Rachael looked down to see Kim climbing the tree. He wasn’t as fast or as efficient as Rio, but he was sure and steady. He gained the lower branches and made his way up to them.

“What brings you so far from home?” Rio greeted.

“My father sent me with news and I wanted to tell you about the man from the church group who was missing.” Kim smiled at Rachael. “You look so much better, Miss Rachael. How is your leg?”

“It’s far better, Kim. I see you’re looking good. I hate to admit this, and let’s not tell your brother, but his green gunk works.”

Kim nodded seriously, willing to be a conspirator. “Tama is renowned for his healing skills. It was foul-looking though, wasn’t it?” He exchanged a smile of understanding with her.

“Which man got away from the bandits?” Rachael asked.

“The one called Duncan Powell.”

She remembered Duncan well. He stayed to himself a lot, but was always extremely polite. “I hope he managed to get away safely.”

“That is what you both need to know. The man who escaped on his own from Tomas was one of your kind, Rio. He shifted into the form of a cat and mauled a guard, escaping into the forest. None of Tomas’s people spoke of it, but two of the church group saw the shadow of the leopard on the rocks.

They said they saw the guard ripped up and it had to have been a large cat.”

“The men are very superstitious,” Rio explained to Rachael. “They believe that the bigger cats are deities. Leopards are rare in these forests, so seeing one, especially attacking a guard at night, means many things to them. Unfortunately, it will also bring poachers here. The attack will most likely be talked about and the incident will grow into multiple incidents and the gossip will be we have a man killer on our hands.” Rio sighed and pushed his hand through his hair. “Damn that idiot anyway. He could have gotten out of the camp without being seen and no one would have been the wiser.”

“The guard had beaten him,” Kim said.

A humorless smile curved Rio’s mouth. “We never forget, that’s one thing about our people.”

“He will most likely come here,” Kim pointed out.

“He’s dead,” Rio said abruptly. “He tried to kill us a couple of nights ago and I took Rachael to a safe place and tracked him. He’s dead. Drake destroyed the body. Have you heard anything about the raid last night? I understand Drake took a hit. I’ve heard nothing on the radio. How bad was it?”

“He lost a lot of blood and his leg was shattered. They’ve flown him to a hospital for surgery. One of your own doctors is attempting to repair the damage. He’ll live, but I don’t know if they can save his leg.”

Rachael put her hand on Rio’s shoulder when she heard him swear softly under his breath. “He’s strong, Rio.”

“No man wants to lose his leg.”

Her fingers went to the nape of his neck in a slow massage. “No they don’t. Let’s hope that’s not what happens.” She rubbed her face along Rio’s ar m, much like a cat giving affection. “Kim, Rio told me a man named Joshua was hurt last night too. Have you heard anything about him?”

“He is going to be down for a long while, but he will recover.”

“Why did your father send you to us?” Rio asked abruptly.

“There’s a large party moving through the forest, Rio.” Kim’s face was open and friendly, but there was a hint of shadow in his eyes. “A man came to our village seeking my father ‘s counsel. He said he needed help, that he does medical research and was looking for a variety of plants for his work. He knew all of the old traditions. He was very respectful and he gifted my father with a spear.”

Rio’s head went up. Rachael could see his frown. “He gave your father a spear?”

“It was old, very old. And it was one of ours. He claimed that the spear was handed down two gener ations. That it was given to honor his grandfather for saving the life of a child, and that if it was returned, a debt of honor would be repaid.”

“This man is a doctor?”

Kim shook his head. “I don’t think so. I think he is not telling the truth. He asked for a guide and father sent Tama with him and then sent me to find you. My father believes this man is looking for Miss Rachael.”

“Why would he think that?” Rachael asked. “Did he ask about me?”

“My father had a vision. He saw this man standing beside you with a gun in his hand. He sent me to warn Rio.” Kim looked at Rachael. “I see disbelief in your eyes, Miss Rachael. Don’t discount my father’s visions because you have not experienced such a thing. He has kept our people from har m over many years.”

“He’s a powerful medicine man,” Rio added. “I won’t allow Rachael to take chances, Kim. Thank you for warning us. You’ve come a long way. Come in and have something to drink. I can fix us a meal.”

Kim stepped into the house and glanced across the room toward the rumbled bed. Rachael found herself blushing. Rio laced his fingers through hers and drew her hand to his mouth, teeth nibbling gently before pressing a kiss against her knuckles. “Does this doctor have a large party with him?”

Kim nodded. “Many men. All are armed. Why would a research team need guns? Where would they get such guns just coming into the countr y? Money changed hands, a lot of it, for this man to have those weapons available to him. They have supplies enough for several weeks. The luggage is top of the line. Whoever it is, he has money and doesn’t mind spending it. There are no women along, and that’s a bad sign. All of the men in his party are warriors.”