Whistleblower, page 9
Knowing there was no way she could carry him, she used his raincoat as a travois to drag him on. Getting him over the small shallow stream and up on the bank was tricky. Marley was exhausted by the time she had him clear of the water.
She sank down beside him to catch her breath and check his vitals before continuing. It took her two more stops before she got him to the camp and faced the next dilemma, getting him out of his wet clothes.
It was funny. She was a doctor and knew the human body inside and out, but the thought of stripping Zan down made her pause. It told her just how much he meant to her. She didn’t see him as just a man. He was Zan. Someone she cared for. Someone she was interested in.
“He’s just a man. A human body.” Saying the words aloud didn’t help much, but she went to work.
Since she’d already opened the shirt when tending the wound, she was able to ease it down and off, then worked it from under his body. The T-shirt was easier. Not worried about saving it, since she’d already pretty much ruined it, she just cut the rest of it away.
Marley shifted to his feet, removing his boots and socks. For a second, she was caught at the size and corded ridges of them. She shoved the thought away and reached for his belt.
“You are a doctor,” she repeated but looked away as she slid his pants down his muscled legs, letting her attention fix on several other scars. The moment she got his pants clear, she went to work shifting him into the sleeping bag and getting him covered up. That done, she dropped limply down beside him.
Marley rested several minutes before the need to finish preparing the camp pressed her back into action. First, she went back to the sandbar to make sure she hadn’t left anything and washed Zan’s shirt the best she could. On her way back to the hiding place, she brushed out their trail the way she’d seen Zan do.
Marley then used Zan’s damaged knife to cut some bushes, jabbing them into the mud to block the trail they’d used. Once she’d done everything she could think of to hide their trail, she worked her way back to camp, following the process with the bushes twice more.
Back at camp, Marley checked Zan one more time then decided to go through his pack to see what she might use. She had just started when the sound of voices reached her. Marley froze, wanting to believe she’d imagined the sound.
A minute went by. She was about to relax when the voices reached her again, this time closer.
“I can’t make it down there. You go down and check it out.”
“What? That little wash?”
Marley felt fear as she recognized the voice of Drew Jansen, the security guard from the lab.
“Yeah.”
“You can’t think she’s down there. You saw her jack rabbit just like she did before. She’s long gone, at least the dude’s out of the way.”
They were close enough, she could hear Jansen’s wheeze.
“You should’ve shot her instead,” Mills, the security chief, snapped.
“I told you, I couldn’t get the shot.”
“Well, you’d better get down there and make sure she’s not there. We have to be the ones to find her or there could be some uncomfortable questions raised. Hymas is already spitting mad about her getting away.”
Marley realized they were on the embankment almost directly above her. She looked up. The slight overhang and trees kept them from her view. She just hoped it would be the same if they looked down.
A dusting of dirt trickled down from the edge. Marley leaned over Zan to keep it from landing on him. She couldn’t risk him waking now. Thankfully, he remained unconscious.
“With him out of the way, she’ll be easy to find. It was just rotten luck she stumbled into him.” Jansen’s voice reached down to her.
“So you say. I still think she could’ve been seeing him. Now get down there.”
“I’m going. And I told you, I’ve been keeping an eye on her for a while. She’s not been seeing anyone.” Jansen’s voice faded, but Marley didn’t dare move though a wave of sickness ran through her at the thought that he had been watching her.
A minute later, she heard branches break as he moved through. Marley followed his progress along the river. When he came close to the trail where she’d dragged Zan along, she reached for the dart gun she’d laid out. She cradled it in her lap and hoped she could figure out how to fire it, but the crashing continued on.
She wondered if there wasn’t something else she should’ve done. Had she missed something? Would Jansen, with the ever-present crude sneer, just stumble onto them? She jumped when his shout broke the silence.
“You can’t get through this way. I told you, she rabbited. I’m betting she went over the hill toward the road. And the way she runs, she’s probably three miles from here by now.” His wheezing was more pronounced.
Marley heard the thrashing through the trees grow louder again, but instead of coming closer to the hiding place, Jansen stayed down by the river, moving at a quicker pace.
“Let’s head back to the truck,” Mills answered back, his voice coming from a ways off. “We need to get into position if anyone finds a body and starts to wonder so they don’t tie it to us.”
For a full five minutes, Marley didn’t dare do anything but breathe, and even that seemed labored as fear flowed over her. They’d been so close. Her fingers were still shaking when she put the gun down.
Dropping her head to her hands, she fought to calm her fear. They were gone. They hadn’t found them. She let the thoughts echo in her mind. She’d kept Zan safe, but there was still more to be done. She just wished she could stop shaking. Locking onto the thought, her mind finally processed that she was cold. The knowledge spurred her into action.
Digging through the backpack she wasn’t surprised to find a change of clothes for Zan in a sealed bag. With only a second’s hesitation, Marley stripped out of her wet clothes and pulled on his dry shirt. Even with his belt cinched up his pants bagged on her, but she was warm.
Marley laid out their clothes to dry then followed the directions and made up her own MRE, this time chicken and dumplings. She found it passably good. With the dart gun in her lap, she settled down next to Zan to keep watch as the sun set.
Marley jerked awake. It took several seconds for her eyes to adjust to the darkness and reality to slip back in.
Fear crept in with it.
She listened. Afraid to breathe, but the only noise that reached her ears were the sounds of frogs, cicadas and the chorus of other night bugs, and she relaxed.
A shifting on the ground by her feet made her jump, and she knew what had disturbed her.
“Zan.” She turned, barely able to make him out in the moonlight breaking through the cloudy sky.
Marley crawled to him. Reaching out a hand, she lay it on his forehead barely getting time to determine there was no fever when the blow caught her. She never saw it coming. One moment she was on her knees, the next thrown back three feet. Pain sliced through her side even though she knew it was a glancing contact.
Zan continue to thrash as she gulped in air to replace what had been knocked from her. After a minute, Marley righted herself and reached for him again, instinctively trying to keep him from hurting himself. She pulled back at the last instant to miss another strike that would have likely broken her nose.
“Zan, Zan, it’s Marley. It’s Marley,” she repeated his name and her name until he began to still. “It’s all right.” She touched her fingers to his arm, ready to dodge.
He jerked, but as she said his name again, he relaxed.
“It’s all right.” She ran her hand up and down his arm, caressing his brow with her other hand. His breathing became more even.
“Zan, do you know who I am?”
“My Marley.”
Her name sounded like it was drawn out over rough gravel but never better. She was shocked and pleased at the possessiveness of the tone. “Yes.” She stroked her hand down his cheek, a smile coming to her lips.
She had thought he’d gone back to sleep when he spoke, clearer this time. “What happened?”
“Here drink this.” She reached for the water she’d left beside him and raised his head up a little to take a couple swallows. “Not too much. We don’t want you to get sick.”
He took a second swallow and sighed. He seemed more alert. As if to prove the point, he repeated the question. “What happened?” This time, his voice was much stronger, and he shifted, trying to sit up.
“No, stay down. You were shot. I got the bullet out. It didn’t do too much damage, but your body’s had a shock. You fell into the water and hit your head at some time.”
“You took the bullet out?” He locked on the first thing she said.
“Yes, it wasn’t deep, fortunately. It was just tissue and a little muscle damage. It went through your knife in your backpack strap.”
He nodded and grimaced.
“Easy, do you need some more pain medicine?”
“No. How long have I been out?”
“About f-four hours.”
He pulled up. “Where are we?”
“A couple hundred yards down r-river, I’d guess. I’m not sure how far you f-floated from where we were.”
“You got me out?”
“Yes.”
“And here?”
She couldn’t find the words to answer because the image of him bleeding on the bank was too clear, along with the sound of the men moving above them. His hand came out of the darkness to catch her arm.
“Marley?”
She couldn’t believe she felt steadier just having him touch her. “You drifted q-quite a ways before I could get ahead of you and down the bank. I was afraid you’d drown. Mills and Jansen, the lab’s security, showed up. It was Jansen who shot you. I’d covered our trail l-like you had.”
***
“Marley,” he said her name again, sliding his hand down to take hers. “You’re cold.”
“I’m fine. We sh-should get you something to eat if you feel up to it.”
“I could eat.” Zan caught a good look at Marley as his small light flared to life. She was dressed in his clothes. Her hair was a wild mass around her head. It made him realize he didn’t have a comb in his pack. It wasn’t something he worried about with his hair so short.
She looked untamed, an all-natural woman. He wondered what she’d think of that. He figured that was not an image she’d ever apply to herself but he liked it. Then again he figured she would deny how incredible she did on rescuing and taking care of him. She’d taken out a bullet.
He shifted his arm and felt a stab of pain, but he could handle it.
“Here.” She was back beside him. “Just Ibuprofen.”
She dropped four in his hand and waited for him to take them. Zan did so without any complaint. She turned back to get the food, and he started to shift up. Pain ripped through his shoulder. A faint hiss escaped his lips before he could stop it.
Marley spun back, reaching for him. “Let me help.”
He felt her soft hands against his skin and realized he didn’t have his shirt on. Of course, for her to tend him, she’d have to have taken it off. Cut it off. He grimaced with the thought.
As he shifted he also came to the fact he didn’t have his pants on. It made sense, if he went into the river he’d be soaked. Still, he was almost shocked his timid little Marley had managed that.
He wondered what she thought of his body then flinched, thinking of the assortment of scars he carried. He’d lived a tough life and had the marks to prove it though he was still in good physical condition.
Her hand slid over his skin, and he took a deep breath, catching the gentle scent that was all Marley.
“Easy.” She sounded almost breathless as she shifted his pack behind him to lean against.
He looked up to meet her eyes and could’ve sworn she was blushing, but the tint of the glow made it impossible to tell. On impulse, he reached up and brushed back her hair with his good hand. “You did good, Doc.”
Her shoulders dipped almost imperceptive and her eyes closed. When she opened them again, she gave him a weak smile. He could make out moisture in the corners.
“Thanks,” she whispered. “I thought I’d lost you.” Her voice wobbled, but there was no stuttering. “Don’t ever do that to me again,” she added forcefully at the end.
“Yes, ma’am,” he shot back and a smile cracked her lips. “You said something about food, or was that just to taunt me?”
She held the food while he ate. He felt better when he’d finished, though fatigue slipped back over his body.
“Lay back down now,” she said, as she eased him up to remove the pack from behind him. She settled him back to the ground, and pulled the sleeping bag up, tucking him in.
He caught her arm as she started to move away. He didn’t speak until she looked at him. “You need rest, too.”
“I am.”
He was already shaking his head. “Get the gun and come lay over here.”
“I’m fine. I have your clothes.”
“They’re not enough. You’re still cold.”
“I’m−”
“Don’t argue. You want me to sleep, you come lay here.”
“You don’t…” This time she broke off on her own, but he knew what she was going to say.
“But you do.” He tried but couldn’t hold back the comment. “And how did I get my clothes off?”
She bristled, but this time Zan knew for sure she was blushing.
“There was no choice, and I am a doctor. I even did a rotation in a hospital.”
“Get the gun, Marley, and come lay down.”
She waited a full minute before complying. Timidly, she stretched out beside the sleeping bag, close enough to receive some warmth, but he wasn’t satisfied.
“Place the gun on the ground above our heads.”
The instant she released it, he reached out his good arm pulling her inside the bag. Pain spiked. He tried to ignore it but lost his hold.
“Stop. You’ll hurt yourself.” She rolled over him, her hand going to his shoulder, running over his skin an inch above the bandage.
“Then settle down.” He sighed with relief when she eased her feet inside the bag and snuggled down along his side. The bag was tight, not made for two. He knew she wasn’t covered all the way, but at least she would be warmer.
***
The next thing Zan knew, the sun was just spearing rays of light over the mountains. Pain sliced through his shoulder. He pushed it back, compartmentalizing it like he’d learn to do years earlier. Instead, he focused on the small hand that rested squarely on the center of his chest. He could feel each fingertip and the heat that radiated from them. The heat matched and melded into the warmth that ran along his side where Marley lay snuggled.
Her breath tickled a line across his chest. Looking down, he could just see the mahogany crown of her head. Carefully, he bent his elbow, raising his right hand to run his fingers through the fine strands. Light caught the locks and they burned with radiance. Zan marveled at the color and feel. He never knew anything could be so soft and beautiful.
Becoming conscious of the slight chill still in the air, he eased the sleeping bag higher on her shoulder. He was rewarded with the slight stroking of her fingers on his chest. He remained still, letting his eyes close, absorbing the pleasure, tempted to return to sleep. He knew they should get going, but when Marley shifted, aligning along him, Zan gave in to the simple pleasure of her and the need for more rest. He drifted back to sleep, snug and warm, with Marley at his side, where he could dream of her there forever.
***
The sound of a squirrel chattering in the tree overhead brought Marley awake. She became aware of the chill in the air on one of her cheeks, but the rest of her was heavenly warm. She basked in it until the memory of Zan being shot filtered back to her. She started to move, but the arm along her back held her in place.
“No, just a minute more.” Zan’s voice was gravelly, but she detected no hint of pain.
“Zan?” she said his name as his hand made delicious, little stroking motions on her back.
“Yes.”
“How are you?”
“I’m holding you, I’m perfect.” After a second, he continued. “I could handle waking up like this forever.”
“You got shot.”
“Okay, we can skip that part. You did a good job tending it, Doc.”
Marley thought she felt him press a kiss into her hair. “You haven’t seen it yet.”
“I can tell.”
“Are you in much pain?”
“Nothing I can’t handle.”
“I should get you more pain medication.” She couldn’t bring herself to pull away.
“Just Ibuprofen, I need to be alert.”
Marley started to protest, but when she raised her head, his lips brushed her forehead.
“It’s okay,” he growled out. “I can handle it. I’ve had worse.”
Her mind went to the scar on his shoulder just below where he was shot. It would have been dangerously close to his heart. She traced her fingers over the edges of it. “What happened to your shoulder?” She wasn’t sure he’d answer, but his reply came easily.
“I got shot about six months ago. We were jumping into a spot that I can’t admit to.” There was almost a touch of humor in his voice. “We weren’t as stealthy as we were supposed to be. Actually, it just so happened a guard looked up at an inopportune time. Getting me out was a little rough, but my guys completed the mission and did it.”
He fell silent. Marley knew what he was saying. He owed his men, and they were in danger because of the Gladiator drug.
“I never asked what you were in the military.”
“Army Ranger.” He released her abruptly. “We need to get going.”
Marley turned, practically rolling over him, pinning him down with surprise. “Not until I check your wound.” She gave him her sternest look.
He lay still in obvious shock then a smile crested on his lips.
“You’re beautiful, Doc.” His right hand slid up her back, spearing into her hair. Before she could stop him or even think, his hand clamped on her neck, urging her head down until their lips met. He kissed her deeply, drawing her out, savoring her.
