“The python,” Sasha said flatly. “Or I told you he was probably drunk.”

He shook his head. “He walked out into the jungle and took all his gear. No noise. So no helicopter or vehicle. Yes, he could be somewhere in the jungle sleeping off a hangover. Or he might have hiked to a place where he could be met to discuss ransom negotiations. He might be stupid enough to talk to your parents, but there’s no way he’d set up a meeting near here and chance revealing the location of the camp. He’d know what I’d do to him.” He turned on his heel. “I’ll know as soon as I track him down. But don’t get your hopes up that you and your friends will get away from me anytime soon. He might just be trying to stage a little protest to show me that I should pay more attention to him.” His voice was cold. “Fool. When I find him, he’s not going to like the attention I intend to give him before I’m through.”

Sasha collapsed back against the tent as she watched him walk away. Those last few sentences had been totally unexpected, and his reaction had been both bad and good. Good, because he seemed to have believed what she’d said about Baldwin’s jealousy and that his disappearance had nothing to do with a possible trap. Bad, because he was now interested in Sasha’s background—and that might eventually lead him to Alisa. She felt a bolt of panic at the thought. Not only was the fact that Alisa was CIA a threat that Masenak might use to stage another one of his “events,” but her connection to Sasha was a weapon he could use against both of them. That was the last thing she’d wanted to happen. It had seemed unlikely, because he’d been interested only in her ability with the horses. But thanks to Baldwin, he had started questioning everything about her, and she was most vulnerable where Alisa was concerned. Masenak had learned he could get anything he wanted from her just by using the people she cared about. She didn’t have any doubt that if Masenak found out how close she was to Alisa, she’d be a prime target.

Not only that, but Chaos had suddenly appeared on the scene to cause his usual brand of devilment to pique Masenak’s interest. He’d only heard about him so far, yet Sasha could see trouble looming. Once he actually saw the stallion, she knew he’d investigate everything about him. That was another path that could lead him to Alisa.

But Alisa wasn’t helpless as Jeanne had been, she told herself frantically. She was stronger and smarter than anyone she had ever met. Masenak wouldn’t be able to hurt her.

Unless he used her as a weapon against Alisa.