He stares at me.

  “Lexie, why don’t you stay with me,” Trip says. “I’m much more a man than him.”

  Nausea rushes through me. I stop myself from saying anything or slapping him, and follow Billy into the shelter, and take off my shoes and socks with shaking hands.

  Kelli and Andy are cuddling together. They move over and allow enough of a space to fit me and Billy in. I’m so angry with Trip for that dumb jealous remark I want to scream.

  Billy pulls his shirt off and hangs it somewhere. He’s probably going to take off his jeans too. A moment of panic rushes through me, and for a few seconds I almost squeeze in at the end, beside Eve. Why? I don’t understand. I tell myself I’m being stupid and wait for Billy to join me, my heart beating way too fast.

  He doesn’t touch me. “You okay?” he asks quietly.

  “Yeah. I’m just pissed off.”

  “That dude sure knows how to push your buttons,” he whispers. “And I was hoping to get you drunk so I could take advantage of you.” He chuckles. “I guess the timing was off.”

  Billy lays his arm over me protectively. I’m cold and he’s warm and I snuggle into him. I know he won’t expect me to do anything I don’t want to. There is something so erotic about that—about a man who puts my feelings first. My anger morphs into desire as the tension melts away. He kisses me on my cheek.

  “You’re beautiful,” he whispers.

  “And you’re warm,” I say. “You didn’t take off your jeans.”

  “No, I’d probably poke you in places you wouldn’t want to be poked,” he whispers in my ear.

  I giggle. And then I think about what he said and I know I would probably like to be poked in the places he’s thinking about.

  “It’s not funny,” he says. “Women are lucky. They don’t have problems like this.”

  I lie still and pretend to be asleep. He fidgets around for a while before his breathing gets slow and deep. I stay awake for a while longer, thinking about the day. I’ve only known Billy for two days, but it seems like we’ve been friends forever. The memory of his hands on my most intimate parts is still very much with me. I think about the hunger I saw in his eyes. He seems nice. If only I knew that he hadn’t done something awful like physically hurting someone.

  Eventually I must have fallen asleep.

  “She’s gone,” I hear. “Eve’s gone again.”

  Chapter 20

  I open one eye and turn over onto my back, ignoring the discomfort of the poles under me. I can’t believe how late I slept.

  “How do you know?” someone else says. “She’s probably in the can.”

  “No.” I recognize Sam’s voice. “I just checked. She’s not there.”

  I slide off the bed and slip on my shoes. I finger comb my hair and run my tongue over my teeth. I’m lucky I have a toothbrush and toothpaste, which is going quickly because some of the others have asked if they can use some so they can at least rub their teeth with their fingers.

  Lela is still on the bed but everyone else is standing around the fire drinking coffee. I get my tin mug and Faith pours some out of the pot for me.

  I make sure I know where Trip is, which is not difficult because he’s leaning on the tree smoking his pipe. He smiles when he sees me looking his way but I ignore him and sit on a tree stump with my back to him.

  “That chick did the same thing when we were fishing,” Jared says. “She took off and didn’t tell us.” He scratches the stubble that has grown on his chin. “She didn’t apologize, either.”

  “Yeah, she probably went for a walk.” Billy moves over to me and sits on his haunches beside me, a steaming mug of coffee in his hand. He drags his hat off and runs his hands through his hair to sweep it back. The dark stubble on his face makes him even hotter than he already is.

  “Where’s Andy?” I ask. “And Kelli.”

  Billy points down toward the creek where we went fishing. “They went to get water and see if they can catch any more fish.”

  “That’s a long walk for those shoes,” Jared says. “I doubt if she’ll make it all the way down there.”

  “I would have thought you would also want to go fishing,” I say to Billy.

  “I do, but I want to help find Eve first.”

  “I thought we had made it clear to her that she should let someone know next time she wanders off on her own,” Stretch says.

  “The big guy’s right,” Rodriguez says. “Maybe we should decide on some rules. At least until Old Man Dockery gets here tomorrow.” He grimaces and closes his eyes.

  “Who said he’s coming tomorrow?” Sam asks and stares at me.

  “Not me,” I say. “He said three days, but that could be tomorrow or the next day.”

  Mark is filming us. “I think it’ll be tomorrow,” he says. “He knows we have very little in the way of supplies, besides which he must be anxious to get this show on the road. A series like this costs a lot of money, and the clock is running even though you’re not competing yet.”

  “I think we are competing,” Faith says. “I think this is the first leg of the game. When he gets here, anyone who isn’t making it will be eliminated.” She stares at Rodriguez’s ankle.

 
Sam snorts. “Well, it won’t be me. Maybe people who wander off without telling anyone should be eliminated. If we have to vote someone out I’m voting for her. Eve.”

  “She could be right,” Maria says to Rodriguez. “Your ankle isn’t getting any better. I’m beginning to think you broke it.”

  “It’ll be okay. I’m not dropping out.” I can see he wants to frown but he forces a smile instead.

  “So what do you think, Trip?” Faith peers across the fire at him. “Should we decide on some rules?”

  “I’m easy. Whatever everyone else wants. I’d rather be spending my time hunting for food again.”

  “I’m coming, too,” Lela’s voice comes from the shelter. I can hear her struggling to wriggle into her jeans.

  Faith pours coffee into Lela’s mug. “Like I said before, we need to make a to-do list. We do need more food.” She stares at Trip. “If you think there is other food available.”

  He takes the pipe out of his mouth. “I’ll find something.” He checks his watch. “When will you be ready to go?” he asks Lela.

  “I’m coming, too,” Sam says.

  “You okay to take over filming here?” Mark says to me.

  Nodding, I stand and get my camera from the box in the shelter. When I come out, Trip says, “Why don’t you two switch? Let Lexie come with me this time and you film the fishing expedition.” He sticks his pipe back into his mouth and stares at me. Bile rises in my throat.

  I’m about to say something but Mark speaks for me. “No, it’s working out okay the way we’ve been doing it. I’ll go with you.” He stares at Trip. I know he’s trying to spare me and I am thankful. I smile at him and he smiles back and nods.

  “Well I don’t know what’s so special about that cowboy,” Trip grumbles.

  Billy stands up. “And I don’t know what your problem is, buddy, but I don’t like you and I don’t like the way you keep trying to put me down.”

  Trip glares at him for a few moments with narrowed eyes, and I’m holding my breath wondering if he’s gonna do something physical, but then he knocks the tobacco from his pipe and stuffs it into his pocket. “Come on,” he says, and picks up the shovel.

  I watch the four of them as they set off in the same direction they went yesterday.

  “What about Eve?” I say to Billy after I get the camera rolling. He’s been wandering around all over the camp, staring at the ground.

  “We should go look for her,” he says. “We need to know she’s safe.”

  “I’ll help,” Stretch says.

  “Me, too,” Maria says. “What do you suggest?” She stares at Billy.

  He glances at Jared.

  “Let me get my shoes on,” he says.

  “Okay. I think we should all stick together,” Billy says. “We should start by checking for her footprints. She was wearing those sandals with low heels.” He stares down at the sand. “There. I think that’s her shoe print. Why don’t we all check to see if we can see her prints heading out of camp?”

  Stretch, Maria and Jared each go to different parts of our camp area and wander around, examining the ground. Rodriguez hobbles a short way away and does what he can.

  I’m about to do the same thing when Billy puts a hand on my arm. “I checked everywhere,” he says quietly. “There are no animal tracks and she didn’t walk out of here.”

  “So why are you making them search for tracks?”

  “Maybe I missed something. More eyes.”

  But I know he’s sure.

  Chapter 21

  Allan Dockery awoke with a start. For a moment he didn’t know where he was. He checked his watch. It was almost seven-fifteen. He’d been sleeping with his head on his desk in his office. He must have been there the entire night.

  He looked down at his suit and his rumpled shirt. His assistant, Jacquie, would be in soon. He got up and went into the restroom, where he splashed water on his face and used the toothbrush he kept there, and combed his hair and applied deodorant to his underarms. In the closet was another shirt. He had worn it for a few hours on a different occasion, but it was better than the one he had slept in.

  Once he had freshened up, he turned his attention to his computer. There was no email from Josh. He checked the bank account. It was still in the red.

  He stood up and paced the room, balled a fist and punched the palm of his other hand. “Damn, damn, damn!”

  An uncomfortable feeling started in his stomach. What if the funding didn’t come? He knew he had taken a big chance starting the show without it, but the EAC—Extreme Adventure Channel—had slotted it in and he couldn’t argue with that or expect them to work around his schedule. That deal was done and it was up to him to make it work. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t been in this position before, but this time it was different because he had had a very hard time finding someone who believed the show could be a hit.

  There was a soft rap on the door and he heard Jacquie’s voice. “Are you okay, Mr. Dockery?”

  He opened the door. “Morning, Jacquie. I’d like some coffee and order some donuts. Two for me and as many as you would like for yourself and the others.” He could feel her trying to read his face. “It’s the reality show. Stayed here all night working on it.”

  “Yes, sir. Those people, the contestants, must be getting anxious to get started.”

  “Yeah.” He cleared his throat. She doesn’t know they’ve already gone to Africa. Thinks they’re waiting at their homes. “They’ll have to wait. Coffee?” He waved a hand to hurry her.

  They have a sat phone if there’s any kind of emergency.

  “Yes, sir.” He watched her until she disappeared around the corner. He knew he should have told her about the way he had made them leave for the airport directly from the party, but he wanted it to be a surprise when the show started. And there was only one way to keep something a secret in Hollywood. Although she had organized the party, he had dismissed her before the night was over and he was quite sure she had no knowledge of what had really taken place after she went home that night. The contestants had driven to the airport in their private vehicles and boarded the airplane. They all had their passports with them because he had told them he needed to make certain they were valid. He frowned. There was that one fellow—Varnes who had said he was already in Africa, and would meet up with the other contestants at the Harare International Airport.

  The phone rang. He checked the caller ID.

  Chapter 22

  We’re all standing together in a huddle under a shady tree close to the fire. No one has found any of Eve’s footprints leading out of the camp.

  “Okay,” Stretch says. “How about this? The lawyer and Kelli went that way.” He points. “Trip and them went that way.” He points again. “We can either wait until they’re back, in case they found her, or we can head over that or that way. I say we try the trail where they found the cargo bags.”

  “Why don’t a couple of us go and climb that hill?” Billy says, pointing to the rugged, boulder-strewn hill with its steep and rocky sides. “It’s higher than anything else around here and if she’s wandering around lost or something we might be able to spot her from up there.

  “I’ll go with you, dude,” Jared says.

  “Here, Jake,” Billy calls, “want to come with us?”

  Stretch and Maria exchange a glance. I keep the camera rolling and let them work it out between them. Jake trots up to Billy and licks his hand, and then runs back to me and stands by my side and wags his tail.

  “He’s bonded with you big time,” Billy says. “When Old Man Dockery gets here Jake’s not gonna know who to hang with.”

  “We’ll go that way,” Stretch says. “You’ll be able to see us from up there.”

  I follow behind them, and Billy and Jared head for the ste
ep hill.

  “I’ll stay here with Rodriguez in case she gets back,” Faith says.

  I think about Eve, about the last time, when she didn’t want to sit with us while the boys were fishing. Was she really happier on her own? Or was there something else going on? Like what?

  “Eve!” Maria calls out. “Hey, Eve, if you’re out there, please answer me. We’re worried about you.”

  The weather is sunny with a light breeze and the sound carries back to us clearly. If Eve is any place nearby she should be able to hear it.

  We all stop to listen but all we can hear is the wind whistling through the grass, cicadas, and bird calls. Does she know about some hidden clue to the game, maybe? Did the Old Man slip it into her backpack? Or is she trying to find a hidden clue even though she has no information about there actually being one? She isn’t scared to be on her own, but she doesn’t have the knife with her this time. Billy has it. Even if there isn’t really a monster, there’s something. People don’t make up stories like that for nothing, nor do they desert their homes.

  Trip was getting aggravated with Lela’s constant chatter. She kept touching him, too, which also annoyed him. Yes, she was pretty, and sexy, but . . .

  His hunger for Lexie was growing almost as intensely as it had when she was a child living with her Aunt Jess. When he had first moved in with Jess he had known she had a kid living with her. He had always liked little girls, but had never been in a position to act on his feelings until then. It had been so easy.

  Now, he had to control it, but it wouldn’t be for much longer.

  He had to win the million dollars first, and it was within his grasp. He was the only one who knew how to survive here in Africa. Those idiots would never make it. That cowboy thought he was tough, but he was just a kid. An annoying kid. It really pissed him off the way he was always hanging around with Lexie. He needed to find a way to separate them.