Pride of the Veld

better at this than even he was. They wouldn’t have spotted Danie unless he’d wanted them to… though Geo wasn’t sure what he wanted. No, not true.
    He knew the “who, what, where, and whens” of his desire― he just didn’t think he’d get a chance for any more of it in this lifetime. He wanted Danie and Andrea to have that chance, even if he couldn’t be with them when they took it. I wonder when I started thinking of them both as part of us?
    “Step lively, Christiansen. No need to pretend on my account. I don’t think we’ll worry too much about being subtle.” He put his beefy hand on Geo’s neck, squeezing it hard before dropping back a step. The hand was replaced with the barrel of the rifle now nestled at the base of his skull, settling nicely into the notch at the top of his spine. A shiver ran down his back, and Geo swallow hard before stepping into the camp.
    “Stop!” Ronson hissed in his ear. The scene in the camp had changed during the time that Geo had been playing the game of hare and hound with Ronson. Andrea now sat holding a pistol pointed in their direction. Geo remembered Andrea’s confession that he couldn’t shoot and grimaced. Hopefully he could bluff.
    Geo looked him over. Even from this distance the scent of blood still hung heavy in the air. Andrea was covered in it. His arm looked freshly bandaged, and Geo recognized Danie’s handiwork with the surgical tape. At his feet, stretched out on the ground, was the other man, his shoulder wrapped in another pressure bandage, already seeping red at the edges. That one could go fuck himself, Geo thought, still pissed at all the pain he had subjected Andrea to earlier.
    “Andrea. I see you managed to make yourself a little more comfortable,” Ronson rumbled from behind. “But I think we both know a charade when we see one.” He shoved Geo forward.
    “Unless you’re interested in seeing the inside of our young friend’s head, I suggest that you lower the gun and toss it into the bush― behind the tent there. Any move in my direction will result in me shooting first this one, then you.” Geo watched the wheels in Andrea’s mind spin furiously, looking for another solution. The man glanced down.
    “I really don’t care if you shoot Karl or not. I won’t be taking him with me if he’s going to slow me down, so feel free.” Andrea deflated.
    “Geo, are you all right?” Andrea whispered, still clutching the weapon pointed at them. He was brave; Geo would give him that.
    “Andrea, I’m fine, but he needs me. He won’t hurt me. I’m worried about you. Don’t give him your gun!” He would have said more, but the rifle jammed into him painfully.
    “You’re not helping your friend any, Christiansen. Now…” he turned his attention back to Andrea. “I’d like you to consider your options very carefully Andrea. We both know that you can’t hit me with a bullet. You’ve already said as much to me. I think we can wrap this up very quickly with your cooperation, and in the end you and your friend might both just live.” He paused, waiting for some signal from Andrea.
    “What do you want?” Andrea sounded tired, resigned, and it made Geo’s chest ache.
    “I need your camera, Andrea. You have some pictures that would be inconvenient if they came to light.” Ronson was practically purring, trying to woo the other man into complying. It made Geo sick.
    “Why? What?” Andrea was genuinely confused, and Geo wished Danie was there to see it. If there were any lingering doubts about Andrea’s innocence, these last few moments would have removed them.
    “The plane crash, Andrea. It’s one of mine, and unfortunately it was carrying something very, very important to me. When it went down, I only had a very general idea of its location. There was no flight plan, no transponder. Who would have thought that a wildlife photographer stumbling around the bush would find it for me? I should have done this months ago!” The man’s laugh raised hairs on Geo’s arms, and he could tell Andrea was very upset at the news.
    “Okay, David. Just, just let me get it. You can have my camera if you just take your friend and leave. I don’t want anyone else getting hurt because of my stupidity.”
    “Well, Andrea,” Ronson chuckled, “that’s the first sensible thing I think I’ve ever heard you say. Let’s start by putting down your gun.”
    Geo tensed all of his muscles, desperate to leap across the camp and throw