Panther Protector: A WILD Security Book Read online

  He swallowed and Isabella- Fae could see the worry in his eyes, "He insisted on seeing what he could do to stop the conflict turning into a war that could hurt many people. Of course, it was not his fault, or the fault of his business. It was the combination of a bad economy and too many US businesses, but he saw himself as part of the problem and felt like it was his duty to be part of the solution.

  Isabella- Fae swallowed, feeling the ache in her chest build to a painful crescendo. That sounded like something her father would do, like something that he would think. Even if it was in no way his fault or problem, he was the type of man who would blame himself, take responsibility for his part and try and fix it. That was just the type of man that he was. It was one of the reasons for his success. It was part of the reason that he had gotten this far in his life and why everyone seemed to be so loyal to him.

  Still, Isabella- Fae felt the fear inside of her grow, the ache inside of her build to a keen edge, "So they...took him?" Her voice came out as nothing more than a whisper.

  Darcy nodded, "I don't know exactly why, and I don't know how, but from all my sources, it seems like yes, they have him. They are known to hide out in the jungle, and that's exactly where we will be heading. I haven't found them yet, but I am not giving up yet."

  His words made sense, his actions make even more sense, and Isabella- Fae felt herself feeling more and more grateful for what he was doing, for how he was acting and what he was doing to help her and her father, no matter the social, physical and political risk. He was risking a lot to help and it meant the world to Isabella- Fae.

  "Thank you." The words were out before she could pull them back, but she did not regret them, did not want to take them back, "Thank you for everything, for helping."

  Darcy glanced at her and, for the first time, there was something like warmth in his eyes, something burning in the distance, flickering and bright, "Of course."

  The rest of the ride passed in silence, with Isabella- Fae trying to wrap her head around everything that she had just heard, learnt about and experienced, everything that she had to process and try to deal with. It was a lot to take in, but Isabella- Fae was glad that she knew what she was up against. She felt like she could help her father more now, help him in ways that were meaningful, that actually made a difference of some kind.

  She did not regret this at all.

  Chapter 4

  Isabella- Fae felt the tension descend on her as they approached the edge of the jungle, where it met the carpark. Darcy parked and Isabella- Fae felt a shiver at the vast difference, how strange it looked with the stark difference. It made everything feel so much more real, and so much more surreal all at the same time. Darcy got out of the car and Isabella- Fae followed quickly, grabbing her things.

  "I haven't checked through this area yet. We'll start by moving west and then take it from there." He looked towards Isabella- Fae with focus in his eyes, and nodded quietly, "Stay by my side. Don't wander off. We are not going to use any registered paths, because we are looking for people who don't want to be found. There is no point in going where everyone goes- that will be too damn easy."

  Isabella- Fae nodded in agreement, "Got it."

  As they entered the jungle, Isabella- Fae was hit again with the heat that seemed to descend over them, to flood everyone around and crush them with a huge weight. The humidity also seemed to ramp up a notch, leaving her feeling a little breathless already. None of this seemed to be affecting Darcy. Isabella- Fae wondered if he had grown up here, or if he was from the US. His accent was difficult to place, as were his mannerisms. She did not know where he was from, but it did not matter. All that mattered was the fact that he seemed to be great at what he did and seemed to know the area that he was moving in, and for that, Isabella- Fae was endlessly grateful. She did not know how she would have gone about searching for her father without him. Heading off into the jungle alone, with no path, no map and no plan did not seem to be the best idea that she could have had, did not seem to be the best idea that she could have decided to act upon. Isabella- Fae swallowed, feeling an ache in her chest.

  She was lucky, very lucky, to have found Darcy and that he agreed to help her. She had been forceful and she was lucky that he had decided to help, instead of just casting her aside, with no hope of finding her father at all.

  On that note, she was lucky that he was willing to search for her father at all, and her father was fortunate to have an employee like him, who was prepared to help. As she followed him through the jungle, a thought popped into her mind, "Darcy, how did my father find you anyway?"

  Darcy glanced back and shrugged, "Security company. Personal bodyguards and that kind of thing."

  Isabella- Fae nodded and fell silent. The rest of the day passed in silence, with both of them walking through the jungle as fast as possible. A few times, they stopped for water, or to eat, but it was always in silence. Isabella- Fae was too exhausted to speak, to say much at all. She was tired, and she was not really in the mood to waste her energy. Darcy was the silent type anyway, so it worked out just fine.

  The walk was exhausting and Isabella- Fae wondered if they were making headway at all. It occurred to her, that Darcy had been looking for weeks, with no luck, and she had to be prepared for the same to happen to her. Still, the idea of not finding for father for several more weeks was one that terrified her. If he was in danger, they had to save him as fast as possible, get to him as soon as they possibly could.

  The thought made her sick. Yet, as the night started to drop, all around them, plunging them deeper and deeper into the darkness, Isabella- Fae realized that it probably would take a lot longer than she had hoped, a lot longer to find her father and make sure that he was safe. She shuddered at the idea, but she did not know if she would get much of a choice in the matter.

  Eventually, Darcy turned around, "This is a good spot to camp for the night. We'd better set up before it gets too dark." Isabella- Fae sighed, reluctant, but she knew that there was little point in continuing onwards, only to get into further trouble, potentially with wild animals. She hadn't seen many during the day, but she had a feeling that there were many nocturnal ones that she was not thinking about. She swallowed and nodded, feeling the defeat pool in her stomach. She was supposed to be out here, looking for her father, but instead, she was here walking around blindly and setting up camp. It was the only way, but it did not make it any easier for her to deal with, or a better pill for her to swallow.

  So Isabella- Fae was willing to do everything and anything for him, willing to do whatever it took. She just hoped that she was here on time, that he would be okay despite the delays, because Isabella- Fae was not sure what she would do if he was not.

  Setting up camp did not take as much time as Isabella- Fae had feared it would. She had expected a big amount of work, but Darcy knew exactly what he was doing and he was not afraid to do it and do it alone. He asked her to make a fire, something that she, thankfully, knew exactly how to do. Then he took care of the rest, setting up with efficiency. She had been wondering about the tents, seeing as Darcy was not carrying much on his back, at all, although it was a little more than her. He had been keeping the tents in a simple bag that he was carrying on him, tucked into one of the pockets of his backpack. The thought seemed crazy, but when he pulled them out, things began to make sense. These tents had nothing to them, no poles to keep them up, no bulky internal layers, nothing. Simply put, these tents had one thermal layer and one thin one, and that was it. One zipper kept them safe and protected from prying eyes, and that was it. Darcy used the rest of the environment, such as the jungle itself, the vines and trees, to pull the tents up and secure them. Isabella- Fae supposed that this made sense.

  After all, she hadn't seen a clearing large enough for tents, not really, and she did not know much about this place, but she assumed that using the environment to one’s advantage was always a smart thing, regardless of where you were, or what you were doing
. She assumed that this was the only smart thing to do and she was glad that Darcy had thought of it. She could only assume that he had done this before, many, many times. She knew that he had been out searching for her father, but he must have been out here long before that. He sighed in satisfaction as he finished, hanging the tent and adjusting it, so that the floor of the tent rested on the floor beneath them, the rest of the tent draped above their heads, draped in such a way that it almost seemed to be part of the jungle.

  The dark colors seemed to blend in. Isabella- Fae glanced at Darcy and was stunned to see that he blended in even better than the tent. Suddenly, the colors that he chose, made a lot of sense. She shivered, feeling it rise in her chest. She had thought that wearing black was odd, that wearing black in the midst of a jungle was a silly thing to do, that it was not exactly blending in. And yet, now that night was descending, she could understand. In the darkness and mottled shadows, only the palest colors and the strong, deep black colors of the night, seemed to blend in at all. The soft browns and greens were lost, and Darcy had all but disappeared, even though he was simply sitting there, right there. Isabella- Fae shivered, feeling the exhilaration move through her. He was good, very good. He knew exactly what he was doing.

  Isabella- Fae turned away, stoking the fire to life, building it up so that it burnt and flourished and shivered to life yet again. This was perfect. The warmth of the fire cut through the cold that was starting to fall around them, and lit up the area like a small lantern would. Isabella- Fae realized, also, that Darcy likely was not too stressed about being found.

  After all, unlike in a forest, there was barely space to see upwards anyway, through the tangle. Seeing smoke rising from above a jungle was almost impossible for the people who were within the jungle, who were within the actual tangle of vines, tangle of limbs and branches. This was different and Isabella- Fae would have to work hard to make sure that she kept up, work hard to make sure that she figured out exactly what was going on, and how to keep up. Her father's life depended on it. She had to make this work, no matter what the cost, no matter what she did. She had to make it work.

  Darcy wandered over, unwrapping something in his hands, "Dinner."

  It was the first time he had spoken since they started setting up camp and Isabella- Fae felt a flood of warmth for him, for all that he had done. She nodded and glanced towards the packet, "Thanks, Darcy."

  He shrugged, "We can't starve, can we?"

  He smiled and handed her the packet, full of things that were easy to cook over a fire. Isabella- Fae smiled at his thoughtfulness and got to work unwrapping it. Sitting side by side, they both began to cook, to work on the cooking, to making sure that they were fueled for the next stage of their journey. Isabella- Fae hadn't realized how hungry she was, hadn’t realized how much she needed to just sit and eat, until she started doing it.

  She realized, with a sharp start, that she was absolutely starving, that she could easily eat her share of the packet. She smiled faintly to herself, feeling her stomach rumble, and wondered how Darcy was holding up. He must be as hungry as her, if not more so, since he had done the bulk of the physical work, done the bulk of everything. She smiled again, feeling warmth inside of her and she was reminded how damn lucky she was to have him with her.

  She smiled at him as he ate, looking around them in the small clearing. It was absolutely beautiful in the light of the fire. She hadn’t realized how beautiful everything was. She hadn't stopped for long enough to really look around her and enjoy and appreciate the beauty of it all. The whole day had been about work, about moving forward, about working hard and doing everything that she could to help her father, to make sure that she did everything in her power to make this right.

  She hadn't stopped to appreciate the beauty of everything around her, the swinging shape of the vines, the curve of the trees, the bushes and plants that seemed to grow out of nowhere, that seemed to stretch and come out of the ground and not care about how they got there or how they could have possibly come to be. Everything was so lovely around her, everything was so mysterious, so intense, and so beautiful. Isabella- Fae felt her breathing catch in her throat, felt the stress and the intensity of it all rise up inside her. She exhaled, breathing it all out in a great big rush, breathing it all out in a shudder. Now was not the time for stressing about this. Now was the time for breathing, for resting, for appreciating everything that was around her, that was lingering just out of sight. Now was the time, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

  Isabella- Fae shuddered, feeling quiet exhaustion twist up inside of her again, twist like a snake. Suddenly, she no longer felt the keen pangs of hunger. She finished the piece that she was eating and put it aside. Darcy glanced towards her and she shrugged, "Tired, I guess."

  Darcy nodded, "Are you going to be alright?"

  "More than fine." She smiled, "I just should probably get an early night. I am guessing it will be an early start tomorrow?"

  Darcy nodded and Isabella- Fae smiled, "I thought as much."

  "Isabella- Fae, look..." Darcy turned to her, intensity in his eyes, "There is only one tent. It was easier to carry and it is much safer sharing a space during the night." He tilted his head, "However, if that makes you uncomfortable, I am happy to stay out here." He smiled and, for a second, it seemed genuine, "I know this jungle, so I will be fine."

  Isabella- Fae was surprised to find that she did not feel conflicted, did not feel stressed at the thought of sharing a tent with him. The thought of him near made her feel safe, not afraid. The thought of him near comforted her and made her feel like maybe, just maybe, they would get through the night okay. She knew that there were plenty of dangerous animals, plenty of dangerous people out in this jungle. The thought of Darcy beside her comforted her.

  She was coming to realize, more and more, that Darcy was a man of his word, that Darcy would do anything that it took to keep her safe and she did not have to worry.

  "No, no I don't mind sharing a tent." She smiled and he nodded. He seemed quietly relieved and Isabella- Fae wondered whether it was worry about her that led to the response, or if even he was concerned about spending the night outside of a tent, with no shelter.

  She stared at him in the fire light as he packed everything up, making sure their site was secure, and everything was packed up in the tent. Satisfied that that was the case, he relaxed and headed towards it, Isabella- Fae presumed to keep it all neat and do up their beds. She was struck with a very similar realization as she stared at him.

  He was here, he was here right in front of her, and she was determined to see him for who he was, to appreciate him and breathe, just for a moment. He was capable, and she wouldn't ignore that, could not ignore that.

  Isabella- Fae smiled and moved into the tent, feeling the darkness envelop her, the warmth and comfort inside helping her settle, helping her to take a deep breath, a comforting breath, and to finally settle, if just for a moment.

  She smiled, feeling settled at the bedding that was laid out for her. Darcy tended to the fire, putting it out. He brought back a small lantern instead, with a candle inside of it. It looked safe, like he had thought it out and used it before, like it was not likely to cause a huge fire. He hung it up expertly, setting it up above their heads and flooding the tent in a very soft glow. It was hard to see details, but she could see enough and it made her heart skip a beat.

  She was starting to realize very quickly, that keeping things strictly business was going to be very challenging, that keeping things completely under wraps would be hard. She was starting to realize that maybe, just maybe, she was falling for him. She took in the curve of his back, the tension in his muscles, the easy, predatory grace with which he moved. She took in the way that he shifted, the way that he seemed alert and aware all the time, the way that he also seemed incredibly confident, like nothing and no one could touch him. Even out here, when the odds were more against him than ever he seemed confident. He seem
ed at ease. And Isabella- Fae could not begin to explain how hot that made her.

  Isabella- Fae swallowed deeply and moved to zip up the tent. Suddenly, everything outside seemed to fade away into nothingness. Suddenly, everything around them was silent, and she could hear nothing but their breathing. Suddenly, it was only her and Darcy and she felt compelled to make a move. She reached for his hand when he slid into bed, and pulled him closer.

  Before he could say a word, Isabella- Fae was kissing him, her lips pressing against his in a kiss, deep and lingering and meaningful. She felt a shift in his body, in the way that he sat. She felt his arms go around her, pulling her in against his chest. She felt the rise and fall of his breathing, and something like a smile on his lips, "You're sure?"

  Isabella- Fae nodded. She did not get a chance to say another word. Darcy was kissing her again, passionately this time. There was a barely restrained desire in the way that he grabbed her, pushing her down against the sheets, feeling the hard ground beneath her back. His lips tasted like the jungle and felt burning hot. His breathing was coming in soft gasps and Isabella- Fae knew that she was panting, writhing around, moaning and panting at the feel of his body pressing so tightly against hers. With him pressing against her, it was doing even more to her, and she felt like it might blow her mind.

  She wanted him. She wanted his skin against her, his hands on her body. She wanted him, she needed him and she felt it course through her skin, just like a drug, as she shivered. The thoughts flooded her like a mantra, over and over and over again in her head, on repeat. She needed him, she wanted him, and she could not breathe without him. It was all that she could think about.

  His hands slid down her skin, pulling at the coat that she had pulled on. Isabella- Fae shivered and pushed herself upright, so that it could be pulled from her skin, slid off her in a wave. She moaned softly, feeling the sound catching in her throat as he pulled it away, as she felt the warmth of his skin against her arms.