Chapter 4
CHAPTER 4
B y the time they got back to the clinic, Lexi felt like she’d been hit by a freight train. The jungle, once a vibrant wash of emerald greens, had surrendered to night. Shadows swallowed the forest, and the only sounds were the persistent hum of insects and the occasional distant call of something wild. The rain had left the air thick, clinging to her skin like a second layer.
Robert was already pacing when they pulled up, his face tight with impatience. He didn’t even wait for Lexi to climb out of the Jeep.
“How’d it go?” he called, sharp and urgent. “Did you find her?”
“Right where the ranger said,” Lexi replied, tugging her bag from the seat beside her. “It was definitely a snare wound, but she’d managed to get free on her own. I couldn’t find any sign of it around where they were ranging.”
Robert’s jaw tightened. “Will she make it?”
“She should. I stitched her up and gave her a shot of penicillin to keep infection at bay. She’ll need monitoring, though. Maybe the trackers can check on her in a few days to make sure she’s healing properly?”
“I’ll see to it,” Robert assured her. “Great work, Lexi.”
Hawk had already pulled the gear from the Jeep’s trunk and stacked it on the clinic’s patio. He stood quietly beside the pile, but she could feel his presence—steady, watchful, like he was filing away every detail. Her insides coiled as their eyes met, but then Robert walked up to him, diverting his attention.
Lexi let out a soft breath. Why did she find him so damn disconcerting?
“This is exactly why our work here at Usala matters,” Robert was saying. “That gorilla would’ve died from infection in a few weeks without medical intervention, and with so few breeding females left in the population…” His voice dropped. “Every single life counts. There are less than eight hundred mountain gorillas left in the world. Eight hundred.” He shook his head.
Lexi left them to talk, the exhaustion finally catching up to her. Her legs felt heavy as she entered the clinic. All she wanted to do was take a long, hot bath and scrub off the mud, sweat, and tension of the day.
As much as she didn’t want to admit it, that volatile male gorilla had frightened her. Her instincts had screamed at her to run, but she couldn’t—not with Hawk watching. She’d forced herself to stay calm, to finish her work. Hawk might have been new to Usala, but he didn’t seem the type to give much credit to anyone who couldn’t hold their own. And if he doubted her, the center’s credibility would be on the line. So, she’d done it. She’d trusted Edmond to cover her if things went sideways. But damn if it hadn’t shaken her.
And now, instead of collapsing into bed, she had to show up at the Lodge for dinner. It was an official welcome for Hawk Anderson, and his team. She sighed. The man was already unsettling enough without a formal sit-down.
The Lodge was the only source of light in the otherwise pitch-black forest. Lexi was last to arrive having first checked on the two infant gorillas currently in the clinic before leaving them with their carers for the night.
She’d cleaned up too, trading her mud-splattered field gear for one of the few dresses she’d brought from New York. It was emerald-green, the shade that brought out her eyes, with thin straps and a soft flow that skimmed just above her knees. Gold sandals and a delicate chain completed the look. Her hair, damp from her rushed bath, had dried into soft, wild waves that framed her face as she entered the lodge.
“Lexi, darling, you’re here!” Estelle, Robert’s wife, greeted her with a warm hug. She was a sturdy woman in her mid-forties with tanned skin and bright eyes. She had a white streak of hair flowing from her temple, mixing with the rest of her long, chestnut tresses. It was strikingly unusual and completely natural. A genetic blimp, Estelle had told her when they’d first met. “Come on in, everyone’s out on the deck.”
“Thanks.” Lexi’s stomach tightened when she saw the small group gathered outside. Her eyes were drawn to him first.
Hawk stood at the edge of the deck, a bottle of beer in his hand, his head tilted back as he laughed at something Jasper said. He was stupidly handsome, wearing those beige chinos and a crisp white shirt like he was on the cover of some outdoorsy lifestyle magazine.
Estelle leaned closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “Hawk hasn’t stopped singing your praises since he got here.”
Lexi blinked at her. “Really?”
“Oh, yes,” Estelle said with a wink, “You’ve got an admirer there, honey.”
Lexi rolled her eyes but followed her onto the deck. Hawk turned as she approached, his gaze flicking over her, slow and deliberate, before he met her eyes. The corner of his mouth tugged upward, and damn if her pulse didn’t kick up a notch.
“Lexi,” Robert said, breaking the moment. “Glad you could make it. Is Patrick joining us?”
“No, he’s looking after the infants,” she flashed Dan, who was also gawking at her, a quick smile. “Did you guys have a good day?”
He beamed. “The best! You look amazing, by the way. Love that dress.”
She flushed. “Thanks.”
He proceeded to tell her all about their excursion until Hawk stepped forward. “Can I get you a drink?”
She glanced up at him. “Sure. A beer would be great.”
He leaned across Dan to grab a bottle from the ice bucket. After opening it, he handed it to her, his fingers brushing hers. Electricity shot through her body, firing her blood. Dan, effectively cut off and having lost his train of thought, turned to talk to Rex, leaving her with Hawk.
“That is a beautiful dress,” he murmured, so only she could hear. “You look like a forest nymph.”
Was that a compliment? She wasn’t sure.
“Um, thanks.”
“How about that tour of the clinic tomorrow?” Hawk asked. His closeness was making her overheat.
“Of course,” She took a step back, out of his magnetic field. What was it about this guy that had her all hot and bothered. She didn’t even like him. “Nine work for you?”
“Perfect.” His smile lingered, and she had to force herself to look away.
“I heard about your little adventure this afternoon,” Jasper said, joining them. The air immediately cooled. “I’m glad it went according to plan. Hawk hasn’t stopped talking about it.”
Really? Lexi shot a glance at Hawk, who she could have sworn colored slightly. He puffed out his chest. “It was beneficial seeing the type of work that goes on here, that’s all.”
At least she wasn’t the only one hot under the collar.
“I’m glad you didn’t encounter any hostiles,” Jasper said.
“Only an angry gorilla.” Lexi met Hawk’s eye.
His mouth quirked.
“How bad is the political situation?” Jasper asked, unwilling to let the subject go.
Grimacing, Lexi looked at Robert for help. That was a landmine of a question, and she wasn’t about to step on it. As an American who’d been here less than a year, she didn’t know where to begin.
“It’s… unpredictable,” Robert said carefully. “There are multiple rebel groups operating in the area, and violence flares up every so often. Sometimes it spills over into the sanctuary, which puts the animals at risk.”
“And your own lives?” Hawk’s gaze locked on Robert, narrowing slightly.
Robert hesitated, then shrugged. “Our work here is important, even the rebels know that. They don’t usually target us directly.” His eyes flicked away.
“Usually?” Jasper’s voice cracked on the word.
“Can’t the army do anything to stop them?” Hawk asked, reading between the lines.
Robert shot him a tired smile. “The rebels used to be the army. Renegades, mostly. They broke away and now fight to control this part of the country. The government forces aren’t exactly well-trained or well-fed, so containment isn’t really an option.”
“What about the UN?” Hawk leaned back against the railing. He looked almost relaxed, though Lexi caught the sharpness in his eyes. “Don’t they have peacekeepers in the area?”
Someone had done their homework.
Robert sighed. “The UN does what it can. But the roads are a nightmare—half of them are blocked by the army or the rebels, and most of those roadblocks are just excuses to extort money from travelers. It’s dangerous to move around. Even with UN backing.”
Estelle returned, wine glass in hand. “Robert got ambushed on the road to Goma a few months ago.” Robert shot her a warning look, but she didn’t notice. “He was shot in the shoulder.”
“Shot?” Jasper blurted out. All eyes turned to Robert.
“It was just a graze,” Robert said quickly, brushing it off with a wave of his hand. His tone was light, but Lexi didn’t miss the way his jaw tightened. She knew his shoulder still gave him trouble.
“It doesn’t happen very often,” she said, trying to smooth over the sudden tension. She glanced at Hawk, hoping they hadn’t scared him off, but his expression was one of intrigue. His eyes gleamed in the glow of the deck’s lanterns.
“It’s like the Wild West out here,” he muttered, taking a pull from his beer.
Lexi dropped her gaze to his hand holding the bottle. Big hands. Confident grip. For a split second she pictured them running over her body, and gulped, pushing the unwelcome thought from her mind.
He caught her eye, and she glanced away. Why wasn’t he rattled like a normal person? Jasper looked like he wanted to bolt, but Hawk just seemed… curious and maybe a little bit excited, like this was all just a big adventure to him.
Before she could say anything, Estelle broke the tension with her cheerful voice. “Dinner is ready! Let’s head inside.”
Lexi saw Robert exhale, relieved to leave the topic behind. She couldn’t blame him. There was no pretty way to talk about the chaos in the DRC, no version of this story that didn’t leave you feeling hollow. Sighing, she followed the group inside.
The conversation during dinner mostly revolved around the documentary, filming locations, and storylines. The crew were excited to get started, and Lexi let their enthusiasm fill the space, content to stay quiet.
Every so often, she caught Hawk looking at her. Not long stares—just glances. Subtle, but enough to make her pulse skip. She didn’t return them, though. She wasn’t sure she wanted to encourage whatever unspoken thing had started between them.
The truth was, Hawk reminded her too much of the men she’d left behind in New York. Sharp suits, flashy smiles, and ambitions that left no room for vulnerability. The kind of man who could charm a room but wouldn’t stick around when things got messy. He might’ve been wearing chinos instead of a tailored suit, but he still felt like one of them . All image, no substance.
And yet, there was something about him that fascinated her. The way he stayed calm when everyone else got stressed. The way his questions, even the surface-level ones, seemed to carry a weight of curiosity.
When dinner wrapped up, Lexi took the first chance to excuse herself. She thanked Estelle for the wonderful meal, said her goodnights, and slipped out into the warm night air. The road back to her cabin was quiet, save for the symphony of jungle sounds. The high-pitched chirping of crickets, the distant hoot of an owl, and the rustle of leaves as something moved in the undergrowth.
At first, the noises had unnerved her. The dark felt alive, like it was watching her, waiting to pounce. But now, the sounds were familiar, even comforting. The jungle was vast and unpredictable, but it was also steady in its own way, unchanging in its rhythms.
She reached the door to her cabin and paused, noticing something white on the mat.
A letter.
It was postmarked New York.
Lexi sighed, scooping it up. She already knew who it was from. Her mother’s letters were as predictable as they were exhausting.
By the time she’d opened it and settled into bed to read, her eyelids were heavy. Her mother’s words were neat and precise, the tone a familiar cocktail of criticism and thinly veiled guilt. Then came the sucker punch, written in a bolder, told-you-so manner.
Charles was getting married.
Her chest tightened for half a second, then… nothing. No heartbreak, no pang of regret. Just a quiet acceptance. Of course he would marry. Of course it was Elizabeth Carlton-Ross, one of her mother’s socialite friends’ daughters. Charles had always been a prize, a politician destined for greatness, and Elizabeth would make the perfect accessory.
Lexi tossed the letter onto the nightstand, rolling her eyes at her mother’s parting advice to “watch her skin in the harsh African sun.” As if that was all she needed to worry about out here.
Shutting off the lamp, she sank into her pillow. As she lay in bed, listening to the jungle’s lullaby, one thought crossed her mind before sleep took her. Hawk Anderson had rattled her more in one day than Charles ever had.
And she wasn’t sure if that was a good thing—or a very, very bad one.