“What happened?” Freya asked.
“She threatened to kill herself if she had to go on a second expedition.”
Aubri stuffed her hands into her pockets on her jacket. “Why? Did you mistreat her?”
“Not on purpose, but there are situations when our lives are at stake and we can’t use a polite tone. She took it personally and wasn’t comfortable being the weakest link of the group.”
Val scoffed but didn’t speak.
“I told her we all have to start somewhere and that it’s part of learning. Unfortunately, she wasn’t as strong as she thought she was. These expeditions are as much of a mental challenge as a physical one,” Banni explained.
“What about the other person you lost?” Mason asked.
His question made Banni and his team members look away. “That was Carlos. He’d been with us for years, but unfortunately he had a fatal encounter with a wild animal a few expeditions back.”
Indiana uncrossed his arms. “Fuck! That sucks. What animal?”
“A snake.” Banni pulled up his sleeve on his left arm and showed a number of scars. “As you can see, I’ve had a few close encounters myself. It comes with doing the job for so many years.”
“Don’t you have antivenom with you?” Mason asked.
“Yes, but Carlos didn’t know what bit him. Sometimes it happens so fast that we don’t know which species of snake did the damage. Anyway, I don’t want you to think that all we do is face death.” Banni gave one of his dazzling smiles. “As I said, there are good days, and for an adrenaline junkie like myself, it can be fun. And there’s a deep satisfaction in making a difference. Every time we get a sample that shows us an area is clean for humans to live there, we celebrate. Those satisfying days are the ones we live for.”
“If I had been born in Europe, I would have been an Explorer,” Aubri said with enthusiasm. “In the Northlands, we go on survival trips and hunt, but it’s all for fun. What you do is a real job and you’re using your skills and bravery to help your country. That must be the most satisfying feeling in the world.”
Alex nodded. “I agree. It makes all our hard work worth it.”
Banni pushed out his chest and looked proud when he laughed. “Well, let us know if you want a new career. There are Motlanders cleaning up other parts of Europe. If they can do it, I’m sure you can too.”
Indiana frowned. “Excuse me? Did you just compare us to Motlanders? We are fucking Northlanders and it doesn’t get more badass than that. You might have been doing this since you were seventeen, but we grew up in the woods and know everything there is to know about survival in nature.”
Freya placed a hand on Indiana. “This isn’t a competition. I’m sure Banni and his team are aware that Nmen are fierce.”
“Hey, so are Nwomen.” Aubri elbowed Freya.
Banni laughed. “I didn’t mean to offend anyone. Belle has told me impressive stories, so I know that you are brave people. I would take all of you onboard.”
“Don’t take Freya. She would try to pet the wild animals and get lost within a day. She’s never been the outdoorsy type,” Aubri said with a side glance to her cousin.
“How long is your expedition?” Indiana took a few steps and squatted down to touch one of the kayaks.
“We are planning for eight days, but it might be shorter or longer depending on what we encounter. Why? Are you thinking about joining us?”
Indiana raised his head and answered. “If we had the time I would love to, but we’re not staying that long. What is this one for?” Rising back up, Indiana pointed to a small drone that had a weird shape.
“That’s the seed spreader. We fly it over polluted areas and rain down seeds. The new vegetation will clean the area over the next decades for future generations to benefit from. You wanna see?” Banni projected a large map and began explaining how each area was in different stages of cleaning.
“Our team works on the southwest area, which goes down to the old border between what used to be France and Spain. Two thirds of that area is now safe to walk in, but not yet inhabitable for people. On the expedition we’re going on now we’ll collect plant and soil samples in the unsafe areas and spread more seeds to speed up the cleaning process.”
“Why are you bringing kayaks?” Mason asked.
Banni grinned. “In case we need to go down a river.”
I thought it sounded terrifying and furrowed my brow. “Promise you’ll be careful.”
My friend placed his arm around my shoulder and pulled me in for a side hug. “My sweet Belle, don’t worry, I’ll make it back in one piece; I always do.”
When he kissed the top of my hair, my gaze flew to Mason, who was shifting his balance with clear annoyance.
Indiana must have seen the distress on Mason’s face because he walked over to the back of the drone and asked questions that made the three Explorers follow him. Freya and Aubri went along but Mason didn’t move.
“Is he the one?” he muttered low.
“Which one?”
“The one you slept with.”
Eager to protect my friend from any misunderstanding, I pulled Mason to the side. “I never slept with Banni. We grew up together and we’re friends.”
Mason pushed both hands through his hair and groaned. “I don’t know what’s happening to me. I’m fucking turning into my dad. He’s always been overprotective and jealous if any other man looked at my mom. Seeing that guy hug and kiss you made me want to smash him up against the wall.”
“But you didn’t.”
“I might if he does it again.”
“Mason.” I moved into his personal space and locked eyes with him. “I’ve known Banni since I was nine. If I wanted to have sex with him, it would have happened already.”
“You sure that you’re not attracted to him? I mean, he’s fit and even I can see he’s charming.” Mason shot another gaze in Banni’s direction.
“I’m sure! You know how I felt about sex. After my initial attempt, I never thought it was worth the hype.” I looked down, curled my cold hands, and pulled them into the sleeves of my jacket.
Mason noticed and pulled out a pair of gloves from his jacket to give me. “Here. You’re cold.”
I was putting on the large gloves when he leaned in and whispered in my ear. “And now? Do you get the hype about sex now?”
My heart was pumping fast, but before I could answer, Mason was distracted by a wristband call from Thor. Putting in an earpiece, it took mere seconds before the expression on Mason’s face said it all. The negotiations weren’t going well.
Whistling loud to get the others’ attention, Mason shouted, “We need to go. Jonah and Thor want us to come back, now!”
CHAPTER 26
Negotiations
Mason
The two security guards that stood outside the office of the Prime Minister were as useless as tits on fish.
Indiana, Aubri, and I stormed forward in front of Freya and Belle, ignoring the demands of the security guards to stop. When they reached for their weapons, we disarmed them without trouble, and banged the large doors open.