Tanya was staring at Abdullah. She’d called him Sula. The corners of her mouth slowly rose. “I know you. We’ve met. Remember? You’re called Sula and it means death.”

Yes, death. Known as Sula to some. Lucifer to others. They were the same. Abdullah was frozen, holding the gun in his left hand and the knife now dripping with blood in his right. His face went white.

Tanya stood with her arms at her side, a new boldness in her posture. “And how are you stopped, Sula?”

The Arab slogged forward three steps. He stared dumbstruck at Tanya.

“You know that I can’t let you kill him,” Tanya said softly.

The world began to slow down. Things were going topsy-turvy. He had to stop something. Something much worse than this. And she was going to make sure that he did it.

Abdullah shook like a leaf now. Somehow this strange encounter between him and Tanya had flipped a switch.

Tanya spread her arms, still barely smiling. “You’ve done this before, haven’t you?”

Shannon screamed then. “Abdullah! Take me! Leave her.” He strained against the line, feeling it cut into his flesh. Blood from his chest and shoulder wounds ran down his belly.

The Arab looked at him, his facial muscles quivering. He held the gun at his side.

“No. Take me instead,” Tanya said. She had lifted her arms to form a cross.

The Arab swiveled his head and lifted the pistol to her head in one smooth motion. The world fell to blurred images. Tanya shifted wide blue eyes to Shannon and they poured love into him.

She was giving her life for him!

Shannon’s mind lost coherence then. He roared to his feet, snapping the line as he did so. The jungle was screaming.

His head hit Abdullah’s back and the man’s gun bucked. Boom!

From the corner of his eye, Shannon saw Tanya standing, her arms spread wide, her head tilted back. Abdullah had shot her! He’d shot Tanya!

The jungle was still screaming, long wails of desperation screeching around his ears.

And then the Arab hit the ground and Shannon crashed down on top of him. He shoved his knees forward, so that he straddled the man’s chest. His left hand had found Abdullah’s black hair. He snatched his bowie from Abdullah’s belt.

Then it occurred to him that the screaming came from his own throat, not the jungle.

For a moment Shannon thought that he had died as well. His soul had been sucked clean of his body, leaving only a vast empty hole. But he knew that couldn’t be true, because he was still screaming. “Noooo! Noooo!” Just that, over and over.

Only then did he realize that Tanya wasn’t falling. The realization snatched the wind from him and he pulled up.