“Can I have some water?” she asked.
He pulled a canteen off the back of his belt and opening it, holding it to her lips as she drank. Lila was acutely aware that this guy wanted her to rely on him for food and water. He might be trying to gain her trust, or he might just be trying to control her. Whichever was the case didn’t matter as long as Lila was getting the food and water. She would not fall into some twisted victim/savior trap. Blondie was one of the shifters holding her captive, and he was a bad guy, end of story.
When she turned away from the offered water indicating enough, he put it away and reached for the chain holding Lila to the wall. She watched as he unlatched the chain from the D-ring in the wall, in exactly the way one would unlatch a carabiner. It was some kind of magic. Lila looked at Blondie, the question on the tip of her tongue. He could not possibly be the leader of this operation, yet he really did have total control of her. What was actually going on? She kept her thoughts to herself for now, not wanting him to think she might be catching on.
He led her out of the shack. It was still dark, but not so dark that Lila couldn’t see. The other shifters were standing around, apparently waiting for them. As they all turned and began to march single file into the jungle, the ones in front cut a path through the foliage with machetes. Blondie grabbed a machete of his own that had been leaning against the side of the shack as he and Lila followed the first three shifters into the bush. Two more of them followed behind her. Lila had a feeling that they would be walking all day.
Chapter 19
November
Overnight infrared satellite photos added nothing to what the ISF team already knew, except that if Ramirez was moving Lila into the heart of the jungle, it was a small group. The biggest problem was that from the tiny way station hut, the kidnappers could have gone in any direction, and there were thousands of acres of jungle to hide in.
Frustrated with a lack of forward movement, Evan grabbed a packed knapsack and dumped it’s contents onto a table. He separated out the food items and first aid kit, and repacked the map, compass, knife, rain slicker, and walkie talkie.
Before he could head for the door, Adam asked,”What are you doing?”
Evan closed his eyes and sighed.
“I’m going after my wife.”
“Do you need any more weapons?”
Evan looked up at Adam in surprise.
“No.”
“Here, I’ll trade you that walkie talkie for this satellite phone, since we both know you won’t use it anyway. You can call us when you defeat the army of drug runners that’s out there single handed and we can just go home ahead of you.”
“Feck off, Adam. I can’t just sit around here waiting for you to pick a direction.”
“So what’s your plan?”
“I’ll go to that way station and look for a trail to follow. I realize my methods might be a little primitive for you, but it’s worked for me in the past.”
“Okay, so how will I communicate with you?”
Evan stared at Adam. Finally he said, “I’ll call every evening at 6.”
“Okay.”
Evan started to turn when another voice called to him.
“Hey Vampire, need a ride?”
It was Guerra striding towards him.
“There’s a ninja 650 outside, all gassed up.” A single key on a ring dangled from his finger.
“Thank you,” Evan said, taken aback.
“You got anything in your pack for your girl? Food, extra t-shirt?”
“Uh..”
“Mierda!” Guerra handed him two of the power bars and a bottle of water that Evan had pulled out of his pack, and opened another pack nearby to pull a clean t-shirt out, handing that to him as well.
“She can heal herself?” Guerra asked.
“Yes.”
“Okay. Via con dios.”
“Thank you.”
When Evan left the building, Guerra and Adam looked at each other.
“Why do I get the feeling that you think we should be doing the same thing?” Adam asked.
“Because you are one smart man, amigo.”
Adam thought for a few minutes, then said, “What if we leave two of your guys here and the rest fellow Evan? We could at least search the area around that way station.”
“And if it’s not the right direction? What then?”
Adam sighed.
“What do you suggest?”
“We wait to hear what the vampire finds, and keep looking at the satellite images.”
“Okay.”
More sweaty and exhausted than she had ever been in her life, Lila stumbled into a clearing of huts in the middle of the jungle. Her small escort of shifters spread out and started to make camp for the night. They eyed her as if she might explode at any minute. For the first time Lila realized that these shifters might have been told the lie that she was dangerous. Why else would they be so leery of her?
Guiding her by the chain leash, Blondie pulled Lila to one of the huts, and she was too exhausted to fight. She followed him in and laid down on a blanket even before he attached her chain to the wall. She closed her eyes and ignored him, hoping to fall asleep soon.
After attaching her chain to the ring on the wall, Lash stood gazing down on his sleeping beauty. He had thought about her all day as they trekked through the jungle. Who was she? Why did Ramirez have her? What would he do with her? Was she somehow connected to the northern buyer?
For the past 18 months, Lash had been just a lackey. He had no favor from the boss, and therefore no power in the organization. Then out of the blue, he was tasked with being the captor. No one else could handle the magic collar and chain. Not even Ramirez, which told him that the big boss, maybe the northern buyer, had arranged for this. Why? Was it because he was anglo? He had seen how the men around him treated women, especially anglo women, it was not pretty. Was he seen as a wimp or highly moralled? He had no idea. The latino men didn’t befriend him. They barely shared their food with him now that he couldn't hunt as often because he had to guard his captive. What food they did share he had to share with her since no one cared about feeding the woman.
The woman. The most beautiful woman Lash had ever laid eyes on. She was strong. She kept up with the brutal pace the leaders set and continued all day. She hadn’t whined or complained once. When she needed to pee, she’d just stepped off the trail and squatted, ignoring the others when they laughed and jeered. Lash had done his best to shield her from their view.
Looking at her now, he just wanted to touch her. He gave in and sat cross legged by her. Her breathing had evened out, so he knew she was asleep. Her hair had fallen across her face, and he gently brushed it back with his fingers so he could see her. She looked angelic in sleep. Her frown and worry lines smoothed away. He brushed a finger along her cheek. The skin was so soft under his finger. He did it again with two fingers. So soft.
She had spoken of an engagement ring. Did that mean that she was newly mated? He leaned over her and breathed her scent in. Still honey and flowers, and her mate. Lash brushed the hair away from her neck to see the claiming mark. There was one, just behind her ear. Only two scars, not four. Was her mate a vampire? Shit, that was rare, and bad news for her captors. For him. Damn, was that why he was chosen? Because he was expendable? Because Ramirez would rather him get killed if the mate came after her?
She whimpered in her sleep, and wrapped her arm around his leg, holding him to her. Lash combed his fingers into her hair and stroked his thumb across her soft cheek. She quieted, as did he. The last thought he had before he fell asleep was that he didn’t even know her name.
The next day was identical to the one before: Lila woke up sore, Blondie fed her, unhooked her chain from the wall, and they marched all day. Lila wondered how many miles they actually covered through the jungle each day. Ten miles? More? Were they headed consistently in one direction? Had they changed course? The jungle was so thick that she couldn’t track the directi
on of the sun. It was perpetually dawn. Or dusk.
She tried to occupy her mind as she walked by singing to herself as she looked for the birds that called to one another. She managed to get a glimpse of two red headed macaws she thought. Those big colorful parrots that she’d only ever seen in a zoo. They were beautiful in captivity, but somehow seeing them in the wild was so much more. It was as if she could see a difference in the birds that were free.
They walked for longer the second day, not stopping until most of the light had faded. Lila made it all the way through her “running” playlist three times. She was so tired that she’d started tripping on rocks and roots, to the point that she gripped the back of Blondie’s shirt with both hands so she would fall into him instead of on her face. The three or four times that she bumped into his shoulder blades, she was surprised that he smelled good. She expected him to be sweaty and smell like a gym locker, but though he was damp, he smelled like...patchouli? That couldn’t be right, she hated that smell. Too many guys in college had worn it, few of them well. No, his scent was musky and sweet, reminiscent of patchouli, but it smelled good on him. Maybe his body chemistry just blended well with it, or maybe that was just his shifter scent.
The next time she bumped into him she took a deep breath to confirm her first impression. Yup, he smelled good. He paused and looked over his shoulder at her, a knowing smile on his face. Shit, he’d noticed her smelling him. Better not do that again.
When they reached their destination for the night, Lila got the impression that the buildings were sturdier than the shacks she’d slept in the last two nights. They were three or four of them, and they seemed more solidly built. Maybe this was a more permanent camp for them. The shacks were spread out anywhere from twenty to thirty feet apart, with trees allowed to grow in between them. There was no open area, just narrow paths connecting one shack to another. She smelled meat cooking, but saw no fire. She also smelled cigarette smoke, and heard the low murmur of conversation.
Blondie led her further into the bush to another building, but this one was made from cinder block, and had a thick wooden door. It reminded Lila of an old fashioned jail house. Inside there was no light except for what the small windows allowed in. Luckily, there were windows on both sides, so what little air there was could circulate some. Even so, the concrete walls were damp with condensation from the humidity. Blondie led Lila down an aisle past an open cell that held a couple of double bunks with thin mattresses atop them. In spite of the open door, the floor to ceiling bars looked formidable, and Lila’s heart began to pound from anxiety. Her captor entered a second cell obviously meant for her and she baulked. Lila grabbed hold of the bars by the door and pulled back. Blondie turned in surprise to look at her. She was still outside of the cell and straining her neck in an attempt to back away further, but Blondie held fast to the other end of the chain. They stared at each other in a silent standoff, Lila gritting her teeth, Blondie looking as though he was expending little energy to hold her.
“I need you to cooperate,” he whispered in a barely audible voice.
“No,” she answered, low and determined. Lila put a foot up against the bars and pulled harder on her neck. Blondie still did not move or strain. Instead he advanced on her, shortening the chain hand over hand until he could grab her by her shoulders. Now Lila panicked. She began to thrash in his grip, kicking her legs and pushing her bound hands against him, but his grip was like iron and he pulled her one step into the cell. Lila grabbed the bars again, having just enough space to reach them on her left side. She wrapped her fingers tightly around the bar she had a hold of. Blondie changed his hold on her then, wrapping one arm around her just under her breasts from behind. With his other hand, he began to peel her fingers off the bar.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he breathed into her ear.
Lila tried to head butt him, but he must have seen it coming, because he leaned his head to the side and her head only thumped his muscled shoulder.
“I’m the only one here who will protect you,” he gritted out in frustration.
“No!” she ground out again, determined to hold to the bars.
They continued to struggle with each other for another minute before Blondie managed to get all of Lila’s fingers detached from the bar. A sob escaped her when he picked her up and moved her to the back of the cell. She continued to thrash in his grip, but he seemed not to be affected. He wasn’t even out of breath, while Lila was panting, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Blondie sighed and used his body to pin her against the back wall of the cell. He kicked her legs apart with his feet and pressed his legs against the back of hers to stop the thrashing.
“Baby, please, you’re going to hurt yourself.”
“Fuck you!” she spat out, her head pressed against the wall by his chin. She strained against him even though she couldn’t move much.
Blondie held her against the wall and waited for her to give in. There was no way she would be able to get away from him, and he could hold this position all night if he needed to. He quite enjoyed being pressed up against her perfectly round ass and breathing in her sweet scent. The low rumble of a purr escaped him. His cougar liked it too. Lila froze.
“Did you just purr, you sick fuck?”
“Mmm,” was all the answer he gave, and he nosed her hair taking in as much of the sweet scent as he could. He was pretty sure that he would crave that scent as soon as he left the cell.
Newly alarmed, Lila tried to thrash again, but only managed to scrape her cheek, knuckles, and knees against the rough wall. With a sob she sagged, realizing the futility of fighting.
“I want to go home,” she whimpered, and let the tears flow freely.
“I’m sorry Baby, “ Blondie whispered low into her ear. He detached the chain from her collar and let it drop to the floor. “The best I can do right now is protect you from the others.”
“Why? Who are you? What’s going to happen to me?”
“I’m a friend,” was the only answer he gave.
Blondie slowly eased away from Lila, ready to restrain her again if she fought. But Lila knew it was futile, so she didn’t bother. When he stepped away from her, she turned and sank down to sit where she was, her back against the wall. Defeated tears continued to run down her cheeks unchecked. Blondie crouched to look into her face, but she closed her eyes, refusing to look at him. He pulled a bandana out of a pocket to wipe her face. She flinched at the touch, but kept her eyes closed. Blondie unlocked the handcuffs and put the bandana in her hands.
“I’ll bring you some water as soon as I can,” he whispered before picking up the chain and exiting the cell.
Lila heard the hinges squeak closed and a lock turn. When the footsteps retreated, she opened her eyes to the tragedy of her imprisonment. The cell was about ten by ten feet, and it was empty except for a thin mattress on the floor and a bucket in the opposite corner. She would have cried some more, but she was spent for now, and decided to sleep instead. Weary to the core, she wiped her face with Blondie’s bandana and crawled over to the mattress to lie down. Lila closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep.
It took Evan three hours to reach the end of the dirt road. The road was so rutted that he couldn’t go as fast as he would have liked to. A canvas covered truck was parked near a shack. He parked the bike and went inside the shack. He could smell a faint trace of his mate inside. It was stronger on a sleeping mat. Thank Christ, his instinct had been right. Lila had been here. Maybe as recently as two days ago. Now he just had to find her trail.
Outside he circled the camp, looking for any sign of a trail cut into the jungle. He found seven. That complicated things. He would have to pick one to fellow and hope he was lucky enough to pick correctly. If not, he would have to come back and try a different one. With a sigh, he chose the middle path and began walking into the jungle.
An hour later the path petered out and Evan cursed his luck. He turned around and went back to the way station. He
randomly selected another path to follow, but that one ended at a kill spot. So some of these trails had been made while hunting. He returned to the camp and tried another. He was beginning to think that he’d hit the correct trail because it kept going for three hours, but then it dissipated, and his hope sagged. It was nearly six o’clock. He would have to call base soon. He pulled the satellite phone out and turned it on as he trudged back to the camp to start again. He should have brought a shifter with him. Surely their superior noses could tell which path would lead to Lila.
His Lila. She was somewhere in this vast jungle. Why couldn't he sense more of her? He felt like there was a lead blanket blocking his bond to her. Were the kidnappers somehow blocking her magic? That would explain why he couldn’t sense what direction she was in.
The satellite phone beeped in his hand and he stopped to answer the call.
“Evan.” Sebastian’s voice came across the line. It sounded tense and very worried. Much like Evan himself felt.
“Aye.” His words failed him for a moment. Was it because he knew that Sebastian also felt deeply about the safety of his student?
“I found the starting point, Bastian, but there are a lot of false trails to investigate. I’m headed back now to start again.”
Sebastian cursed.
“Maybe you should rest tonight, Evan. We can be there by day break and the shifters will be able to pick up her scent.”
“Aye, I know. But I’m not sure that I can sit still.”
“I understand, but mistakes are made when one is desperate or hurried. It’s the jungle, Evan. It’s full of poisonous animals and cat shifters. It’s not what you’re used to.”
After a beat of silence, Evan said, ”Aye.” He rubbed his forehead wearily. He was tired from worry and guilt.
“I’ll wait for you at the way station, Bastian, but only until daylight. Send a shifter ahead if you’re movin’ slow, I’m too worried to sit still too long.”
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