Chapter 1

Kat Butas sat in the camouflaged tent she shared with her brother Brent while on the most recent trip to the Congo they have taken together and this is where she found herself now. Brent, thirty-five, had recently changed his career path from Marine sniper, to Marine peacemaker. He told her that he did not want to be remembered for taking lives and being a captain of his peacemaker team was a far cry from killing people.

Kat was a freelance photographer by trade, selling her soul touching photos of a planet in desperate need of compassion to support herself. But, she was also becoming quite valuable to Brent during his rescue or peacemaking trips. Trying to help a frightened human was a little like trying to calm an injured animal who felt cornered by life. It was during those times that Brent would bring her in. She discovered during these trips that she had a strange calming effect on people and that they would often talk freely to her when Brent or his men could get nothing from them.

She pulled her latest shots from the large crate she stored them in and flipped through them as she let the deep timber of Blake Shelton singing Home settle into her soul. As a freelance photographer, Kat had the privilege of traveling around the world and with Brent being in the Marines she could often tag along with his team. She was not the type of photographer who searched for beauty; she would hunt down the abused, injured and desperate and make time stand still for them, forcing the civilized world out of their comfort zone and into action. Like Brent, she wanted to be remembered for make a difference and exposing the crimes against humans and all other living species was her way of taking action, giving the silent a voice.

But, she missed home and everything that went with it. Of course, she missed her parents, but she also missed the little things. She missed Rick's, the dirty little bar that held karaoke every weekend. She missed greasy hamburgers at the local drive-in diner. She missed melted chocolate bars that she would dip pretzels in before devouring them. No, scratch that. She missed drizzling white chocolate over dark chocolate flesh and then licking it off for hours at a time. Kat's white blond brows drew together at the direction of her thoughts and pulled herself back to her photos.

The photos spread out on her tiny, rock hard bed were the best she had ever taken and she could hardly wait to have them published. Most of her photos were bought and published by big magazine companies, but for the most part she would donate them to authors and advocacy groups. Kat and Brent had never wanted for anything thanks to their family, and this rubbed off on them both in different ways. Kat insisted on paying her own way when she traveled with any military group and half of all her earnings went back into the area she had just photographed. Brent on the other hand sunk most of his military pay into veteran group homes and hospital care for any military families in need of assistance.

In the background Blake Shelton was just finishing with the line about how he was done traveling and would be home soon and Kat felt as if she was saying those same words in her heart. At the age of thirty-one, she had always imagined that she would have been married, with two or three little dark haired, dark skinned babies running around. Of course, that was before her piece of shit ex-fiancé stood her up at the altar. Thinking about going home always brought thoughts of Luc with it and when she thought about Luc, she thought about tying him to a tree and using him for target practice. But, as much as she dreamed of shooting him in the heart, she knew that she never could. After all that would mean he had a heart and she had learned the hard way a long time ago that he did not possess that muscle.

Flipping the next photo, Kat smiled at the scarred face of the man staring back at her. The man was almost so black that if she had taken the photo at night, she doubted he would have shown in the picture. He was known around this region of Africa as Jabal Janja and as leader of a large militia group, he was a person to be feared. He was not a large man, but the crisscross of weapon straps across his chest and the darkness that filled his eyes made him seem a giant.

Kat remembered when she had first met Jabal and how she had surprised him at the river while he was bathing. She had heard the rumor from some of the locals that Jabal was passing through their territory and they were warning everyone to avoid being alone at all costs until he moved through. Of course, Kat also knew that Brent and his men were looking for Jabal in order to try to bring peace to the region, but because they were military, Jabal was keeping his distance. Thinking that she would have better luck as a woman, she quietly told several of the locals to tell her the moment Jabal came close to their camp.

She did not have to wait long and three days later, Kat hung her Nikon around her neck, strapped her .357 magnum to her side and a large hunting knife to her thigh before heading off through the dense forest behind their camp. After pushing through several hours of rough, bug infested forest; Kat heard the deep voice of a man giving orders that he was not to be disturbed while he took a quick bath. She crouched beneath the dense ground cover and waited for the sound of men slicing through thick foliage to quiet before she considered the coast clear.

As quietly as she could, Kat snuck her way toward the sound of the man splashing in the cool water. Coming around a large vine covered boulder, she spied the man as he dipped his entire body under the water. Knowing that she would have the element of surprise, she walked to the river's edge and waited for the man to resurface. When he did, she had a moments regret for not telling anyone where she was going. She was alone out here and she doubted that anyone would be able to find her if Jabal did not wish it.

Jabal stood; clear anger filled his eyes, the water hovering at his narrow waist as he carefully documented Kat's attire and the surrounding forest behind her. "You are either very stupid or very brave to come here alone." He commented with the thick accent all people in this area of the Congo had.

Kat shifted her weight slightly to one foot, giving her a better chance at running should the need arise. "Yes well, I have been called both before and I'm sure I will be again very soon." Of course, she was certain that Brent would do more than call her names when he found out what she had done. Brent was a man of action, and she had the bad feeling that action would place her over his thighs. Sometimes it really sucked being a little sister.

Behind Kat, a group of men emerged from the darkened tree line and waited for instruction. "Leave us. I think we will both be more at ease if alone." Jabal waved his men away with one long fingered dark hand and sat back down in the river, leaving only his head above the water. "Join me Glossy. You look like you could use a cool dip." Jabal and every other person in this area called her "glossy" because of her fetish with lip-gloss. No matter where she was, and what she was doing, she had to have her lips perfectly glossed in some sweet flavor. Even in the dense forests of the Congo, Kat's lips taste of cotton candy.

Kat did not want to get to close to Jabal and she certainly didn't want to get naked with the man, but if taking a dip with the militia leader would help Brent get closer to him, than she would do it. Slipping off her camera, she hung it on one of the branches closest to her, before removing her weapons and placing them on the ground. She quickly removed her boots and socks, before tugging off the sweat soaked olive colored tee shirt and matching pants, leaving her in a matching black bra and panties. She thought about leaving them on and going into the water, but the raise of Jabal's thick eyebrow told her that would be considered crowdedly. So, with jerky movements she added her bra and panties to her pile of clothing.

Jabal looked appreciatively at her body, before his bushy brows drew together. "How do you manage to remain hairless in this jungle?"

His straightforward question brought a bright blush to Kat, but she quickly gained her composure. She had never considered hair removal an unusual thing, all of her friends back home do it to some extent. Perhaps she took it too far, with only leaving the hair on her head, brows and arms untouched. "I had electrolysis done before my trip ... I may have to smell like a man out here, but I refuse to be as hairy as one." Her answer brought a gruff grunt from Jabal.

"I am not so sure I like it ... but that is not why you are here. Join me." He commanded again with a wave of his hand.

Silently, Kat bent to retrieve her knife and cautiously walked into the water, where she sunk down until she too was only a head bobbing in the refreshing water. Jabal maybe acting like a gracious host now, but one could never tell when things may go sour.

Jabal smiled broadly and his white teeth stood out brightly in his dark face. "You have been taught well. Hopefully it will keep you alive long enough to leave his place," he said with a small amount of pride in his voice. "Since I doubt you came to me for a little private relief, what brings you into my jungle Glossy?"