Chapter 8-2
1318 Words
So, we"re mister friendly all of a sudden. Hide behind a smile and dare me to strike first. Well, I"m not biting.“So, what"d"ya all think of Iquitos?” Owen said.
“It"s okay,” Molly said.
“Yeah, it is,” Owen answered. He was quiet a moment, then tapped Claire on the arm. “Nice shirt. Red suits ya.”
Claire eyed him sidelong. “Thank you.” Suddenly, she had to get away from him before she ended up throwing her drink in his face. She stood. “Can I get you a beer?”
He leaned back in his chair, gauging her with a wry expression. “Why not?”
“What"s your pleasure?” Claire said.
“Whatever"s on tap, Luv. An" thanks. Mighty generous of ya.” He turned, looking in Thad"s direction. “I think da lad"s in over his head with those pretty young chicas.”
“He"d be in over his head with a moron,” Molly snapped.
Owen raised a brow and shot Claire a sidelong grin. “Seems there"s a bit trouble in da ranks here, Boss.”
Molly scowled. “What?”
Claire shook her head. “Let it go, Jungle Boy.”
Owen laughed, “Jungle Boy, is it? Well, I"ve been called worse. Actually, I kind"a like it. Rings of Tarzan!”
Claire gritted her teeth and rolled her eyes. “I"m off to the bar.”
Claire fumed as she made her way through the crowded restaurant. Tarzan, my a*s! Well, Tarzan would never give advanced weapons to people who aren"t ready for them. I ought to dump those things overboard! Hmmm … what"s stopping me?
Tarzan, my a*s! Well, Tarzan would never give advanced weapons to people who aren"t ready for them. I ought to dump those things overboard! Hmmm … what"s stopping me?She thought about it a moment as she waited for the bar maid to fill her order. What she needed was an excuse to get back to the boat un-noticed. But nothing came to mind. She collected Owen"s beer and headed back to the table. When she saw Thad still struggling to impress the young ladies, she smiled. Composing herself, she said, “I"m gonna round up the boy. Be right back.”
With a curt smile, she turned heel and headed toward the cantina down the block, and when she was sure no one was looking, snuck off. But the cobbled street she had walked up hours ago was now hidden under a drape of sullen gloom. In the houses up in the hills, she heard the sounds of barking dogs and muttered voices.
A hundred yard down the road, she veered under the arms of a sprawling banyan tree, and in its drooping branches heard the skittering of some small animal. Her heart jumped. Taking a deep breath, she pushed on. But with every step, the feeling of being followed weighed in her mind.
Suddenly, the leaves of the banyan shivered, and out of the shadows walked a stout silhouette. Claire took a deep breath and gripped her Mace as the man stopped in the middle of the street. She gauged her options. Slipping out of her hiking boots was out of the question.
The man"s arm went to his pants pocket. s**t! Her muscles tightened and her heart thumped. The space around her was wide open. That was good. Five years of Tae-kwon-do arts had taught her not to get hemmed in. She fingered the pressure valve on the little canister in her purse. Keep it hidden "til he"s just within reach.
Shit!Keep it hidden "til he"s just within reach.“Claire, is that you?”
She squinted into the gloom. “Manny?”
“Si.”
Claire let out a sigh and pulled her finger away from the nozzle. “You scared the begeezus outta me!”
He drew a cigar out of his pocket, put it to his mouth, and started toward her. “What are you doing out here? Not safe for senhora to be walking the street alone so late at night.”
“I"m heading back to the boat,” she said. To take care of some business I should"ve taken care of earlier. She cleared her throat. “Long day, and I"m tired.”
To take care of some business I should"ve taken care of earlier.Manny struck a match, lit his cigar, and looked hard at her. “Hmmm … You know, Manny is many things, but he is not mudo,” he said tapping his head. “You are a smart senhora. You would not come back alone unless something has happened.”
“Nothing happened, Manny. Really. I just want to get back to my cabin,” Claire said, but couldn"t hide the edge in her voice.
Manny c****d his brow and took a long thoughtful pull on his cigar. “Hmmm … Okay. I will walk you back, though.”
Claire gauged his staunch expression, trying to decide if he believed her. Knowing he"d seen her argue with Owen over the bows, she wondered what he might be thinking about her returning to the ship alone and unsupervised. She liked Manny, but he worked for Owen, and therefore looked to Owen"s interests first. Finally, she said, “Thanks, I"d like that.”
They strolled down the street together toward the docks, and as they walked, their conversation turned to family and friends. Manny asked her if she had brothers and sisters, and what her father did, and she was more than glad to keep things light. Anything to keep him away from asking probing questions she didn"t want to answer. A liar she wasn"t, and she was fairly certain he"d know if she were telling one.
“So, your padre; you and him, you weren"t close?” Manny said.
Claire eyed him fleetingly. “We were until I left for college. My father was a military man. Navy. Old school. I love him, but he"s a bit of a chauvinist. He sees women one way; married and raising children. I saw things different.”
“Hmmm … he must be proud of your accomplishments, no?”
Claire stopped and looked at Manny. She had told him more than she had intended. In a matter of minutes, he had disarmed her. Clever man. She smiled and went on, “Yes, but he still hasn"t forgiven me for abandoning him and Mom. Tell me, do you like guiding, or would you rather be doing something else?”
Clever manManny blew a ring of smoke into the night air. “I like what I do. Senhor Burgess, Deus de maio rest his soul, started the company a long time ago. Hired me when I was just married.”
“Oh, I thought the company was started by Owen.” Claire said, surprised, as they started walking again.
“Nah,” Manny said, tapping the ash from his cigar. “He came to work for Senhor Burgess fifteen years ago and they become very good friends … Say, did you see him in town?”
Claire groaned. “We passed.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Claire saw him studying her again. He said, “Hmmm … you two got into things again, huh?”
“Not really. He knows how I feel.”
“Si, but do not judge him. There is much you do not know.”
Claire snorted. “Really, care to share?”
Manny swatted a mosquito. “That is not for me to say. I will tell you this; he loves the people of the forest more than you know. He gives them arcos for good reason. Pray you never have to see why.”
Claire looked at him hard. What did that mean?
What did that mean?
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