Natasha stared at her sandaled feet.
His gaze followed. “Where are your boots? They are mandatory.”
“So… What shall I answer first? Your question about Ari or my choice of footwear?”
“You are sorely trying my patience.” He pulled off his broad-rimmed field hat and crushed it to half its size. “As you are aware, things can go bad in an instant when we are out working. Ari first, then address your boots.” His eyes passed slowly over the vast gridded excavation area in the distance, searching again.
“Fine.” Natasha pointed to a grid farthest from them. “I saw her arrive. She gave instructions to that group of grad students and worked with them for a half an hour or so until she seemed comfortable with how they processed the soil.” The pace with which she spoke picked up. “You might check with them.”
“Thank you, Nat,” he said dismissively and walking briskly to where the students worked. He moved among the grids, methodically, checking in with each group of students. No one had seen her. He was on his way to Rax when he passed another grad student coming in late, his head down, trying to avoid Luca. “Good morning.”
“Good morning, Dr. Fierro. I realize I’m late. I overslept. The kitchen gave me a late breakfast.” He held out his hand, full of tortilla covered in beans and cheese.
Natasha joined Luca. “Good morning, Dr. Jordaan.”
“Good morning, Elliott. So, I see you’re running a little behind?”
“I am. It won’t happen again.”
“Elliott, have you seen Dr. Antony this morning?”
“Yes. She had her pack.”
“What do you mean?”
“I think she went to get water. It’s miserable out here today. I saw her glance over there.” Elliott took a bite of his sandwich and looked north to the encroaching jungle, talking with a full mouth. “Like someone hailed her. A woman, a student I think, stepped out briefly. Dark complexion, short black hair, maybe a dark cap, or both, dressed like many of us. You know, long pants, shirt, boots. Oh, and a yellow scarf around her neck. Dr. Antony left with her, I guess.”
Luca’s stomach burned at the possibility that he might be forced to send her home; it was impossible to imagine not having her around. That Ari might have deliberately put him in this situation after their blowup last night pissed him off. He followed Elliott’s gaze, frowning. “Did you recognize the woman?”
“A new group of students came in a few days ago.” The grad student’s voice grew quieter. “I couldn’t see her clearly, though nothing about her was familiar, but then I haven’t been able to spend a lot of time with them. Um. Can I go work?”
“Of course. Thank you.”
The student hoofed it to a grid and pulled his gloves on.
Turning to Natasha, Luca frowned and said, “We are not exploring anything in that direction.” He pivoted and took a step. “I need to check at Rax.”
Natasha placed her hand on Luca’s arm, stopping him. “She’s not there. I checked, Luca. Another student confirmed the same details Elliott just shared, almost verbatim. I touched base with the lead that received the new students. She didn’t have anyone matching the woman’s description. Oh Jesus, Luca—”
Luca’s face had gone white.
Two men and a woman trudged through the jungle with a hostage. “Can we stop?” one of the men asked. “How much of that crap did you hold over her nose and mouth? She’s still out and getting heavier with each step. I need to rest.” He rolled the tied-up woman off his shoulder and massaged his knee. She plopped to the ground in a heap.
Inés snarled. “Dammit, Beto. You might have hurt her. Then we’ve got more issues. I did as I was told. She was the one who fainted and hit her head. Chloroforming her was easier then. It should be wearing off very soon. Try waking her up.” She breathed audibly and spoke more gently. “I understand you’re tired. You carried her most of the past thirty minutes.”
“She’s already hurt. Look at that gash. She cracked her head good on that gamba root. You carry her next time. Or Harry. Have you forgotten? One of my legs is shorter than the other. My body isn’t meant for carrying.”
Dappled sunlight moved across Ari’s face. She struggled to open her eyes as searing pain shot through her head.
A booted foot nudged Ari at her hip, rocking her. “Wake up, Dr. Antony. Time for you to carry your own weight. Your beauty nap is over,” Beto said.
Feeling battered, Ari mumbled. Opening her eyes was impossible. Nausea swirled in her stomach after each try.
“Give her water. I think she needs some,” the second man said.
“We took her after breakfast. She doesn’t need water. She hasn’t done anything, other than be carried.” Inés responded.
“Come on…” Frustration edged his voice.
“Fine, Harry,” Inés said. “Give her some water. But use it sparingly. We still have some distance to travel.”
Water dribbled down Ari’s forehead. It burned along her hairline. Droplets seeped into her eyes and mouth.
“Not her face, stupid. Her mouth—”
“Shut up, Nes.” Dirty fingers pried Ari’s lips apart. “Drink. Slowly, Doctor.”
Her throat was on fire, but Ari gulped the water. She had never been so thirsty. Her heart beat erratically. She was dizzy, even with her eyes closed. The sharp pain in her head ricocheted, like an errant pinball.
“We should have forced water down her before now,” said Beto. “She’s no good to us if she can’t function.”
Inés said, “You’re a bright one. Whatever would we do without your astute observations?”
“Shut up. Give me the bottle.” He put the bottle up to Ari’s mouth, encouraging her. “Drink more. Sip slowly.”
Ari sipped, but gagged. Whatever had made her pass out also made her feel sick.
Harry laughed spitefully when Ari spewed water all over Beto’s boots. “Man, there’s other stuff in there besides water. Like, her breakfast maybe.” He laughed harder. “Gross. You can wash them off later—”
“And you can carry her the rest of the way to camp,” Inés said.
“Aw, come on. You’ve got to admit it’s funny, the good doctor puking all over his boots.”
“We don’t have time for this. We’ve got to make camp. The sun will set soon. I’m hungry, and we need more water.”
“Just give her a few more minutes to absorb any water she didn’t toss,” Harry said.
“Give her some of your zapote. It might help.”
“She just puked!”
Beto said, “Just a few nibbles. It might settle her stomach.”
“Can you chew?” Harry asked Ari.
“Yes.” She grunted. Her stomach felt better since she threw up.
“Don’t bite my fingers, or I’ll knock you out. Okay? Don’t think you want another lump on your head after hitting that gamba root.”
“Okay,” Ari said, slowly opening her eyes, needles of pain racing through them. Her vision was blurry. Nausea threatened again. She breathed slowly and deeply. Better. Pain and fear continued to make her heart knock wildly within her chest.
“Open,” Harry ordered.
She was barely able to make out the details of Harry, other than he was lanky, sunburned, and had long, dishwater-blond dreadlocks, tied with a grimy bandana. It hurt, but she opened her mouth. He shoved the fruit in with dirt-encrusted fingers. She chewed slowly and swallowed carefully. “More, please,” she said, coughing.
Inés laughed mirthlessly. “So polite, Doctor. Give her another small bite.”
“Why don’t you give her some of yours?”
“Finished mine.” She glanced up at the sky. “Let’s get going. I think the doctor can walk now.”
Ari tried to push herself up, but her hands were tied behind her. Confusion etched her expression.
“Oh, there’s that,” Inés said. “Help her up.”
Beto hoisted her to standing. Ari swayed; nausea bubbled in her belly. She willed it down.
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“You fall over, you’ll have to get yourself up,” Inés said.
Ari held her head up and stared into Inés’s black eyes unblinking, fighting for balance and to not get sick. Her vision cleared, but a jackhammer pounded in her head.
Inés squinted at her. “Also, you yell, we leave you. In the jungle, hands tied. No way to fend for yourself. Got it, Doctor?”
Tears pricked Ari’s eyes. “Yes.” She could barely breathe or move without the overpowering urge to vomit. How in the hell could she get free?
Harry’s expression was curious. “This is the renowned expert? She looks like some random grad student.”
He was almost as tall as Luca. Luca…
“Trust me,” Inés said. “This is her.”
“Are you a real redhead?”
“Harry,” Inés said.
“Dr. Antony—”
“Shut it.”
Beto interjected, “This isn’t your rodeo, sister. We’re equals. Let him talk.”
Inés whipped around, looking at each of the men pointedly. “Listen, you two idiots. The less you say, the better. The good doctor is going to help us. Afterward… That’s to be determined.”
“Why have you taken me? What the hell do you want?” Ari asked forcefully, the effort depleting her immediately.
“So many questions. You will have the answers soon.” Inés’s smile did not reach her eyes. “Ready, Doctor?”
She sensed there was far more to Inés’s question, but asking now would give her nothing. Ari nodded. At this time, she had no other option.
“Let’s go. I want to make camp as soon as possible. Beto, get the doctor’s backpack. Harry, check the compass again. I’m tired and hungry.” Inés looked up at the canopy and then at each of them, clearly unhappy. “This has taken longer than planned. Dr. Antony, you cook?”
“Some. I don’t feel good.”
“Tough shit. Muddle through it. You’re making dinner tonight in return for us putting you up. Beto, you lead. Doctor, fall in behind him. You bring up the rear, Harry.”
Short, dark Beto turned on his heel and moved forward. His awkward gait was just shy of a jog. Ari’s head and stomach screamed in protest as she followed, stumbling, hands bound together at her wrists, captive.
“I thought you said you could cook, Doctor,” Inés spit from the other side of the campfire. The machete at her hip gleamed in the firelight, making it appear more menacing.
Ari took a deep breath, speaking in a monotone. “I did. You just didn’t ask what.”
“The beans are burned.”
She hung her head. She hadn’t burned them on purpose. The beans tasted like the ashes from the fire she’d cooked them over. Her stomach cramped with hunger and intermittent nausea. Ari suspected she suffered a concussion. Her head still pounded, and she was relieved to feel a huge knot on her forehead—a good sign that her brain wasn’t swelling. Her hand came away with a lot of blood. She had opened her head; without a mirror, she was unable to see how bad it was or clean it.
Her calves ached. They must have hiked another couple of miles through dense jungle growth and over large hills after she’d come to. Ari had staggered more than walked, tripping and falling a few times, only to be roughly jerked up by Harry and pulled to her feet. Occasionally one of them wiped the oozing blood from her burning forehead. Attracted to her blood, the mosquitoes and other insects swarmed her forehead. Harry tied a soiled bandana over the wound to keep the bugs from biting or laying eggs. She needed to get repellent on it.
Inés, Beto, and Harry hacked away the jungle growth with their machetes, but she still suffered scrapes and cuts, and her pants and shirt snagged repeatedly and tore from the trees and bushes that grabbed at her. The sturdy hiking boots she wore kept her feet from harm. She was dizzy and bone tired—other indicators of a concussion, wanting to collapse where she stood and sleep forever. She needed to stay awake as long as possible tonight. She was the only person looking out for herself. The erratic pounding of her heart continued. Based on the information Luca and Natasha had shared during orientation, Ari suspected she was also dehydrated, probably from vomiting so much.
A primal need to survive suddenly surged forward. Don’t give up, Ari. You are stronger than this. Look for the opportunity. It will come. “Can I please have a little more water? I’ve kept it all down since we arrived here.”
Inés brought Ari’s bottle over. “Last bit of yours. And we’re low, only a few sips each for the three of us.”
Alarm filled her. She took only one sip even though she wanted all of it.
“Don’t worry, Doctor. We have a filter system at our permanent camp. It does us no good if any of us are sick. We’ll fill up tomorrow.”
Ari had an orange and a few snack bars in her pack but eating now was out of the question. Maybe after everyone fell asleep she could try to, hopefully, keep down anything she ate. Her pack was on the other side of the campfire, next to where Harry sat looking smug. He creeped her out, staring at her for long periods of time, occasionally winking at her or licking his thin lips when he knew the others weren’t watching.
Inés caught Harry staring at Ari before dinner and slapped him hard. A red impression of her hand was still visible in the flickering firelight, where his sorry excuse for a beard did not cover his cheek. Apparently they had a thing going; however, she wore the pants in the relationship.
Deepening nightfall cocooned the jungle. Although she was chilled from sweat, full of fear, and endured a sore throat and a massive headache, Ari began to nod off.
Harry called quietly, “Hey, Red.”
Ari bristled but swallowed her anger. She was in no position to respond.
“Hey, Red. I’m talking to you.”
“Leave her alone, Harry,” Beto said.
She watched and listened. Animosity crackled between the two.
“I want to know where she’s going to sleep.”
“Not with you. Time to turn in.” Inés offered her hand to Harry.
“My cheek still hurts, woman.” His eyes glittered, but he stood up and meekly took her hand.
“Good. It will serve as a reminder.”
They walked over to the small tent with their arms around each other’s waist. Harry ducked in behind Inés. The flap zipped, and the lantern turned off.
Beto said, “Well. That leaves you and me, Doc. You can sleep next to the fire or with me.” He leered and pointed to the lean-to.
Ari’s muscles tensed, and her heartrate flew. She’d have more protection out in the open, next to the fire. “I’ll sleep here. Can you add wood, please?”
“So polite.” Beto added wood to the fire and made a small stack close to Ari. He motioned to her to bring her hands forward. “Wrists together.”
“I don’t understand,” Ari whimpered.
“You think I’m leaving you untied?” He efficiently wound the rope around her wrists and tested his knot. He pointed. “Feet.”
“Please, no—”
“Want to sleep with me? I’ll keep you nice and warm.”
She snapped her feet together and stared at the roaring fire.
After hobbling her ankles, Beto left. He returned with a thin blanket and draped it around her shoulders.
“Is there mosquito netting?”
“What the fuck do think this is? No. You are at their mercy, just like you’re at ours. Add the wood as you need. You’re welcome for my thoughtfulness. Sleep tight.” Laughing, he added, “Don’t let the jungle bugs bite.”
He crawled into the lean-to and pulled the mosquito netting down. Snoring started almost immediately.
She rolled onto her feet and shuffled over to her pack. Everything she had packed was still there, including her knife, which she pocketed immediately. Her fingers grazed her compass. She pocketed it too.
Discomfort washed over her as she overheard grunting and giggling coming from the small tent. The repellent was in the front pocket of her pack. She focused on removing and spra
ying it liberally where she could, then wiping her neck, ears and face with the back of her tied hands, preparing herself for how much it was going to hurt her gash. It stung like a bitch. She sprayed some above her and hobbled under it, trying to get as much coverage as possible. Nocturnal noise obscured the misting sound.
She pulled the orange out, indecisive about eating it. Convinced the zest would be snuffed out by the repellent, she peeled it, her mouth salivating. Inés yelled out, apparently at the culmination of coupling with Harry, startling Ari. She dropped the sections to the ground and hurried to retrieve them and clean the debris off as best she could. Ari shoved two sections into her mouth. She was so hungry.
She dug for her phone, having taken it because her camera battery needed charging. She had been recording the project’s progress with photos and video as well as her notes. It was still fully charged. No service of course. Shit. She shut it back down, closing its waterproof, protective bag and placing it under the false bottom of her pack, just in case the opportunity arose where she could use it.
Feeling dizzy from her exertion, she hobbled back to the fire pit with one of her water bottles and pulled the peels from her pocket, flinging them into the dancing flames. She lowered herself to the ground, where Beto had left her, carefully so she wouldn’t jar herself and cause her head to pound harder, and pulled the blanket around her—more for the comfort than the need to be warm. It was plenty warm. Her stomach wasn’t rebelling. She sipped a little bit of her water, rationing it until they gave her more.
Luca had to know she was gone. She gazed at the stars sparkling in the inky night. Was he searching? Would he be able to find her?
The temperature dropped noticeably as a breeze picked up. Ari moved the small stack piece by piece, even closer to where she would sleep, realizing she might need to stoke the fire through the night. She added one more log, the fire growing as it caught, and added another. Satisfied, Ari moved as close as she dared, lying down on her side and curling into a fetal position, feeling safer; granted, that was relative to her predicament. Tears ran from her eyes and dripped onto the rough blanket. Why won’t they tell me why they have taken me?
Afraid to Fall (Ancient Passages Book 1) Page 19