The darkness was changing slightly. There was a different feel to it. The light shone on what appeared to be a dip and a narrowing of the walls and an increased feel of dampness in the air.
He continued to count off his steps as the light skittered over a rock ledge that smoothed out into an odd-looking beach, minus the sand. Around him was the chilly dampness of a place that never saw the sun. Ahead of him was a calm, but he suspected deceptive, band of water. The river ran underground through much of this cave, except here where it opened up, skirting rock and eventually leading to the outside. Here, no bats shifted in the dark, only other creatures of the night, rats and other rodents, snakes and the insects that made their home along the rock banks of this strange cave river—all of them, for now, harmless.
The flashlight was waterproof, as was the knapsack on his back. He clipped the flashlight to a reinforced rope that hung around his neck, peeled off his jacket followed by his shirt and put them both into his knapsack. He hadn’t been much of a swimmer until he’d joined the CIA and become a field agent; then it had become a necessary skill. He took a deep breath and cracked his knuckles.
One foot slipped into the water as his hand touched the ledge, and he took a deep breath before dropping into the river without another thought. Research had given him all the information he needed. The water closed around him and for a second a tremor of warning ran through him, for it felt like a trap.
He treaded water before taking a breath and heading into the murky unknown with long, powerful strokes. The water was invigorating, not chilly but not warm, either. He dived under, circumventing the rock that skimmed across the first stretch of the river and came up for breath ten feet away where the rock peeled back and only bracketed the sides of the river, closing in on either side, darker than the night that surrounded it, more ominous. For it was there that he could see the occasional gleam of the nocturnal cave dwellers’ eyes as they watched and somehow seemed to monitor his progress.
The air changed as the river exited from the dank confines of the cave. It was a river where guides brought the more adventurous tourists to swim. A thrill he suspected for some. Water dripped from his hair and he shook his head, scattering droplets around him. He boosted himself over the ledge and stood up. It hadn’t been an arduous swim, not for him. But the question was, could she do it? What he’d learned of her was that she’d had swimming lessons as a child, nothing much past beginner classes but enough to know the basics. So what kind of swimmer was she? He could take her clinging to his back if necessary, but would it be necessary?
He glanced at his watch—12:40 a.m.
His arm scraped against an outcropping of limestone. Water dripped into his eyes, and he pushed his hair back with splayed fingers. There was no indication of danger yet, but time was running out. Two special agents had arranged to meet them in Georgetown, and from there they would get her back to the States and placed in the witness protection program, leaving him to deal with the Anarchists’ man or men, as it might be.
It was a good plan as such plans went, still untried and subject to variables they had yet to anticipate.
The evening air basked warmly around him, and he knew he’d be dry in minutes. And as he began the walk back to the resort, his thoughts were on Erin and the most difficult part of his assignment still ahead. There was little time and because of that a premium on establishing trust.
Chapter Eleven
Tuesday, October 13
“Thirty,” Erin muttered through clenched teeth as she powered through another push-up. Full push-up, no woman’s version. She’d graduated into the real thing over two months ago. Push-ups, sit-ups, running in place—now it was all part of her daily regimen.
The sun streaked through the window, the early morning rays already heating the little room as the fan twirled overhead. She thought about turning on the air conditioner as she stood up and looked at her watch: 5:30 a.m.
“You’d be an hour from getting up in the old days,” she said and shook her head. “Talking to myself. When will that ever end?”
She turned her mind off distracting thoughts and instead concentrated on fifteen minutes of jogging in place.
Twenty minutes later she was untying her ponytail and reaching for the shower knob.
“Japan,” she murmured. “That’s far enough away.” She put her hand under the water, checking the temperature. “Train for part of the way, maybe through Bangkok.” She stepped into the shower. “English as a second language. Emma said everyone was doing it there, in Japan. I’d blend into a sea of Westerners.” She grabbed the soap and hummed a tuneless verse, made up for all she knew. It didn’t belong to a song she could think of.
Water sluiced down her body as she soaped and lathered and absently noticed how her curves were less full, firmer. Her soft, desk-formed body had transformed into an athlete’s body, and despite the fact that it had been of necessity she was beginning to appreciate it.
She reached down and turned off the water.
“You have to stay focused,” she reminded herself.
A bird whistled outside and then followed with a strange warble and the gecko that seemed to reside in her room continued its cricket-like chirp. Otherwise everything was quiet.
She looked out the window where she could see dense jungle on the other side of the walkway. With a second-from-the-end room, and the room beside her newly vacated, she had a privacy that the others did not. It was something she suspected could be advantageous to someone in her situation. She could easily run, hide in the jungle.
Dressed, she grabbed her bag and opened the door even as she took a deep, troubled breath. Leaves rustled and the S-path of a lizard imprinted on the thick foliage beneath the wooden walkway. Erin shivered. She disliked reptiles of any kind.
Soon she was in the hotel gift shop and five minutes later, she fingered a map she’d purchased there. It was a fairly decent map. If nothing else it showed the proximity of the Mulu caves in relation to the rest of Malaysia.
“Don’t go anywhere without a back door, a way out.” She whispered the words that Mike had emphasized again and again during the flurry of activity that had led to her flight. Thoughts of home and family overwhelmed her. She would be an aunt by now if Sarah had had the baby.
She pushed thoughts of home from her mind. Home distracted her and took her out of the moment. She became less observant and more vulnerable as a result. She’d learned that on a train through the Black Sea region in Russia when her pouch had almost gone missing. She’d closed her eyes at the wrong moment, drifted into a catnap with thoughts of home lulling her and only by chance had she awoken in time to stop the man attempting to cut her pouch free from her waist with a knife. She’d screamed and for the first time on her flight, drawn attention to herself. It was enough to have the man slink back to his seat as if nothing had happened. She’d huddled in hers and exited immediately at the next stop. Since then, she’d beefed up security on the pouch that carried everything of importance. A wire cord that couldn’t be easily cut had replaced the leather one, and the pouch itself was now out of view, under her clothes.
“Erin!”
She turned as Josh flagged her down with a one-armed wave.
“You’re a long way away. Daydreaming?” His voice had a teasing note.
“No, I’m fine. I was just...” Her fingers trembled. Damn it, she thought. Get it together.
“Erin?” He moved closer, and the faint scent of pine that might be shaving gel and fresh air wafted around her. She noticed the definition of his upper arm, like that of a man who worked out—one who was fit. She frowned but didn’t move away.
“What’s wrong?”
She tried to smile. “Nothing...”
Everything. I’m running. I’m alone and I’m terrified for my family, for myself.
The thoughts ran throug
h her mind even as she wrestled them into submission.
“You’re sure?” Concern played across his face.
“Yes. Just feeling a little down.”
“Classic single traveler syndrome. Being alone, I mean. It can bum you out.” His voice was low and smooth, self-assured like it hadn’t been before.
Her palms were slick with sweat from the heat and something else that she refused to give credence to. She moved away, disconcerted. Everything about him was tough and toned. And all of that brought her up short.
His eyes were a cinnamon color and she was drawn to them like this was the first time she’d seen them. The sunlight glinted on a steel stud in his left ear.
Who was Josh Sedovich?
“Josh?” His name was tentative on her lips. He wasn’t the geek he’d presented himself to be, that much was becoming clear. Or was it? Had her imagination just gone into overdrive? She’d had moments of this throughout the past five months. It was suspicion where in the end no suspicion was warranted. But it was better than the alternative—what had happened in Georgetown could never happen again. No one else must die because of her.
She clenched her fists, her nails digging deep. This was so hard. That was why in Georgetown it had been such a relief to strike up casual friendships.
Daniel.
“It wasn’t your fault.”
“What?” What the heck? Was he reading her mind?
“Whatever it is that’s bothering you. It’s not your fault.”
She bit back a sigh of relief. Except that soon it would be common knowledge. Especially now that she had disappeared. Only she hadn’t. She was registered under the name she’d used in Georgetown. She needed a new alias and she needed it soon.
Local teacher’s car explodes.
The headline was as clear in her mind as if he had said it or as if the news line had flashed before her eyes. Her heart raced and she had to quell the urge to bolt.
Three days. It seemed like forever, and she could only hope that it was soon enough.
* * *
“SO WHAT DO you do when you’re not vacationing?” Erin asked that afternoon.
Josh looked at the worn tips of his hiking boots, boots that had seen many mountains. He’d hiked mountain trails and rock climbed and on one assignment he’d even parachuted from a plane. It was all part of the job.
“Civic administrator,” he replied. It was a fairly dull career that no one tended to ask further questions about. “You?”
“I teach,” she said as if that general term covered it all.
“If I were to guess I’d say grade school,” he said with a smile. “You look like you’d be good with kids.”
She looked at him, startled, and he wondered if he had pushed her too hard.
“Just a guess.” He shrugged.
“You’re right,” she said softly. There was a note of pride in her voice. “I love kids,” she said. “It’s why I chose grade school education.” She hesitated.
He smiled. It was an easy conversation that surprised him, as it had been unplanned. “The only kids I know are those of a good friend of mine. Suzette calls me the drop-in, spoil-them-to-death uncle.” He shrugged. “They call me uncle even though I’m not.”
“Sounds like you enjoy them.”
“I do but I don’t get them. Don’t see enough kids, I guess, to be able to relate. But they do seem to love me, at least from the way they scream and jump all over me when I arrive.” He shrugged. “Could be the gifts I bring.”
“I’ve always loved kids,” Erin said softly.
“Is that regret I hear?”
“No, I... No, not really.”
He sat down on the edge of a lounge chair. “What brought you here?”
“Teaching English as a second language,” she said without hesitation. “I began the whole journey because of that and then unexpectedly got an opportunity to teach at a private primary school. It was a temporary fill-in.” There was a tight set to her mouth and a sorrowful look in her eyes.
“So, planning to go home?”
Her lips tightened and pain seemed to dance briefly in her eyes before she met his with a dazzling smile. “I may travel for a bit first.”
His eyes locked with hers. The startling sapphire blue held a hint of smoky mystery that hadn’t been there before. He dropped his gaze and wished he hadn’t stopped at the milky white skin where one collarbone pushed up against the delicate film of her blouse, and the rise of her breasts forced him to look away.
“Josh? I’m curious—the earring. Why the ace of spades?”
“A reminder,” he said shortly, more shortly than he’d intended.
“Really,” she said. “The ace of spades—the highest card in the deck and the death card. Interesting choice.”
The highest card always wins, he thought. Even over death.
She smiled at him and placed a hand on his wrist. The touch was featherlight, and for a minute it was as if there was nothing else, only the two of them.
“I’m planning to go to Deer Cave and see the bats. Leaving at four. I imagine that will be enough time. I want to enjoy the hike, stop, take some pictures.”
It took him a second to realize what she had said. His senses were still so full of her touch, her nearness.
She stood up.
“Alone?” Not in this lifetime, he thought grimly. He glanced at his watch. Sid Mylo had outsourced as he’d thought he would. Tenuk had just confirmed that at least one man in addition to Bobbie had arrived in Asia via Hong Kong. There was no word on Sid, and that was what worried him. They were still safe despite being stuck here longer than he’d planned. Tenuk had watches posted. Still, he wasn’t taking a chance. She wouldn’t be alone. Not that there wouldn’t be other tourists. Strangers. It wouldn’t happen. He was on her like glue.
“Want to come along?”
“I’d love to.” He inwardly cringed at the use of the word love. It was not a word, except in the context of a relationship with a woman, that he would use to describe anything. It was a girly word that didn’t fit into his world, but it fitted his current persona. He stood up. He admired the casual way in which she had thrown out the invitation. She was not as street blind as he had thought, but not nearly street savvy enough. At least her asking had saved him manipulating the invitation.
She rubbed her bottom lip with her tongue, an endearing habit that he noticed she did when she was out of her element. A habit that was not something forced or put on, and not something a professional should ever do. But she wasn’t a professional.
For a moment, as the silence shrouded them, the jungle seemed to close in around them.
“I’ll meet you here.” She lifted her wrist and looked at her watch. “In, say, an hour? I’d like to leave early, well before four even, take my time along the walk.”
“Sounds good. Do you have a map?” The question was redundant—he had mapped and tracked the area, and the layout was clear in his mind, not to mention the walkway that was impossible to get lost on.
“Yes,” she said. “No worries. I’m good with a map.”
“Well, at least someone is,” he said in his best Josh the Geek voice.
He watched her leave with a slight swing of her hips and realized for the first time that when this assignment was over he wasn’t so sure he could just walk away without a second thought.
“Get it together, Sedovich,” he muttered as the revolver tucked in the waistband of his pants pressed against his back, and his mind began to go over the intricate layout of the cave that contained the intriguing underground river.
His gaze followed her even as he made sure she wasn’t aware of his vigilance. But the truth was that he wouldn’t let her out of his sight.
Chapter Twelve
“This is amazing,” Erin said as she snapped a picture an hour and a half later. “Josh?” She looked at him with a slight frown. “Can you believe this? Look.” Her finger brushed along the wooden rail on the walkway within inches of a stick insect—its long, wood-like body was motionless as it seemed poised to wait and see what they might do next. She slipped a small disposable camera from her pocket and took a picture.
Fine lines bracketed her mouth. They hadn’t been there in the pictures he had seen of her before her flight.
He pulled his gaze to her eyes where interest and something else sparked. They both knew what the something else was—fear, anxiety, the threat of death that haunted her.
“It is,” he agreed and shadowed her as he pulled out the cheap camera he’d purchased in a market in Singapore.
“Special forces took out a man in Kuala Lumpur,” Tenuk said as the morning sun cast a glare from behind.
“Dead?”
“Unfortunately,” Tenuk said. “No answers from a corpse and no word who or what might be following him.”
“Too close. I need to get her out of here. I’ve got to get hold of Wade.”
“That might be exactly what they expect. Sit tight. Let’s keep to the original plan for now.”
He shook his head. The conversation with Tenuk had only been this morning. He had rethought logistics but found Tenuk was right. The Malaysian Special Forces kill had taken the assassins back a step. He turned his attention to Erin and hurried to join her, but she was already heading up the walkway as if the Mulu bat cave was the most important tourist attraction that she would ever see.
“Hey, stop for a minute.” He puffed as if the ten minutes of easy walking combined with an additional twenty minutes of power walking had exhausted him. “Slow down.”
She stopped and turned around, one hand on her hip. But as their eyes met she looked suddenly confused, as though she wasn’t sure who he was.
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