She bit her bottom lip as she thought about it. It was plain to see that logic was warring with fear.
He leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. “It will be okay,” he told her. “I won’t let anything happen to you. We have to do this, baby. You know that.”
She stared into his eyes as though searching for reassurance. She must have found it, because she gave him a terse nod. “Okay. Tell me what to do.”
“That’s my girl.” He couldn’t resist kissing her again. “Let’s get out from between these trees.”
He backed out of their tiny clearing, dumped the bags at his side, then leaned back in to help Belinda get out. She handed him her walking stick first, which he put beside the bags. Then he supported her as she got to her feet.
“We don’t need the flashlight yet,” Beast said. “The fire gives off enough light to make out where we’re going. Just take it slow. Make as little noise as possible and watch where you’re stepping.”
She nodded.
Beast kept one eye out for the men on the other side of the bushes as Belinda wedged her walking stick under her arm.
“How’s the knee?” he said.
“It’s stiff. I can do this, though.”
It was also painful, if the tight lines around her mouth were any indication. She gave him a determined look that made pride swell within him. This woman was stealing his heart, and up until he met her, Beast wasn’t even sure he had a heart to steal.
“You go first,” he said. “I’ll bring up the rear. Once we’re clear of the fire, use the flashlight to lead us out of here.” He flashed the light on his watch, long enough to get a direction from his compass. “That way.” He pointed.
Now that she’d committed to going, Belinda didn’t hesitate. She made her way straight in the direction he’d indicated, taking her time to get over obstacles with her walking stick.
It was slow going. Once they were far enough away from the fire that they couldn’t even see shadows anymore, she switched on the flashlight and they carried on. Eyes of every size reflected back at them from the shadows of the forest. Overhead, an owl screeched. The noise was followed by scurrying all around them as small animals ran from the predator. The flashlight made a large spider’s web glitter and sparkle. It was nestled in the V of a tree, and sitting in the middle of it was a hairy tarantula. Beast couldn’t help but shudder, and was glad Belinda had her back to him. He was fairly sure he’d lose some man points for his developing arachnophobia.
There was a flurry of activity above them, and Beast ducked just in time as a cloud of bats spiralled towards them at dizzying speed. Belinda looked back at him once the bats were gone. She waggled her eyebrows and grinned widely. Even with her bruised and swollen eye, there was no hiding the delight she took in the sight.
Beast shook his head at her, but his lips twitched with the need to smile back. Instead, he urged her forward.
Almost an hour later, he decided they were far enough away from the cartel’s men to set up camp for the rest of the night.
“Do you think you can climb a tree?” Beast asked Belinda as she finished off the last of her water.
“I can try.”
He was beginning to realise that sentence summed Belinda up. She would try damn hard at anything that came her way.
“Okay, let me scout around and see what I can find.”
Without a word, she handed him the flashlight. “Don’t go too far.” She looked at the stolen bags. “Maybe there’s another flashlight in there.” Her voice was still hoarse, but she didn’t wince every time she spoke anymore. Beast took that as a sign she was healing.
He crouched down and opened the first bag. “Medical kit,” he told her. “Two bags of Brazil nuts.”
“Gimme!” Belinda waggled her fingers at him, and he put a bag in her hand.
She fell on the nuts like they were the finest cuisine, even though it was clear that swallowing caused her pain.
Beast clenched his teeth at the sight. His anger at her suffering wouldn’t help her any.
“You were right,” he said as he rummaged in the bag. “Another flashlight.” He handed it to her. “A shitload of condoms.” He looked up at her. “What the hell did he think he was going to do out here?”
“Jaguars beware,” Belinda said through a mouthful of nuts.
Beast smiled as he shook his head. Crazy woman.
He pulled the next bag over. “Bingo.” He grinned up at her. “A hammock.” He pulled out the string hammock and handed it to her.
“You think it will hold both of us? It looks like one of those shopping bags from the seventies. The kind that stretched out of shape as soon as you put something in it. I’ve seen the photos. My mum loved those things.” She stilled and looked at him. “Do you think she’s okay? She’s probably out of her mind with worry. Mum doesn’t deal well with stress. And Dad, Dad thinks he can order the situation to fix itself. Lake Benson won’t like dealing with my bossy father.” She bit her bottom lip. “They are looking for us, aren’t they?”
Beast stood and put his hands on her shoulders, making her look up at him, wanting her to see exactly how serious he was. “Damn straight they’re looking for us. Your family wouldn’t allow anything less, and my boys will rip this jungle apart until they get to us.”
She relaxed beneath his touch. “You’re right. Of course you’re right. We just have to make it to the river, and then we’ll be easier to find.”
What she didn’t say was that neither of them knew if they were heading in the right direction to find the river.
Beast crouched back down and raked through the half-empty bag. “You’re going to love this. Catch.” He tossed his find to her.
“Chocolate,” she whispered with genuine awe before looking at him. “I’ll save it for when we’re in the hammock. It can be our reward.”
It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her she could be his reward, but thankfully, he realised how corny that would sound and stopped himself.
The last bag held another bottle of booze, some snack food, a mosquito net that was in much better condition than the first one they’d stolen, and insect repellent. Better late than never, Beast thought as he looked at the can. It was obvious from the things these guys had packed that they hadn’t expected to be in the rainforest long. Which made Beast think they were closer to the river, and civilisation, than either of them had thought.
“I’ll string up the hammock.” Beast took it from her.
“I’ll stand here and eat,” Belinda said solemnly. He arched an eyebrow, and she flashed her killer smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll save you some.”
He chuckled as he looked for two decent trees, close together, that would suit his purpose. It wasn’t hard to find what he wanted—they were surrounded by trees. He was so busy working on putting the hammock up that he didn’t pay enough attention to what was going on around him. It was a dumb mistake.
“Uh, John,” Belinda called softly. “Don’t move.”
A chill ran straight through him, and his first thought was another damn killer insect. Instead, he felt something large brush against his leg. Slowly, he looked down and saw a long, hairy creature lumbering beside him. The animal scraped at the ground, sniffing around with its long, tapering nose, before its tongue darted out to chase the insects scurrying on the rainforest floor. Anteater. Beast slowly studied its body, noting the thick neck, long hair and massive bushy tail. It had to be six feet long, and it was eating the very thing Beast detested—insects. They could have used this guy the night before.
When he looked over at Belinda, she was grinning again. Beast couldn’t help but grin back. Nothing kept the woman down, and nothing stopped her from finding joy even in the worst of situations.
The anteater shuffled around Beast, completely uninterested in his presence. Once the creature had cleared the area of as many ants as possible, it disappeared through the bushes.
“It was so cuddly,” Belinda said when she
came over to him.
“Hollywood,” he said, letting out a sigh, “you need a keeper.”
He finished tying up the hammock and stung a liana between the trees above it, the way Belinda had taught him, then threw the new mosquito net over the line, making sure it covered the hammock completely. Belinda silently handed him each of the packs, as well as their last water-filled condom.
“Get into bed,” Beast said gruffly, when they’d finished securing everything under the mosquito net.
She looked worried for a second before her face flushed. “I think I’ll sleep in my clothes tonight.”
Beast understood immediately. He cupped her cheek and looked her in the eye. “You do whatever makes you feel safe, Hollywood.”
“It isn’t you.” Her cheeks had to be burning now.
“No, you want to be prepared in case someone else stumbles on us.” He got it. He’d spent years sleeping on the street and always felt safer with as many clothes on as possible.
Her eyes welled up. “Yes. That’s exactly it.”
Beast stroked her cheek and tipped her chin gently up to him, so that she would look him in the eye. “It’s okay, baby. I’ll sleep in my clothes too.”
Her eyes became glassy with tears, and she blinked them back. “Maybe there’s some antiseptic cream in the medical kit. We can dress my cuts.”
“Good thinking.” He pulled the small bag out of the pack.
They took a few minutes to slather the cream over every wound on her body. There was a compression bandage in the kit, and Beast used it to bind her knee. Antihistamine cream was next, and they took turns dabbing the insect bites on each other’s bodies.
“We’re a matching pair. Both of us a mess,” Belinda said with a mixture of amusement and tears.
“Couple of days and this will all be gone.”
“Yeah,” she whispered.
She was losing hope; he heard it in her voice. The jungle was taking its toll on her, and the trauma of that morning’s attack was far too fresh.
“Done,” she said, handing the cream to him. “You get into bed first and I’ll climb on top of you.” He moved to do exactly that, and she put a hand on his arm to stop him. “Maybe we could get undressed. It would be more comfortable. But keep our underwear on?”
“We can do that if you want, baby. There’s no pressure either way.”
“Yeah, I want to. Everything rubs at me. It might help me feel better. But…” She looked around. Their surroundings were swallowed in shadow. The flashlight only illuminated the tiny pocket of space they occupied.
“I’ll keep the gun close. We’ll hear anything that comes at us, long before it gets here. You’ll be safe.”
She nodded. “Can you help me to get my clothes off? My knee won’t hold my weight.”
“Anything for you, Hollywood.” He was beginning to think he meant every word of that literally.
He slid the dress over her head and hung it over the line above their bed, under the mosquito net. She’d long ago discarded her bra, and the marks on her breast from where she’d been held and cut were stark on her pale skin.
Beast clenched his jaw and pressed his lips together tightly to stop from saying something about the marks. She didn’t need to hear it. Not now. He crouched in front of her and gently removed her shoes, taking care not to jar her swollen knee or the hip with the knife wound. He hated seeing the damage that had been done to her and couldn’t wait until it had healed and the physical reminders of her attack were gone. Gently, he pressed a kiss to the dressing covering the knife wound.
“I don’t feel it,” Belinda said softly.
“I still hate him for it.”
“Me too,” she whispered.
“Ready?” he said as he stood.
She nodded, and Beast quickly kicked off his shoes and took off his shirt and pants. She eyed his underpants.
“You don’t have to keep them on because I’m keeping mine on,” she said.
“Yeah, baby, I do. I don’t trust those monkeys with low-hanging fruit.”
She seemed surprised when she laughed, and Beast couldn’t help but grin at her.
“Get your ass in bed,” he said gruffly. “We’ve got four hours until daylight, and we need some sleep.”
“You first. I don’t want to be crushed.”
Beast climbed into the hammock, then steadied Belinda as she climbed in beside him. She didn’t hesitate in sprawling on top of him and snuggling close. Her legs straddled him, her arms tucked in at his sides, her breasts flattened against his chest, and she nuzzled against the crook of his neck until she found a spot she liked. Once settled, she let out a contented little sigh that melted his heart.
“Can I sleep on top of you?” she said.
He smiled, noting that she’d asked once she was settled. “You can sleep wherever you like, baby.”
With his arms wrapped tight around her, he closed his eyes and hoped for a miracle. Because he suspected they’d need one to get out of the rainforest alive.
Chapter 27
“This is why civilians shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near an operation.” Callum’s face had gone red, and he looked like his head might explode. “What the hell were you thinking calling the press in?” He took a step towards the actor and Daniel flinched.
Isobel stood right in front of him and patted his chest. “We talked about this. You aren’t in the SAS anymore. You have to deal with civilians and you can’t kill everybody who annoys you. Now, calm the hell down.”
If Ryan hadn’t been mad enough to spit, he might have found watching tiny Isobel take on her raging husband amusing. As it was, he didn’t see anything funny in their situation. It had been a long day. The team were tired and hungry. They’d barely had time to clean up before they met to debrief, and now they were dealing with yet another setback. Callum was only saying what everyone else was thinking.
“I’m sorry,” Daniel said. “I was helping.”
That didn’t calm Callum down any. His fists clenched and his eyes narrowed. Isobel took one look at his face and launched herself at him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist and held on like a limpet. Callum had no choice but to hold his wife.
He looked down at her, clearly exasperated, and opened his mouth to tell her so.
“Don’t you dare,” Isobel said. “You won’t punch him with me here, and you know it.”
There was a chuckle, and everyone turned to see Elle snapping photos of the pair. “For the company brochure,” she said, and laughed while Callum growled.
“Okay,” Lake said, and there was instant silence. “You contacted the press. What exactly did you tell them?”
All attention focused on Daniel. He cleared his throat. “I, uh, told them Belinda had been taken and that the baddies had asked for a ransom.”
Ryan groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose with his good hand. Now he wanted to punch the guy. Baddies? Daniel was calling the cartel baddies. Like this was one of his movies and he’d ridden in to save the day. Yeah, the baby actor needed punching.
“Did you tell them who took her?” Lake asked.
Daniel nodded. “The Martinez cartel.”
“Where did you arrange for this press conference to happen?” Callum said. “Is this one of those phone-in things?”
As soon as Callum said the words, Ryan knew it was the exact opposite. He shook his head. The guy was dumb as dirt.
“I, uh, told them to meet me here,” Daniel said. “They’re coming in the morning.”
Callum looked down at his wife, who was still wrapped around him. “Can I hit him now?”
She slid down his body and stepped aside. “Have at it. He’s a bloody idiot.”
“Let’s not hit the wealthy and famous actor,” Rachel drawled from where she was perched on a stool beside the bar, flicking at her phone screen. She was dressed in a cream trouser suit. The jacket buttoned up and it looked like there was nothing beneath it. Her nails were bright
red to match her four-inch pumps, and her face was perfectly made-up. This was Rachel. In the jungle.
“What time did you say you’d talk to them?” Lake said.
“Breakfast?” Daniel didn’t sound sure, which was a worry.
“Then we have to get out of here before they turn up, or we’ll end up searching the jungle with the press on our tail.”
“We have another problem,” Dimitri said, and Belinda’s brother looked relieved when the attention moved from him. “The Martinez men are out in force, herding the pair towards the mining operation. We stumbled on a couple today. After some persuading, we discovered they had orders to either force the pair to head for the river or take them straight to Martinez. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’d already found Beast and Belinda. According to our source, the Martinez brother had every man in their operation out scouring the jungle.”
“Did your source survive your talk?” Lake asked.
“Absolutely, boss,” Dimitri said. “We take internal memos seriously in the London office. Julia printed the one about no unnecessary killing and posted it on the noticeboard.”
Lake’s lips twitched, but he didn’t break out a smile.
“What did you do with the bastards, then?” Callum said, cutting to the chase, as usual.
“We left them where we found them,” Dimitri said solemnly. His eyes glittered as they looked over at his search partner, Harvard. “Didn’t we?”
Harvard nodded, equally solemn. “When we left, they were secured to a tree and unharmed.”
Ryan shook his head. The morons had staked the cartel members out like offerings to the jungle predators.
“I think you might need to write a new memo,” Rachel said to Lake. “Maybe add more detail this time.”
Dimitri and Harvard grinned at each other.
“If the cartel doesn’t already have Beast and Belinda,” Ryan said, “there’s a good chance the pair will stumble into them anyway. Elle and I figure they have to be just hours away from walking straight into the mine. One way or another, things are coming to a head at that mine tomorrow.”
“We need to go back in tonight,” Lake said.
Ransom (Benson Security Book 4) Page 20