Free Virgo's Vice by Trish Jackson

know, wild animals.”
    “Oh, sure,” I answer. “How about you?”
    “A little, maybe. But this is why I wanted to do this. I mean, how else would a cowboy like me get to have an adventure in Africa? I camp out in the wilderness areas quite often at home, and there are bears and cougars there. You know, I don’t think there are elephants or rhino’s in this part of Africa. They live in the low lying plains and this is some steep and rocky terrain. There could be leopards and lions though.”
    “What about snakes?”
    “They should’ve gone to sleep by now,” he says. “Unless they’re nocturnal.”
    We reach the banks of the creek and Billy slides down into the river bed behind me. Our arms brush together as we huddle over the water hole. I forget that I’m scared of animals for a moment. I forget about everything. Heat rushes through me. I’m glad it’s dark and he can’t see my face going as red as it feels.
    Some of the sand has caved in and Billy has to dig it out with his hands for a while before we can fill the pots.
    “The animals are gonna mess this up tonight,” he says. “We’ll have to make another hole tomorrow.”
    “Where are the animals?” I say. “Why haven’t we seen any?”
    “They’re probably pretty nervous of humans.”
    Jake lets out a low growl. Billy swings the flashlight in a wide arc all around us. He stops and points. “There. See the eyes shining?”
    I grab his arm. “What is it?” I stare at the two bright points of light glowing in the darkness. I gasp and hold onto him for support.
    “I don’t know.” His arm goes around me and he pulls me into him. “Don’t worry about it, I don’t think it’s gonna eat us.” I hear laughter in his voice.
    There is something very comforting about being held like that. His arm is hard with muscle, and warm. I lift my face. He’s staring down at me and I almost think he’s about to kiss me, but the moment passes. “Come on, let’s get back,” he says. “You go in front and carry the light and the small pot. I’ll bring the big one. Come on, Jake.”
    I balance the pot in the crook of my arm and hold the flashlight up. My legs are rubbery, and I’m a little out of breath, but I’m not sure if it’s because of the panic attack, because I’m scared, or because of the feel of Billy’s body so close to mine.
    “So you know all about us but we don’t know anything about you,” Billy says as we make our way back toward the flickering light of the fire we can see above us on the hillside.
    “Nothing much to tell,” I say. “I’ve been working as a camera operator for three years. Some college before that.”
    “How old are you?” He asks.
    “I’m twenty-three.”
    “I would have thought you’d still be in college.”
    “I didn’t stay in college. I got the chance to be a second camera assistant before I even finished my AA degree, and I took it, and worked my way up.”
    “And you love the outdoors or you wouldn’t have signed up for this show.”
    I’m not sure what to answer, so I just say “Uh-huh,” and hope he doesn’t probe any more into my private life.

Chapter 10
    We walk in silence the rest of the way back to our camp.
    I can’t stop thinking about the way I felt when he held me. Did he also think of kissing me, or did I imagine it?
    Everyone is sitting or standing close to the fire when we finally make it back to camp. I search for Trip and see him standing under a tree a little way off smoking a pipe. I can smell the sweet tobacco scent of it. I can feel him watching me and I shudder.
    “We saw some eyes glowing in the flashlight’s beam,” I say to everyone as I hand the flashlight back to Eve.
    Billy sets the pots over the flames. “What’s for dinner?”
    “Rice,” Faith says. “As soon as the water’s heated I’ll get some going in the big pot. We can boil more water in the small pot for drinking.” She seems to have taken over the job of camp cook.
    “What kind of animal