Man of Fire Read online

  'Will this be your first trip with our expedition leader, Señor Vegas, Miss Donnelly? Or have you perhaps been fortunate enough to have been in his party on previous trips?'

  Tina's eyelashes flickered slightly, but she kept her composure. 'I haven't had that pleasure, Mr. Crilly, perhaps you can tell me something about him?'

  Felix Crilly's wholesome face glowed with enthusiasm. 'None of us here has ever met him, but we all know of his legendary ability to guide his expeditions safely through country that would dismay less experienced men. We, and I think I can speak for all of us here, consider it a great honour to have been hand-picked by him to accompany him on this trip.'

  Hand-picked! Tina hastily put down her soup spoon and groped for her napkin in order to hide her trembling hands. Did that mean, she wondered, that Ramon Vegas knew her Aunt Chris? Had Chris, in the haphazard way she had of seeing, and yet not seeing people when she was absorbed in her work, managed by some incredible mischance to overlook an encounter with Ramon Vegas?

  Theo Branston's quick eyes noted her agitation and his cunning mind filed it away for future reference. All was not as it should be with Little Miss Iceberg, and the knowledge that she was not as invulnerable as she would have them believe came to him with exultant insight. His voice contained a built-in sneer as he broke in to contradict Felix Crilly's eulogy on the absent Ramon Vegas. 'Hand-picked, nothing!' he spat. 'My organization sent me out here on this expedition because they considered me to be the best man for the job! I'm kinda sick of hearing you singing this guy's praises, Crilly. As far as I'm concerned he's just another Brazilian who's pushed his way into this party and taken over control with all the goddamn arrogance of his race. I don't need anybody to show me the way through the jungle, and the rest of us have all managed to survive other expeditions without his presence to guide us through. Caramuru!' he rolled the name around his tongue as if it were poison he was anxious to be rid of. 'I reckon a man with a name like that'll need to be able to live up to it, and I for one can hardly wait to see him try!'

  His belligerent gaze swept the table, waiting for someone to contradict, but nobody did. The two Breckling boys went on eating their soup, quite oblivious to the challenge he emitted. Miles Debrett, with his very English horror of participating in a scene, chatted on with seeming unconcern to the taciturn Scot, Jock Saunders. Only Felix Crilly took it upon himself to remonstrate.

  With a determined thrust of his chin, he said sharply, 'I don't agree, Branston! Señor Vegas is renowned for his expertise and we should all be thankful he's in charge of what could prove a most hazardous trip.'

  'Well, he'll soon be called upon to prove his worth,' Theo Branston replied with an unpleasant smile, 'because today he returns from up-river where he's supposedly supervising the petrol and supply dumps. He's due to arrive back here at the hotel tonight and by this time tomorrow we should all be somewhere in the Amazon valley. It will be interesting to find out whether this Señor Vegas really deserves his title "Man of Fire" or if his reputation exists only in the minds of the few simple Indians who bestowed it upon him.'

  With a scowl, he pushed away his plate and left the table, leaving behind him an uneasy silence'

  Tina woke early the next morning after suffering a night of restless half-sleep and was glad to leave her bed to revel in the luxury of a cool shower. Afterwards, she dressed in a sleeveless cotton dress, a cool ice blue to reflect the mood she wished to portray, then she sat down at her dressing table to fix her hair. She frowned at her reflection. This morning she faced the ordeal of meeting Ramon Vegas and of carrying off the gigantic bluff which, in England, had seemed feasible but which here in Manaus was beginning to assume an aspect of deliberate fraud. There were questions he was bound to ask; questions to which she would have no recourse hut to lie. With a determined effort, she pushed aside the scruples that encroached Her mind by remembering her aunt's laughing face and Alex's dazed wonderment; their happiness was ample justification for whatever lies she might have to tell Ramon Vegas.

  But, she reflected, lies would hardly suffice. She had to look like an experienced jungle trekker and her disconsolate eyes told her that she did not. Clothes might help, and luckily all Chris's jungle gear fitted her perfectly, but at the moment she had a little-girl-lost look that would arouse Ramon Vegas' suspicions immediately he saw her. She frowned and tried to remedy the fault. Her mouth looked far too vulnerable, so she pulled her lips into a straight, prim line. Her eyes betrayed wistful uncertainty; she experimented until she was satisfied she could acquire a hard glint at will. Finally, she gave her long thick plait of red-gold hair a peevish tug. She was proud of her hair and the glossy braid which she always wore hanging over one shoulder had been much admired, but it made her look much too young. She could not bear the idea of cutting it, so she wound it coronet-wise on top of her head and stuck hairpins firmly into it until she was satisfied it would stay put. When she saw how the new style lent sophistication to her young face, she gave a sigh of satisfaction and, content at last, went downstairs to breakfast.

  The dining-room was empty, but a waiter immediately drew forward a chair for her at a table by the window and handed her the menu. She ordered grapefruit, toast and coffee and had just begun to eat when she caught sight of Theo Branston's lumbering figure in the doorway. Dismayed, she would have stood up and fled, but he was too quick for her, his giant frame was lowered into the seat next to hers before she had time to collect her thoughts.

  'Good morning, Miss Donnelly,' he glinted. 'This is a pleasure! I sure didn't expect to find you up and about as early as this. D'you mind if I join you?'

  'I don't seem to have much choice,' Tina replied with chilling hauteur. But he was impervious to insult. With complacent assurance, he ordered a breakfast that would have satisfied a horse, and the sight of him shovelling the food rapidly into his mouth dispersed her own appetite completely. She pushed aside her plate and half-rose, an excuse on her lips, but he put out a detaining hand.

  'Have you heard the news?'

  She hesitated. 'What news?'

  'Ah!' he gave a maddening grin and waved his hand towards her chair. 'Sit down and I'll tell you all I know.'

  Uncertain whether it was just a trick to delay her from leaving, but not daring to overlook any detail that might keep her one step ahead of events, she reluctantly complied. He gave a pleased laugh and took another swig of coffee before he enlightened her. 'Last night Señor Vegas arrived. It was late and most of the party, including yourself, had gone to bed. So he instructed me,' there was truculence in the emphasis he placed on the word, 'to tell everyone that he wants us all to gather in his private sitting-room at nine-thirty sharp to be briefed on the trip. Twelve o'clock noon is the deadline for our departure, so all gear has to be packed and left in the foyer of the hotel by eleven o'clock for transfer to the hovercraft.'

  A sliver of fear stabbed Tina. The ordeal was about to begin. Again Theo's watching eyes caught a glimpse of an intangible something he could give no name to but which he knew was a sign of disturbance. He was astute enough to know that probing would be snubbed, so he decided simply to wait - and watch. Quickly, when he saw she was about to leave, he continued, 'But that isn't all...'

  'Well, what else?' Tina tapped her foot impatiently.

  He took time to butter a piece of toast before replying deliberately, 'Señor Vegas didn't arrive alone. He brought with him another lady to keep you company, or perhaps,' he gave a meaning leer, 'he's brought her as company for himself. She's Doña Inez Garcia, a gorgeous Brazilian who, believe it or not, is a doctor. I can foresee quite a lot of minor illnesses cropping up amongst the crew during the next few weeks if it means having Doña Inez's ministrations as a reward! You'll have to watch out, Miss Donnelly, you have competition now!'

  Tina did not deign to answer; with a look of disgust she rose and left him to enjoy his joke alone.

  As she hurried to her room his words pounded her brain. Nine-thirty was the time when fate - in
the shape of Ramon Vegas - would decide the outcome of her plan. She had to seem sufficiently knowledgeable to convince him that she was competent enough to join his party.

  With an efficiency that owed everything to the number of times she had carried out the same service for her aunt, she packed her gear into the smallest possible space — discarding ruthlessly every item that was not essential - then she phoned downstairs to the desk with a request that a boy should be sent to fetch her things and to deposit them in the lobby for collection at eleven, as Theo had instructed. It was then still barely nine o'clock, so she took the opportunity of writing to her aunt for the last time before setting off on the journey. The letter was difficult to compose. She attempted to convey enthusiasm and an eager anticipation for the journey to begin, but each sentence seemed to her to betray the stifling fear that lurked in the shallows of her mind, a fear which, with each progressive minute, threatened to overcome reason and send her fleeing from the shadow of the evil green waste that waited to receive her.

  The floor around her was strewn with discarded sheets of crumpled paper when finally she glanced at her watch and saw it was almost time for the dreaded meeting. Hastily, she slipped the few stilted sentences which were all she had felt able to write into an envelope and thrust it into her pocket for posting later. There was to be no more opportunity to wallow in fearful indecision; zero hour was now!

  When she reached the room where she had been told she would locate Señor Vegas, everything was quiet No one passed her as she stood hesitating in the still, heavily carpeted passageway wondering whether to knock on the dark panelled door or simply to walk inside. Then an indistinct murmur of voices from inside the room told her that the others were already present, and she swallowed hard and tensed to meet the battery of eyes that would greet her, the only latecomer.

  But when she sidled into the room her entrance went unnoticed except for one quick, keen glance from the man who was standing pointing to a large map that covered almost the whole of the wall behind him. She dropped into the first seat she came to - behind the backs of the rest of the company - and breathed a sigh of relief that her late entry had caused no disturbance to the obviously engrossed assembly. The man continued speaking in a clipped, compelling voice.

  'Our journey will take us through some of the wildest territory in Brazil and Venezuela. We shall be transported by the most modern means along the most inaccessible and uncharted waterways in the world into an age which knows no civilization...'

  As Tina rapidly assessed the speaker, her heart gave a hard, disconcerted thump. If she nurtured some small hope that Ramon Vegas might turn out to be a sympathetic individual, easily wooed by pleading and soft words, it was immediately dispersed at her first real sight of him. His features resembled lines of sharply etched teak; especially his jawline which, she noticed particularly, was set at a most formidable angle. As he spoke, he very cleverly let his light glance fall upon each listener in turn, involving them so personally that their attention was held without any obvious effort on his part and she sensed in him an ability to manipulate people, like pieces on a chessboard, without their even noticing it. His eyes were a surprising brilliant blue. Through the window, the sun's rays played upon his dark head, revealing secret tawny streaks amongst the sheen of his otherwise sable-dark hair. He made a sudden lithe movement and pointed with a ruler to the map behind him, indicating their route. He was still speaking, but Tina was unaware of his words. The rippling muscles under his light tan shirt; the seemingly negligent glance which nevertheless missed nothing that went on around him; the aura of confined inactivity betrayed by the frequency with which his glance was drawn to the window as if longing to be out of the room to freedom; the prowling urgency of his steps -all these things characterized the frustration of a caged animal seeking escape. To Tina's dismayed eyes, he epitomized everything about the jungle that frightened and horrified her. He was as intimidating as the tawny-coloured, blue-eyed puma — South America's lion - as untamed and untameable.

  Her breath caught in a harsh rasp and startled her to attention. Feeling quite sick with apprehension, she forced herself to listen to his words.

  'From Manaus,' he indicated, 'we will travel up the Negro, through the Casiquiare Canal and down the Orinoco to San Felix in Venezuela - a two-thousand-mile journey holding untold hazards. Two stretches of boiling rapids, impassable to any ordinary craft, lie on our route. After this, we enter cannibal and head-hunter country where most of the natives have never seen a white man, much less a thundering hovercraft.' He paused for effect, waiting for his remarks to sink in, then when he was satisfied they were all conscious of the dangers they faced, he said with deliberation, 'If there is anyone who wishes to drop out or who has any misgivings or doubts about his ability to stay the course I want him to be honest enough to say so now. No one need feel ashamed to admit fear, indeed, it takes a courageous person to do so, but I must emphasize that once aboard the hovercraft there will be no turning back, not under any circumstances. Every person on this trip must be capable of existing - alone if necessary - in the depths of the jungle. I do not intend to carry passengers, each will have a job to do, and if there is anyone amongst you who feels himself incapable of answering to the demands that will be made upon him, then let him say so now!'

  There was a sudden buzz of animated discussion. As if deciding to give them time to digest his words, he dropped the ruler on to a table and walked with a relaxed smile towards a woman who was sitting apart from the rest, negligently swinging one leg across the other in an attitude of patient resignation that quickly changed to one of pleasure when he reached her side. Tina was given no time to study the woman who, she decided, must be Doña Inez Garcia. She just had time to notice two black wings of hair that swept across smooth white cheeks and a mouth that invited kisses as it was lifted towards him in a moist, crimson pout before she was swept into the conversation around her.

  She discovered that other members of the expedition had joined those whom she had already met the previous evening. Felix Crilly again took upon himself the job of introducing her, but in the furore of excited speculation most of their names went unheeded. In all, there were now eighteen in the party, including Ramon Vegas and Doña Inez. These included the pilot of the hovercraft, Captain Joseph Rogers, and members of a film unit who had been in Manaus for over a week preparing their equipment and acclimatizing themselves to the stifling heat. This was an example Tina was sorry she had not emulated. The sun's strength was growing gradually stronger and was penetrating the room with progressive force. She felt herself wilting in the thickly crowded atmosphere and it was an effort to throw off the lethargy that held her in order to answer intelligently the question put to her by the pilot, Joseph Rogers.

  'Well, Miss Donnelly, has Ramon's dire warning prejudiced you against the trip or not?' He smiled down at her with whimsical humour.

  She was immensely tempted to say that it had, but she clutched at her presence of mind and if her answer lacked warmth it was, at least, forceful. 'No, certainly not, Captain Rogers, I have every intention of joining the expedition. I fear Señor Vegas is inclined to be a little theatrical in his approach, but I'm prepared to make allowances for his Latin temperament which probably colours his judgment slightly. We are, after all, mostly experienced people here and Señor Vegas would do well to concentrate his attentions upon those who are strangers to the jungle.' With a shrug that displayed a confidence she was far from feeling, she concluded, 'I've no doubt but what this trip will prove to be as uneventful as a jaunt up the Strand in a London bus!'

  'Indeed!' The voice came from nowhere. She swung round to seek the owner of the derisive, unamused drawl and found herself facing the top button of a crisply laundered bush shirt. She tilted her head to confront its owner and then took an agitated step backward when she saw the blue, diamond-hard glitter of Ramon Vegas' eyes. His grim mouth formed another word, an angry contemptuous word, but then compressed into a firm line before he s
wung around to address the assembled company with an abruptness that startled them.

  'You have had all the preparation necessary, gentlemen, so if each of you is prepared to follow my instructions to the letter will you now go to your rooms and get your gear ready for dispatch to the hovercraft. You will just have time for a light lunch before we set off at midday. Please do not be late!'

  As they began filing out he took tight hold of Tina's arm. She had to suffer many curious looks as she stood there in silent fury waiting until the men had left the room, but when the door had closed after the last one she shook her arm free and glared disdainfully up at him. Before she could utter the angry words that seethed on her tongue, a cool peal of laughter reminded her of Inez Garcia's presence.

  'Bravo, señorita!' she clapped with delight. 'Never in my life have I been able to find the courage to defy Ramon the way you have just done, although many times I have longed to do so. May I say how much I admire your ... audacity!' She had obviously substituted at the last moment the word audacity for foolishness, and although her words were honeyed, the look that accompanied them was one of vindictive triumph. For some reason she was exultantly pleased by the clash she sensed was about to come between Ramon Vegas and Tina, and a warning bell trilled in Tina's mind, telling her to beware of the woman who was openly laughing her delight of what she felt was to be her downfall.

  Her pleased laughter echoed in the silent room long after the door had closed behind her, leaving Tina alone with the man, who, at that moment, seemed fully to deserve his tide: Caramuru. There was fire in him. Angry blue flame licked deep down in his eyes and the amber glints in his hair were fired to life by the sun that blazed through the window on to his lowering head. Tina's chin went up in an instinctive gesture of defiance. Remembering her earlier experiments, she thinned her soft mouth into an uncompromising line and cloaked the fear in her eyes with a shutter of cool unconcern. Their looks clashed in combat - fire against ice - and for a long, tense moment angry silence reigned. Without dropping his eyes from hers, he waved a sheaf of papers under her nose; it was a relief to make them the excuse for unlocking her glance from his.