Rome’s Pride: Chapter Six

When they arrived in Golfito, the sun was a fiery orange-red ball of fire in the sky. The incoming surf washed onto black sand beaches, reminding Rome that Costa Rica was home to several volcanoes. Sam did a flyby over the small tourist town before coming in for a landing.

They unloaded while Sam secured the plane and dealt with paperwork. Afterwards, they pulled out their passports and walked over to Immigration. Seven guys with obvious military training walking through the streets created quite a stir. However, the custom’s officers were friendly, being used to dealing with tourists, and the process went smooth and quick. They headed back to the plane to retrieve their weapons after they’d been officially admitted into the country and had leased their rental vehicles. By then, night had fallen.

“Once we get past the town, it will be pretty dark out there. Are we spending the night here or pushing forward?” Bull asked.

Rome glanced at his watch, the dials of which were lighted so they held a green glow. “It’s still early. Let’s push on. I texted Logan before we left. He’s expecting us.”

They divided up into two groups. Rome took the lead since he had the map. He turned onto the InterAmericana Highway and followed it for an hour to the turn off leading to the small village where Logan lived. Another thirty minutes up the mountain and he parked in front of the small market where Logan promised to meet him.

A short, stout man with brown leathery skin and gold-flecked black eyes sat in one of the many chairs, whittling a piece of wood in the golden glow of the porchlight. The store had the look and feel of a frequent gathering place for the town’s older men. He stood and put his craft to the side when Rome exited the SUV.

“Senior Barrio?” the man asked.

“Yes. Are you Logan Sanchez?” Rome asked. Though the man smelled like a lion shape-shifter, Costa Rica was home to many cat shifters.

The man gave him a broad grin and stepped forward with his hand outstretched. “It is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance.”

“The same goes,” Rome said. He motioned for the men to exit their vehicles. “These are my friends: Sam, Bull, Kane, Ethan, Grey, and Trager.” Each man nodded as his name was called. “How are things?”

“So far, so good. The police, they came and took away the bodies,” Logan said.

“Did they give her a hard time?” Rome said.

“No. Senora Devlin, she’s a good woman and employs a lot of the locals. Her resort is good for the local economy. They wrote it down just as she said it happened,” Logan said.

Rome ignored the twinge of jealousy and pain he felt upon hearing his mate called by another man’s name, knowing he didn’t have the right. He’d made his decision long ago and while he might sometimes question it, he wouldn’t change it. “Did you tell her we were coming?”

Logan rubbed his jaw. “I thought it best you surprise her, si’?”

Yes, surprise might his best option. No telling what kind of reception Zuri would give him if she had warning of his imminent arrival. They hadn’t seen or spoken to each other since that night fifteen years ago. On the rare occasions he’d allowed himself to come home to Refuge, he’d made it a point not to ask about her. “Yes, that might be best. Let’s go. The later it gets, the more unwelcoming she’ll be.”

Everyone loaded back into their vehicles. Logan climbed into a battered jeep of an indeterminate color that had seen better days and led the way. They headed west out of town, and Rome estimated they’d gone a little under a mile when they hit the turn off to the resort. The gravel road leading to La Retirada Bella was a single lane with deep ditches running down the sides to capture the runoff. It being rainy season, the ditches were full, and flowed downhill like little bubbling brooks.

With the exception of their headlights, the dark was almost absolute. Dense forest with towering trees lined the way. Their canopies hung over the road, adding to the thick darkness. Night came early to this part of the world.

Rome didn’t have much time to ponder. Less than fifteen minutes later they passed a sign announcing their destination, went through an open padlock gate, and into a small parking area. The sign read: BASE CAMP. Now that they were inside the resort, there was light. A wood building to the left with a sign reading, REGISTRATION OFFICE, was still lit. A sprinkling of five other buildings, laid out in a semicircle made up the rest of the base.

When Rome stepped out of the four-wheel drive, the humidity immediately had his t-shirt sticking to his body, though the air was slightly cooler than it had been in town due to the higher elevation. The sounds of the rain forest had his cat sticking up his head in curiosity and interest. It smelled like home.

He hadn’t been back to Costa Rica since he’d left as a young boy. Costa Rica, the country of his birth, and the last place he would have expected to find Zuri when he’d finally decided to look. Absently Rome wondered if his father was still here or if boredom had caused him to roam off. Jaguar shape-shifters weren’t known for their ability to stay close to home and hearth. The sound of doors closing caused him to glance over and see the men had exited the vehicles, and like him stood taking in the sights and sounds.

“Whew, it’s like entering a sauna,” Ethan said, tugging on the neckline of his t-shirt.

“Just be glad it’s not raining,” Rome said.

“How can you tell?” Bull asked.

“Oh, believe me, senor. When the rain falls from the sky, she does so suddenly and if you’re caught out in it, you’ll be instantly drenched,” Logan said.

“Like Bull said, how can you tell?” Kane said wryly. “I’m already drenched.”

Logan laughed. “The office is this way. Let’s get you checked in.”

“Ooo, goodie. I don’t mind roughing it if there’s a need, but I got to tell you, I left my pup tent back in the States,” Trager said.

Rome kept quiet. He knew if anyone ran the risk of sleeping outside, or in the jeeps, it was him. He doubted Zuri would be happy to see him. Even less so when she discovered he was here to take her home with him, where she belonged. He anticipated, and if he were honest with himself, looked forward to the battle ahead. Leaving the others to bring up the rear, he headed toward the office.

Bull quickly caught up with him and strode by his side. “You smell that, boss?”

“What?”

“Cats,” Bull said, wrinkling his nose. “Lots of freakin’ cats.”

“Feeling out of place?” Rome asked, amused. Though Refuge was home to many species of shape-shifters, the wolves by far outnumbered everyone.

“It’s all good,” Bull assured him, patting his sidearm.

Rome hadn’t realized Bull had armed himself. A quick glance over his shoulder showed the others had as well. He’d been too busy thinking about Zuri to strap on his weapons. Good thing he had backup. In his rush to get to his mate, he hadn’t considered how being this close to her would affect him.

As they entered the office, the young woman on the other side of the waist-high counter glanced up from what she was doing. Alarm immediately sparked in her eyes. Rome spoke quickly in an effort to calm her. “Hi, we’d like to check in.”

Her gazed bounced from him, to Bull, to the others filing in behind him. She swallowed hard. “Do you have a reservation?”

Logan pushed his way to the front of the group. “Está bien, Abby. These men, they are from the Senora’s hometown. This one,” he pointed at Rome, “is her hermano.”

Abby gave Rome a doubtful look.

“Foster brother,” Rome said helpfully. “Her father took me in and raised me as his own. And no, we don’t have reservations.”

Still looking skeptical but a lot less afraid, which had been Rome’s goal, Abby consulted her computer. “I have two treehouses available. One is a tri-level that sleeps four, the Fila Tortuga, and a bi-level that sleeps two, the Cabina Colibri.”

“We’ll take them,” Rome said and pulled out his credit card.

Abby processed the transaction. The men had wandered off, inspecting the brochures and studying the large property map on the wall. After a few minutes, she turned an iPad around to him. “Please read and accept the terms of agreement, and sign your name on this line.”

Rome scanned the standard agreement, noting the no refund policy, and signed his name. He handed her the tablet and received his credit card in return.

“This is an eco-friendly resort. We ask you unplug all appliances—lamps, cellphones, computers, etc.—when not in use. Each treehouse has a fully equipped kitchen, or you can eat meals with the others in the base camp dining room.” Abby handed him two brochures, one for each treehouse. Each was stapled to a piece of paper. “This is a list of rules, a map with directions to each treehouse, and a list of this week’s activities. Enjoy your stay.”

Rome turned to the men. “Decide who’s staying where and we’ll divide up. I want to drop my stuff off at the room and then patrol the grounds.”

“Am I reading this right? Vehicles aren’t allowed beyond base camp?” Sam asked.

“This is a pedestrian community. Other than base camp, we use rope bridges and zip lines to move from one home to the other. You’ll need flashlights on the trails to the rooms. If you didn’t bring any, I’ll be happy to loan you a few,” Abby said.

Rome handed Sam the material, and Kane and Ethan stood behind him, reading over Sam’s shoulder.

“This place reminds me of basic training,” Grey said.

“How so?” Bull asked.

“We walked or ran everywhere, carrying our own gear. We rose with the sun and went to bed with the chickens,” Grey said.

Trager grinned. “When you put it that way, I do see the resemblance.”

The rear door to the office opened suddenly, and Zuri strode inside. “Abby, whose vehicles are those outside? Did the police officials return with more questions?”

“Hello, Zuri,” Rome said.