Not one for working out, the hour-long trek through the jungle away from the compound had physically drained her. Her ankles were swollen from the wedged sandals she had been wearing, each step agonizing. Her leg muscles had begun screaming at her within fifteen minutes, but she knew they could not stop. If René’s men caught up to them, they would kill Blake and retake her.
So, she forced one foot in front of the other, terrified of snakes and bugs that she could not see in the dark, but knew the jungle must be teeming with them. When they had finally reached the boat, she could have wept for joy. Now, after several hours of bouncing on the dark waters, her mind raced with all they still had to endure while her butt grew sore.
She had been delighted to see the hint of daylight starting to color the sky but realized with the sunrise came the fear that people would be looking for her.
“You need to eat.”
Uncertain that she could keep anything down with the rocking of the boat tossing her stomach back and forth, she did not respond.
He repeated, “Sara, you need to eat. You’ve got to keep your strength up because we’ve got a long way to go.”
That was the only thing that she was sure of...she would do anything she could to make it easier on him. As the water smoothed out again, she scooted around on the bench seat so that she was facing him and reached out and took the bread from his hand. He reached into the food container and pulled out strips of what looked like hard bacon.
“You need protein also. This is dried meat...like jerky.”
She took that from his outstretched hand and took a bite. It had a smoky flavor, and after a few bites found that she was able to finish it all. Washing the rest of the bread down with bottled water, she smiled in gratitude.
Instead of turning toward the front again, she stayed where she was and her eyes roved over him. A giggle slipped out, and she blushed as he looked up at her. His head tilted in silent question, and she felt the heat of blush across her cheeks.
“I’m sorry, I suppose I’m just tired.”
“I’m sure you are, Sara. You’re doing great, though.”
Licking her lips, she glanced out over the water and shook her head slowly. “I can’t believe you came after me. You risked everything.”
“Look at me.” His words were spoken gently but with authority.
She shifted her gaze back to him and waited, uncertain what he was going to say.
“There was no way I was going to let those men snatch you out from under my nose.” His eyes held her gaze, unwavering in their perusal.
Who are you? She realized she knew so little about him. She could not imagine another man doing anything more than letting the police know she had been taken. Certainly not planning and executing a rescue. Not even for a woman he had slept with. Giving voice to her thoughts, she asked, “What kind of man does what you’re doing?” She had no idea if he was going to answer but truly wanted to know.
“I’m former military.” His gaze steady and his voice strong. “I’m used to planning rescues.”
She nodded. “Oh.” Feeling foolish, she could not think of anything else to say.
He smiled, his lips curving gently. “I would’ve done this no matter what, Sara. But after what you and I shared together the other night, nothing was going to keep me from getting you back.”
She had no idea if he was referring to feelings for her or simply making a statement about the kind of man he was. It doesn’t matter. She nibbled on her bottom lip, deciding at the moment she was just grateful that he came for her.
His eyes darted to the side, and his voice lowered. “Looks like we’ve got more company.”
She whirled around, seeing there were more boats on the river now that the sun had risen. To their right, they could see colorfully painted buildings as well as multiple docks. People were milling about, fishermen heading out in their boats, women walking down the streets with their market baskets on their heads, and children heading to school. The town was waking up and beginning to bustle. When taken by Yann, she had desperately wanted a villager to notice her predicament. Now, she wanted no one to see her.
She looked over her shoulder. “Are we at Grand Santi?”
“Yeah. It’s taken us hours to come from Maripasoula to Grand Santi. We have twice as long to go to get to St. Laurent du Maroni.”
“So, um...sometime this afternoon?” She was unable to keep the hope from her voice.
“Yeah,” he confirmed, then added, “Unless we run into problems.”
She tried to smile, but her lips felt stiff as she wondered what kind of problems they could run into and prayed that there were none.
Blake watched as Sara tried to smile, but her lips barely moved, and the emotion did not reach her eyes. He wondered why she had faced forward for much of the trip, but when she finally turned around to eat, he could see that she was exhausted although appearing to try to hide it.
She continued to impress him with her fortitude, but he knew there would be a point when she would collapse. Glad that he had gotten her to eat something, he wanted to see if he could also get her to relax now that the water was smoother.
“Tell me about your family,” he suggested. “Where are you from?” He knew he had picked the right topic when her lips quirked into a smile, and this time it felt real.
“My parents were in the Peace Corps when they got out of college. That’s actually where they met. They both loved to travel and eventually ended up with administrative jobs with the Peace Corps. They would travel around the country, talk to college students, recruit, and spend time trying to match up people’s skills and interests with the countries that needed them. They continued to travel all the time, and I joke that I was raised in both New York City and all over the world when I would go with them.”
“Are they still with the Peace Corps?”
Her smile fell, and he cursed under his breath, wondering if he had stepped on an emotional landmine.
“My mother still works for them, but my father passed away just a few years ago. He had been in the Orient and came home ill. The doctors could never quite tell what was wrong, but his heart was never the same. He had a heart attack suddenly and died two years ago.”
“I’m so sorry, babe. Really sorry.”
Her shoulders lifted in a slight shrug, and she offered a gentle smile. “At least he and Mom got to take one last trip. Because they had always traveled with the Peace Corps, they usually stayed in very simple hostels, but they took a trip to Paris and stayed in a five-star hotel, kissing under the lights of the Eiffel Tower. It was not a trip they had ever taken before, but I think it was one they simply wanted to experience. They had a photographer take their picture. It’s on my nightstand in my apartment.”
He watched as she continued to smile, her memories seeming to take her to a place that made her happy. He stayed quiet, allowing her a chance to remember.
After a moment, she said, “My father was a very quiet man. I take after him. My mother? She’s a force to be reckoned with. My father liked to work with the villagers when we were stationed somewhere, but my mom was best as an administrator. She would see a need and make plans to rectify the need. To be honest, I thought about her yesterday when I was being kidnapped. I couldn’t imagine anyone taking my mother. She simply wouldn’t have allowed it.”
He watched her carefully to see if she was joking, but she only shook her head slowly as though the thought made her sad. “Sara, nothing that happened to you was your fault. In fact, you did the best thing you could, which was not fight back. If you had tried, they would have killed you.” He huffed as a memory struck him. “Hell, woman, you protected the pregnant woman in the shop. Your mother would be fucking proud of you. I know I am.”
That earned him a small smile before her face crumpled once more. “Blake, don’t you realize that if you had not been the person in the store with me when it happened, I wouldn’t be rescued right now? The police would never have done anything, and I
would’ve spent my life in servitude to a drug dealer.” As though the thought finally slammed into her, she gasped, and her chest heaved as a tear rolled down her face.
“Fuck.” Holding out one arm, he said, “Come here.”
Without hesitation, she crawled toward the back of the boat where he was sitting close to the motor, one hand on the tiller. She settled onto the seat next to him, and he wrapped his free arm around her, pulling her in tightly.
“Don’t think about what could’ve been, might’ve been, or wasn’t. Only think about where you are now and where you want to go.”
She lifted her gaze to him. “It’s just that simple?”
“Fuck yeah, Sara. Absolutely that simple. If you spend time in your head thinking about things that aren’t happening you’ll make yourself crazy. Right now, you’re free. You’re with me. We’re going to get out of this. That’s all you’ve got to think about.”
It took several minutes, but he could feel the tension in her body slowly release. He found that he did not want her to move back to the front of the boat but preferred to feel her warm body tucked in next to his.
They stayed together for a long time, and he discovered another benefit to her being so close. He could keep his eye out on the river, and yet, with his arm around her, he could keep a better gauge on how she was doing. As they motored along, he tried to separate the emotions he felt for her from the mission.
Yes, she was a woman I slept with. Our night together had been fun...hell, it had been great. And when I woke up the next morning, I truly hated that she had slipped from my bed, something I usually do. Seeing her at breakfast only solidified how much I wanted to spend more time with her. And when the kidnapper grabbed her arm, my heart jolted in a way I didn’t expect. And when she screamed my name over the waves, I knew I would have done anything to get her back.
He was getting ready to ask her more about her family when he caught sight of a number of pirogues leaving a small dock. He did not see fishing nets in their hands, but instead, they appeared to be looking up and down the river at all the other boats going by.
Not wanting to take a chance, he ordered, “Sara, slide down. Lay in the bottom of the boat.”
She quickly acquiesced, and once more he was grateful that she followed directions without questions, placing her trust in him. She stretched out in the bottom of the boat, grabbing an old blanket and pulling it over herself.
He wanted to rev the engine to get them away from the other boats but did not want to draw undue attention to themselves. Keeping the motor speed steady, he changed their direction ever so slightly, moving them toward the middle of the river. They had bypassed most of the town of Grand Santi, and as he glanced to the side could see that the men in the boats were using paddles, with only a few having motors.
Two of the boats moved closer, and he maintained his speed while pulling his weapon from its holster. A whimper from Sara drew his gaze. She was staring wide-eyed at the gun in his hand. A quick shake of his head indicated she needed to remain quiet and he prayed she understood.
Grateful the river had more boat traffic at this time of the morning, he surreptitiously kept an eye one the ones that appeared to be following. He gradually maneuvered away from the other boats, closer toward the Suriname side of the river, until he left them behind. His simple request that Sara stay out of sight seemed to have kept the continued interest off them. Probably reward seekers just looking for a man and a woman.
Once more they continued traveling north, only seeing the occasional fishing boat near the edge. Here, the rainforest grew to the edge of the water on both sides of the river again. Knowing there were no inhabitants, he felt safe for the moment.
“You can get up,” he said, breathing a sigh of relief. “But I want you to stay back here with me.” The reality was it did not matter where she sat on the boat, but he had already determined he liked having her near.
Sara sat up tentatively, twisting her head around to look at him, eyes wide. “Do you think it’s safe?”
He chuckled but admired her caution. “I don’t think you have to whisper here, babe.”
Rolling her eyes, she grumbled. “Better safe than sorry.” She pushed herself to a seated position but stayed in the bottom of the boat and rested her back against his legs. He dropped his hand to her shoulder, his thumb digging in as he rubbed her sore muscles.
“How long do you think it will take us to get to St. Laurent du Maroni?”
“We’re traveling about fifteen miles per hour, so we’ve got six more hours to go.” He looked down and could see that the shadows underneath her eyes were deeper blue. “Do you think you can sleep for a little while? I know the accommodations aren’t that great. Certainly not five-star ratings.”
She snorted and slapped his knee. “Gee, you sure know how to show a girl a good time.”
“Believe it or not, there’s actually lodging here in the middle of the Amazon.”
She twisted her head to look up at him. “You’re kidding.”
“One of the men I work with who’s helping us navigate told me about it in case we needed it. I’m afraid it’s not quite the five-star hotel that your parents stayed in when they visited Paris.”
“Okay,” she said slowly, her lips curving slightly. “You’ve got my curiosity up. What kind of place is it?”
“There are a couple of villagers that have a covered shack where they hang hammocks. People who are traveling on the river can stop and take a nap, sleeping in the hammock. I think it even got a single review with a four-star rating on Yelp.”
Unable to keep her laughter from erupting, she slapped her hand over her mouth, trying to quell the giggles. “Four-star rating? On a covered shed with hammocks?”
“I guess when it’s the only place for hundreds of miles, people use it, just glad to be off the ground.”
She shivered, rubbing her hands over her arms. “When you put it that way, it makes sense. I hate bugs, and I hate snakes! Although, I can’t imagine that a hammock would keep either out.”
He squeezed her shoulder again. “I think we’ll bypass the hammock hotel. But, if you can lay down in the bottom of the boat, that would be good. You need the rest, and the waters are calmer now. When you wake up, we won’t have so far to go.”
She looked as though she might argue but finally nodded. “I think maybe you’re right.” She scooted down into the bottom of the boat, making a small pillow with the blue blouse that she had taken off earlier. She squirmed for a few minutes as though she could not get comfortable, and he was afraid she was going to give up on her attempts to rest, but soon her movements stilled, and her breathing slowed.
Her face was pink from the sun, and he wished he had sunscreen. Taking part of the blanket, he stretched it over the top of the boat near her face in an attempt to shield her from the bright sunlight. He was still able to see her from where he sat. She might be considered a distraction, but he was not willing to take his eyes off her while at the same time keeping his attention on the river.
He had no idea what it was about this woman, but something about her called to him. Something more than just a mission who needed to be rescued. He wanted to know more about her. What she did. What she liked. What she thought.
Giving himself a mental shake, he knew the most important thing he could do right now was to keep her safe. Everything else could wait. Looking down at her, he smiled, seeing her face finally peaceful in slumber, and felt a twinge in the left side of his chest once more.
His phone vibrated, startling him out of his musings, and he saw that Mace was calling. “Yeah?”
“Just heard from Drew and Tate. They made it to the Cayenne airport, refueled, and filed the next flight plan to St. Laurent, then started hearing rumblings.”
“Rumblings? What are they hearing?”
“Seems like Boutillier has a longer reach than we thought.”
Instantly alert, Blake remained quiet, not wasting time asking questions that he knew
Mace was going to answer anyway.
“Drew filed his flight plans to St. Laurent, and a man at the airport in Cayenne told him to be careful because they were looking for two jewel thieves who came into a resort at Cayenne and stole diamonds.”
“Two? There were three.”
“Well, now it seems that the story is the thieves were a man and a woman. The woman has long red hair, and the man was an American that had been taken in by the police in Cayenne but escaped.”
“Goddamnit!” Blake ground his teeth. Forcing a deep breath into his lungs before letting it out slowly, he calmed. “Okay, so that means not only Boutillier’s thugs but the local police are also looking for us.”
“Drew and Tate will be in St. Laurent in about an hour, but his advice is for you to lay low on the river and come out under the cover of darkness.”
Glancing back down at a sleeping Sara, he hated the idea that they were going to have to hide for a while. “I’m going to keep going for a little bit until we get closer. There’s nowhere for me to stop right now, but if I see anyone, I’ll go to the edge where there are trees overhanging.”
It was not a good plan, but it was the best he could come up with at the moment. Gaining Mace’s acceptance, he disconnected and continued up the river, wanting to get as close to St. Laurent as he could before running into any more boats. Right now, he had the river to himself and determined that he was going to let Sara sleep as long as she could.
15
Sara’s eyes blinked open as her head bounced. Her body ached as it lay on a hard surface, but the steady sound of a motor in the background had obviously lulled her to sleep. She could see daylight peeking from the edges of something blocking her view, but as her body rolled back and forth, she remembered where she was and what was happening.
Startling, she shifted, coming to her hands and knees, knocking the blanket canopy to the side as she jerked her head around, her gaze landing on Blake. Her breath left her in a rush as she realized they were still on the water, still on the boat, and still safe.
Blake (Lighthouse Security Investigations Book 5) Page 12