Free Pride of the Veld by LE Franks Page A

Andrea, huddled in their campsite, he wasn’t feeling any impulse to reveal himself or give aid. There were too many things wrong with this picture.
    From the back, the stranger looked a little shorter than Danie himself, wiry and in fairly new clothes. He was a tourist, or a stranger to the bush― that much was certain. He wore trainers on his feet, not sturdy boots that protected the feet and ankles from injuries and snakebites.
    The khaki shorts still showed knife-sharp creases along the backs of his thighs, and he wore a safari vest that had risen up his back far enough to reveal a handgun slipped into the back of his waistband. That was more than a little disturbing.
    Danie looked around to see if he could spot a rifle. It was risky to go into the bush without a long-range weapon for defense. There was nothing around the man that showed that he was prepared for this environment, not even a hat to keep sunstroke away, or a canteen to carry any water with him when he left.
    Danie glanced at his watch again. Thirty minutes. Something was wrong, or maybe Andrea had managed to seduce Geo with that promised blowjob. He gritted his teeth at the image, annoyance surging through him. Even if they had, they could be showing up any time, heading straight into the path of the stranger below.
    It wasn’t worth the risk. Danie slid quietly back, retracing his steps until he was in position to intercept the man if he headed towards their camp.
    ****
    Geo watched Danie disappear into the brush and sighed. Danie was being overprotective as usual, but that didn’t mean he was wrong. If he wasn’t watching over the campsite, even from a distance, then Andrea truly was on his own. In the short time Geo had known the man, he’d pegged Andrea as a flighty artist. It was surprising that he’d lasted this long in one piece. Well, almost one piece. The arm was still looking raw, and not just a little angry. Andy needed antibiotics and he needed them soon.
    Geo turned back, following his tracks to their temporary camp. He’d made it almost all the way back, practicing his tracking skills and moving through the bush. He had visions of sneaking up on Andy from behind and scaring the living hell out of him.
    It was a game he’d played with Oupa growing up, learning how to sneak through the bush undetected by either man or beast. He’d only managed to sneak up on Oupa once growing up. To this day, Oupa still swore he’d been distracted by one of the other guides who had escorted them that day, but Geo knew better. His grandfather had been standing staring out across the veld, looking for him in the wrong direction.
    Geo had used a grazing herd of antelope and a bush fowl to provide a diversion. He’d flushed the bird into the path of the antelope in such a way that no one could pinpoint the disturbance. He then circled back and had managed to jump the old man from behind. It was the best day of his young life. Now he continued his game, quietly working his way from cover to cover until he was only a short distance from the camp, but close enough that he could still see Andrea’s back. The Italian was lounging on the top of the Rover. He laid still, an arm flung across his eyes, shielding them from the late morning sun.
    Completely ruins the spirit of the game. I could walk straight up to him and say “boo” before he’d notice. Geo was about to do just that when he heard a rustling in the bush, followed by the quiet murmur of voices.
    Slightly ahead of him and to his left, Geo could just make out the profiles of at least two men. He watched as they settled down behind a screen of grass and shrubs, gesturing at Andrea, their whispers floating just out of hearing.
    His breath froze in his chest, adrenaline pumping; these men were hunting, and the only prey in view was Andrea. Geo slid back as quietly as he could. He was too close to the men to effectively ambush them. One wrong move and he’d be the one being hunted. He bit his lip,