Page 51 of No Questions Asked

When Vicente translated, everyone laughed, even the children. Thankfully, the mood was now set, and the village was receptive and willing to receive the vaccine. I was glad, even if the laughter had been at my expense.

Natelli had Slash bring the vaccine cooler to a shaded area with a table, and she, Melinda and Gwen began to get the vaccines process set up. Vicente and Salvador started organizing people for the vaccine, while I opened my laptop and got ready to enter the data.

To track who received what level of dosage, a small, durable anklet, like an identification bracelet in the hospital, would be put on each person after they received their shot. The chief would receive the first shot, then the warrior men, and then the mothers—all before the children, so that they would be shown they had no need to be afraid. It was a clever approach because it would force the parents to put on a brave face to reduce crying or fear from the kids. I would record whatever data Melinda, Natelli or Gwen would ask me to put into the database so they could track the long-term effectiveness and who was getting what dosage, based on their weight and age.

The chief took the first dose from Melinda, looking at me while he got it. When he was finished, I gave him a thumbs-up. As the process wound on, we got into a good rhythm. I noticed out the corner of my eye that Slash and the other security guards had set up a security checkpoint on the path leading up to the village to prevent any interruptions.

At some point, Slash asked me to keep an eye on the satellite phone, so I slipped it over my neck and made sure it was off so we didn’t run the battery down. The entire process took about five hours and we didn’t take a break once, sneaking in gulps of water between patients so we didn’t get dehydrated. When the last infant was vaccinated and I had entered the last bit of data, I encrypted it and shut down my laptop. I returned it to the laptop bag and slipped it over my shoulder before standing to stretch my back, neck and arms.

Gwen, Melinda and Natelli were talking among themselves, carefully collecting and counting all the vials and isolating the waste material, but essentially, I was finished. I looked around but didn’t see Slash. Gabriel was standing down the village path, Salvador was talking to a villager, and Vicente was chatting to a mother with an infant. The other security guards were spread out around the perimeter, keeping watch and looking serious.

I had to go to the bathroom, but I didn’t see anything that looked like an outhouse, and I didn’t think anyone would understand if I asked, so I decide to investigate the village a bit to see if I could figure out where it was on my own. No one seemed to mind as I walked around a bit. There were several huts with grass roofs and raised wooden floors, which was smart because it helped keep the insides dry, given the continual Amazonian rain.

As I neared one hut, a little girl about six came running from the vaccine line to proudly show me where on her arm she’d got her shot. I knelt down so I was eye to eye with her and tried to show her that I was impressed. To my surprise, she took my hand and led me to a hut a little bit farther away. Apparently this was her home, because she showed me where she slept and a little carved wooden doll. Climbing up onto the hut floor, she waved her arms like a snake, then pretended to throw it to the ground and jump on it. She held her fists up with a fierce look on her face.

I couldn’t help it, I clapped. “You go, girl. You’re the real deal—a true blueAmazonas. Stay fierce.”

Amused, I headed out of the hut, the girl bounding off in front of me. I’d taken three steps when I abruptly came face to face with a native man. I’d no idea where he’d come from. He’d just materialized out of nowhere. He wore nothing but a loincloth and a necklace made of twine and teeth. But his most remarkable features were the elaborate tattoos on his face.

The man I’d seen in the treetops!

Before I could react, he did the strangest thing. He held up the palm of his hand and, weirdly, blew me a kiss. At that exact moment, I was stung by an insect on my neck. I reached up and slapped at it, but felt the sting again. Fumbling, I swatted once more at my neck, pulling out a small wooden dart with a black feather. I stared at it, trying to make sense of what was happening, when the world started to spin.

Oh, no! I’m in trouble.

I took one step and opened my mouth to shout for Slash, but I wasn’t sure if I actually did before the darkness rushed up and swallowed me whole.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Lexi

I awoke to darkness and the smell of fire.

It took me a minute to get my bearings. My head was woozy and nausea bubbled in my throat. I reached out with my hands, realizing I was lying on packed dirt. I pushed myself to a sitting position, but as soon as I got upright, I threw up.

I vomited for at least a few minutes, successfully emptying whatever had been in my stomach for the past twenty-four hours. Wiping my mouth, I spent a moment remembering what happened. I’d been in the hut with the little girl. We were leaving to go back to the others when I spotted the tattooed native man. After that I remembered...not much.

I heard men’s voices behind me laughing. I turned on my knees and saw a fire with about a dozen men sitting around it. The fire illuminated the face of the man closest to the fire. I recognized him immediately by his tattoos.

The man from the trees.

He called out to me, waving his hand as if to invite me to come over. I didn’t move. He pointed to himself and said something. I didn’t know if he was telling me his name, his title or that he was the one who kidnapped me.

Kidnapped!

I’d been kidnapped. But why? I looked down at my hands. I wasn’t restrained in any manner, but if I ran, where would I go? I was stuck in the middle of the rainforest. I had no idea where I was. Reaching up, I touched a tender spot on my neck. I remembered the dart with a black feather. He must have drugged me and brought me here for...what?

I frantically searched the area for my laptop bag, but I didn’t see it anywhere. I glanced back at the tattooed man and saw the satellite phone hanging around his neck. He must have seen me looking at it because he held it up proudly, although I was fairly sure he had no idea what it did.

I glanced at my watch to determine how long I’d been out. My heart sunk when I realized five hours had passed.

Slash. He’d be frantic that I’d gone missing. Again. Why did this always happen to me?

I wondered if the team had returned to the camp or were still at the village looking for me. Had anyone else been kidnapped? If not, why me? Was I a simple target of opportunity or had I been chosen for another reason?

I had endless questions and no answers. I could sit and speculate all night, or I could take stock of my situation and figure out what to do next.

First I had to take inventory. I was fully clothed, including my hiking boots, but after a quick check, I discovered my pockets were empty. My engagement ring was still on my finger, probably because my fingers had swollen so much in the heat and they couldn’t get it off. They also left my watch on my wrist. Maybe they couldn’t figure out how to get it off.

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