White Bone Read Online Free PDF Page A

That will cost us. The clinic’s closing hurt Xin Ha mightily. He lost money; he lost an important piece of cover for the exports. You tell the men any of this, I’ll cut your tongue out.”
    “Yes, boss.”
    “If I do not fix this, my family will be killed.”
    “Animals! The fucking Chinese!”
    “I need tusks, a shitload of tusks. And I need them now. No more traitors shortchanging me. Things are going to get bad. Handle it.”
    Guuleed climbed into the Land Cruiser and watched in the cracked mirror as Rambu called four others to his side and spoke in confidence. Together, these five men singled out a young man named Jakmar and dragged him backward, kicking and screaming. He was stabbed deeply in both thighs, his wrists and ankles bound, his tied hands looped over the tow ball of a Jeep. Rambu and another man dragged him out of camp behind the vehicle, his cries carrying for a full minute until fading to a faint whine that matched the buzz of the insects. He would be dumped, bleeding, a few kilometers away. Stripped to bone by morning. The bush was not a place to be alone at night.
    Guuleed looked on with indifference. One did what one had to do. He had liked Jakmar, felt badly that fate should deal the man such a hand.
    The others had turned their backs following the first glint of a knife. They pretended not to hear the man’s pleas, his proclamation of innocence. One of them, Guuleed thought, knew he should have been the one killed, unless Rambu had made a lucky guess. One of them would not sleep well tonight, or the next. Within two to three days the real traitor would reveal himself in this way, and then he, too, would meet a similar fate.
    Guuleed unclipped the cumbersome satellite phone as it rang. CALLER UNKNOWN was displayed on the screen. Not to Guuleed.
    “Big Five Safaris,” he said, speaking English with difficulty.
    He was told an American had been added last minute to Eastland Safari’s private list and was scheduled to arrive on an eleven P.M. flight from Berlin. The arrangement had come from England, justlike the whore’s. The parallel was uncanny and could not be taken as coincidence. Such information was expensive and could always be trusted.
    Ending the call, awaiting Rambu’s return, Guuleed smoked a cigarette and cursed. If he’d buried Faaruq instead of trying to send a message, none of this would be happening. He had only himself to blame. He thought of home, fought the fear that he would soon receive a package containing his child’s hand or foot—or worse.
    He needed a good kill, at least ten kilos of ivory; half that of rhino horn would do, though rhino hunting was a much more difficult and risky operation. A good deal of bribery and perfect timing would be required to nail two on the same night.
    The tobacco heightened his impatience and tested his already sour mood. His men were locals, mostly poor and desperate to feed their families. A few were simply greedy. Collectively they were bad shots, slow learners and big dreamers. The worst. But Guuleed worked with them daily to improve their skills.
    His impatience turned into a kind of hot tar that ran through him as deep-seated anger. Give him a posse of well-trained Somalis and bagging a couple of elephants would be child’s play. That would get Xin Ha off his back. As it was, he had to deal with the blood-hungry Koigi, who had well-trained men . . . and a cause. Fucking causes could kill you.
    Rambu returned, looking feverish. “It’s done.”
    “I must take a meeting with Xin. The balls on that one! You will come with me to Nairobi and speak to our man in the one-four.”
    “The senior sergeant?” Rambu sounded doubtful. “Is that wise?”
    “There’s an American coming in. I told you it was getting bad. We need him gone. It can’t attract attention. The sergeant will help us. You’ll see to it.” Guuleed didn’t hold subordinates by the hand, but by the scruff of the neck. Rambu had to step up. “You, me andtwo