A village in mourning.
Those who’d been sent to the safety of the jungle had returned and lamented over those who’d fallen.
Guilt hit Phoenix like a ton of bricks.
This is my fault.He’d brought the general with his hired mercenaries to this peaceful haven. These deaths happened because of him.
The anguish might as well have been a grievous injury, for it left him suddenly huddled on the ground, naked, shivering, and ashamed of what he’d caused.
“Do not blame yourself for this,” Farah stated as she handed him the muddied shorts he’d lost in the change.
“Who else? The general came after me,” his bitter reminder.
“You just happened to be here when he came. By his own admission, he already planned to attack.”
“What?” Her claim brought his head up to stare at her in shock.
“It’s true.” Nadirah put a hand on his shoulder. “He was coming here, no matter what. He just happened to come across me and Farah first.”
“But how did he know the harimau were here?”
“Because, as I told Nadirah, it’s always only a matter of time before the sanctuaries we create are compromised.”
“What happens now?” he asked.
Johan was the one to answer. “We start over.”
“Where?”
The man offered an enigmatic smile. “Soon see.”
Farah added, “Our first order of business is to get everyone out of this jungle before that beast returns.”
It proved a somber slog through the soaking jungle. They ended up in the parking lot, surprisingly empty of tourists. Then again, the dead bodies of those who worked for the park probably had something to do with that. Smart people didn’t stick around in places where they might get shot.
Some of the ambush immediately got into cars and drove off. However, not everyone had wheels.
Johan pointed to some dark-paneled vans, which Farah indicated were used by the general. “Everyone who needs a ride, load up.”
When Phoenix, his arm around Nadirah, hesitated, Farah murmured, “That includes you.”
“Are you sure you want me going with you?”
Johan slapped him on the back and said something in Malaysian that Farah translated. “Today you proved yourselfharimau. You belong with us, assuming you want to be a part of our ambush.”
His mouth opened and closed in shock. “Really?”
“We’ll need you,” Farah stated, concurring with a nod. “That general is still on the loose, and you know more about him than us. That knowledge might be necessary to keep our people safe.”
Because Davidson likely wouldn’t let a little thing like the fact he’d lost his mini army and skulked off in shame stop him from trying again.
Still, Phoenix glanced at Nadirah. “What do you want to do?”
“We need them as much as they need us. I say we go with them.”
“But what about your grandmother?”
Her lips turned down. “I miss her, but right now, it’s too dangerous for me to go back home. And besides, my place is with you. Trust me, she’ll understand. She’s waited a long time for me to find someone to love.”
