But he had to try. For Riley.
He knelt at eye level to the lock and stuck the toothpick in the hole, holding his breath as he felt around for the familiar pin. From somewhere in the house he heard a crash of glass, followed by yelling. He prayed it was Rodel saving Riley.
The men standing outside Dean’s door shouted at each other before the sound of several footsteps and angry men followed in a rush. After a moment, the sounds faded, followed by more crashing near the front of the house.
Sweat slicked Dean’s hands, making it difficult to hold on to the toothpick. He twisted it, gently probing for the pin that had to be there. He had one shot at this. It had to work. A thread of the wooden toothpick peeled up near his thumb. He pulled it from the lock and took a deep, calming breath. He reinserted the toothpick, and the crack of the small wood splintering in two almost didn’t register at first.
Devastation pulled at him in waves when he removed the broken nub. It had been a long shot, but one he genuinely believed possible. He leaned against the door and stared up at the ceiling, searching for the reason why this was happening, as if the answer could be found in the cracks in the plaster. And he bargained, “If Rodel can just save Riley, get her to safety … Then I will remain here, and be at peace with that.”
From outside, more shouting sounded, and then an eerie silence. A jangle of metal keys came from the other side of the door, followed by a click of the door unlocking. Dean moved away before it was shoved open. He steeled himself for round two. He’d be brave. Make a distraction if he had to. For Riley.
He waited a few seconds for someone to burst in. When they didn’t, he used the wall to help him stand. His heart beat painfully in his chest as he placed his hand on the doorknob and turned it as slowly as he could. If someone was standing outside his door, Dean would be dead.
He flung the door open, hoping to surprise his guard, but no one was there. The halls were eerily empty. He took a hesitant step into the hall and tried to get his bearings. On the ground outside the door was one of his favorite sour apple candies. He remembered Rodel with his backpack. Had he been able to pay someone off?
He shook the questions from his mind. There’d be time to figure it out later. For now, he needed to find Riley. He heard more shouting, and he hugged the wall as people ran past the corner. He stayed close to the wall, using it to help hold him up, until he made it to the corner before Riley’s room. He glanced both ways before rushing over to it and throwing the door open. To an empty room.
From behind him, Riley screamed and ran at him with a broken bowl shard in her hand, aiming for his neck. She stopped just before she reached him, blinking the haze out of her eyes. The broken plate clattered to the floor.
“Dean?” She threw her arms around him, and he stumbled back against the wall. “How did you get here?”
Every word was a struggle. “I’ll tell you later.” Hopefully. The room swam, but he blinked it into focus. They were so close.
“Rodel is here.”
So it wasn’t a dream.
Riley ran her hands up his arms, her eyes wide when they landed on his face. “What did they do to you?”
He gave in to the urge to place a light kiss on her lips, something he’d worried all day he’d never be able to do again. The room tilted, and his vision sparked with black spots. He used all of his strength to hold on to his consciousness. “We have to get out of here.”
Another crash sounded, this time in their room, sending glass flying toward Dean and Riley. The ax worked quickly over the glass, revealing more of Rodel as it went. Fresh blood dripped from under Rodel’s eye and his hands, but he worked with determined strokes. Footsteps pounded in their direction.
“You first,” Dean tried to insist, but she refused with a stubborn shake of her head. She helped him hook his leg over the window and boosted him up, her face straining with the effort. He used all the strength he had to push his body through the window, the men’s shouts growing closer by the second.
Glass cut into his legs and arms. The sting of it helped clear his head. If he didn’t get out soon, they’d get Riley. It gave him the burst he needed to lift his other leg out. Rodel broke his fall moments before he hit the ground. While he caught his breath, Riley grabbed both sides of the sill to haul herself out of the window. Blood ran down her hands from the glass, but she merely wiped them on her pants and raced to Dean’s side. Rodel and Riley helped him to stand. Everything spun.
“Come.” Rodel took one of Dean’s arms, while Riley took the other, and they moved as quickly as they could toward the jungle.
From behind, Dean heard the door burst open into the room. Riley and Rodel dodged for the shadows, Dean between them. He stumbled, barely catching his feet before falling.
Framed in the light of the room stood the scarred man, his face twisted in fury. He scanned the area, his eyes slipping right over them. Riley shrank into his side.
A loud crack sounded through the quiet night. Bullets. They all froze, as if waiting to see if any of them had been hit.
“We have to keep moving deeper into the jungle,” Riley said, her voice thready.
Another crack sounded, and this time the whizzing of the bullet was so close, Dean felt the wind of it. Riley hissed beside him. Her grip on him tightened, but they only picked up the pace. The pops of the gun came faster and quicker, kicking up dirt and bark all around them.
“Do you think they see us?” Dean asked, every word a work of labor through his intense shivering. Sweat came from every pore, but his body ached with a need to lie down under several warm blankets. His vision swam, blending the dark bushes and trees together until it all appeared to be one fathomless blur. He blinked, but the darkness only lengthened.
“They don’t see us,” Riley said from far away. “They’re shooting too widely.”
“Faster,” Rodel said.
They picked up their speed until Riley and Rodel were practically dragging Dean. He did the best he could to keep up, but the ground moved beneath him like the waves of the sea. His stomach pitched with nausea. The area around them grew darker and colder. Dean’s body wracked with shaking.
“I don’t feel good.” His knees buckled. Distantly, he felt the pain of his skin splitting over the hard rocks he’d fallen on.
Riley knelt and took his face in her hands, desperation emanating off of her. “We have to keep moving. Get up.”
She was right. He could do this. He had to, or they’d die. He used Riley and Rodel’s hands to pull up his weight, and closed his eyes to keep the trees from spinning around him.
“Where are we going?” Riley asked Rodel.
He must have motioned, because Dean didn’t hear anything before they were moving once again. Blood rushed through his ears, sounding like the ocean. His mind drifted back to his childhood summers on the beach with his family.
Dad usually spent the entire time networking or working in his office, leaving Dean and his brother plenty of time to play in the water under the supervision of their nanny. Dean used to lie on the sand near the ocean’s edge and let the waves run over his body. Sometimes the heavier ones could carry him several feet upward or sometimes drag him back into the ocean, where he’d sit up, sputtering out the salt water that had been thrust up his nose. But in those moments before the water rushed over his body, as he looked at the wide blue sky above him, he felt like he was in a different world. He would close his eyes against the saltiness in the water as the wave crashed on him and fall into the kind of disorientation that seems fun to a child.
The sound of the rushing blood in his ears grew more intense. The waves crashed harder. The scent of salt filled his senses. He was in another world again, this one more dangerous, with higher stakes. But if he closed his eyes, maybe his body would drift to a safer place.
“He’s going down!” Riley said distantly. “Rodel!”
The ground rushed up to meet him. Wet and cold. Don’t worry, he tried to say to Riley. I’m going away. But
his mouth wouldn’t work. Riley tugged on him, pulled his arms, grabbed his cheeks, but he couldn’t open his eyes. Instead, he slept, and waited for the waves to take him away.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
◆◆◆
Riley knelt beside Dean, her ear close to his mouth to make sure he was still breathing while her shaking fingers searched for a pulse. Her body sagged with relief when she found both. His shallow breathing rattled his diaphragm, and his heartbeat was not as strong as she needed it to be, but they were both there.
“We have to get him help,” she told Rodel, wishing she could speak fluent Tagalog. How arrogant she’d been to rely on Malaya to translate for her, to believe that she could get by forever in a foreign country only speaking English. She should have slept one less hour every night and spent that time learning the language.
In the distance, the shouting continued, but the sound of gunshots had fallen into a more sporadic pattern. No one knew where they were, for now. But if they didn’t keep moving, that would quickly change. And she had no doubt they would all be dead if they were caught.
The tangle of tree roots in the jungle had given way to sand. From beyond the fronds, she heard the steady rhythm of the ocean waves beating against the shore. She hadn’t realized they were so close to the ocean. She rubbed her temples. They had to make it back to the village somehow. From there, she could borrow a vehicle from someone or get a Jeep Ni to take them to Dean’s plane.
But there was the insurmountable problem of Dean. He was completely unconscious. The kind of unconscious one didn’t wake up from without proper medical care. Her breath came in panicked spurts. The tips of her fingers tingled. They needed a wheelbarrow. Or a board. She and Rodel were too small to carry him for miles and miles, and they’d be so slow that it would only be a matter of hours before the terrorists caught up to them.
The only way they could get the things they’d needed was to go back the way they’d come, into the village where they’d been held hostage, and hope they found someone who wouldn’t turn them back in to the terrorists, who would risk their lives to take in strange Americans and help them. All paths led to death.
She placed her forehead on Dean’s. “I need you to wake up.” He flinched, but then his body went still again.
“This way.” Rodel pointed toward the beach. When she didn’t move, he squatted down beside Riley and placed his warm, large hand on her back. “Malakas ako.” A glimmer of a smile crossed his face. He stood and held out his hand to pull Riley up with him.
“Why are you helping us?” she asked him, even though she knew he wouldn’t be able to understand. How she wished for a conversation with him, to know his motives, to know what had happened to him after they were taken from Bria’s cottage.
After a moment, she placed her hand in his. They had nothing to lose at this point. And Rodel had proved himself to be a trustworthy ally. With surprising strength, he hauled her to her feet. Her head felt light from the quick ascent, and she closed her eyes against the dizziness. “I’m okay,” she whispered to herself. She needed food and water, but she could make it for a little longer.
“Go.” He motioned again toward the beach. He reached down, grabbed both of Dean’s hands, and started dragging him backwards. Riley winced, imagining how that must feel to Dean’s arm, but they had no choice. There was no gentle way to transport him out of here.
She rushed ahead of Rodel and tried to clear the area as best as she could for him. For nearly an hour, they stayed on the fringes of the jungle—hidden in the foliage, but the ground beneath them was sandy and smooth. Riley’s steps got heavier the longer they walked. Rodel continued to move like he was made of steel. He had his own injuries to contend with, but he didn’t let them slow him down. And she wouldn’t either.
The night grew darker, and the sound of shouting drew closer. Riley shut out every sound to concentrate on her feet. She could take one more step. And then another. Any thoughts beyond that were incomprehensible.
The moon and all the bright stars shone over the dark expanse of the ocean as they stepped from the shadows. The jungle had disappeared from around them, and they stood exposed on the beach.
“We have to go back,” she said, turning inward, but Rodel shook his head. Riley followed him uneasily. This didn’t make sense. They needed to stay in the darkness, where they wouldn’t be seen until they came across another village. The distance between her and Rodel grew, and she hurried to catch up.
The shouting behind them was close. And this time there was nothing to hide behind. They were perfect, open targets out there on the beach.
“Rodel,” she said, out of breath, but he didn’t turn back. Instead, his steps grew even quicker. Several small lights shone in the distance, just at the edge of the ocean—above it, almost. Riley glanced around and, with the additional light, realized they were in a cove of some sort. Across the way was a dock.
And hooked up to the dock were the lights she’d seen, coming from the window of a boat.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
◆◆◆
Riley picked up her steps until she was practically running.
“How did you know this was here?” she asked, but of course Rodel didn’t answer. Her heart leapt with relief. They were going to make it. She grabbed Dean’s feet to help them go faster. She didn’t know how much time they had before they were spotted, but every second counted.
The sand made every step heavier and longer, as she slid back several inches for every foot she gained. But they continued moving, her gaze remaining on the boat. If you look away, it will disappear, her mind whispered. She held on to the thought, even though some part of her knew it was irrational. It didn’t matter. That boat equaled salvation, and nothing would make her turn her gaze from it.
Crack.
Except the shots that flew near her ear.
She glanced back to see a man running several hundred feet away. The glint of the moonlight caught the scar over his eye.
“Go!” she shouted to Rodel. They both found strength somewhere deep inside and ran onto the uneven surface of the dock. The wood planks flew beneath their feet after the difficulty of running in the sand.
“Stop!” The crash of the ocean stole the rest of the man’s words. Another shot flew past her, this one hitting the side of the boat, inches from her hand.
Riley helped haul Dean’s body over the edge of the boat. Her arms burned with the exertion, and her vision swam with swirls of black and red, but she pushed with everything she had in her. She nearly collapsed with relief when she heard the thump of Dean’s body hitting the deck of the boat. Riley hooked her arms over to pull herself into the boat, but lacked the strength to do so. Rodel jumped out and boosted her inside.
She collapsed next to Dean, surprised when Rodel didn’t follow immediately after her. Scuffing sounds on the dock caused her to pause; then the scarred man’s familiar voice called out something in Tagalog. Riley lifted her head over the edge, just to see the scarred man raise his gun and point it at Rodel’s head.
“No!” she screamed.
The scarred man glanced at her, startled, giving Rodel just enough time to rush him and push him off the edge of the dock. The gun went off, and Rodel collapsed onto the deck. Riley leaped over the edge of the boat and raced to Rodel’s side. Blood puddled at his head. She forced herself to breathe, to think logically.
She turned his head carefully and surveyed the injury, all while her heart pounded with the unrelenting rhythm of move, move, move.
She felt for a pulse, finding a weak one. The bullet had skimmed the side of his head, near his ear, leaving bone and cartilage exposed.
“Rodel!” She shook his shoulders, and his dilated eyes opened. His unfocused stare seemed to look through her, until she brought her face inches from his. He blinked, and then his steady breathing ratcheted up to gasps of air as the panic hit him. She took his face in her hands. “Stop!” After a gunshot like that so near to his ear, he probably couldn’t h
ear anything, but she had to try.
In the distance, the shouting grew louder, and the splashing below them continued as the scarred man made his way back to the shore. If she didn’t leave Rodel, there was a good chance they’d all die. But she’d promised herself once that she’d never lose another life again if it was at all in her power to save it.
Reaching deep into her reservoir for any amount of strength she had, she lodged her shoulder under Rodel’s arm and helped him stand. His breathing wheezed and blood gushed from his head. He managed to take slow steps toward the boat, each one more laborious than the last. Riley helped him through the door, and he collapsed just as the scarred man crawled back onto the beach. Several other men emerged from the jungle. She rifled through Rodel’s pockets, crying out in relief when she found the boat keys.
She ran to the front of the boat and turned it on. Footsteps pounded on to the dock, and shots fired over her head.
“Come on, come on.” Finally the loud roar of the boat’s engine sounded, and she maneuvered the boat away from the dock. She didn’t look back as she glided into the darkness, not having any idea where she was going, just knowing where she needed to escape from.
More shouts and shots sounded, most hitting the water around them, but some hitting the side of the boat. Riley pushed the boat to maximum speed. All the dangerous sounds faded behind them, and nothing but inky darkness surrounded them on every side.
CHAPTER TWENTY
◆◆◆
The first vestiges of the morning sun were beginning to appear across the water when Manila came into sight. Relief nearly stole the rest of Riley’s energy, and she collapsed into her chair.
Rodel, who had directed her where to go, took the radio and called someone, his face pale and soaked with sweat, his words airy. They were all holding on to life by a mere thread. He hooked the radio back up, and a few minutes later, it beeped with an incoming call.
Hearts In Peril (Billionaire Romance) Page 11