Afraid to Fall

by Nicole Douglas

  One thing definitely had changed though. She truly hated the fact that he was appealing to her after all these years. After the way he had betrayed her without a second thought. While before she had embraced her feelings for him, this time she refused to acknowledge her weak knees or racing heart this time.

  She had made that mistake once and once was enough. Her heart was stupid. Her mind? Now that was something she could actually count on. And her mind was telling her to walk faster so she could make it to the airport and get away from him and the way he was making her feel as soon as possible.

  Chapter Thirteen

  "Jess-..uhm, Jessica." He called out, catching himself.

  Several trees were blocking most of his view but he saw her pause and turn. She had stormed off after their mini-argument. Although he could have easily kept up with her pace, he let her walk ahead and have some breathing room. He had been trailing along behind her just enough to keep her in his sight when he heard a trickling sound.

  "What?" She called back from yards ahead of him, breathing heavily.

  "Come back."

  He waited as she climbed over a large rock and walked around a hole she had already stepped in.

  "This better be good." He heard her mumble underneath her breath, not for him to hear. He fought a smirk at how out of her element she was in the jungle.

  "I hear water." He told her when she looked at him expectantly; finally close enough to not need to yell back and forth. At that news her face lit up.

  "It's this way." He led her toward the sound with his hand on the small of her back to help her keep her balance.

  The faint noise began to grow louder until Kyle spotted water glistening in the sunlight. They both knelt in the stream and rinsed their filthy hands. Jessica began splashing water on her face as Kyle opened the now empty water bottle he had been carrying in one of his enormous pockets and filled it.

  When it was full he handed it to Jessica, letting her drink first as he scrubbed away the remnants of paint on his face and arms. She emptied the bottle and refilled it once before she had quenched her thirst and handed it back to him. She sat on the ground at the edge of the stream and rested her legs, taking full advantage of this short break from walking.

  After he drank his fill, he lifted the bottle and poured the remainder of the water over his head. It trickled down his face and soaked his filthy green shirt, cooling off his sweaty body and reviving his tapped energy.

  Jessica fought against the urge to stare at the way his drenched shirt clung to the perfectly sculpted muscles on his chest. She reached down to untie her tennis shoes and soak her blistered feet in the water in an attempt to divert her attention. She didn't want him to catch her staring. He was cocky enough as it was.

  Before she pulled the shoe loose the sound of rustling filled the silence, sending birds flying and small animals nearby scampering off. Her head snapped up and her eyes met Kyle’s, wondering what animal could have been wandering in the trees behind her.

  Assuming it was an animal.

  His darkened eyes, hardened expression and tensed muscles sent a chill down her spine. Gone was the gentleman she had been walking with for the past day. He closed the distance between them with long strides and grabbed the assault rifle he had been carrying on his back. Kyle was now in warrior mode.

  He instinctively sensed that someone was approaching them rather than something. The hairs on his arms stood in response. It was obvious whoever it was wanted to remain unnoticed by the way they had managed to creep so close without making a sound.

  He had been too distracted watching Jessica kneeling on the water's edge, splashing her flawless face before she pulled her long legs in front of her and made a move to remove her shoes. The way the sun had been glowing on her blond hair, lighting it up like a halo, had him completely mesmerized.

  At the exact moment he was wondering how any woman could be so perfect, the flapping of wings pulled him back into the present. If it weren't for those birds becoming startled he wouldn't have even been aware they were being stalked like prey until it was too late. Not wanting to waste time on explanations just yet, he tugged her arm rougher than he intended.

  "Hey." She snapped, looking pointedly from his eyes to his hand that was clutching her arm.

  "Shh!" He hissed, loosening his grip marginally.

  It dawned on her that he would not behave this way over the noise of an animal; something was very wrong. Goosebumps rippled across her arms underneath his grasp.

  He tugged her along behind him as he ducked behind a fallen tree trunk to take cover. He pressed his index finger to his lips to remind her to be quiet, although she needed no more reminding. She was terrified as the sound of twigs snapping began to grow louder. No longer trying to escape from Kyle's grasp, she clung to his arm with both of her trembling hands and fought to control her erratic breathing.

  Now would be a horrible time to have a panic attack, she chided herself.

  A man's deep shout echoed through the trees. Not able to speak Spanish aside from a handful of words that mostly related to food, she didn’t understand what was being said. Kyle tensed in response to the comment. She knew whatever was said couldn't have been good. She peeked her head up, careful to remain level with Kyle. He shot her a look and mouthed the words 'get down'.

  She immediately ducked her head back down at the warning. But not before she caught a glimpse of four men in camouflage with bright red sashes marching through the trees not far from where they had been resting moments ago. They were all carrying sleek black assault rifles similar to the one Kyle held steadily in front of him, slanted toward the ground.

  The men were clearly searching for something. She was filled to the brim with anxiety over not being able to understand their conversation. Knowing Kyle understood more than her, she was dying to bombard him with questions.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Although Kyle had learned bits of broken Spanish during his time in Colombia, he could only make out one piece of a sentence from what the men were saying.

  "Find the American woman.”

  His blood ran cold and he instantly tense. It was an involuntary reaction as he went on even higher alert. He knew there weren't many American women roaming out in this jungle. Only three to be exact, assuming Amy and Danielle were still alive.

  He just hoped Jessica could stay quiet long enough for them to remain unseen. She was clinging tightly to his right arm and trembling in fear. Her breathing had quickened. Although she had yet to make a sound, he was unsure how much longer she could hold it together.

  As the voices faded away in the distance, Kyle felt a shred of relief. At least they were out of immediate danger, he reasoned. Still, it was a much needed reality check. This was not a casual stroll through the woods. They desperately needed to get to town as fast as possible. Knowing they were sharing space with such dangerous monsters was worrisome enough but he hadn’t expected anyone to be actively looking for her.

  If they stayed out here too much longer it was only a matter of time before they were found. He suppressed a shudder at the thought of what would happen to them both if they were caught by the wrong people. As much as they despised opinionated American women like Jessica, they would be even less fond of an American soldier who was sent here to capture the leader of their cartel.

  "What did they say?" She whispered urgently when she realized they were gone.

  "We need to get moving." Kyle informed her firmly. He bent down to help her to her feet, keeping the gun tightly in his other hand.

  "But what were they saying?" She repeated, looking at him wide-eyed.

  Not wanting to scare her any more than she already was he continued to avoid her question. "We're still going to the city but we need to walk on the other side of the water. It’s shallow enough that we can just walk across."

  "What the hell did they say, Kyle?" She demanded harshly.

  Her feet were firmly planted in the dirt and she yanked her arm
from his grasp, stubbornly resisting his efforts to cross over the creek until her question was answered.

  "When the hell did you start cussing so much?"

  "I guess when I became an adult. Of course you wouldn't remember that. After all, you weren't there." She countered, unable to bite back the snide remark.

  Tired of her throwing that in his face every chance she got, Kyle turned his back to her and began sloshing through the shallow water to cross to the other side of the river. He knew she would follow. It would be a huge mistake to stand out in the open having an argument while they were being hunted down.

  "You better hurry up." He called out over his shoulder.

  They needed to cover some ground and the day was already half over. When he was several steps across the creek he heard an exaggerated sigh and splashing behind him. Reluctantly, she followed him, knowing he had called her bluff. She wasn’t going to stand there alone while he disappeared into the trees. Still, she couldn’t stop wondering what the conversation between those men was about and why he refused to tell her.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The silence between them as they walked for the next hour oozed with annoyance. He was well aware that she resented the fact that he wouldn't share what he knew. But he remained tight-lipped on the matter. Scaring her would only slow them down. That was something he knew they couldn’t afford. He inwardly cursed when he heard the rumbling of thunder in the cloudy sky followed by the light sprinkle of rain.

  "Just what we need." He grumbled sarcastically.

  This earned a scowl from her. It was the same look she had given him every time he spoke since they had crossed over the creek. He chose to take the looks in stride and maintain his moderately even mood. The worsening weather was definitely putting a damper on that. They trudged on through the sprinkle and she forced herself not to complain. When the rainfall picked up and a gentle wind began to blow, slamming sheets of raindrops into her, she decided to speak up.

  "Can we stop for a second?"

  "No. It's just a little rain. You won’t melt." He answered, silently hoping it would slack off soon.

  They really couldn’t afford the time they would lose by stopping. He kept pushing through the downpour, careful not to slip in the slick mud. Jessica was walking even slower than usual as she tried to do the same. He was antsy to pick up the pace but didn’t push her to speed up.

  At least they were still moving.

  As if God Himself was mocking him, the rain began to pour down violently, making it absolutely impossible to carry on. He could no longer see a foot ahead of him and Jessica was struggling to remain standing as the wet wind roughly pushed her sideways. Finally coming to his senses and accepting that the storm wasn’t slowing down anytime soon, Kyle decided they had no choice but to stop.

  Defeated, he stopped walking and offered her his hand. She was struggling to even stand in one place as the wind assaulted her. He spotted a large tree with long branches that were keeping the ground beneath it semi-dry. It was as good of a place as any to wait out a storm.

  As stubborn as she was, she refused to accept his offer of help. Instead, she simply brushed past him, pretending she didn't see his hand, and fought against the windy sheets of rain on her own. He stood close by watching her fight Mother Nature; holding himself back from reaching out to help her. He knew she didn't want his help at the moment.

  Jessica leaned back against the rough bark of the tree, exhausted from her efforts to get there. Kyle walked up next to her with little physical exertion and did the same. With crossed arms she rubbed her freezing skin in an attempt to warm up. The dark sky lit up from a streak of lightning followed by an ear-splitting crash of thunder which caused Jessica to jump in surprise.

  Seeing this vulnerability, Kyle wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into him, just as he had done the night before. Much to his surprise, she actually let him. He certainly didn’t think it was a good idea to make a habit of holding her in his arms again. But he didn’t like seeing her cold and scared.

  "It's just thunder. It's okay." He shouted over the noise of the rain after another burst of light was closely followed by a deep roar of thunder.

  She jumped again at the sound but not as much as she had the first time. They remained huddled underneath the massive tree for another hour until the sun began to go down. Although a light rain was still falling, the thunder had slacked off significantly. Jessica was curled up asleep, leaning her head against his shoulder.

  He took solace in the fact that the rain had likely stopped everyone in the woods. Most importantly, it should have temporarily delayed the manhunt for them. Knowing this, Kyle decided now was the best chance he would have at getting some rest himself. Jessica was bringing out feelings in him that he wanted, needed, to get rid of. Some sleep should get his head on straight. So he closed his eyes and drifted into a nap that he hoped would refuel his energy and give him the strength to get them to the airport; to get her safely back home and far away from him.

  Six Years Ago

  Kyle picked Jessica up for their first official date and drove her to her favorite restaurant in Riverdale. As they sat across the table from each other the air between them had a different energy than it usually did. She smiled shyly at him when she caught him staring her way. It set off a flurry in the pits of his stomach.

  On an ordinary first date he always asked the girl about herself and tried to spend the night getting to know her. With Jessica, he already knew everything there was to know. For the life of him he couldn’t think of anything to say. He wished he could just keep staring at her all night.

  “So where are you taking me after dinner?” She asked, breaking the silence with a soft smile.

  “I told you, it’s a surprise.”

  She simply smiled in playful suspicion at what plans he had made and took a sip of her water. He was surprised and intrigued that she didn’t try to prod it out of him like she usually did when he knew something he wasn’t sharing.

  He was relieved that she opened the door to small talk. He couldn’t understand why it felt like his throat was closing up as he tried to think of the right thing to say. He had never felt so ill-at-ease on a date in his life. Then again, going on a date with your best friend was a delicate matter. He had to proceed with the utmost care and caution. She was absolutely beautiful inside and out. The last thing he wanted was to mess it all up.

  The conversation began to flow smoothly. They ate, talked and laughed. Before Kyle knew it they were finished with their meals. When the waiter brought the check Jessica automatically reached for her purse, used to splitting the bill when they hung out.

  “I got it.” He smiled at her, amused as he tossed some cash down on the table and stood up.

  When she stood up, he smoothly grabbed her hand in his and they walked out of the restaurant. The sun hadn’t yet set which meant they had time to get to their next destination. He opened the car door for her and after she climbed in made his way around to the driver’s side.

  Jessica sat quietly as he drove down Main Street, holding her hand all the way. She didn’t ask any more questions about where they were going for the end of their date. She knew he would keep the secret. But the suspense was just about killing her. She had never been on such a wonderful date and couldn’t imagine how it could get any better. He had been the perfect gentleman, opening her doors, holding her hand and paying the bill.

  She supposed she should have known he would treat her that way. Her parents seemed to have suspected it. Her curfew had been nine o’clock but when they learned that her date was with Kyle they extended it to eleven. They knew he would get her home safely. He always did.

  The car stopped, pulling her from her thoughts. They were at the parking lot overlooking the mountains. They climbed out of the car and sat carefully on the edge, looking out at the beautiful scenery. She leaned into Kyle as they watched the sun set behind the mountain peaks. Suddenly thunder boomed in the distance but they
didn’t budge, not wanting to miss the way the sky slowly darkened after the sun disappeared.

  When the sky turned navy blue and they both were standing up to leave, it started pouring rain. Kyle grabbed her hand and the two of them ran for the car, laughing the whole way. Her hair, that she had spent an hour working on before he picked her up, was now dripping wet. Her sundress was completely soaked.

  When he reached for the passenger door to let her in, getting more drenched for the chivalrous gesture, she put a hand over his. He looked at her questioningly. She took her time rising up on her toes to reach his lips and kissed him as they both stood underneath the downpour.

  It didn’t take him long at all to turn into her body, leaning her back against the car as he circled his hands on the sides of her neck. With his fingers entangled in her hair, he showered her with passionate kisses that he had been holding back for much longer than he ever would have liked to admit. Need rushed through him as she clutched the front of his shirt in her hands, pulling him closer to her. They ignored the rain altogether until another crash of thunder sent Jessica shuddering.

  She pulled back slightly, breaking their lips apart. They both stood for a moment, staring into each other’s eyes and breathing heavily. A streak of lightning lit up the sky and Kyle reached behind her to open the door handle. She stepped aside, giving him room, and slid into the seat.