His eyes stayed on mine for half a second too long. "You're not arguing?"
"I'm adapting."
The corner of his mouth moved, barely. "Dangerous habit."
"Clearly, that was going around."
He started to say something else, but his phone buzzed in his pocket. I saw the name flash:Sofia.
His jaw tightened. He looked toward the service yard, then back at the screen, thumb moving fast.
ME:Active situation. Safe. Will call as soon as I can.
He sent it before the mask went back up.
The reserve took his attention again, but not before I understood the cost of it.
I watched him walk away before following Alina toward the lounge to find a toothbrush and a stiff drink. The reserve had pressure points. Clearly, so did I.
Chapter 25
Force Majeure
NICK
Fearlasteduntilthefirst missed flight. After that, the complaints got louder.
I stood in the service corridor just off the main lobby, the radio at my hip a constant, crackling weight. Through the slatted wood of the partition, the lodge had shifted from the hushed tension of the morning into something sharper.
“We’ve already checked out,” a man was saying, his voice rising in that specific, nasal pitch that signaled a looming demand for a manager. Vaguely familiar. Vanderwaal. Private suite near the drainage. Three complaints before dinner. “Our bags are loaded. You said the road was clear. Who is paying for the rebooking to Johannesburg?”
Sarah’s voice stayed level. “I understand the frustration, Mr. Vanderwaal,” she said. “But we are responding conservatively because that is the safest option. No one leaves until the Head Ranger clears the route.”
“Is this normal?” his wife asked. “Are we in danger?”
“This is not a typical Mara Khaya departure day,” Sarah replied, her voice cooling by several degrees. “Wildlife movement is part of the reserve, but the decision to pause transfers is precautionary. We are prioritizing your safety over the schedule.”
I stepped back from the partition. Precautionary was the polite version. The reserve had stopped behaving like a place guests were meant to understand. Most of them spent three days seeing elephants from a vehicle, drinking too much Chenin, and calling it transformative. They stayed on the marked routes, with filtered stories and enough distance to keep the wildness beautiful.
Juliette had spent longer than she should have beside me in the seams. She’d seen the parts they weren’t supposed to carry home.
My phone buzzed. I pulled it out, leaning against the cool plaster of the service wall.
Sofia:did u look at flights?
The screen stayed bright in my hand. Sofia’s text sat there, small and ordinary, while the cow’s ears snapped through my head again. Juliette’s hand on the door handle.
I began to type.
ME:I’m booking it today. I’ll send your mom the options before dinner your time.
The bubbles appeared almost instantly.
SOFIA:actually?
My thumb stopped over the screen. I rubbed the bridge of my nose, the grit of the road still under my skin.
ME:Actually. I’m sorry I made you ask twice. Situation here. All good now.
