Logan snorted with contempt. "Mr. Sutton, just worry about taking care of yourself. As for everyone else, they don’t need your protection, and you don’t have the ability to protect them anyway."
Ralph’s face flushed red with anger. “Mr. Keller, I know you’re skilled in martial arts, but that certain someone beside you is probably just a weakling, and without my protection in this pitch-black mountain forest, he could drop dead and no one would even know it.”
Logan’s brow furrowed dangerously. “Ralph, am I being too nice to you or something? You keep trying to show off every damn day—believe it or not, I’ll slap you silly right here and now.”
Andrew spoke up, voice calm but firm. “Enough. No more talking. Keep moving. Once we get deeper, men take the outside, women stay in the center—everyone has a role to play.”
Logan nodded with a grin. “No problem, Andy. Your call—I’ll follow your lead.”
Ralph, however, cast a dark glance through the shadows. There was no way he was following Andrew’s lead. That guy was a nobody, so who the hell did he think he was?
Ralph had no intention of playing by Andrew’s rules. His real goal was to stay close to Chantelle, waiting for that perfect “hero saves the lady” moment. This was his big shot at winning over a stunning, high-profile woman.
As for taking orders from Andrew? Ralph sneered inwardly at the thought.
What right did some worthless loser have to command a survival expert like him?
What made him secretly pleased was that this treasure hunt included more than just Chantelle as eye candy. The mature Tiana maintained a cold demeanor, but as she walked, her hips swayed enticingly.
Ralph loved this type of older woman–they knew how to take care of a man in bed. Out here in the wilderness, if Tiana happened to twist her ankle or something, that would be perfect.
He might get the chance to have his way with this beautiful woman, and just thinking about it made Ralph’s bones tingle with anticipation.
The last one, Natasha, would be harder to handle. She clearly had combat training, so his chances with her were probably slim.
Still, Ralph figured two out of three was not bad. Whether it was Tiana or Chantelle, winning the favor of either woman would make him a winner in life.
After entering the mountain forest, the path became increasingly difficult to navigate. The lighting among the trees was extremely dim. They had to rely on flashlights and torches to make their way forward with great difficulty.
Buzz and his Patoajo warriors moved incredibly fast, seemingly unaffected by the terrain.
Andrew kept pace right behind them without any sign of falling back. Meanwhile, Tiana positioned herself behind Natasha and Jerry, appearing to struggle with the trek. In reality, she was protecting them from the side, guarding against any sudden attacks.
Logan, being a martial arts expert and a well-trained heir from a prominent family, along with his two skilled companions, showed no signs of being unable to keep up throughout the journey.
Chantelle, however, while not weak in martial arts, was from a big city and had lived a comfortable urban lifestyle for years. Walking through mountain forests at night proved challenging for her, and she kept slipping.
Ralph was overjoyed and tried to take advantage by offering help, but Chantelle rejected all his advances, which infuriated him. The last member of their group was Magnus, the geomancy specialist, who was already out of breath from lack of stamina. Andrew had originally suggested that since he was getting on in years, he should just stay in the village.
Who knew that this usually lazy old fraud would break character and insist on following them into the mountains?
Since Chantelle had no objections, Andrew naturally would not meddle unnecessarily. With a sudden thud, one of the Patoajo warriors ahead of Andrew lost his footing and started falling toward the cliff’s edge.
Below the cliff was a patch of shrubs–not very high, but falling down there at night would definitely cause serious injury. Fortunately, Andrew reacted quickly, pushing the warrior’s back to help him regain his balance.
“Thank you, Mr. Lloyd!” The young Patoajo warrior looked both grateful and somewhat ashamed.
As a proud Patoajo warrior on his own turf, nearly falling due to carelessness made the young man furious with himself–he felt like he had disgraced his people.
Andrew smiled. “No big deal–by the way, what’s your name?”
The Patoajo boy looked to be around 15, still just a teenager. He glanced toward Buzz, the team leader up front, and seeing that he was not paying attention, lowered his voice.
“My Patoajo name is Mohave, but my Holtrien name is Lucas Mainse.”
Andrew could not help but chuckle. “So one of your parents is Patoajo and the other is Holtrien? And who gave you your Holtrien name?”
The young man Mohave blushed with embarrassment. “My mother is from our tribe, and my father is Holtrien–he’s highly educated and went to elementary school. As soon as I was born, he said the name Lucas Mainse sounded cool and handsome, He said it fit me.”