Asp

by Kris Michaels

  "But it was...legal?"

  "It was."

  "How?"

  "I can't tell you."

  They sat in silence for a while before Lyric asked, "Is that what you do? You kill people?"

  He nodded. "Yes."

  She twirled the words through her mind. Gooseflesh rose on her arms. "This man who is waiting for you and trying to figure out where you will be, how would he even know where to start looking?"

  Asp shrugged. "Simple. He had an idea of where I was when he took the shot. He would know he didn't fire a kill shot, so he'd start there. Track me if he could. Your grandfather said he saw men on the ridge, which lends credence to that supposition. If I took a shot, I'd know if I hit the target, even a glancing wound. I can almost guarantee he knows I'm injured. He knows I'll need help. Chances are the people he works for have people monitoring the hospitals and local doctors." He turned his head, his brow furrowed. "How did you obtain the medication you gave me?"

  A small laugh escaped. "Jo-Jo."

  "Excuse me?"

  "We have a donkey; her name is Jo-Jo. She is small and stubborn and not too bright. She walks through barbed wire fences, usually once or twice a year. Dad told the vet that she'd done it again and the cuts were infected. He gave me the medication. I gave the medication to you."

  Isaac turned his head back toward the field, but not before she saw his lips twitch. “It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been treated like an ass.”

  She chuckled even though the situation was dire. Lyric leaned her head against his strong shoulder. "What are we going to do?"

  Isaac drew a deep breath. "That is up to you. We can make an attempt to reach your grandfather's farm. If we are being followed by the FARC, your family may be targeted. Or, we can try to make it to my vehicle. If we do, I can get us out. Safely."

  Lyric's snapped her head around. "What? You mean to leave the country?" Leave Colombia? The old desire flicked inside her, like a small spark.

  He nodded. "Only for a short while. Will your grandfather come back up here?"

  "The banana harvest is in full swing. If he did come back to check on me, it wouldn't be until that finished. In just over a week, maybe a few days more." She'd lost track of time, but with the large crop this year, it would take a couple days longer to harvest the bananas. She shelved the dream of leaving Colombia and concentrated on his words.

  "If we are where I think we are, and that could be seriously messed up because I was out of it during the last hours, we should make it to my exit point in four days. No, five. I don't have the stamina to make it in four days. When we get out, I can get word to them, so they know you are safe and that you'll be back."

  "Unless this sniper finds us." She dropped her head into her hands. "So, my choices are to possibly lead the FARC to my family and jeopardize them or lead them away from my family and...”

  "And possibly die because of me." His words were flat, hard and cold. But that was exactly what she needed to hear. The truth.

  "You will be there to protect me, and I'll be there to help you. What are the odds we will make it out?"

  He pinched his lips together, still staring out into the darkness. "Fifty-fifty."

  Lyric swallowed hard. She’d hoped for much better odds. She nodded and croaked, "The odds of leading the FARC back to my family?"

  He shrugged. "I don't know. I wish I did. We could crest the ridge and run into them, or we could make it down to your farm and not see a soul."

  "You don't believe that, though do you? That we wouldn't see anyone or be seen by anyone?"

  "No, I don't." He gestured down the path toward the cluster of marmalade bushes that concealed a dead body. "He wasn't out here alone. When he doesn't come back, someone will come looking for him. On top of that, when he cursed, it was in English. He's here with the people who were brought in by the man I killed."

  Lyric rung her hands together for a moment as she thought. "Is he the caliber of man this monster recruited?"

  That got a huff of air from Isaac. "Neither of us have any idea what that man was capable of doing. I got the drop on him. Luck on my part."

  That was true, to a point. Lyric knew the man had no idea that Isaac was waiting for him when he dropped. But she knew what she’d seen. Isaac was a skilled fighter. She glanced up to the ridgeline of the small canyon. Even odds or walk into the unknown. She didn't like either situation, but she'd been the one to tell her grandfather she'd take care of Isaac. If her grandfather was here, there wouldn't be this discussion. He'd go with Isaac to lead them away from her and her father. She knew it. She couldn't do less.

  Chapter 12

  "I’m not going to chance leading the FARC to my family. Let's hope your luck holds out. I'm coming with you."

  Her words were the ones he wanted to hear, but neither scenario was good. She leaned into him. He lifted his arm and let her tuck into his side.

  "When we leave, you will need to listen and obey what I tell you when I tell you. Don't question or hesitate. It could mean the difference between life and death for us." She nodded and scooted closer to him. "The night is quiet. Our travels have to be silent. We will move slowly, very slowly until the sun starts to rise. We can't risk alerting someone to our presence during sunrise or sunset when the wildlife is most active. We will move when the night is darkest. No flashlights, no illumination of any kind."

  "How will we see where we are going?"

  "You'd be surprised how well your eyes will adapt given extended time in the darkness." Is there anything in the cave that could be used to identify your family?"

  "In the cave? No. But remember I told you my grandfather built a shrine to my grandmother and his family just above here. Their names, the dates they lived and died. They are permanently etched in the stone."

  Asp nodded. He remembered her telling him, but there was nothing he could do about the shrine. "Alright, if the cave was discovered and it was apparent someone had lived there, the next logical step would be to find the person who made the shrine above it and question them. We need to gather everything we aren't taking with us and bury it in one of the darkest corners of the inner cavern. I'll do that while you get leaves to obscure our footprints."

  "Then what?" She looked up at him. Worry etched her expression.

  He lifted a finger and traced the deep line between her eyebrows. The act seemed intimate, but he took the liberty after that kiss. He nodded away from the cave. "Then we get to the top of that ridge, and I get my bearings. We are heading northeast. We'll drop further in elevation but stay in the wooded area." He ran his finger over her cheek before he dropped it, removed his arm from her shoulder and stood up.

  "Won't that make it easy to hear us?" She rose gracefully to her feet.

  "If we were running or trying to escape, yes. We won't be. We are going to move slowly, and quietly." Not only because the darkness was their best defense, but because he knew he couldn't last if the effort was more taxing. Playing things safe wasn't his usual M.O. He had the scars to prove it, but this time he had someone else counting on him, a spitfire of a woman who was stronger mentally than most men he'd encountered. He ducked and headed into the cave. It was time.

  Asp stopped just below the crest of the ridge and signaled. He waited for Lyric to catch up with him. They were moving in installments. He'd travel a distance, stop and hold up a hand when he noticed trouble with the trail, and let her mark the approximate location. The loud snap of a branch behind him echoed in the night. He studied the area around him looking for any sudden movement. Lyric was close, and he held a hand up, stilling her forward progress. He studied the terrain before he motioned her up to him.

  "Sorry." She whispered, soft. Barely audible.

  He put his mouth next to her ear. "When you step down, test the ground with your toe first. You can feel branches or loose rocks. Put your weight down only after your toe is on solid ground. Don't hurry. Just keep coming toward me." She nodded her understanding. "We are crawling ove
r the ridge. I need you as low to the ground as you can get. If someone is looking for us, they could see us silhouetted by the moon if we stand." She nodded again and he low-crawled over the ridge and down the slope. When he motioned for her to follow she mimicked his movements. She was a fast study. When she reached him, he moved forward again, this time standing to move through brush and trees. He stopped about a hundred yards in front of her and adjusted the rifle he'd strapped across his back. The weight of it, plus the pack he carried, put additional strain on his stamina, but he couldn't stop. He needed to get Lyric out of his mess. She'd been his savior when he couldn't ask for help. He needed to be the same for her and her family.

  Asp motioned her forward for the last time. There was a large thicket of vines and trees ahead. He found a place large enough for both of them to crawl into where they'd sleep and rest, hidden from sight, until nightfall. The last of his depleted energy reserves waned as the wildlife woke. She reached him and waited. He signaled, and they both dropped to their knees.

  He whispered, "We are sleeping here. Go behind those trees to relieve yourself. We won't be able to come out until after dark."

  She nodded and almost soundlessly made her way back behind a stand of trees. Asp moved away in the other direction and did the same. They came back together, and he pointed and motioned for her to follow him. He dropped to his knees, removed his gun and his pack and placed them beside her. He motioned for her to wait. She nodded. One well-placed hand in front of the other, he worked his way through the vines, opening a passage until they cleared against a stand of small trees. The area was tight. They'd have to sleep on their sides, but they could manage. He made his way back, folding back vines and branches that would impede her ability to follow him. When he emerged, she expelled a breath.

  He took his rifle, shouldered his pack and motioned for her to go first. After she passed them, he grabbed the vines and slowly moved them back, blocking their entrance to anything but the most discerning tracker. When he reached her, she'd already pulled out a blanket and a water bottle. The blanket was on the ground protecting them from thorns and small branches. She sat on her heels and handed him the bottle after he placed his rifle on the ground with the muzzle pointed down the small tunnel in the vegetation.

  He dropped his pack and pulled out two protein bars, giving one to her. They sat down on the blanket and consumed the bars and drank the water. They would have to find more to eat eventually, but in the tropical zone they were traversing, that wouldn't be a problem for someone with his skills. He dropped his pack to use as a pillow and lay down on his uninjured side. She dropped down beside him, used his arm as a pillow and fell asleep. This first night was successful. They were out of the cave and heading toward safety, but the obstacles before them were massive. Asp pulled her into a more comfortable position on his arm and closed his eyes. He'd take it one step at a time.

  The mid-day heat woke him. Although they were protected from direct sun by the brush, vines, and trees, the foliage also blocked any breeze that might have alleviated the muggy intensity of the Colombian heat. Lyric had moved while they slept. She'd turned and was facing him with her cheek pillowed on her hand. The braid that held her long fall of dark brown hair back had loosened, and strands had been dislodged. Her long eyelashes rested on her cheeks. Asp noted the fine spray of freckles over the bridge of her nose. He cataloged each one rather than give in to the urge to reach out and touch her. She was a beautiful person, inside and out. He figured the beauty on the inside ran strong in her family. Her grandfather didn't have to help him, but he did. Lyric didn't need to stay with him once the fever broke, yet, she did.

  Asp eased himself onto his back and stared up through the intertwined vines, branches, and leaves. It was rare he allowed himself to dream, to consider a 'what if' scenario. Hindsight was always twenty-twenty, and he rarely gave into the inclination to wonder what could have been, but...he glanced at the woman sleeping beside him. If he hadn't accepted the CIA's proposal, if he hadn't shielded his parents from the horrors of his life, if he had returned home and tried to live in nine-to-five suburbia, would he have had a family? Kadey's smile flashed brilliantly through his mind. Before his life shattered into a million pieces, he'd wanted that. Children with a woman who could put up with his bullshit and love him anyway. He was wired to be a one-woman man. Before he officially died, he wasn't a serial dater. He liked being in relationships. Unfortunately, his career blocked every attempt he’d made, and he'd come to accept that, but...yeah, he would’ve loved to have had a family. A wife and children to love, protect, cherish.

  "A penny for your thoughts?"

  The whispered comment made him smile. He rolled back onto his side. Their eyes met, and she gave him a sleepy smile. "They aren't worth a penny." He reached out and pulled one of the stray wisps of hair from her cheek.

  "How will I know unless you tell me?" She reached over and picked a dead leaf off his shoulder.

  "I was wondering what my life would have been like if I had made different decisions. If I would have had a family." Sharing that information with her wasn't his plan, but for some reason, his mouth and brain had a disconnect concerning this woman. Talking to her was easy. He'd never tell her anything that would put her in any further danger, but he liked her, cared for her. Probably too much.

  "Ah, reflections. We all have times in our lives when we question if we've done the right thing." She closed her eyes and settled her head against her hand again.

  "You’re too young to have those worries."

  "You think so?" She opened her eyes and gazed at him. He nodded. She stared at him for several long seconds before she gave a slight shake of her head. "I don't. I think life doesn't discriminate. You make decisions when you are young and inexperienced, and you pay for the bravado and ignorance. Or someone you love pays. Regrets plague us all, don't you think?" She closed her eyes again and yawned, making a small sound at the end. Asp wanted to hear that contented hum again.

  He stared at her long lashes laying against her skin for a moment before he answered, "I think you are an intelligent, beautiful woman, and I think you should have gone home after my fever broke. Staying with me wasn't the smart thing for you to do." Asp hated that she was forced to flee with him. If they were discovered together on the way back to his vehicle...

  She opened her eyes and stared at him for a moment before she lifted up onto her elbow and gazed unseeing at something over his shoulder. Her lips thinned, and she shook her head before she met his eyes. "I have a lot of regrets. Staying with you is not one of them." Asp followed her movements as she lowered and scooted closer to him. The heat between them only intensified the temperature of the sun. She reached up and trailed a finger from his jaw to his shoulder. "I think any regret about you is yet to come. One day, you will walk away, and the colors that have painted my life since I saw you lying on that pallet will drain and fade. My world will return to what it has been, pale and uninteresting."

  The words surrounded him like a soothing balm, one that he didn't deserve, but he'd cherish them nonetheless. "The excitement coloring your world at the moment will get you killed. I'm bad company. I can only put you in danger." He ran his hand down her arm. Her skin prickled from his touch, and she shivered. He lifted his eyes to hers. She pushed him onto his back and pinned him, lying half on his chest. She hovered over him. Her eyes strayed from his down to his lips and then slid back up to his eyes again. "Stop trying to protect me, Isaac. I'm a big girl. I do what I want to do. Right now, I want to kiss you."

  "Protecting you is the least I should do." He swallowed hard. He didn’t dare consider what he really wanted. He shook his head, still maintaining eye contact. "No, we can't." He knew if he allowed it, if she kissed him, it would lead to deeper feelings, further intimacies that would only lead to disaster. At least for him. It would be too hard to let her go.

  "I don't want your least. I want your everything.”

  Her words caressed his skin as she pressed
her lips against his, and then seduced his mouth with her tongue. He let her control the kiss and allowed himself to respond. Allowed? Hell, he couldn't stop. He wasn't sure when the protectiveness and care he felt for her gave way to something more intense—but it was there. That intensity of emotion had a name, and a fist of fear gripped his chest. He had nothing to give her. No future, no life...only death.

  She deepened the kiss. Her hands threaded through his hair, and she tightened her grip to stop him from pulling away. Her insistence destroyed his lingering hesitation and he relaxed into the sweet taste of her. Their tongues danced, and he slowly took command of the kiss. Her small whimper of need when he rolled her over and deepened the kiss reverberated through his body and settled like an electric charge in his balls. The attraction between them destroyed his defenses.

  Since Isaac Cooper had died and become Asp, sex had been a physical release for him. He didn't kiss the women he fucked. It kept emotions out of the act. Knowing the danger she posed to him, Asp would never have initiated any intimate contact, and he successfully pulled away when she demanded a kiss at the cave. But now? There was no place left for the long suppressed inner man, the one who dreamed of “what ifs” to flee. Lyric's small gasps and hums as they kissed tended a desolate, dry place in his soul. Her laugh when he jumped as her fingers trailed over his ribs watered the parched expanses of his need. She was beautiful music to his soul, even when the only sound was her skin caressing his.

  She pushed on his chest, and he lifted off her, his body rigid with desire, and his mind clouded with lust. Fuck him, from just a few kisses and touches, he was worked up to the point of coming in his pants. Hell, she hadn't even touched his cock. But he had to be responsible. "We don't have protection." His words fell on a heavy exhale.

  "Then we'll have to improvise." Her smile stretched slowly as she reached down and palmed his cock.