The motor passed by the general location where Jonas had hidden the motorbike, traveled about twenty more feet, then stopped.
Jonas tore his mouth away from hers and was out of the tent in a flash.
“Get dressed,” he said, reaching for the gun he’d left at the head of the tent. He paused long enough to shove on his pants and boots and pulled his long sleeve shirt over his head, as he headed away from their camp toward the road.
April’s racing heart, which had already broken some traffic laws thanks to that kiss, stepped on the gas as fear shot through her veins. If they found Jonas, he was as good as dead. They’d come here and take the PRIM and drag her back to her father and who knew how he would punish her for her betrayal? Would he kill her? She used to know the answer to that question, but not anymore.
April scrambled for her clothes and got dressed in record time. Unable to find the crew socks she’d worn the day before, she grabbed a pair of thin ankle socks out of her bag and slipped them on her feet before she shoved on her heavy hiking boots.
When she was dressed, she knelt to roll up the sleeping bag and Bivy tent. Neither would shrink into the tidy little rolls Jonas had managed to get them into, but she decided it was good enough under the circumstances. She tucked them under her arm and crawled out from beneath the tarp.
A thick morning mist hovered over the clearing as the early morning sun tried to break through the canopy. The light rain whispering through the leaves barely touched her as she bent to shove the tent and sleeping bag into Jonas’ backpack. Spotting a leather scabbard sticking out of one of the inner side pockets, she picked it up and examined the sharp little knife inside. She wasn’t sure she could actually use it as a weapon, even if she had no choice, but having a knife in her back pocket was better than being completely defenseless.
Rising to her feet, she stood very still listening for the sound of an altercation. The rainforest creatures went strangely quiet as if they were listening too.
What was taking Jonas so long?
She pulled the tarp off the rope that was strung between the two trees and began to fold it.
A branch overhead by the far edge of the clearing fluttered as something moved toward her. Monkeys! No, not monkeys, unless they were trying to sneak up on her, which she highly doubted. It was something else. Stuffing the tarp into her own backpack because there was no way it was going to fit in Jonas pack, she watched the leaves of the tree branch shake again. She zipped up her bag and slung it over her shoulder before she moved in for a closer look.
“It’s probably a venomous snake and I’m gonna to die,” she said to herself as she came to stand below the tree.
A sloth hung upside down from the branch munching on leaves. A baby clung to her chest. The mama turned her head and gazed at April with big solemn eyes. Her breath caught in the throat as she watched the graceful creature and its young. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. They baby made noise like high pitched “Ahhh.”
“Shh! It’s okay, baby. I’m not going to hurt you or your mama.”
“Who are you talking to?” Jonas startled her as he appeared out of thin air.
She put her hand over her pounding heart. “Don’t do that! I almost peed my pants.”
He took a knife out of his chest harness and used it to cut down the rope she’d left tied to the trees. “Thanks for breaking camp. You forgot the pad.”
“I didn’t know how to deflate it.”
“You roll it up squeezing the air of it as you go, but there’s no time. Your father’s men are fanning out and combing the area like I thought they would. The rain must not have washed out the bike tracks as well I’d hoped.” He rolled up the rope and opened his bag. He frowned when he saw the messy way she’d folded his gear. “We’ll talk about this later. We’ve got to move.” He crammed the rope inside and then flung the pack over his shoulder.
He shoved the inflated pad under a shrub and kicked some dead leaves over it before wiping the area of their tracks.
As they started out of the clearing, April glanced back at the mama sloth and her baby and felt an acute pinch of longing for her own little one. She missed Archie’s laughter and sweet smell and baby bear hugs. This was the longest she’d ever been away from him, and she hated that she couldn’t pick up a phone and hear his voice. Maybe when they got to wherever they were going Jonas would let her call Molly to check on him.
Jonas slapped his neck, crushing the giant mosquito that had just landed on him. It was still early in the day, but it was hot and damp as a sauna. “Watch your step,” he said, pointing out a thick root as he stepped over it.
After almost three hours of trudging through thick jungle in virtual silence, April had grown quiet.
The off-road vehicles had multiplied, but they were tracking them slowly and were still a mile or so away. Trapped between the Rio Negro River and the road, Jonas had no choice but to keep plowing forward, hoping they’d reach the boat station before Linus’ men figured out where they were heading. The fast boat was due in at noon. It would stop for five minutes and move on with or without them. The next eastbound boat wouldn’t come for another 24 hours. If they wanted to avoid spending another night in the jungle, they couldn’t stop to rest.
Linus’ men were closing in on them. He could probably take a few of them out, but he’d give away their location and a dozen more would come in their place. Right now, they didn’t know for certain they were on the right track and as long as that was the case, there was always the chance they’d give up and turn back.
There were a lot of variables. There always were in these kinds of situations, but when he usually fled danger, he wasn’t towing precious cargo. If anything were to happen to April—
“Do you have any more drinking water?” Her voice was hoarse.
About an hour into their trek, he’d handed her an energy bar and devoured one himself while they passed his canteen back and forth. He’d saved the last third in case they had trouble finding clean water later.
He glanced over at her to tell her to hold off for a bit when he saw her wince in pain. “You okay?”
“I’m fine. Just thirsty.”
Unclipping the canteen from his pack, he handed her the bottle. “Sip it slowly and don’t drink too much. We may need it later.”
He sliced his machete through another thick vine.
“How much farther?” She capped the canteen and handed it back.
“Two hours or so. We need to make Meio Caminho by noon or we’re going to be in a lot of trouble.”
“I’m slowing you down. I’m sorry for making you bring me along.”
He caught her dejected expression and felt a chunk of the concrete surrounding his heart chip off. “I brought you along because you made a valid point.” He dropped back so they were walking more evenly. “Let’s talk about something else.”
“Like what?”
“Tell me about Archie. What’s he like?”
She smiled and some of the strain on her face eased. “He’s bright and funny and stubborn. When he gets something in his head, it’s really hard to change his mind. He’s inquisitive.”
“I figured that one out on my own.” Jonas chuckled. “What else?”
“He’s kind to animals. If he sees a little snail on the sidewalk, he’ll stop to save it, so it doesn’t get stepped on. He wants a dog so badly, but I don’t really have the time to care for it properly.”
“I like dogs.” He took her hand and threaded his fingers through hers.
“You do?”
“Yeah, I had an old brown lab when I was a kid. Well, he wasn’t mine exactly. Jack belonged to my neighbor Willie Wilcox, but I played with the dog and took him for walks and stuff. He followed me around everywhere. I swear he understood every word I said to him. Willie used to tell me I was Jack’s kid and that every dog needed its own kid to feel complete.”
“That’s sweet.” She squeezed his hand. “How old were you when you first met h
im?”
Jonas thought about it. “Six maybe. The damn dog swiped a Twizzler right out my mouth and took off up the road.”
April smiled. “You were just a little bit older than Archie.”
“Yeah. I guess I was. Where did you get his name? Archie. Is it short for something?”
She patted Anders’ shoulder. “Archie is short for Archer. I wanted to name him after you without being too obvious. I figured the tattoo on your left shoulder meant something to you and that’s where I got the name. It’s dumb, isn’t it?”
“Creative. I’m a Sagittarius. Not that I believe too heavily in that stuff, but I always thought the Astrological sign was cool, and it was something about me that would never change.”
“When’s your birthday?
“December 24th.”
“Archie was born on March 8th. His full name is Archer Anders Linus. Suppose I can change it to Ostergaard now. Or would you prefer Smith?”
“Wait. Hold up a minute. Why the hell would you name him after Anders?”
“Because Molly and Anders gave me a place to live and looked out for me while I was pregnant. They’re Archie’s godparents.”
“Why them? Why not your other friends Juan and Cher?”
“You mean Carly. I actually asked them first, but they agreed that they’d rather be Archie’s Fairy Godmothers. Their words not mine.”
April stopped talking when she heard the sound of barking dogs a good distance behind them.
“Can you run?” Jonas said, dropping her hand.
“I’ll try.”
“Head straight. I’ll be right behind you. Go!”
Shielding her face against the overgrown foliage, she ducked under a vine and took off in the direction they were traveling.
Jonas took off after her and spotted a creek almost immediately. “Over there. Get into the creek.”
They splashed through the ankle-deep water making better time for the lack of jungle brush in their path.
The barking escalated into a frenzy when the dogs picked up their scent.
“Damn it. How you holding up?”
“I’m okay,” she said despite the fact she was panting heavily. “Should we climb a tree or something?”
“Nope. Our best chance to get away is to outrun them.” He grabbed her hand and tugged her along behind him. “Focus on staying on your feet. I got you.”
“I’m fine,” she insisted and slipped. She fell sideways landing on the embankment. “Ow, my ankle. Darn it. I twisted it. I need a minute.”
They didn’t have a minute. “We have to keep moving. Do you know what a fireman’s carry is?”
“I think so.”
He pulled her to her feet. “Don’t put any weight on your ankle. I’m going to carry you across my shoulders.”
“Won’t I be too heavy?”
“Nope. Come on, let’s do this.” He bent down and flung her over his shoulders, grabbing her right arm and leg to brace her he started to move. “How’s that feel?”
“Are you sure I’m not too heavy?”
She barely added any weight at all. “As a butterfly. I’m going to run now.”
“I’m okay. Go. Go!”
He took off, running along the banks of creek, going at least twice as fast as he had before. The thing about tracking dogs, they didn’t have the stamina to keep running at full speed and their handlers usually wore out before they did. Within ten minutes, the sound of pursuit faded, and the barking disappeared altogether. Jonas kept running though because he could. He had at least another ten minutes in him at a full out run over rough terrain, and he was making up much needed time.
When he finally stopped to rest for a few moments and set April down, she insisted her ankle had started to feel better, but he wasn’t buying it. He gave her some Ibuprofen and offered her the canteen.
“When we get to Meio Caminho,” he said, readjusting the strap on his pack, “I’ll go in alone in case your father’s men are waiting for us.”
The strain around April’s beautiful blue eyes returned. Covered with mud and makeup-less, her silky blonde hair coming out of her ponytail, she still was the most beautiful women he’d ever laid eyes on.
“What if you’re captured?” Her tired eyes filled with tears.
He squeezed her arms to make sure she was listening. “Take the fast boat to Venezuela. Use the satellite phone in my pack to contact my brother Jimmy. His direct line is number one on the speed dial. He’ll find you and take you home. Got it?”
“Yeah,” she said, sounding less than thrilled about plan B.
Jonas stood and dusted off his pants. He wasn’t afraid of dying. His job was so dangerous, he’d learned to live with the idea that any day could be his last. Still, an unfamiliar tightness in his chest gave him pause. If he was going to die today, there was one thing he wanted to be certain of before he went. “Ostergaard. That’s my legal name. Change his name to Ostergaard.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“Where are they?” April crouched beside Jonas behind a dense row of banana trees. The big leaves arched like an umbrella over their heads providing shade and cover from the small, sleepy village. Meio Caminho consisted of maybe a dozen shacks facing a large dock on the Rio Negro river. There were a few people milling about, but not what they had expected.
“It’s quiet,” Jonas replied. “Too quiet. Something’s wrong,”
“Do you think they’re waiting to ambush us?”
“There’s only one way to find out.”
She grabbed his arm when he started to stand. “Wait, where are you going?”
“I need to inquire about the boat. And if there’s going to be a confrontation, I’d rather it happens now than when we’re trying to board.”
She didn’t want him to go, but she released his arm. “Be careful, Jonas.”
“I’m always careful.” He bent forward, kissed her swiftly on the mouth, and then was gone.
A swell of giddiness bubbled up inside of her. She sat down hard on his backpack but barely felt the zipper tab jab into her bottom.
Shouts from the village slammed her back to reality hard. They were in an incredibly dangerous situation, and she was mooning over Jonas like he was her high school crush. Kneeling on the ground, she shoved a pair of scrawny banana trees apart and peered through them trying to see what was happening. Two native men stood by the far corner of the closest hut arguing in Portuguese. Jonas wasn’t one of them. She relaxed a fraction and let the trees fall back into place.
A soft hissing sound beside her right ear made her blood run cold.
April didn’t breathe as the shiny black head of a snake appeared out of the corner of her left eye. She pressed her lips together tightly as its pink tongue flicked out, tickling her temple as it tasted her.
Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god.
The knife. She had a knife in her back pocket, but if she moved would the snake strike? Was it venomous? Oh god, where was Jonas?
April held completely still as the snake’s dusty black body dropped farther out of the tree skimming her arm. Hovering there, it went very still and quiet, focusing on her bare left hand resting on her thigh.
Very carefully, and slowly, she reached with her right hand for the knife in the back pocket of her jeans. She really didn’t want to hurt the animal, but she had to protect herself.
Please go away snake. Please go away.
When her fingers touched the hilt of the knife, a little rush of adrenaline mingled with doubt. Was the knife sharp enough to pierce a snake? Was she fast enough? Was she about to die a ridiculous death? Would Jonas return to find her half ingested by a reptile? Where were the monkeys when she needed them?
The snake attacked in a flash, its smooth, dry flesh brushing her hand as it bypassed her to strike the pale green snake coiled in the dead leaves beside her knee.
April jumped backward and tumbled over Jonas’ backpack scrambling to get out of the way as the two snakes thrashed violently. Th
e black snake had the green one by the back of the neck, giving it the advantage. When the green one started to give up the fight, the black one coiled around it and squeezed until the green one went limp. Only then, did the black snake let go and slowly devour the green one head first.
Jonas came around the edge of the banana trees at a full run. He stopped short when he saw April kneeling on the ground clutching a small knife out in front of her like she was about to commit hara-kiri.
“I heard you scream. What the hell’s going on?”
“Snake!” She pointed with the knife.
Two snakes lay limply beside the backpack. One neck deep in the other’s throat.
“Shit. Are you all right?”
She nodded, but she was visibly shaking. “What took you so long?”
“I was gone for five minutes. What happened?”
She climbed to her feet shakily and dusted off the damp leaves that were stuck to her clothes. “The black one came out of the tree by my head. I thought it was going to attack me, but it was after the pale green one by my knee. I almost knelt on it!”
“The black one is a mussurana. It’s mildly poisonous but usually doesn’t bother with humans.” He picked up his backpack and slung it over his shoulders. “The light green one, though. Pit viper. Highly venomous. One bite can take down a cow.”
“So, you’re saying the mussurana saved my life?” She sounded slightly bemused.
“You probably weren’t in the equation. He was just looking for lunch. Let’s go. The boat’s coming.”
April walked ahead of him but glanced back at the snakes. “I’m glad I didn’t kill it.”
“Like you did the monkey?”
“Stop!” She shoved his arm.
He chuckled to himself. Teasing her was fun, but he was truly impressed. The fact she would even consider attempting to kill a snake with a puny little camping knife was incredible. April had a soft heart, but she was tough as nails when she needed to be. Wanting to be near her, Jonas slid his arm around her neck and pulled her closer as they headed toward the dock.
Passion Punch Page 22
