Leopard 04 - Wild Fire

gathering there. If they thought they were about to have a meal, they had another think coming. “I’m the hero, see, taking a bullet for you.”
    Conner choked on the water and smeared blood across his face when he wiped his mouth. “It didn’t happen that way.”
    “But the point, my friend, is that it could have. And now it did.”
    “What a load of crap.”
    “It could have happened that way.” There was amusement in his voice. “I don’t actually remember it all Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
    that well. But I’m lying here with a hole the size of a baseball through me.”
    It was Conner’s turn to snort. “Slight exaggeration. You really are trying to think up stories to make your woman sympathetic.”
    “I’ve been married longer than you. You come home all beat up, you’re in for a lot of trouble. I’m imparting wisdom here, rookie. Listen up.”
    Conner tried to smile but it hurt too much. “I don’t think we have too much to worry about. I’m getting eaten alive by these damn bugs. Another hour and they’ll have picked my bones clean.”
    Rio managed a soft laugh. “I activated our ‘come and get us, we’re fucked’ button.”
    Conner worked at turning his head to survey their surroundings. “We’re not exactly at the clearing where they can set down a helicopter. No road to drive to us. I’m going to let the bugs take care of me. I swear I’m not moving.”
    “Pansy. I always knew you were a wimp.”
    Conner laughed and immediately began to cough. He touched his mouth, and his hand came away with blood smeared on it. “Damn leopard. He did a number on me.”
    “I was worried there for a few moments. Fight lasted nearly thirty minutes. He was strong,” Rio said.
    “What the hell went wrong with him?”
    “Who knows?” Conner closed his eyes. “That poor kid. Mateo. First his mother throws him away like a piece of garbage because his father can’t bear the sight of him, and then he loses his adopted mother—murdered right in front of him.”
    Rio was silent a moment. “I’m sorry about your mother, Conner.” He paused again. “You taking the kid in?”
    “He’s my brother.”
    “Half,” Rio pointed out. “You’re under no obligation.”
    “He’s my brother,” Conner said stubbornly. “I know what it feels like to be unwanted, but my mother, rather than kick me out, left the old man and gave me a good life. I’m not letting that bastard ruin this boy. I want him,” he said fiercely. “Isabeau is with me on this.”
    “And if she wasn’t?” Rio asked.
    Conner looked at him. His eyes burned bright gold behind the red. “Then she wouldn’t be the woman I thought she was. I’m not leaving him behind.”
    A slow smile softened the hard edge of Rio’s mouth. “You’re a good man, Conner.”
    “That’s bullshit.”
    “Well. Probably.” Rio grinned at him. The grin turned into a moan, and Rio put his head down. His face was gray-white.
    “You planning on dying on me?”
    “If those idiots take much longer,” Rio said. He groaned again. “Damn this hurts.”
    Conner didn’t like the way he was breathing. He couldn’t push himself up onto his hands and knees, so he dug his toes into the vegetation and propelled his body forward an inch at a time, using elbows and toes to push himself along the ground to get around Rio to the medical bag. It was the first time he wished certain parts of his anatomy were smaller. Dragging his very sensitive cock along the ground wasn’t a great idea.
    He wasn’t that far away from the medical kit, but the distance seemed like miles. He had to rest frequently. Sweat broke out to mingle with the blood covering his body. There was a roaring in his head, his pulse thundering loud enough to drown out the natural sounds of the forest. His mouth was dry and his arms like lead.
    He left a trail of blood behind him, but he managed to make it to the kit. It took longer to push himself into a sitting position. His hip screamed a protest and for a moment, everything swam in a dizzying circle.
    He rummaged through the bag, searching for the field IV equipment and more painkillers. Rio was trying to stay focused, but it was obvious he was becoming disoriented.
    “You fucking decide to die on me, and I’ll put a bullet in your head,” Conner muttered.
    “That’s helpful,” Rio pointed out.
    Conner’s hand trembled as he tried to wipe Rio’s arm over the vein. He smeared