“We’re going to come through this. We’re going to live. A long time.” He slipped his hand up her jeans and stroked the bare skin of her calf. It felt so good, and she closed her eyes for a second, savoring the feeling. Then his touch was gone. “We’re almost there,” he said. “You need to put your seatbelt on.”
“In case we crash.”
“We’re not going to crash.”
“Hah.” But she pushed herself up and crossed to the row of seats. Everyone else was already strapped in, though they’d left two empty seats side by side for her and Kane.
“The love birds.”
Rose’s words whispered in her head, and Kaitlin scowled. So much for being a tough girl. She cast a glance at Kane and sawhis lips twitch. He obviously wasn’t worried about his tough guy image. Maybe because it wasn’t just an image—hewastough. He seemed almost happy as well. Relaxed.
She took one of the empty seats and fastened her seatbelt. Kane sat beside her, and she closed her eyes and blanked her mind, not even jumping when the wheels touched down with a jolt. She was up and out of her seat before the plane came to a standstill.
A weight had lifted from her mind and excitement fizzed through her blood. Last time she’d been to Uganda, she’d been in a bad place. She’d just spent six months incarcerated, mostly in total isolation, believing all her friends were dead. She’d gotten out to find that the people she held responsible were now their allies, and she’d been mired in bitterness, unable to see beyond her dark thoughts. That had been around two years ago, and she hadn’t been back since. Now she was eager to see this place with new eyes. This was where Kane had grown up. It wasAfrica.She and Sam had always talked about traveling, seeing the world. She would enjoy this for him as well as for herself.
The heat hit her as soon as the doors opened. It was mid-morning here and the sun was high in a sky the color of Kane’s eyes. She blinked at the brightness. Kane tapped her on the arm from behind and handed her a pair of sunglasses.
She slipped them on. “Thanks.”
Off to the west, she could make out the Mountains of the Moon, or Ruwenzori as it was now known, so close they loomed over them, their tops shrouded in mist. That was where they were going. Even the name was mysterious, though she’d done plenty of reading about the area over the years.
Jake and Christa waited at the bottom of the steps, and she hurried down. It was an hour’s drive from the airport, and she was eager to be on her way.
“Have you found out anything else?” Kane asked.
“Nothing yet,” Christa answered. “I’ve got a few tests running back at the lab. We should have the results by the time we get back.”
“Let’s go then.”
He jumped into the open back of the truck and she climbed in beside him, gripping the edge as they pulled away. They didn’t talk on the trip. She spent the time gazing around her. The last time she’d traveled this route, she’d been hidden under a tarpaulin, sneaking away.
The place was beautiful. The road from the airport soon gave way to a dirt track that looped around the mountains, sometimes climbing, sometimes dropping down into a valley. On the last climb, they went so high, they were engulfed in the clouds, and the dense mist cooled her heated skin. She saw occasional movement in the trees around them—monkeys and brightly colored birds. Then they were descending again. This time into the valley where the tribe had lived for ten thousand years.
How had they even survived in such a hostile environment?
She presumed the time machine was supposed to take them to this present time. What had they felt when they had opened the doors and found themselves so far from civilization? In both time and space.
Had they learned to hunt? To gather fruits and other edible plants. What about other tribes? Had they had to fight for a place here in the wilderness?
Up ahead, she saw two figures standing at the side of the road. The truck slowed and she recognized Connor and Imogen. Both were dressed in shorts and T-shirts—she hoped someone had some clothes she could borrow, since she was sweltering in her jeans—and both carried automatic weapons. She wanted one of those as well. She grinned at them and waved as they passed. Presumably, the bad guys hadn’t shown their faces yet.
The house was nestled against the mountainside, blending in with the surroundings, a wide veranda wrapping around it. A couple of people sat at a table and waved as they passed, but the truck didn’t stop. Instead, it drove around the back of the house and up a track just wide enough for the vehicle to pass. Last time she was here, it had only been wide enough to walk—they’d been doing some work.
There were other changes as well. But the guards were the same—she recognized Leila and Brandon, the only two remaining Guardians. Well, other than Kane. As far as she knew, they’d never left the area. They’d spent their whole lives guarding the machine. That was dedication. What would they do when it was over? Presuming they were still alive.
There was a new steel door at the front of the cave. The truck pulled up and she hopped out almost before it had stopped moving, Kane right behind her. He spoke to Leila. She said something and he leaned forward and hugged her. Kaitlin narrowed her eyes.
“Jealous,” Rose murmured from beside her.
“Maybe.”
“You don’t have to be. There’s never been anything like that between them. But Leila just about brought him up after his parents left here. They’re close.”
“You know her well?”
“Not well. I don’t think anyone knows Leila well, but she’s loosened up a little since we first came.”
Kane returned. “Come on, let’s get inside. I want to see.”
