Deadly Twist, page 26
part #2 of Maximum Exposure Series
Chapter Twenty-Three
Carter put a couple of bananas, the tin cup, and a spoon down his shirt—but he kept the hammer in his hand. Just the weight of it alone made him feel stronger. After he confirmed Lily was ready to go, he set off toward the music. Clutching her four-pronged spear, Lily kept pace behind him. The moon was a bright beacon high in the sky, providing enough light to make out the shapes of the landscape ahead.
With the river on his left and the jungle on his right, Carter headed toward the direction of the noises. Every once in a while, a gunshot shattered the serenity and he and Lily hit the ground. After a couple of erratic heartbeats while they confirmed the bullets were not aimed at them, they stood up again and keep going.
With each step he took toward the sounds of gunfire, his mind spun with a crazy debate. Were these people the men who’d chased them into that tunnel? Or were they farmers celebrating a bumper crop? Were they walking toward a rescue party? Or certain death? Once they were rescued, would Lily go back to America and he’d never see her again? Or would they stay together . . . forever?
The last two questions dominated his thoughts. He knew, without an ounce of doubt, that he’d fallen in love. Deeply fallen. Head and heart. He’d never been in love before, not even with the mother of his daughter. What he felt for Lily was so powerful it hurt. It also dominated his thoughts nonstop, and given their radical situation, that was a miracle.
If she ran back to her family once they were rescued, although he wouldn’t blame her, he was set to be a shattered man.
“Hey, Carter?” Lily’s whisper interrupted his troubling thoughts.
“Yeah?”
“No matter what happens, I want you to know I’ve had a wonderful time.”
He just about burst out laughing. “I think you’re delusional.”
Her fingers curled around his arm, and he turned to her. “I know it’s been crazy and dangerous, and we’ve nearly died a couple of times, but”—she ran her hand up his arm—“I found you.”
He wrapped his arms around her, pulled her to his chest, and stroked her hair. “We found each other.”
She leaned back to look up at him, and the moonlight glistened in her eyes. “I love you.” The words crossed her strawberry lips in a breathless whisper and his heart just about burst.
He curled his hand around her neck, gliding his fingers over her flesh. “I love you too.”
Carter felt like he could walk on water. The doubts he’d experienced moments ago vanished, replaced instead with a fierce determination to live. They’d get through this.
No matter what, they were going to survive.
He leaned in and kissed her. It was a kiss that said it all—I want, I need, I love. He hugged her to his chest and closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of her body against his.
They remained embraced until a series of gunshots had his eyes snapping open. He squeezed her body to his, wedging her between him and a tree. The burst of gunfire was over as quickly as it started. He kissed her forehead. “Come on. Let’s go check this out.”
As the moon crawled its way above the open river expanse, they wove around and through dense jungle, carefully assessing every step. It was slow going, but each minute took them closer to resolution.
The music had become loud enough that lyrics were noticeable. Occasionally he heard people talking. They spoke in Spanish, but he couldn’t quite hear their full conversation, and the echo about the trees made it confusing.
Carter smelled smoke, and at the scent of something cooking his stomach twisted in protest. Maybe the people were actually friendly. But even as he thought it, he doubted they were. The gunshots may’ve instigated that feeling, but it wasn’t just that; his gut told him something else was wrong, he just couldn’t pinpoint what.
A distant light caught his eye. As he batted a buzzing insect away from his ear, he stared at the spot. There it was again. Flames flashed in the distance. They were closer than he expected. He grasped Lily’s hand and pulled her down to crouch with him.
“Look,” he whispered and pointed ahead. “See the fire?”
“Oh yeah.”
“We have to be really quiet now.”
“Okay.”
He toyed with the idea of making her stay there while he checked it out, but knew without a doubt she’d refuse. She was that kind of woman, and it was another reason why he’d fallen in love with her.
As they inched forward, the flames became more prominent. It was a decent-sized fire, at least three times the size of the ones Lily had lit over the last week. He still couldn’t see any men, and noted the music had died down somewhat.
The fire was set back from the river by at least fifty feet and was centered in a large clearing. Carter crouched down and inched toward it. His fingers strangled the hammer. To the right of the fire, a thatched hut came into view. It was big enough to be permanent, and he entertained the idea that it was someone’s home. This was their first sign of civilization in days, but it didn’t produce the amount of elation it should have. In fact, it did the opposite.
A thick shrub provided ideal cover, and as he lowered to his hands and knees behind it, Lily crawled in beside him. His eyes adjusted to the firelight and he noticed another building to the left of the first. This one was also thatched and had a small verandah that ran the length of the front with a couple of steps that led up to it. It looked cozy and inviting, and Carter had to resist the urge to step into the clearing and cheer for joy.
A distinct smell had his back straightening and his mind racing. Marijuana smoke. It was an odor he’d never forget . . . from a time in his life he’d prefer to erase from his memory.
He clutched Lily’s arm. “Smell that?”
She nodded. “What is it?”
“Marijuana.”
Even in this minimal light he saw her eyes bulge. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. Let’s go.”
“What? No, we’ve only just got here.” Her lips drew to a thin line.
“Yes, and now we’re going.”
“Not yet.” She spoke through her clenched jaw. “They can’t see us. Let’s just wait and see what happens.”
Carter grumbled at her stubbornness, but returned to his hands and knees at her side. After a couple of minutes, they still hadn’t seen anybody around the fire, and he couldn’t work out where the music was coming from. Neither of the huts had lights on inside, so he began to wonder if the occupants were asleep. But that wouldn’t explain the marijuana smoke.
Someone had to be smoking it right now. But where?
Looking for the telltale sign of a glowing cigarette tip, he focused on the far right of the area, where the clearing met the jungle, and panned his gaze slowly toward the left. Then he saw it, between the two huts. First one circular glow, then two more. He studied the spot and soon made out the shapes of three men in chairs.
“Oh my God!” Lily clutched his arm.
“It’s okay. They can’t see us.”
“No, look.” She pointed to the far side of the left hut, beyond the fire. “My pack.”
He followed her outstretched finger to the building with the veranda, and his jaw dropped. Sure enough, her pack, with its distinctive orange blaze down the side, was on the dirt like it’d been tossed over the railing. “Shit. Now we know who they are. Let’s go.” Carter pushed back from his hands.
“No, we have to get it. My passport’s in there.”
“Lily!” He bulged his eyes at her.
“If anything happened to my family because of me, I couldn’t live with myself.”
“Nothing’s going to—” Carter clutched her arm. “Shhh.” He pointed forward. A man walked between the fire and the hut on the right.
In the firelight, there was no mistaking the rifle slung over his shoulder. The man stopped at the edge of the clearing and parted his legs. Although Carter couldn’t be certain, he figured the man was pissing into the bushes.
Once finished, he adjusted the gun over his shoulder and walked back around the fire, returning to his two mates. Just before the man sat down the music ramped up, indicating he must’ve dialed the volume higher.
“Now do you see why we need to go?” He spoke in a forceful whisper.
“I’m not going without my pack.” Her eyes narrowed. Her lips pursed.
He shook his head, gearing up for a fight.
She squeezed his forearm. “I’m doing this with or without you.”
“Lily, this’s fucking stupid. They have guns.”
“I don’t care. If I don’t get it, I’ll spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder.”
He clenched his fists and racked his brain for inspiration to convince her otherwise. “You watch too many movies.”
“I’m not joking, Carter.”
“Neither was I. Besides, your passport may not even be in there.”
“It’s hidden in a zipper that’s hard to see, so I’ll take my chances.”
“Lily . . .”
“Look, we have two choices,” she said. “Go now while those men are busy, or wait until they sleep.”
“Lily,” he pleaded.
“You won’t talk me out of it.” She plonked her fists on her hips.
He believed her. If there was one thing he knew about Lily, it was her dogged determination. He reached for her hands and she clutched her palms to his. “Getting your pack could get us killed.”
“We’ve lived so far.”
“That doesn’t make us invincible.”
“Will you stop, please? I’m getting my bag. You can stay here.”
He sighed. “You know I won’t do that.”
“So, help me figure out how to get it.”
He let out a big breath. “This is stupid.”
She squeezed his hand. “Thank you.”
“Thank me once we have the damn pack.”
“I’ll more than thank you.”
He tilted his head. She was sexy as hell. Even with mosquito bites dotted on her cheeks, and her hair in a scrambled mess.
Carter turned back to the clearing. “Let’s think this through.”
“Okay.”
The men were seated between the two huts, obstructing their view of the whole clearing. In the middle of the clearing, the fire gave enough light to see the front of both huts, but not much else. The river was down to the left. “We could skirt the riverbank and come up the other side.”
“That’s what I thought.”
“Really?” he said it sarcastically. “What else did you think?”
She blinked up at him. “I think you’re wonderful for helping me.”
“Or bloody stupid.”
“Awww, don’t be like that.”
Ignoring his chilling instincts, he turned back to the clearing. The men were still in their chairs, smoking, and the music was loud enough that maybe they’d go unnoticed. That was a big fucking maybe. Everything they’d been through, every injury they’d overcome, it might all end here. But Lily would do something stupid if he didn’t help. Of that he was certain.
He had to do this, for her sake.
His heart galloped as he seized Lily’s hand. “Stay down.”
Leading Lily, he left their viewing spot and headed toward the river. A dense patch of wiry plants made the direct route impossible, so they backtracked a bit before they reached the water again.
The moon reflected off the flowing river as slivers of shifting light and a slight breeze drifted over the water, licking the sweat off his forehead and cooling him down. At the water’s edge, Carter knelt on the ground and pulled the bits and pieces from his shirt. “Let’s offload anything that’s not essential, and finish off these bananas.”
He handed her a banana, and as they munched away on the dense fruit, he tried to formulate a plan. “Okay, when we get there, you’re going to stay by the river and I’ll sneak up and grab the pack.”
Her eyes squinted, and he sensed her looming objection.
“If you want my help, this is it. If anything happens, you need to run. Lily, I mean it—promise me you’ll run.”
She closed her eyes, inhaled a deep breath, and then opened them again. “Okay.” She nodded.
Carter cupped her cheeks. “Promise me, Lily.”
It was a long moment before she nodded. “I promise.”
He touched his lips to hers, then wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to his chest. Each time she was in his arms, he felt like he was home, and despite days lost in the jungle, she still had a delicious scent.
Carter eased back. “Okay, so once I get the pack, we’ll carry on downstream. With this moonlight, we should be able to walk for a few hours. Agreed?”
“Yep. Agreed.”
The plan was stupid. One hundred percent idiotic. But he’d seen determination written all over her. The fire in her eyes. The way her mouth drew to a thin line. Her clenched fists. If he didn’t help her, she’d do it without him.
And that was more stupid.
Lily grabbed her four-pronged spear, Carter clutched his rusty hammer, and they set off along the riverbank again. Compared to some of the jungle they’d traversed so far, the trek was relatively easy. The ground was fairly flat, and they didn’t have giant boulders or shrubs to navigate.
The river tumbled along relentlessly. Insects droned monotonously in his ears and the occasional bird added to the chorus. Music still floated through the air, as did the occasional waft of smoke, but other than that everything appeared safe.
And that’s what scared the crap out of him.
A strange shape in the water caught Carter’s eye, and he just about cheered at the sight of it. He crouched and tugged Lily down with him. “Boats, Lily, look.”
“Oh my God.”
“This’s it. We’re getting out of here.”
“With my pack.”
“Are you serious?”
“I’m not going without it.” Her eyes darkened; her beautiful mouth twitched with resolve.
His stomach twisted. His head pounded. She was impossible.
Armed with rage, he raised his hammer and edged forward.
The boats were against the shore, courtesy of the current. They were bigger than he’d first thought, about twelve feet long and five feet across at their widest points. When he spied their motors, he fist-pumped the air. This was definitely their ticket out of there.
Something wrapped around his throat.
Carter gasped and swung the hammer.
It was a couple of frantic heartbeats before he realized it was a rope. He jerked it away, furious that he’d overreacted. The rope was securing the boats to a nearby tree. Nothing more.
“Fucking hell,” he hissed through clenched teeth.
“Are you okay?”
He let out a gush of air. “Yeah, the damn rope got me.” His thundering heart drowned out the music and his head spun from both anger and exertion.
He ducked under the rope and squatted at the water’s edge. In the moonlight he made out a pair of oars positioned across two seats.
“Okay, can you untie the ropes?”
“I’m not going without—”
“Lily!” He shot her a furious glare. “Untie the fucking ropes.”
She planted her feet. Anger seethed in her eyes.
He hadn’t meant to swear. Confusion, insanity, anxiety, and most of all fear, were hijacking his emotions. Clenching his fists to stop the trembling, he forced calm to his body. “We’re not leaving without the pack. Okay?”
Her shoulders relaxed, and with one hand on the rope she followed it up to the tree. Carter’s heart thumped in his ears as he leaned over and clutched the side of the boat. The ropes slackened and moments later, Lily returned.
“I’m sorry I made you mad.” Her voice quivered, but he chose to ignore it. He had to keep moving before his resolve shattered.
“It’s okay, come on, let’s get rid of this boat so they can’t chase us, and we’ll keep the other one for us.”
Together, they manipulated the first boat so the back end nudged against the shore and the front pointed downstream. They gave it a shove and it glided out toward the middle, and within seconds it caught in the current and disappeared from view.
He tugged Lily down and they listened together in silence. Satisfied they’d gone unnoticed, he wrapped his hand around her wrist. “Stay here, I’m going to take another look.”
“I’ll come—”
“Lily!”
“Two pairs of eyes are better than one.” Even in the moonlight her clenched jaw was noticeable.
“You’re one of the most stubborn women I’ve ever known.”
“Thank you.”
“It’s not a compliment.”
“Well I think it is.”
He huffed out a sigh. It was clear she wouldn’t relent. “Stay beside me.”
She saluted. “Yes, boss.”
Ignoring her sassiness, he clutched her arm and side by side they climbed the small embankment. If there was some kind of track up from the river, they’d obviously missed it and as he pushed through the bushes, he tried to commit the way he was going to memory.
At the crest they crouched among the shrubs. It was a few more heartbeats before he saw the flash of flames, enabling him to orientate himself. The music seemed to bounce from every angle, but he couldn’t hear the men at all. Peering beyond the fire, it was impossible to see if they were still seated between the buildings.
“Oh my God,” Lily whispered. “There’s Pompa.” She pointed to their left, about fifteen feet away.
He spied the rooster halfway between them and the fire. His cage was on its side, yet Pompa looked to be roosting, seemingly unfazed by his toppled cage.
“We have to get him.”
He bulged his eyes at her. “Like hell we do.”
“We have to. Think of Otomi. Think of Otomi’s wife.”
“It’s a fucking bird!”
“A bird that meant a lot to Otomi’s family. We have to rescue him.”
Carter clenched and unclenched his jaw. “You’re being irrational. Besides, he doesn’t look like he needs rescuing.”
“They’re probably getting ready to roast him on that fire.”
