time with her grandkids. He was going to need to call Anna and Jack and make arrangements for getting her there, since he was not ready to leave Tessa and Nick alone. Not until he had a better grasp of the situation. Unfortunately, staying here also meant Air Walker Safaris would be losing business. Business he couldnât afford to lose.
âIâll ask Mugi and Kesi to keep quiet, too. If you need anything, you can trust them.â
âMac. Thank you.â
âDonât thank me yet. Just hope Brice doesnât come home early.â
* * *
T ESSA HAD TO admit Mac was right. Lying low at Camp Jamba was a smart idea. Brice knew they were traveling to see Nickâs uncle, but she had told him they were meeting Mac in Nairobi. The rest of the trip to Hodari Lodge sheâd paid for in cash. Macâs office would be the first place heâd come looking for her if there was incriminating information on those drives. Still, it bought her a little time. Camp Jamba was another step removed, which meant even more of a buffer between them and Brice. But she wouldnât get any closer to confirming her suspicions out here.
Maybe she should have told Mac what was going on last night in his office...where a computer was available. She drank the last sip of her soda. No. Her instincts had kept her from doing so. She needed to trust her gut. He wouldnât have listened then. She wouldnât have been able to dish the note-writing excuse to him. Just as heâd pointed out that more modern conveniences would have made running away easier for Nick, the same could have applied to Mac. He could have acted in defense before listening to anything she had to say about Nick or Brice. Maybe she needed to trust her gut more often.
The aroma of spices and the warm char of open-flamed cooking drifted past her, a solid reminder that sheâd been too nervous to eat breakfast this morningâa saving grace considering how she reacted to not being on solid ground. She went inside to thank the Lagats for letting them stay, but soon realized she needed more fresh air.
The flaming Serengeti sun burned directly overhead and a chicken, of all things, ran past her, squawking like it was being chased by an invisible predator until it found the safety of its flock under a fig tree. Maybe her mind was also making up things to fear about Brice. Did she subconsciously want out of her marriage? Was she looking for reasons to leave?
There was no point in procrastinating any longer. She couldnât let Nick hate her. She couldnât let him think she didnât want him around or that she had priorities greater than him. True, she had to make a decision to leave him with Mac, but not for the same reasons her parents had left her alone so often. They were so busy with their aquatic research that they couldnât focus on their children, too. She finally understood how important their work was, but back then sheâd been like Nick. Just needing someone to be around...a safety net to catch her as she muddled through her teens...a home and family like all the other kids had. As a child, sheâd wanted to feel secure and not have to worry every nightâespecially during stormsâthat one or both of her parents might not come home.
She wanted to be that safety net for Nick, but right now, the only way to keep him safe was to pull that net out from under him. And hope Mac was there to catch his fall.
The air vibrated with the trumpeting of elephants in the distance, as if theyâd heard her thoughts and were trying to share their wisdom about motherhood and the delicate cycle of life.
If only she spoke elephant.
As a child, she spoke to her adopted cats and sometimes believed they understood her. Theyâd give her a sign: a lazy blink or a sedating purr that rumbled deep against her chest.
She needed a sign now.
The roar of a lion had her turning quickly toward the path to the cottage. Mac stood on the
âIâll ask Mugi and Kesi to keep quiet, too. If you need anything, you can trust them.â
âMac. Thank you.â
âDonât thank me yet. Just hope Brice doesnât come home early.â
* * *
T ESSA HAD TO admit Mac was right. Lying low at Camp Jamba was a smart idea. Brice knew they were traveling to see Nickâs uncle, but she had told him they were meeting Mac in Nairobi. The rest of the trip to Hodari Lodge sheâd paid for in cash. Macâs office would be the first place heâd come looking for her if there was incriminating information on those drives. Still, it bought her a little time. Camp Jamba was another step removed, which meant even more of a buffer between them and Brice. But she wouldnât get any closer to confirming her suspicions out here.
Maybe she should have told Mac what was going on last night in his office...where a computer was available. She drank the last sip of her soda. No. Her instincts had kept her from doing so. She needed to trust her gut. He wouldnât have listened then. She wouldnât have been able to dish the note-writing excuse to him. Just as heâd pointed out that more modern conveniences would have made running away easier for Nick, the same could have applied to Mac. He could have acted in defense before listening to anything she had to say about Nick or Brice. Maybe she needed to trust her gut more often.
The aroma of spices and the warm char of open-flamed cooking drifted past her, a solid reminder that sheâd been too nervous to eat breakfast this morningâa saving grace considering how she reacted to not being on solid ground. She went inside to thank the Lagats for letting them stay, but soon realized she needed more fresh air.
The flaming Serengeti sun burned directly overhead and a chicken, of all things, ran past her, squawking like it was being chased by an invisible predator until it found the safety of its flock under a fig tree. Maybe her mind was also making up things to fear about Brice. Did she subconsciously want out of her marriage? Was she looking for reasons to leave?
There was no point in procrastinating any longer. She couldnât let Nick hate her. She couldnât let him think she didnât want him around or that she had priorities greater than him. True, she had to make a decision to leave him with Mac, but not for the same reasons her parents had left her alone so often. They were so busy with their aquatic research that they couldnât focus on their children, too. She finally understood how important their work was, but back then sheâd been like Nick. Just needing someone to be around...a safety net to catch her as she muddled through her teens...a home and family like all the other kids had. As a child, sheâd wanted to feel secure and not have to worry every nightâespecially during stormsâthat one or both of her parents might not come home.
She wanted to be that safety net for Nick, but right now, the only way to keep him safe was to pull that net out from under him. And hope Mac was there to catch his fall.
The air vibrated with the trumpeting of elephants in the distance, as if theyâd heard her thoughts and were trying to share their wisdom about motherhood and the delicate cycle of life.
If only she spoke elephant.
As a child, she spoke to her adopted cats and sometimes believed they understood her. Theyâd give her a sign: a lazy blink or a sedating purr that rumbled deep against her chest.
She needed a sign now.
The roar of a lion had her turning quickly toward the path to the cottage. Mac stood on the
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