Page 3 of Heat Force
“What’s happened?” Her heart jumped as it always did when there was an incident involving the gorillas. Field interventions were almost always conducted by the field veterinarian, Noah, and his team, as they required hiking out to far-flung sections of the park, sometimes near the outer borders. It could be a day’s hike to get to the injured gorilla, then they had to treat it, which often required anesthetics, and a certain degree of monitoring afterwards, and only once that was done could they make their way back to the center.
“The adult female mountain gorilla in Bongi’s clan has an injury. One of the rangers reported her limping and trailing behind the rest of the family. It could be a snare wound.”
She cringed at the thought of the animal suffering.
Those damn poachers!
“Where’s Noah?” she asked. The field veterinarian had more experience than her at handling interventions, and being local, as well as a man, he was less vulnerable than she was. It sucked, but that was the reality out here.
“His father passed away last week so he’s gone to his mother’s village to attend the funeral.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I wasn’t aware.” Poor Noah. Her heart went out to him. He was a man of few words, but an excellent vet. His loyalty lay with the endangered mountain gorillas he treated. He hardly ever came into the sanctuary, preferring to sleep in the wild or in make-shift shelters with his beloved animals.
She took a fortifying breath. “So what do I need to do?”
The last field operation she had attended was three months ago, and she’d only assisted Noah then. This time, she’d have sole responsibility. Gulping, she tried to keep her nerves in check.
“Luckily, it’s not too far away,” Robert was saying. “Bongi and his family were reportedly ranging near the Elila River estuary, twenty miles south of here. You can take the Jeep for the first fifteen—after that you’ll be on foot. We have rangers operating in that area, so you shouldn’t encounter any resistance.”
Thankfully, there was a dirt track that ran south. There were no major transport links through the jungle, but Robert had tried to clear a small network of tracks to different sectors of the park, mostly to enable the rangers and medics to get to the gorillas quickly in just such an emergency. Unfortunately the rebels had cottoned on to this and also used them as short cuts. Part of the rangers’ duty was to prevent this from happening.
“I’m going to need a field team,” she said, thinking ahead. “One of the rangers for close protection and to dart the mother,and an assistant to help with the procedure once she’s sedated.” She wasn’t taking any chances with the rebels or with the injured gorilla. An adult female, particularly one in pain, could be extremely volatile.
Robert didn’t argue. He knew the drill. “Edmond can accompany you. He’s on his way down with Hawk and the crew. Get one of the carers with medical experience to assist you.” He hesitated, then said, “It might be a good idea to take Hawk with you. Give him a first-hand account of the work we do in the field.”
Shit. Really? Like she wasn’t nervous enough without that judgmental idiot looking over her shoulder. Still, she supposed she could see it from Robert’s point of view. Their new benefactor was coughing up a hell of a lot of money for the sanctuary. He deserved to know what it was being used for.
“Sure, Robert. I’ll let him know he can tag along.” Maybe he wouldn’t want to? Then she gave a derogatory sniff. Who was she kidding? He wouldn’t miss an opportunity to take a peek at the land and all those lucrative natural resources.
Suddenly, there were a hundred things to do. Lexi asked Patrick, one of the other resident vets, to send her a junior who could assist with the treatment. Patrick was in charge when she was away, so he had to remain at the sanctuary.
Next, she dashed to her room to change. Denim shorts were not conducive to jungle treks, unless she wanted her legs ripped to pieces. She checked her hair, wiped a dirty smudge off her face, and exchanged her surgical shirt for a lightweight rain jacket. It would help keep the mosquitos at bay, as well as keep her relatively dry in the likely chance of a sudden downpour.
Back in the clinic, she packed the medical kit, including animal tranquilizers from the locked office cupboard, along with the dart gun.
“Hello?” Hawk’s deep voice rattled from the front entrance. He rapped on the door as if to confirm his presence. “You ready for us?”
Lexi emerged from her little office, backpack slung over one shoulder. “There’s been a change of plan,” she told him, watching his eyebrows shoot up. “There’s a field emergency I have to attend to. One of the mountain gorillas has been injured. I’m sorry but we have to postpone your tour of the clinic.”
Hawk didn’t miss a beat. “Sure. Your work has got to take priority.”
Beside him, Jeremy breathed a sigh of relief.
“You’re welcome to tag along,” she offered, gritting her teeth.
Please say no.
“That’s okay.” Jeremy balked at the prospect. “We don’t want to get in the way.”
She smiled, genuinely this time. “It’s probably for the b?—”
That deep, gravelly voice. “I’d love to come along, if you have space.”
Ugh.
“You sure? It’s a hike.”
“Wouldn’t miss it.”