Page 1 of Heat Force
CHAPTER 1
The big black helicopter circled the clearing before landing. The rotor blades kicked up clouds of red dust, sending the gorillas in the nearby enclosures scrambling for cover. Many of the younger ones chattered frantically at the noise and sudden disorienting gusts of air.
Lexi stood at the edge of the clearing, watching. It was a half-hour flight from Goma, the nearest city with a functioning airport. The African sky was clear and blue, as it usually was at this time of morning. It had been the same when she first flew in, and the view of the thick canopy from above was so spectacular, she would never forget it.
Five men jumped down from the chopper, two in business attire and three in jeans and T-shirts. They proceeded to unload a bunch of equipment. The film crew, she guessed. For some reason, she’d expected more of them. Still, five was good. It would be easier to manage.
One of the two well-dressed men had to be the infamous “Hawk” Anderson. Engineer, visionary, CEO. The media painted him as an arrogant, demanding boss willing to venture where other mining conglomerates feared to go—trouble spots, unfriendly regimes, areas desperately in need of upliftment.
What kind of name was Hawk anyway?
She tried to get a good look at him but couldn’t see clearly through the swirling dust.
Robert, the manager of the gorilla sanctuary and her boss, approached them with an outstretched hand. They exchanged pleasantries as the roar of the rotor blades wound down. Then she was beckoned over.
Taking a deep breath, she pasted a smile on her face and walked over to the men.
Here goes.
Maybe he wasn’t the workaholic tyrant everyone said he was, she reasoned as the dust cleared. Her mother always used to say she was too quick to judge. Not all wealthy, successful, and powerful men were arrogant assholes. Apparently.
“Lexi, come and meet our new benefactor, Mr. Anderson.”
The taller of the two men turned to face her.
“Please, call me Hawk.” He flashed a self-deprecating grin, showing white, even teeth, and held out a hand. “Everybody else does.”
Goddamn.
He wasn’t anything like the chubby, middle-aged engineer she’d imagined. Late thirties, possibly early forties, but no older than that. Brown hair swept back from his face, a hard, chiseled jawline, and piercing blue eyes that took in a lot but gave nothing away.
She blew a hair off her face as she shook his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
Rough skin, a hint of calluses on his palms. Hawk Anderson was a man used to working with his hands. She never would have guessed it by looking at him. Those pressed trousers fit him like they’d been custom made for him, and the white shirt was expensive. Lexi recognized quality when she saw it.
Growing up, her mother had insisted they shop only at the best stores and wear the most stylish clothes. “Image is everything,” she’d been fond of saying, and in the wealthy political circles they moved in, it was.
She shuddered, releasing Hawk Anderson’s hand. Thank God she was far away from that world now. His world.
Africa was so different. It was a place of dense jungles, soaring mountains, and cobalt blue skies. A place where things like a friendly smile, a helping hand, and a sack of flour mattered. A place where most people couldn’t afford the necessities, let alone designer gear.
“This is Lexi.” Robert introduced her. “She heads up our veterinarian team.”
“How interesting.” Those blue eyes fixed on her, and she wondered what he was thinking. Probably something predictable, like how did a nice girl like her end up in a place like this?
Usala Park, the gorilla sanctuary where she worked, was in the middle of the Democratic Republic of Congo, one of the most volatile countries in Africa. There were constant skirmishes with rebel groups, attacks on wildlife by poachers, and raids on local villages. Here, at the heavily guarded sanctuary, however, they were relatively safe.
Her friends thought she was crazy for taking a job out here. Her parents were convinced she was in the throes of a nervous breakdown, while Charles… She sniffed and smoothed down the surgical shirt she wore over her shorts and T-shirt. What Charles thought didn’t matter. Not anymore.
“Yes, I work in the clinic with the injured and orphaned gorillas.”
“A fellow American?” His gaze lingered on her hot, flushed face, dropping to her chest, where he scanned the nametag, thenslowly rising back up again. She felt like he was stripping her bare. “You’re a long way from home.”
She self-consciously smoothed her hair down. It was coming loose from its ponytail, and she wore no makeup at all. Not even a hint of blush on her cheeks, or a touch of mascara to lengthen her lashes. Then, she scowled and straightened her shoulders. Why should she care what a man like Hawk Anderson thought? He was only here because his company needed the PR. Sponsoring a gorilla sanctuary in the country where they were negotiating a mining deal was a clever ploy to get the world on their side and sweeten the deal with the DRC government. She wasn’t buying his humanitarian bullshit.
“So are you.”
He chuckled and spread out a hand. “This is my job.”