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He settled back into his seat. "What do you want to know?"
Chapter Eighteen
Carlos glanced across the aisle. The elderly woman seated there had taken sleeping pills and was nodding off. Everyone had pulled the shutters down on their windows, and the first-class cabin was dark and quiet. The only sound he could hear was the hum of engines. Even though the plane was full, he felt oddly alone with Caitlyn. Even more odd, he felt at peace.
For the first time in five years there was someone willing to accompany him on an expedition, someone willing to brave the discomfort and danger. For so long, he'd struggled against his predicament all alone. He was truly grateful that Caitlyn was with him, although he wasn't about to tell her that. After years of being haunted with horrible memories, he looked forward to seeing her bright and happy face every day. Her optimistic, courageous attitude soothed his pain and gave him hope.
He figured she'd ask him about the Summer of Death. It was a topic he always tried to avoid, but in her case, he decided it would be good for her to understand the extent of devastation his people had suffered. If she knew how important it was for him to locate a suitable mate, she might find it easier to let him go.
"How was your life growing up?" she whispered in English.
He switched to Portuguese in case anyone seated nearby was still awake and listening. "It was always a dual life. We spent the summer months in the tribal village. Those were the easy days when we were free to roam the jungle and be ourselves. In the winter, we lived in the city but would return to the village for the night of the full moon."
"And that's when you would..."
"Shift, yes. Though it doesn't happen until a child reaches puberty."
"So Raquel and Coco haven't done it yet."
"No." He realized she was being careful not to say anything too provocative in English. "Teresa and Tiago haven't either. Only Emiliano."
She nodded. "Where did you live in the winter?"
"Rio. My dad was a newspaper editor."
"You're kidding."
"No. He loved the job, and it put him in a good position to make sure no rumors were ever printed about our people."
"Ah. Clever."
A wave of grief seeped into his heart. "Yes. He was a smart man. A wonderful father and the leader of our tribe."
She placed her hand on top of his. "You lost him."
"He was murdered when our tribe was attacked five years ago. I call it the Summer of Death."
"I'm so sorry. Coco and Raquel spoke briefly of it. It still causes them so much pain."
Carlos nodded. He was reluctant to admit how bad he was at comforting the children. He didn't know how to give them peace when he had none for himself.
"You call it a summer," Caitlyn whispered. "It lasted longer than one day?"
"Yes." Her hand still rested on top of his. It felt so good that he entwined his fingers with hers. "There were two tribes in the jungle about twenty miles apart from each other. My brother and I were in a Jeep, going to the other tribe."
"You have a brother?"
"Had."
She gasped. "Oh no."
"Erico and I were going to visit a cousin. We'd missed his wedding a week earlier 'cause we were in college taking final exams. We heard screams in the distance. Terrible screams. And there was smoke billowing in the air, with a horrendous smell. We pulled the Jeep over, took out our knives, and came up on the village from behind."
"The attack had already begun," she whispered.
He closed his eyes briefly as the memories shot through his mind. "They had machine guns. Those who tried to run away into the jungle were mowed down. Others cowered in their huts, but the bastards went from home to home. You could hear the gunfire and screams."
Caitlyn squeezed his hand. "What did you do?"
"Erico and I sneaked into the back of the nearest hut. We found Teresa and Tiago and got them to the Jeep. We went back..." That was when he'd seen one of the thugs dragging a little boy out of his hiding place beneath a canoe. Carlos threw his knife and killed the thug, but when he tried to rescue the little boy, they were sprayed with bullets. The boy died. Somehow Carlos managed to make it back into the jungle before collapsing.
That had been his first death. Erico had carried him back to the Jeep and driven him and the children home. A few hours later he'd wakened to his second life.
"You went back?" Caitlyn asked. "What happened?"
He hesitated. Did he really want to tell her that he'd died? Twice? Doing so had given him extra power, but he'd never viewed that as a great achievement. It was more of a colossal failure. Would she even want to go into the jungle with him if she thought he couldn't protect her? Hell, he'd failed to protect himself. Twice.
He cleared his throat. "We went back. Everyone was dead. Their bodies were thrown into a fire, and the whole village was burned to the ground."
"Why would they do such a horrendous thing?"
Carlos shrugged. "Anger. Hatred. Greed. The man behind it all wanted revenge. Then he tried to buy up the land afterward."
"Has he been arrested?"
Carlos shook his head. "My brother and I pressed charges against him. I guess he figured the best way to avoid getting arrested was to kill the witnesses."
"So he attacked your father's tribe?"
Carlos tilted his head back, closing his eyes. He and Erico had worried there would be a retaliation, but their father had insisted they press charges. He'd also armed the men in the village and prepared them for a possible attack. Still, it clawed at him. "My people might still be alive if I hadn't pressed charges."
Caitlyn leaned close and spoke for the first time in Portuguese. "Don't you dare blame yourself. You did the right thing. I'm sure your father agreed."
"He did." Carlos opened his eyes and felt blessed to have Caitlyn so close, gazing at him with so much compassion in her lovely turquoise eyes.
"I have a strong feeling that the monster who murdered the first tribe was going to come after your tribe no matter what," she continued. "He was out to destroy your people."
Carlos nodded. "That's what Fernando says."
"How does he fit into the story?"
"Erico met him in college and they became very close. After the first massacre, Erico and I took Tiago and Teresa to Rio, and Fernando's parents took care of them. Fernando wanted to help our people, so he went with us when we returned to the tribe."
"And that's when the attack happened?"
"Yes." Carlos sighed. "The murderers attacked at night, killing the two men on guard duty before they could raise the alarm. And then the slaughter began."
Caitlyn shuddered.
"Erico convinced Fernando to take the Jeep down a path where he could hide it in the jungle. My people tried to fight, but they'd only get off a shot or two before they were mowed down by machine gun fire. I saw my parents die."
Caitlyn grimaced. "I'm so sorry."
"The bastards started a huge fire to burn the bodies. While they were busy with that, Erico and I sneaked from hut to hut, looking for children who were still alive. We found Coco, Raquel, and Emiliano, then ran, carrying them to the Jeep. Then we went back to look for more survivors. And we were both shot."
"Oh, no."
"Erico's wound was worse than mine. I managed to carry him a little ways into the woods before I passed out. I'm fuzzy on what happened after that. At some point Fernando found us. He carried me to the Jeep, then ran back to get Erico." Carlos squeezed Caitlyn's hand as tears blurred his vision. "Erico was gone. They'd found him and thrown him onto the fire."
Caitlyn pressed a hand against his chest. "I'm so sorry." A tear rolled down her cheek.
"Fernando took me and the children to his parents' home in Rio." Carlos didn't want to admit that he'd died a second time. "After I recovered, I tried to deal with things. I leased the tribal lands to an oil company that wanted to drill, then I used that money to buy a house in Rio so the children would have a home. When Fernando offered to share guardianship with me, I was grateful for his help."
"It was very kind and generous of him."
"He felt it was the best way to honor Erico's death. He loved Erico so much." Carlos blinked back tears. "We lived in the house with the children. People assumed Fernando and I were in a relationship. We were, I suppose, but not in a sexual way. I don't know how I would have made it through those first few months without him. He was a rock for me and the children."
