“Appreciate your honesty,” he said with a short nod. He started to turn away but stopped again. “It’s important you tell me if you’re not okay. You’re not trained for this type of scenario. We are. Until we encounter certain stressors in life, we really can’t know how our brains will react. But please trust that I am doing everything in my power to keep you safe.”

“I understand that, Captain.” She gestured forward. “Shall we?”

The village lay another fifty yards through the trees. When they reached the edge of the tree line, he put a hand on her shoulder and applied pressure. She got the hint and lowered herself into a crouching position. He took his time observing the village. The huts. The quiet streets. He couldn’t smell exhaust from trucks. Instead of tense silence, the village made some noises, and no sound seemed out of place.

“Any idea what hut Ayo would be in?” he said in a low voice.

Doctor Myers nodded. “Her grandmother is the medicine woman. She’ll be in the larger hut over there.”

Rick’s eyes followed the direction of her pointed finger to the hut. He examined it using his binoculars. From here he could see bones hanging from the rafters. He really hoped the skull once belonged to a monkey and not a human.

“Feel comfortable going in there alone?” he asked. “I think you’d draw less attention than me.”

Doctor Myers glanced at him. “Captain, I’m five feet tall and blond-haired. I promise that you, in all your gear and with that beard and gun, will draw less attention than me.”

With a smile he stood. “Fair enough. We’ll go together.”

Rick raised his fist and caught Peña’s eye about twenty feet to their rear. He made a series of hand gestures, and Peña replied with some of his own. Rick nodded and turned his attention back to Doctor Myers.

“All right. Let’s go.” They rose to their feet and began to push out into the clearing. He put a hand on her arm before she stepped forward. Looking directly into her eyes, he calmly said, “If something happens, do what I say as soon as I say it. Don’t think about it. Don’t ponder my motives. Don’t second-guess me. You can’t argue or reason or try to negotiate. Just do as you’re told—if you want to stay alive.”

She appeared unnerved by the seriousness of his tone, then smiled. “Sure thing, Daddy.”

He caught the bark of a laugh in his throat before it surfaced. With a little shake of his head, he said, “There’s that inappropriate sense of humor again.”