Mark followed at a respectable distance, hating the fact that the little Englishman was such a damned dawdler! What on earth had Cameron seen in him, he wondered, and chalked that up to her immaturity at the time. The guy still looked like a bloody college kid for Pete sakes! It put him back further than he hoped to be, but he was still able to see them with the aid of a new scope attached to his long range-hunting rifle. He lifted the barrel up to his head and peered through. Looked like the group had come to a stop from what he could tell. He had Sydney in his sights first, remaining there for a minute. She certainly was a looker, that one. Her wispy black hair fanned about her striking Polynesian features, and she looked strangely afraid. Scanning to Cameron who was moving very slowly, it clicked. He panned his scope in front of them to see a very angry black bear. Oh crap! This was NOT how he planned to reveal himself, OR his intentions, but he had to do something. Taking careful aim he lowered the barrel into position.
A shot pierced the air, ringing in loudly Sydney’s ears and all three of them hit the ground hard. She instinctually grabbed Cam, dragging the smaller woman’s body down under hers and they rolled under a patch of ground cover. Nigel was quick to follow, scrambling along on his elbows and knees to reach them.
It was a good minute or two before anyone dared even breathe. "Everybody all fine and accounted for? No missing limps or appendages?" Syd asked, her words barely a whisper. She could see a large black carcass not ten feet from her head. "Looks like the bear’s the least of our problems until we find out who fired that gun."
" Cam, is there supposed to be anyone else up here?" Nigel queried, trying to wipe away the muck that had dotted all over his face. "I thought no one else except you and Mark knew about this recovery."
Cam’s head was spinning, desperately trying to come up with a believable answer. The last thing she needed now was for Nigel and Sydney to get suspicious of her! She knew it was possible Mark’s kidnappers might decide to follow them, but she hadn’t noticed any evidence of being tailed at all. "No one does...Maybe there’s a hunter out this way and we got lucky?"
"Get to your feet!" The demand startled all three as they cautiously rose from the underbrush.
"Oh my God, Marcus!"
Both Sydney and Nigel cast each other a relieved glance, until their saviour pointed the end of his gun directly at them.
"Cam baby... come here sweetheart."
"What’s going on here?" Syd demanded with a scowl. This was Mark?
"You’ll find out pretty lady, soon enough." He turned his attention to the bewildered look on Cam’s face.
"Thank God you managed to escape! How did you get away? My God, I was so worried they were going to hurt you!" She took another step towards him and circled her arms about Mark’s neck before he could stop her.
"Escape? What are you talking about Cameron? I thought you said Mark was away on business?" An astonished Nigel demanded rather urgently. He didn’t like staring point blank down the barrel of a gun.
"Yeah, yeah baby, I got away clean..." He started to say, realising Cam just offered him the cover he needed on a silver platter. He pulled her close and gave her a kiss, lowering his weapon. "Sorry, but I had to make sure you weren’t hired by the guys who kidnapped me."
She excitedly turned back to Nigel. "I, I didn’t want to tell you someone had taken Mark because I was afraid you wouldn’t help me. They told me if I went to the police that Mark would be a dead man!" She hugged him again, this time refusing to let go.
"You escaped from your captors and got here just in time to save us from becoming bear bait?" Sydney didn’t sound all that convinced, but for the safety of the group kept her suspicions to herself.
"That’s right. There isn’t anything alive that can keep Mark Kelly down for long, right baby?" Cameron nodded in excitable agreement. She was hardly able to contain her joy at being reunited with the man she loved.
Nigel had noticed Sydney’s discomfort immediately, but played right along. "Well, thank you for saving our rear ends Mark, you have no idea how much we appreciate it." Standing back he bit his lower lip nervously, not liking the look of this man one little bit.
Mark released Cam and turned to Sydney, trying to ignore Nigel’s idle limy chatter. He was as irritating as a misquito at a barbecue and he would really enjoy getting rid of him after they located the pearl. "The guy who wants the Loht’a necklace won’t be far behind me. I suggest we make tracks for the burial ground and beat him at his own game."
Syd agreed. "It’s this way. If we’re all set then let’s head out." Cameron and Sydney took the lead, with Nigel next and Mark taking up the rear watching for any other wild animals that might cross their paths.
Go to Part Eight.