47

Gunner drove up to the safari lodge’s rarely used rear entrance, unlocked the gate, closed it behind them, then parked beside one of the guest suites.

“Why all the secrecy?” asked Connor as the ranger checked the grounds to make sure they were clear for them to proceed. “Surely the Burundian army is in control of the lodge, right?”

Gunner responded with a skeptical raise of an eyebrow. “Don’t take anything for granted, Connor, especially in Africa. The Black Mamba has defeated forces five times his rebel group’s size in the past. Besides, no one knows where you are or even that you’re alive. I want to keep it that way until you’re safely back with your respective parents. Now grab your essentials only—passport, travel documents, and a change of clothes—and leave the rest.”

They moved from room to room, quickly gathering their most important belongings—except Amber, who stuffed a bag full of her best clothes and jewelry for Zuzu, fulfilling her promise. “I don’t suppose we have time for a quick shower,” she asked, tugging at her dirty, matted hair.

Gunner shook his head regretfully. “Sorry, can’t risk it. That’ll have to wait until later.”

Next they entered the lodge’s kitchen through the staff entrance. Some dislodged pans, a crumpled white hat and a pool of dried blood were the only remaining evidence of the chef’s presence. Connor’s alert level shot up, and he looked uneasily at the ranger.

“As I said, you can’t take anything for granted,” whispered Gunner as he raided the pantry. Then, peering through a small window in the kitchen’s service door, he led them into the lounge.

The lavish room was deserted but appeared to have been the scene of some riotous celebration. The mirror behind the bar had been shattered. A spray of bullet holes peppered the main wall, several of the rounds having gone through the tribal shield, knocking the display askew. Connor also noticed that the zebra-skin rug on the hardwood floor was stained red—whether from blood or red wine it was impossible to tell, but there was an ominous dark trail leading from the bar out into the reception area.

“Do you think there’s anyone still here?” asked Amber nervously.

“By the looks of it, we’ve missed the party,” replied Gunner, plundering the bar for bottles of Coke and fresh water.

But Connor couldn’t shake the feeling that they’d been led into a trap, one just waiting to be sprung. “So where’s the army?”

Gunner shrugged. “Killing rebels in the park, I suppose. Now, you all look like you need refueling, and I don’t want you dropping dead on me before we reach our final destination,” he said, popping the tops of the drinks and handing them out. “Wait here while I call in the plane.”

The ranger disappeared into the lodge’s back office.

As the four of them guzzled down sugary Coke and greedily tucked into the chocolate bars, bananas and other snacks Gunner had gathered, Connor strode over to the bay windows overlooking the veranda and the plain beyond. Despite his fatigue, it was clear they weren’t out of the danger zone yet and he needed to maintain a Code Orange level of alertness. Peering through the glass, he surveyed the lodge’s grounds, keeping his eyes peeled for any sign of approaching rebels. There was no movement in the bush. In fact it looked almost too still. Then he spotted the body of a government soldier lying by the electric fence, half obscured in the grass. “Amber, we need to g—”

“My word, it’s a miracle!” exclaimed a voice in accented English.

Connor spun around to see the bulging figure of Minister Feruzi standing in the doorway.

“I’d heard you’d escaped the ambush,” said the minister for trade and tourism, smiling profusely and waddling over to the bar like a hippo heading for its watering hole. “But I never would have believed it until I saw you with my own eyes.”

“Did you know one of your soldiers is lying dead out there?” said Connor, pointing to the electric fence at the lodge’s boundary.

“Oh yes! Minister Rawasa has returned to the capital, and I’ve been left here to pick up the pieces,” he replied with a what-can-you-do shrug. “But, joy of joys, we have good news at last! You’re all safe and sound.”

His gaze fell upon Zuzu standing with them at the bar, his nose turning up slightly at her presence. “And who’s this?”

“Our guide,” replied Amber with enthusiasm. “She’s been a lifeline for us.”

“I’m sure she has. Burundians are a most hospitable people,” said the minister assuredly. “But now it’s my responsibility to look after you.”

He wrapped his chubby arms around Amber’s and Henri’s shoulders, Amber looking distinctly uncomfortable and Henri wincing beneath the man’s sweaty touch. Only then did the minister notice the red welts covering Henri’s body, and he let go. “Oh, my poor boy, what have they done to you?”

The ranger strode back in. “Plane’s on its way. Let’s make a—” He stopped and stared at the minister.

“Gunner?” exclaimed Minister Feruzi, staring back in equal amazement. “My God, another risen from the ashes! Are there any more of you?”

With a solemn, stern shake of his head, the ranger replied, “I found Buju, or what was left of him.”

“That’s tragic to hear,” said the minister. “But have you any news of Laurent or Cerise? We have reason to believe they may have escaped the ambush too.”

“I wouldn’t know,” replied Gunner as he beckoned Connor and the others to join him. “Time to go, kids.”

“What’s the rush, Gunner?” Minister Feruzi demanded, his pudgy eyes narrowing in suspicion. “This lodge is now secure.”

“Are you sure about that, Minister?” questioned the ranger with a sharp jerk of his head at Connor, Amber, Henri and Zuzu, urging them to hurry.

“Children, you mustn’t go with him,” insisted Minister Feruzi. “This man’s a prime suspect in the ambush.”

Connor and the others froze halfway between the two men. So I was right to be suspicious of the ranger?

“Don’t believe him,” said Gunner. “He’s the one behind all this. He chose the route for the sunset safari, even though there’s a far better place closer to the lodge.”

Minister Feruzi laughed. “That’s ridiculous! Think about it, children: who stopped the convoy in the middle of that riverbed?”

“That’s only because Buju spotted a mine!” argued Gunner. “Otherwise we’d have all been blown to pieces. Connor, why do you think Minister Feruzi was so far back in the convoy? His vehicle escaped unharmed because he knew the ambush was going to happen.”

Caught between the ranger and the minister, Connor wondered whom to believe. One of them was lying. Amber and the others looked to him to make the decision.

“We have to go now!” insisted Gunner, his eyes darting from the door to the veranda.

“Given the situation, I don’t trust anyone,” said Connor, repeating the ranger’s words back at him.

For Connor, Gunner’s story of his escape had always seemed too good to be true. He also thought it unlikely that a government minister would be in league with a rebel military group. He made a move toward Minister Feruzi, the man opening his arms to receive them. Then Connor remembered the dead body of the soldier by the wire. The minister had said the lodge was secure, but how could that be if the guards were dead?

At the last moment Connor changed his mind, nodding to Amber and the others to go with Gunner instead.

“I can’t save you now, children,” said Minister Feruzi as General Pascal strode into the lounge, accompanied by Blaze, No Mercy and half a dozen rebel soldiers.