Edge of Brotherhood (Love on the Edge Book 6)

by Molly E. Lee

  Or we would. I hoped.

  “As long as it isn’t down tornado alley, I don’t care,” she said, grinning.

  Something shifted in the atmosphere that made my muscles tense. Rain was oblivious, but I could feel the slight imbalance, like a set of tingles across my skin. The same way I could sense the tightening in my gut and the adrenaline I all but welcomed in my veins.

  “Dash?” she asked, her eyes suddenly wary as I drew them away from the sky and back to her.

  “Storm is coming. I need to get everything tied down.”

  Her eyes darted to the sky. “Faster than you said?”

  “No, there’s time. But I can feel it coming.”

  “That’s kind of creepy,” she said. “In a cool way.”

  I suppose it was. Blake had it in her, too. Actually, she would’ve felt the shift a few seconds before I did. She was simply more attuned like that. “Connell and I talked about it. He says it’s just like the way he knows when something is in the water with him even though he can’t see or hear it.” We’d talked for hours on the plane. The fact that he’d grown up in Oklahoma and had met some chasers in the past had fast-tracked our friendship, almost as fast as Easton’s love for Rain had ours.

  “Ookay,” Rain dragged the word out. “You boys and your feelings,” she teased. “I’ll come back in a few to help you tie stuff down.” She turned on her heels and headed toward the dense jungle.

  “Hey,” I said, jogging to stop her. “Where are you going?”

  Her eyes widened.

  “I can’t let you go take more shots of that Caiman. Easton would kill me.” After what he’d said over the radio, I was sure I’d get a lecture for letting her out of my sight earlier, even though no one had told me that responsibility was mine when he was gone.

  “I’m not,” she said. “I have to go to the bathroom.”

  “Oh,” I said, taking a step back, an uncomfortable flush raking my skin. “Maybe I should go with you.” I quickly raised my hands. “I’d turn around and close my eyes. Just be close enough for speaking distance.”

  She shook her head. “Blake also said you were adorably chivalrous, even out here where we’re meant to act like our more primitive ancestors.” She chuckled. “I’d rather go pee without a babysitter. Thanks, though.” A few steps and she disappeared behind the thick jungle that bordered the bank, the green plant life swallowing her figure.

  Fuck. I took a few steps after her, but then forced myself to stop. I couldn’t decide which would piss Easton off more—me following his wife while she relieved herself, or me allowing her to go off on her own after he expressed his clear distress over that exact situation.

  Fuck.

  I hated being in the middle of this. Next time, I was going with Easton and putting Wade on guard duty. Or Connell. Maybe Rain would give him some well-aimed and personal shit that Sadie had divulged over the dinner where all the girls had bonded. The thought of it had me laughing, which eased the tension curling around my muscles the longer Rain took. Then the awkwardness of wondering why she was taking so long to go to the bathroom had me regretting ever asking her intentions in the first place.

  After securing and resecuring the tents, our extra gear, and all of the equipment we’d brought, I started stuffing Easton’s tent with some extra water bottles and food from our packs. The tropical storm would last an hour or so, but the winds could last a while beyond that. I wanted to be prepared either way.

  “Camp looks good,” Easton called as he approached me after I’d come out of his tent.

  Connell and Wade were peeling off their scuba suits and mask a few yards down the bank. I scanned the area but didn’t see Rain.

  “Where’s Rain?” Easton asked as if reading my mind.

  I swallowed hard, trying to ignore the twist in my gut. Why wasn’t she back yet? “She had to go the bathroom.”

  “You let her go alone?” His tone was practically a growl.

  “You wanted me to go with her?” I asked, snapping back.

  Connell and Wade hurried over after slipping into regular clothes. “What’s up?” Connell asked, flanking my right.

  Easton glared at me and jerked his radio off his belt. “Rain. ETA on when you’ll be back at camp?”

  The longer the line was silent, the more acid churned in my stomach. That bad feeling I’d had earlier about her taking too long intensified as the seconds passed and she hadn’t responded.

  “Rain?” He tried again. “Raindrop?” With each unanswered plea his tone rose in panic. “Which direction did she go?”

  “Follow me,” I said, motioning to the guys to keep up as I jogged along the same path she’d taken. The dense jungle slowed my pace, but the guys were on my heels as I pushed through thick leaves and vines that hung off trees. I was careful to check that they were actually vines and not well-camouflaged snakes, as almost every other “vine” was. After a couple hundred feet in, I jerked to a halt as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped on me.

  Easton barreled into my back, I’d stopped so suddenly. I dropped to a crouch. “What the—?”

  Easton scooted around me, Connell and Wade looking over my shoulders. Rain’s radio lay smashed on the floor of the jungle, next to the root of an enormous tree. I glanced around for her pack but didn’t see anything.

  “What would do that?” Connell asked. “Not animal.”

  “Rain!” Easton yelled so fiercely each one of us jumped. He jerked off his hat and the GoPro attached to it, raking his hands through his hair. “Rain!” He screamed again. “Ra—”

  Wade clamped a hand over his mouth, cutting off his panicked cries. “Quiet,” he ordered and I stood at fucking attention. I’d never seen Wade serious, especially not give orders serious. He had a stare-down with Easton, who tried to break the hold that Connell helped Wade keep him in. After he’d calmed down, Wade uncurled his fingers from around Easton’s mouth and pointed one at the muddy earth right next to me. “See that?” he asked.

  I followed his finger, noticing two long lines in the wet earth I wouldn’t have seen had he not pointed it out.

  “Fuck,” Easton hissed.

  “Something didn’t take her. Someone did.” Wade got on all fours, his eyes honed on the ground like he’d turned part wolf. I held my breath, the air in my lungs burning.

  “Who would do that?” Connell asked, now whispering as if we were surrounded.

  Easton had frozen where he stood, his eyes glossing over like he’d already checked out. After Connell nudged his shoulder, he blinked.

  “Are there locals out here, bro?” Connell asked.

  Easton shook his head. “Not for at least twenty miles. And none would be close to this location. It’s too secluded.”

  “You see this?” Wade had crawled farther away from us and stood holding up a few fine strands of long blonde hair. “There is no blood. And her pack isn’t here. A predator would’ve either attacked and left her here, or attacked and dragged her off. Problem is, the scene is too clean for an animal.” He spoke almost as if he was talking more to himself than the three of us, all the while his sharp eyes darted over the area. A second later he tensed, taking two large strides over another root of a tree and dropping to the ground again. “Human tracks,” he called, and we hurried over to look. “And I’m betting tribes nearby don’t sport size twelve hiking boots.”

  Easton fell to his knees beside Wade. “How did you get all that from a couple of prints?”

  There were a few that looked visible enough to guess at what kind of track it was, but Wade seemed certain.

  “It’s something my brother taught me,” Wade said, his eyes darkening at the mention of his brother. “We used to track things back home. All the time. Animals. Friends. Sometimes it was a game. Sometimes it was because search and rescue asked us to.”

  Holy shit.

  “The tracks head that way, but the fallen vegetation is messing with the trail,” Wade continued after he’d run ahead and come back. “They
must’ve snatched her right after she left you, Dash.”

  A wave of nausea hit me as my chest clenched. I’d let her go alone. Why the fuck had I let her go alone?

  Easton cut his eyes to me, and before I could blink, he’d tackled me to the ground, my head snapping against the slick, hard jungle floor.

  “YOU LET HER go!” I cracked my right fist across Dash’s jaw. “This is your fault!” I pulled back to hit him again, needing to release the rage shaking my limbs. Two sets of arms stopped me and yanked me off Dash.

  “Take a breath!” Connell shouted, pinning my arms behind my back. “Dash didn’t do this!”

  Wade dropped his hold on me to help Dash up, and I took a fucking breath. Wade wasn’t holding Dash back. He wasn’t trying to retaliate.

  Another breath.

  Each one felt like my heart was going to burst through my freshly cracked open chest.

  Raindrop. I clenched my eyes shut, finally going motionless under Connell’s fierce grip. Where are you?

  Connell didn’t loosen his hold until a good four minutes had passed, me counting the seconds with each breath I took.

  In.

  Out.

  I needed the oxygen to override the panic and attack mode flooding my brain. A clouded mind wouldn’t stand a chance searching for Rain in the jungle. I needed to get a grip. And fast. We didn’t have time for this shit.

  Slightly shifting my head in the lock Connell had on me, I gave him one small nod. He arched an eyebrow at me, and I nodded again. Slowly, as if I were a wild animal he was letting out of its cage, he released me. I immediately started pacing. Might as well be a lion who couldn’t find his mate during hunting season.

  A few more breaths. Several more theories. All dead ends.

  I stopped pacing and raised my hand to Dash, shaking my head because words weren’t connecting to my mouth.

  He waved off my silent apology, and if I had any room in my heart right now, I might feel like shit for the split in the skin of his right cheek. As it was, I had no room for anything but a controlled sort of chaos that was wreaking havoc on my soul.

  Who the fuck is crazy enough to take my wife?

  At the same time an image popped behind my eyes of a black-haired beauty as insane as she was gorgeous, a faint ringing sounded from behind us. A wave of confusion crossed the faces of my boys, but I knew in an instant what that was and bolted toward camp. Leaping over fallen tree vines, roots, and more fucking foliage than I remembered on our way out here, I ran as fast as my legs would carry me. I don’t know why I thought it’d be Rain calling, but she was one of the select few who had the number.

  I felt more than heard the guys behind me as I slid to my knees before my pack, thrashing it open and spilling the contents until I set eyes on the large yellow phone. My thumb shook as I hit the answer button, and I sucked in a shuddering breath as I brought the speaker to my ear.

  “Raindrop?”

  “Wrong woman.”

  The blood turned to ice in my veins, and I swear I heard the phone crack I gripped it so hard. My eyes met Wade’s, who had dropped to his knees before me, Dash and Connell pacing the area behind him.

  “Corrine, what the hell have you done?” The words were hard to force out.

  Corrine wasn’t just an ex—she was a vicious treasure hunter who used whatever means necessary, whether that be objects, places, or people, to get what she wanted. She’d also come close to killing me and Rain almost two years ago when we’d been seeking King Solomon’s treasure in Israel. Corrine had followed me out there with the intention of stealing the find for herself, and when I refused to let her take a precious item from Rain, she’d had her team shoot at us with intent to kill, not wound. I thought I’d handled her, threatening her with the footage of her trying to kill us, but clearly her depravity knew no bounds.

  “Oh no, no, Easton,” she chided me. “This is your doing.”

  I sealed my eyes shut. I could almost picture her team of goons—old or new, didn’t matter, they were all the same—holding Rain against her will. Adrenaline pumped through my cold veins and every inch of my muscles shook.

  “You really should be more careful where you let your most prized treasure wander. I mean, honestly, what were you thinking? Bringing something as precious as your Raindrop to a place as dangerous as the jungle?” She tsked. “Or has she, too, become boring to you? Have I done you a favor?”

  “I was never bored with you,” I snapped. “That implied I cared enough about you to be interested. And you know that was never the case between us.” We’d had a physical-only relationship, one that lasted as long as it did because we’d been paired on a six-week expedition. That was before Rain and I had reconciled our years of differences, and Corrine had shown her true colors by using me to get inside information on the site we were exploring. That’s the thing about Corrine, she hated doing work for herself. It was much easier to steal.

  “Harsh words, but I’m pleased to hear you still care for this one,” she said, and I wondered if she was pointing at Rain in that instant. “I was counting on it. Couldn’t get what I want otherwise.”

  I finally opened my eyes, glancing up at the three GoPros on top of each of the guys’ heads, them completely oblivious that the cameras were rolling, and it jarred a thought. “Have you forgotten the deal we struck when I gave you your freedom?” I hadn’t pressed charges after her and her crew had been carted to jail in Israel, because I’d been in a moment where I was trying to let shit go—because I always held on to things way too long. “I thought you were smarter than this, Corrine. I gave you a second chance. A clean slate to use your head for once and succeed on your own. Clearly the threat of taking the footage of you trying to kill Rain and me didn’t pack enough punch. I have it, you know? I can easily ship it to the authorities.”

  Her shrill cackle rang over the line so sharply I winced. “Can you now? I’m sure it’ll get there in enough time for them to find me in the Amazon and save your precious girlfriend.”

  “Wife,” I corrected her.

  “Who gives a shit?” she snapped. “Listen, Easton. I have her, which means I hold all the power. Over you.”

  I raked my shaking fingers through my hair, my stomach twisting with guilt. “I should’ve left you to rot in that Israeli prison.”

  “True. Then you would’ve known exactly where I was all this time. But you chose to grow a heart, and now you have to deal with those consequences.”

  “What do you want?”

  “Ah.” She sighed. “Finally he gets to the billion-dollar question.”

  “Fuck,” I hissed. “You know, don’t you?” How could she possibly know? Had she been tracking us? Or had she just gotten the information out of Rain somehow in the last hour she’d been missing?

  “The City of Gold,” she crooned. “Honestly, I thought you were tapped out after the King Solomon find. I never thought in a million years you’d unearth something of this magnitude.”

  If she only knew what all I’d found and never made public. Thoughts of my dealings with the Safeguards, a group of people generations old that passed down the mission of protecting Israel’s cultural treasures, including the Arc of the Covenant, filtered through my head. It was because of fanatics like Corrine, and worse, that I never told anyone outside of Rain what all the Safeguards and I had uncovered together.

  “You want it,” I said, pinching the bridge of my nose.

  “Of course I do. You know what it’s worth,” she said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Proof it’s Paititi in exchange for your precious Rain. You get her back in one piece and I lay claim to one of the most famous and rich lost cities the world has ever known.”

  “Because you worked so hard to find it,” I snapped.

  “I didn’t have to work hard, Easton. I have you for that. All I needed was something you love more than your finds. Funny, before her you never cared about anything as much as the pleasure of laying claim to a piece of history. Now
. . .” She huffed. “Now you’re just pathetic.”

  I ground my teeth together. “I don’t have proof.”

  “You better find some. I’d suggest you do it quickly. My patience with your practically volatile Rain will only last so long.”

  “What if it isn’t Paititi?”

  “You wouldn’t have brought a dream team along with you if you didn’t believe it was the lost city. It’s a matter of time, Easton. And now the clock is ticking faster.”

  Acid churned in my stomach. “I swear to God if you hurt her—”

  “Me?” she asked. “Come on, you know I’m no murderer. The jungle on the other hand, well . . . we both know how lethal it can be. It makes it all too easy to dispose of unwanted things without getting your hands dirty. And bonus, the chances of anyone ever discovering what you’ve done are even slimmer.”

  My mouth opened and shut a few times, the words getting lost in my throat. Finally, I was able to squeeze out a few. “That. Goes. Both. Ways.” I sucked in a deep breath, my tone absolutely lethal. “You harm her and I’ll bury you so deep in this jungle someone will have dig you up in a few hundred years—”

  “Compass?” Rain’s voice cut off my threats and my tone instantly shifted.

  “Raindrop? Has she hurt you? Where are you? How far did she take you?”

  “Not a chance,” Corrine’s voice replaced Rain’s. “You disappoint me, Easton.” I heard an audible snap and Rain’s pained scream tore from the background.

  I saw red, jumped to my feet, and started pacing again, nearly knocking Wade over in my need to move. I couldn’t sit still. The adrenaline had doubled.

  “You have two days,” Corrine said. “I’ll call you again and tell you where to bring the proof.”

  “Remember what I said,” I hissed. “Hurt her, and you’re dead. Your entire fucking crew is dead.”

  “Clock is ticking. I wouldn’t waste any time, Easton. I can’t promise I’ll take precautions to give Rain a proper, safe camp when the jungle comes alive at night.” The line went dead, and I dropped the phone like it was on fire. A groan ripped from my lungs as if something forcefully yanked it out of my chest. I fell to my knees again, releasing the rage on the ground.