Predator

14

Liam was not angry; in fact, he seemed encouraged by her defiance. His rough fingers rubbed her bloodied lips, then he kissed her fiercely, the metallic taste mingling between their lips. No matter how hard Amelia tried to bite his invading tongue, he didn't relent, and it was impossible to tell if the blood came from his chest or his bitten tongue.

Their kiss was interrupted by the excited barking of hunting dogs from a nearby factory.

Someone called, "Liam!" followed by a long string of Swahili that Amelia couldn't fully understand, except for one word.

One of the few local words she understood was elephant.

Amelia's heart lurched.

The memory of an elephant's trunk, gnawed to the skin by hunting dogs, flashed in her mind. She envisioned a giant elephant, tusks nearly touching the ground, slowly foraging near Tsavo East.

It was old, its nose losing patches of skin, vulnerable to mosquitoes that mercilessly attacked its unprotected body.

At the end of a long road, through the elephant's clouded eyes, Amelia saw a man.

Liam, holding a gun, aimed its black, smoky barrel at the calm-faced elephant, his thumb on the trigger.

From the shadows, several men rushed forward at his signal, their blades glinting.

In no time, the massive creature fell with a thunderous crash.

Following Japan's lead, Zimbabwe also began allowing and selling elephant hunting rights, leading to more senseless slaughter. Amelia was here to address this.

Suddenly, her slender hand hooked around Liam's neck, her fingers poking his ear in a futile attempt to block out the noise.

Even if it only drew his attention to herself.

"Why?" he chuckled, pressing his fingers into her scalp. "Relax, I'm not f..king you today. I have business."

Liam turned off the water, quickly lifted her, and rushed her to a room on the third floor. Ignoring his still-dripping hair, he slipped on a T-shirt, kept his brown work pants, and his heavy boots thudded on the floor as he changed direction.

"I'll be back soon."

Not expecting a response, he turned swiftly, only to feel something soft placed in his palm.

Momentarily surprised, he stared at her hand in his.

"What's going on outside?" she asked.

"Nothing," Liam replied, flipping her hand to hold it, squeezing her fingers as he returned it. His knowing eyes seemed to see through everything, rubbing the tattoo on her wrist until it burned. "It's not your concern."

Before leaving, he took Amelia's phone.

"Anything you want to eat? Crocodile meat? Ostrich meat? Turkey or beef ribs? Or maybe grilled fish? I'll bring something back."

The thought of what he might be about to do made Amelia pale.

"No need."

"Then crocodile meat it is, tender and juicy," Liam said, giving her breast a suggestive squeeze. "You need to eat meat to gain strength."