4. In Harm's Way

Chapter Two

June, thirty-one years ago

Joseph MacKensey, nineteen, was already bored. With the large Victorian house and normal-looking cars, Animals Wild didn't look like the wild African jungle. Of course, he should've realized that it wouldn't. Mombasa had looked like any other city in the world. He'd been watching too many of those old black and white Tarzan movies.

"I think I just saw a lion."

Joe glanced over at Jody, who pressed the binoculars to his eyes again, all excited, and silently groaned. Would he have gotten that excited at sixteen?

"Man, it's hot."

"Yeah." Squeezed between his younger brother Jody and older brother Jon, Joe knew exactly how hot it was. And it was starting to get ripe back here. "Think they have showers here?"

"God, I hope so," grumbled Jonathon. "If not I'll hitchhike back to Nairobi."

Jonathon was over twenty, but Joseph doubted their parents would let him do that. "Yeah, right."

"I didn't want to come here in the first place."

"Why not?" asked Jody.

"C'mon, Jody. What's so great about African jungles anyway?" Joe slapped at a mosquito. "It's hot, itchy, and boring."

Jody sighed, started to say something, but instead, he just shook his head and gazed around him through the binoculars. If he sighted any more animals, he kept quiet.

Joe scratched at his arm where he'd gotten all the shots required to come here. It still itched. "How long are we staying?"

"One week," groused Jonathon, making it sound like it was a year. "Too long for me."

"Yeah," agreed Joe, as the jeep pulled up in front of the huge three-story house painted a bright cheery yellow with white trim. Ten years ago, it had sounded like an adventure--going on a real live safari with real live lions and elephants and all the other jungle animals. At six, nine, and eleven it had sounded wonderful. 

But in the last ten years that it had taken to save up the money to fly to Mombasa and go on safari, things had changed. He saw a group of people standing on the front porch waiting for them. He felt Jonathon shift in his seat and sit up straighter. He followed his brother's hazel-eyed gaze to the porch to see a raven-haired girl clad in a gauzy floral print sundress and shook his head. Well, he'd lost his one ally.

The jeep driver helped his parents out of the second seat of the jeep and then lowered the back so the boys could get out. A tall raven-haired man stepped forward, hand outstretched. "Welcome to Animals Wild. I'm Richard Callaghan."

Joe's father shook the man's hand. "Malcolm MacKensey and this is my wife, Laura. Those three back there are my sons."

"Nice to meet you." Richard Callaghan quickly went through the introductions of his staff. Then he gestured to a tall slim woman with rich brown hair. "This is Alessandria, my wife. She's also the resident vet. And these are my boys Brently and Dylan." He turned to the raven-haired girl. "And this is Marysa."

Joe noted Jon perked up at the girl's name. "Marysa's a pretty name."

"Forget about Tasha?"

Jon shot him a glare. "Of course not."

"Just wondering."

"Cut it out, guys," muttered Jody.

A dark-haired man--at a closer glance not much older than Jonathon--came up to them. "Hi, I'm Donovan."

Jonathon barely acknowledged him, he just grunted. Donovan arched an eyebrow. "Forced to come?"

Jon looked at him. "How'd you know?"