Page 33 of Her Wicked Hero

“I said pythons aren’t poisonous,” she answered him.

That’s exactly what he remembered, but he’d wanted Dex to confirm it for him. Hearing her tell him the same thing he remembered made him feel much better. But even if the snake didn’t have venom, all the bacteria needed to be cleaned out of her wound. He grabbed some disinfectant pads out of his pack, pulled out his knife and a roll of bandages.

He cut her through her jeans just a little, so he could get to the bite.

“Son of a motherless goat!”

He looked up at her, and she gave him a haughty wave. “Just keep going,” she gritted out.

What the hell was she going to say when he applied the alcohol wipe?

“Fudge Nugget!” He could hear both tears and laughter in her voice.

“Almost done.” Nurul was stroking her hair. Zed quickly applied a tight bandage around her lower leg and ankle. This time she didn’t say anything entertaining, she just gasped with the pain.

He checked his watch. Dex had said the helo was due to arrive between six and eight tonight. That was worthy of more than just the phrase Fudge Nugget.

Now that her leg had been tended to, he needed to figure out why she’d been so disoriented. “Marcia, I need to look at the back of your head, I think you hit it.”

“Huh?”

“When I got here, you weren’t lucid. You hissed when I touched your scalp.”

Zed got closer to her and tilted her chin up so he could look into her eyes. Thank God her pupils looked good. She turned her neck, and he felt a goose-sized egg on the back of her head.

Shit!

“Yeah, you’ve got a hell of a bump back here.”

“I remember now,” her eyes brightened, “it was when I took the shot at the snake. I leaned back as far as I could, so I was shooting at the end of it, and the rifle plowed into my shoulder. I ended up hitting my head against the log. But I killed the son of a bitch.” She slammed her hand over her mouth.

“Yes. Yes, you did,” Zed grinned. “You got the fudge nugget. I think being kidnapped twice, being forced marched through a jungle, and almost killed by a python allows you to swear like a sailor.”

“It’s just one of the few things I’ve had control over, you know?”

He did understand that. He understood it all too well.

“Querida, let’s put this one down to a head injury, shall we?”

He watched her consider it, then finally nod.

Nurul had been watching the two of them closely as she alternated feeding her baby milk and banana. When Zed pointed to the blanket, she immediately got it so Marcia could use it as a pillow. Then she sat down next to her and gave Zed a worried look. He gave her his best smile, but she didn’t seem to be buying it. He pulled the satellite phone out of his backpack and contacted Dex.

“Did you get the food?”

Zed paced away from the women as he began answering. “Food situation has been taken care of. Goddamn python bit Marcia and coiled around her leg. She shot it, but her right leg underneath the knee is swollen to twice its normal size. It’d be three times if it weren’t for her shoe and jeans.”

“Dammit.”

“There’s more. She’s got a bad concussion. She wasn’t lucid when I arrived, and she’s vomited. Her pupils are good. But we need her out of here, three minutes ago. We can’t wait for the team.”

“Got it. I’ll get back to you as soon as there’s a plan.”

“Thanks.”

7

How come trying not to throw up, only made her think of vomit? She should never have eaten part of that banana. Did he have to step into every in every hole and climb over every log? Couldn’t Zed find a flat trail?