Even in Darkness She Chose to Rise (Tatiana and Jasper) novel Chapter 529

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Chapter 529 The Poachers

Against all odds, Tatiana fell asleep the second her head hit the pillow. Before she drifted off, she caught herself thinking back to that brief, fleeting kiss.

They stayed for three days before finally starting the journey back. The kids were buzzing, talking nonstop about everything they’d seen.

The SUV rattled along the dirt paths of the Amboseli savanna as the sunset turned the grasslands a deep gold. Tatiana watched the acacia trees blur past, her fingers absentmindedly scrolling through the photos on her camera.

There were smiles in every shot. There was even a bold photo of Hubert standing remarkably close to a hippo for a selfie.

Then she saw the family photo.

With the endless savanna as their backdrop, Hubert was grinning under his hat, Ann was making a shy peace sign, and she and Jasper stood on either side like two massive trees guarding them.

Jasper wasn’t looking at the camera. He was looking at her. Even in a photo, the tenderness in his eyes was unmistakable.

She tapped the screen, a small smile playing on her lips.

“Something’s happening up ahead,” the guide said suddenly, slowing the car down.

Tatiana followed his gaze. In the distance, a column of smoke rose into the sky. It didn’t look right. As they got closer, the sharp, acrid smell of burning flesh drifted through the window.

“What is that…”

She stopped mid–sentence.

In a clearing a hundred yards ahead, three elephant carcasses lay on the ground. Their tusks had been brutally hacked off, and blood soaked the grass. A few men in camouflage were dousing the bodies with gasoline. One of them, a cigarette dangling from his lip was about to strike a match.

The guide’s face went pale. He started cursing. “My God! What are they doing? How could they!”

The usually cheerful, knowledgeable guide jumped out of the car. He had his satellite phone in his hand and was screaming, “Poachers! They’re poaching! I’m calling the Wildlife Conservation Society!”

Jasper saw the look in those men’s eyes and knew it was trouble. He tried to stop the guide, but he was too late.

A gunshot rang out.

The guide’s head snapped back as he collapsed. The satellite phone tumbled into the dirt beside him.

The standoff began instantly.”

Jasper had brought six of his own men and the guide, but knowing the terrain, he had also hired a professional security detail. They were a twelve–man tean, fully armed.

As everyone piled out of the cars, the poachers didn’t fire again. They stayed back, eyes locked on Jasper’s

11:41 Sat, Apr 11 @ M

Chapter 529 The Poachers

team. The guide’s body became the line in the sand between them.

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Finished

Tatiana pulled Hubert and Ann close, her eyes fixed on the men ahead. The kids knew how dangerous this was; they didn’t make a sound.

“Stay in the car. Don’t move,” Jasper said.

He started to step out, but Tatiana grabbed his wrist. “Don’t. Let’s just go. Right now.”

“I’ll be right back. Don’t be scared,” he whispered.

Leaving things in a stalemate wouldn’t help. These men didn’t look like the type to let witnesses walk away casily.

Tatiana watched him step out, her heart in her throat. Jasper’s men immediately surrounded him, guns cocked and ready. The local security team acted as translators.

“Sir, they want the recording devices. They say if we hand them over, they’ll let us go.”

Jasper looked at the phone lying near the dead guide. The poor guy had started filming the second he jumped out, catching their faces on camera before trying to make the call. That’s what got him killed.

Jasper weighed the options and nodded. “Give it to them

One of his men stepped forward, grabbed the phone, and tossed it over while shouting something in the local dialect,

The leader of the poachers was a man with a headscarf and a cold, predatory stare. He looked at Jasper and spoke in English. “You. Leave now. We don’t fight.”

Clearly, Jasper’s numbers had made them hesitate. A peaceful resolution was the best–case scenario.

Jasper nodded. “We’ll take the opposite route. We won’t mention this. You have my word.”

“Good.”

Jasper backed up slowly and got back into the car. The poachers didn’t follow. They simply watched them leave.

They took the guide’s body with them; they couldn’t just leave him there to be eaten by scavengers. One of Jasper’s men took over the driving.

The security captain, Marcus, suggested letting one of his locals drive since they knew the shortcuts, but Jasper didn’t fully trust them and refused.

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