Simon: Rockstar Romance (The ProVokaTiv Series Book 3) (12 page)

“I wouldn’t have taken you for a late sleeper,” I said, looking at Jessie’s tousled morning look, which suited her entirely too well.

“Late? What time is it?” she asked, looking around for a clock.

“Nine AM.”

“Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I was that wiped out,” she said, looking completely surprised. “How long have you been up?”

“Since six.”

“You sat there three hours while I slept away? You should have woken me up,” she said, jumping up and instinctually pulling the sheets to cover her breasts. She certainly didn’t need to do that.

“Hey, no big deal, but I do have to shower and get ready for a Skype.” As soon as the words came out of my mouth, a question spread over her face. She didn’t know what those words meant for her. “Not trying to get rid of you. You’re welcome to join in if you like. It’s details for the show.”

“Oh no, that’s okay, Simon. I’d actually like to get back to the lab today and see what else I can learn there, maybe do. The concert details are your area of expertise, not mine.”

“Well, okay then,” I said, smiling at her. “Well, I have to jump in the shower. My call starts in a half hour.”

“Okay then,” she said.

I walked away, sensing she felt a bit embarrassed about jumping out of bed and getting dressed in front of me. Women could be really odd that way. For me, once I’d seen it, it really didn’t matter—no need to be shy. I’d walked in on my share of groupies who’d managed to sneak past security and were parading around stark naked hoping that I’d fall to the temptation. I was proud to report that I never did—not once—though I was always happy to refer them to the roadies or whomever.

When I walked out of the shower, Jessie was gone and a sense of disappointment came over me that only lessened slightly when I found the note she’d left on the small coffee table by the chair. Still, I couldn’t help but smile to read it:

Simon,

Thanks for the great day yesterday…and night. It was wonderful learning all those musical notes you made me hit…over and over. I’ll try to connect with you when I’m back at the hotel.

Best,

Jessie

I was hardly overprotective and coddling, but I didn’t like the thought of Jessie being off on her own for an entire day. Hopefully she took someone with her.

Relax,
I thought. Jessie wasn’t stupid. She’d be fine. Where was my concern even coming from?

I got on with my business and had my Skype, which didn’t go well. One of the bands had to cancel, one of the guys didn’t have a passport and couldn’t get one in time. Who the hell went into the music business without a passport? Someone who didn’t think they’d be able to make it. Perhaps that group wasn’t the right choice for Blaze Line. I’d have to think about it.

At the concert venue I met with every crew member involved in the project, including security, lighting, sound, backstage coordinator, etc. I wanted to say I had complete confidence in them doing their job. They’d all worked with me before, but I couldn’t let it go. Plus, I needed to stay busy. It threw me off completely that I was worried about Jessie…okay, missing Jessie. It must have showed.

“You okay?” Dominic asked. “You seem edgy, man.”

“Just tired, I guess,” I retorted.

“Feeling okay?” he continued pressing.

“I feel fine,” I said, trying to be composed. What the hell was up with all the questions?

“Make sure you’re careful about what you eat. These different spices can mess with your stomach,” he continued.

“Are we talking about you or me? Because I’m fine, Dominic.”

“Okay then. Hey, where’s Jessie? I wanted to go over a few things with her.”

“She’s at the lab today. We can go over there if you want.”

“Nah, that’s okay. I’ll just try to catch her at the hotel tonight.”

“You sure?” I said, folding my arms and looking at him. Inside I was begging him to go for the lab visit.

“I was, but if you want to go, let’s do it, man.”

“No, I’m not much help in the lab. She’s there doing her—” I waved my hands in the air, “—thing.”

“Okay, well, I have to make a call and connect with the local media crew that can do a behind the scenes tour. Remember, you’re slated to do that at 2:00.”

“I remember. Anything else I can do before then?”

“No, not really,” Dominic said. “Just go relax, do whatever.”

I walked away. The guy didn’t understand me, clearly. Damn it, I really was tense. I was even driving myself crazy. An image of Jessie doing that thing she did to me yesterday flashed in my mind. It made me smile and calm me down a bit, but physically, it got a part of me too excited. I turned around and walked away.

Fifteen minutes after I arrived at the lab, I was hopping in a Jeep Wrangler that was headed toward Liberia to go into the rainforest that was part of its border. The ride was bumpy and the day was bright and warm. A few of the ruts were so bad that I thought my teeth were going to shatter as they clacked together in rhythm to the poor roads. I vowed to never complain about a pothole again. They were nothing compared to this.

On an unrelated note, I looked down at my thighs and how they jiggled. Disgusting! I suddenly felt that I should have had on more than shorts, a t-shirt, and tennis shoes. I’d asked Barika about it before leaving. She’d said, “You fine.” Hmph. I didn’t think so, not anymore, but it was too late to change.

Everyone I was with I’d met in the lab yesterday, but Barika was the only one I’d spoken with a bit more in depth.

“How far is it?” I asked.

Louis turned around from the front and in his French accent he said, “About two hours.”

That was a long way in this rickety rig.

It was so loud that it was tough to talk, really. No roof combined with American rap music made it impossible to have a conversation. I wished it would have been tribal music, more authentic experience. So, I just looked around, taking occasional pictures with my phone. What an interesting transition it was from flat, more desert-like land to the rainforest. But no towns! Where were the towns? Slowly and gradually everything became more full and green until I could see thick foliage up ahead.

“Is that it?” I shouted, pointing up ahead.

Barika just nodded at me and Louis turned back around and nodded. The nod was to me, I think, but he sure wasn’t paying attention to me like he was Barika. Every time he turned around to glance at her, I noticed her smile widen and she’d let out a soft giggle. Catching those little intimate moments made me think of Simon, not that we had that type of thing going on, but the way he looked at me sometimes…wow.

The Jeep halted in a small clearing along a path that looked too narrow for it to even pass through if we wanted to. We all got out and from the back of the Jeep everyone started to pull out small burlap sacks and a few empty containers. They knew right where they were going, but I had no idea.

“Who should I tag along with?” I asked. They all had a plan in place before I’d even gotten to the lab that morning, which was fine. I just wanted to do everything that I could to help and learn.

“You go with Louis, Jessie,” Barika said, drawing out the last syllable of my name.

“Are you sure?” I asked.

She giggled and then walked away with a few of the containers.

I turned around and Louis was holding a burlap sack. “We find coconuts and seeds,” he said.

“Okay, sounds good. Which direction?”

Louis pointed. I had no idea if it was north, south, east, or west. The canopy of the rainforest made it hard to see the sun and when you were from a place that could get pretty cold, anything south of it was warmer. Hence, I always associated warmth and south with each other.

It was beautiful and a bit eerie in the rainforest. I could hear birds and other interesting sounds calling out, some from above us and some from off in the distance. Then there’d be complete silence, like they’d shrieked out a warning that invaders were there.

“Do you ever run into animals in here, Louis?” I asked.

“No, not so very often,” he said in his thick French accent.

“Have you ever?” I continued. He wasn’t the type of guy to just offer up information, it seemed.

“Oui.”

“Like what?”

“Snakes and spiders,” he said.

I clamped my mouth shut. I should have done that before I asked. Now Louis started to talk, though, apparently excited about it.

“Last time, I was reach for the coconut and I feel tickle at my leg. I think it was edge of sack because was at my side, but I lift the sack up. There was a tickle again.”

He paused, making me ask, “What was it?”

“Baby snake.”

“Oh, thank goodness it was a baby, right?”

“No, where baby is, mother is. That bad.”

I’d never heard that before, but he still had my attention. “What happened, Louis?”

“It bit me and I run so fast I smack into a tree. Fell right over.”

“That’s awful,” I said, raising my hands up to my face.

Then he burst out into laughter. “Just kidding. I love to joke to new ones.”

“I’m happy, but I also wish that snake would have bit you,” I said spiritedly, which made him laugh at me all the more.

An hour of picking coconuts and seeds passed before we knew it and it was time to head back to the Jeep to meet the others.

“Thanks, this was fun,” I said, lugging a heavy bag with our goods. All the seeds were completely unfamiliar to me, which had me very interested. Louis had said the names, but I couldn’t quite understand him. I’d have to take a second look when they labeled them back at the lab.

We all piled into the Jeep and the driver, Jahi, turned the key and put the Jeep into reverse, trying to turn around and head back out the way we came in. The entire vehicle began to lurch, but not from the terrible road this time. We went only a few feet and the Jeep ground to a stop, a hissing sound came.

Jahi jumped out and undid the latches to open the Jeep’s hood. I was quiet and so was Barika, but the other two in the Jeep were shouting questions to Jahi. Then they got out.

Okay, this wasn’t on my list for the adventure and I wasn’t thrilled about being caught in the rainforest with no real way of communication and in a t-shirt and shorts. None of it seemed good, instantly deflating my adventure.

Stay calm,
I thought. It’ll probably start up and we’ll be on our way.

“Well, we going nowhere,” Jahi shouted over the hood no sooner than I allowed myself to believe the thought.

“What?” Barika said, sounding a bit more unsettled about it than me.

“It broke, radiator has crack and gears stuck,” Jahi said.

“How will someone know where to find us? Should we start walking?” I asked. I remembered that we didn’t see any  towns on the way here. It was so isolated.

“We best to stay here tonight; walk in the morning,” Jahi said.

“I can’t. My mama kill me,” Barika said.

I looked at her and felt so bad for her. “It’s okay,” I said. “She knows you’re responsible, right?”

“I only eighteen.”

That caught me off guard. She was a graduate school. Some kind of genius, I guess.

It was already getting chilly as the day darkened into evening. All we had to eat were the nuts we’d already collected, and Jahi and Louis were digging a small fire pit, like we were in some Survivor episode. Already I missed the warmth of Simon’s body next to mine. But rather than complain, I decided to take on a more motherly role. That was something I was used to, as I’d had to do it more than once with Brynn and Trinity over the years. I smiled at Barika and said, “Oh, well, we’ll make it through.” I hoped I was right.

“Where in the hell is she,” I muttered, putting down my cellphone. I slumped against Jessie’s hotel room door. She wasn’t answering anywhere and no one had seen her all day. Damn it, how could she be so irresponsible…so flighty! I wanted to see her so I could shout at her and then hug her.

I rang Abena on her cell. “Hey, is Jessie with you? I’m trying to track her down.”

“Who is this?” Abena asked.

“Oh, sorry, it’s Simon.”

“Simon, no she’s not with me. She left to the university lab this morning.”

“Did she make it there?” I asked, pacing back and forth in the hotel’s hallway. Two people walked by me and looked at me suspiciously. I just turned my back to them.

“I don’t know. She took a cab, I think. I gave her a few words and a little dictionary. She wanted to go alone.”

“Okay, thanks.” I hung up. I had to before I said anything that I’d regret to Abena. She was an interpreter, not a babysitter. I don’t know what I was thinking…

An image of my brother disappearing that day so long ago came to my mind and I instantly grew more panicked. I called for my driver and we headed to the lab so I could see if she was there, maybe just not by her phone. If she got wrapped up in something, perhaps she’d lost track of time. Please may that be the case…

I ran up to the second floor where the lab was and my driver came with me, too. It seemed smart since he didn’t have the same communication barrier I did. As we ran into the building, I ran ahead and he was behind me trying to keep up with me but rather unsuccessfully, as his lumbered breathing indicated.

The door was closed, but the lights were on. I turned the doorknob, but it was locked. I started pounding.

“Jessie, hey Jessie,” I shouted. I looked through the glass side panel of the door and didn’t see anyone.

Creak. Creak. Creak. I turned around to see a janitor with a squeaky wheel on his garbage can slowly walking down the hallway, deep in thought. “Hey, I need to get into the lab,” I said.

He looked at me oddly. Figures! He didn’t speak English.

I looked to my driver, who looked at the janitor and spoke in Swahili.

I saw the janitor shaking his head no and saying something.

“What did he say?” I asked.

“He can’t let you in. Everyone is gone, it’ll have to be tomorrow.”

“If everyone is gone, where is Jessie? Ask him who the head of the lab is.”

The driver spoke to the janitor again and then told me, “Dr. Hanisi Okoro.”

“How can we get a hold of him?” I asked. It was excruciating for an impatient guy to sit there and wait for translations. Not understanding what they were saying was grating on my last nerve. Plus, everything they said seemed like it was four times as long as what I said. I had no control and that didn’t sit well with me.

“The janitor doesn’t know,” the driver said. Then he added, “Let me make a few calls, okay?”

“Fine,” I said. I kept glancing in through the window, hoping that someone would appear and then I tried to call Jessie again. Still no answer.

Finally, the driver said, “Good news. I have a number.”

“Great, what is it?” I asked.

“I’d better call, Simon. No offense, but you wound up and the guy not share anything with you. He may not even speak English.”

I snarled. He was right, of course, but it was just one more thing to remind me that I was not in control of this situation. Fuck!

This time I stared at the driver the entire time that he was on the phone. I didn’t have to know what he was saying to know that he was sharing some sort of formality that must be part of local customs. Accepting it was excruciating. When he was hung up, before I could even open my mouth to ask him what the guy said, he was already talking to me. “They went out to the rainforest this morning, but didn’t make it back before the lab closed.”

“What? And they weren’t concerned about that?” I shouted. My voice echoed in the white hallway with the older linoleum tiled floor.

“No, this is not uncommon. It’s a few hours away. They’re probably just running late, or maybe eating somewhere.”

“I don’t buy it. Something happened and I am not going to relax until I find out exactly what it is. I need you to take me to the rainforest right now.”

“It’s dark and that’s across borders; it’s not smart,” the driver said.

“So, you won’t do it?” I demanded, folding my arms so I didn’t punch him, which is what I felt like doing.

“No, but you must calm down. You can’t be rude when you want help,” the driver said. “Take deep breath, Mr. Jefferson.”

He was right. It was hard, but I breathed in and tried to let ration take over my fear. “I’m sorry, okay, you’re right. Who do you know that can drive me that way tonight? Are there many paths into the rainforest?”

“I believe there’s only one that is mostly taken from this direction.”

“Take me to this guy. Is he far away?”

“I’ll take you tomorrow,” Roble, the guy the driver had referred me to said.

“We need to go right now,” I countered. “What will it cost?”

“It’s all about money to you Americans. The rainforest is a dangerous place at night, not safe and only a fool would go there,” he said.

“If it’s not safe that’s exactly why we have to go there. Jessie may be there and I need to find her. You are a tracker…isn’t this what you do?”

“This Jessie…is she your girlfriend?”

“She’s someone I care about greatly. We have to find her tonight. It’s imperative. Please, whatever it takes,” I said, finally breaking down. I didn’t have the energy to be angry any longer. I just wanted someone to help me catch a break. It was true, I couldn’t just demand what I wanted here. It didn’t work that way.

I stared at Roble, showing that I’d surrendered but hoping my non-verbal plea was screaming at him.

“We eat and then we go,” Roble said, rubbing his rather robust belly. Maybe he was a big game tracker because he definitely looked well fed.

“Fine, okay. How long will that take?” I shouldn’t have asked. It took one hour and I ate, too, because he said I must, even though I didn’t understand why and then we took off into the night. He had a rickety old truck with a big engine in it and the inside was as bare as could be. The outside had large floodlights though and as we went along, he gave me more confidence with each passing mile. “These tire tracks are from today, a Jeep,” he said.