Page 79

They were in danger. She was in danger, and where was his brain?

Somewhere in the vicinity of his fly.

Scowling, he grabbed his pack, slung it over one shoulder.

“Moving out,” he growled. She didn’t react. “Did you hear me, Bellini? I said we’re moving.”

She stuck out her tongue.

He laughed.

She grinned, and when he started walking, she fell in behind him.

* * *

The stream widened, just as Chay had said it would.

One minute, they were plodding along single file.

Then they came around a tight bend and suddenly the water stretched out before them at least twenty feet wide and, from the color of it, twice as deep as the stream behind them.

And, yes, there were the crocodiles.

Tanner stood still and pointed to the distant bank where half a dozen of the huge, prehistoric-looking animals lay on the muddy slope, sleeping in the sun.

“Crocs,” Alessandra whispered.

He nodded.

He’d told her Chay had warned they might be there, but actually seeing the ten and twelve foot reptiles wasn’t the same as talking about the possibility.

Were they in the water?

Tanner scanned the stream, looking for eyes and snouts—which was pretty much all you could ever see of the unpredictable creatures when they were in the water.

Nothing.

Or nothing he could locate.

Alessandra moved up close against his side.

“What now?” she whispered.

He eyed the stream bank closest to them. Getting up it would be a scramble, but it looked flat at the top and it was covered with low-growing greenery, low enough so he could be pretty sure no crocs were lurking in its cover.

“We climb,” he whispered back. “Be as quiet as you can. Those guys look as if they’re happy to go on with their afternoon naps, but we don’t want to take any chances.”

She nodded. “Okay.”

He turned his head a little, lowered his mouth to hers for a quick good-luck kiss.

“You take the lead.” he said quietly. “I’ll be right behind you.”

That way, he could grab her if she started to slip, or he could be the mouthful a croc bit off if things went bad.

She nodded again. Then she took a breath and began climbing.

Tanner took a last look across the wide stream. One of the big animals had raised its head and was looking straight at him.