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“He’s fine. It’s nothing,” he said in one of those voices where you knew he was downplaying what was going on.
“If everything’s fine, then why isn’t he coming to the phone?”
“Uh…because he’s the boss. He has to take control of…shit.”
“What kind of shit?”
“Jungle shit.”
I closed my eyes, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Burg, either you tell me what’s going on, or I will get on the first plane and head down there myself to find out what’s going on.”
“You can’t do that,” he said urgently. “Uh…think of the baby.”
“I have had seven kids, Burg. Seven! Most of them in places other than a hospital. Trust me when I say there is nothing that will stop me from getting to my husband and dragging him back here so he can help me raise our kids!”
It was silent on the other end for a moment. “Okay,” he lowered his voice. “I’ll tell you, but know that we have this under control.”
I blew out a breath and waited. “Okay, tell me.”
“He got bitten by a snake…a poisonous snake.”
“You let him get bitten by a snake?” I shrieked. Kate hurried over and put her hands on me, trying to calm me down, but I shrugged her off.
“We didn’t let anything happen. It’s the jungle!”
“You’re all military trained!”
“Not against snakes,” he pointed out. “Men with guns and knives, sure. Wildlife isn’t really our forte.”
“Then maybe you shouldn’t have taken a job in the jungle,” I shouted.
Kate turned me to face her, mimicking the breathing technique she taught me. I was in no mood to breathe. I wanted to kill.
“Look, Knight found a village witch doctor, or something, and she gave him an antidote. I mean, we hope it’s an antidote.”
“And now he’s better, right?”
“Well…he thinks he had your baby.”
“What?”
“Yeah, I…I don’t really know. He thinks he was pregnant, and that Sinner and Hunter were women.”
“But the medicine is working,” I asked, hoping he would actually give me an answer this time.
“It appears to be having an effect on him.”
“Burg, I swear to God, if you don’t stop talking in riddles and give me some fucking answers, I’m going to make sure Emma never sleeps with you again.”
“Alright, alright! Geez, you’re mean when you’re pregnant.”
“That’s not the only time she’s mean,” I heard Sinner laugh in the background.
“Sinner’s there?”
“We’re all here,” he answered.
“Then why is my husband the only one who’s dealing with this?”