“Are you okay?” he called over the motor.
Lily crawled onto her seat too. “Yes. You?”
“I’m okay. But I can’t believe you saved the fucking bird.”
She smiled. No. It was more than that, it was a broad beam of triumph and elation. Lily began to giggle, and soon both of them roared with laughter. After yet another brush with death, their hysterics made them seem insane.
Maybe they were.
Soon the only sound was the roar of the engine.
Lily met his gaze. Her eyes shimmered as if she’d been crying. “Thank you for getting my pack.”
“Stupid thing nearly got us killed,” Carter grumbled.
Lily crawled over her seat to him, clutched her arms around his neck and wept. “I love you.”
And that made the whole terrifying experience worthwhile.
Chapter 24
Lily wiped her eyes and sat back on the seat. Sheer exhaustion racked her body. What they’d done was incredible . . . and incredibly stupid. Her insistence nearly got them both killed. But it was like she’d been possessed. She’d never be able to rest, knowing those men had her name and all her passport details. And there was no way she could leave Pompa in the hands of those madmen. It would’ve been like leaving Otomi all over again, and she just couldn’t do it.
She turned Pompa’s cage upright. The bird had his tongue out, panting, and his normally fluffed up feathers were flat, lifeless. “There you go, mate.” She wished she could release him from the cage and hold him, let him know he was safe. If he died of a heart attack or something after all that, she’d be devastated.
Carter adjusted the engine down a notch and she turned to him, frowning.
“Lily, move up front and watch for rocks.”
“Okay.” She climbed over her seat and eased down into the bow section.
The motor had them barreling over the water at breakneck speed. During the day this would’ve been okay, but in this minimal moonlight, it was downright dangerous. Lily could barely make out the dark shapes of larger rocks in the water, often only when they were about to hit them.
“It’s really hard to see. Maybe we should stop.”
“Not yet.” He was difficult to hear over the roar of the motor.
The blackened jungle whizzed by, and she scanned the river, clutching the rim of the bow, desperate to remain onboard should they hit something hidden beneath the water.
The engine sputtered, and she turned to Carter. Ethereal moonlight highlighted his distress. The motor coughed, spewed black smoke, and died completely, plunging them into eerie silence.
“Shit!” He screamed to the heavens and all Lily could do was watch, helpless.
After a deep breath, he tugged on the handle and pulled the ignition rope several times, frantically attempting to restart the engine. Eventually he sighed, crumbling to his seat. “I think we’re out of fuel.”
They were at the mercy of the river.
“Grab an oar, babe.”
Lily pushed up onto the seat and reached for her oar. Carter moved to sit beside her. “What do we do now?” she asked.
“Try not to crash.”
“Very funny. I’m serious.”
“Me too. We need to stay in the middle.”
She clutched the oar with two hands, hooked her feet under the seat, and strained to see the rocks before they hit them.
“Watch that rock! Paddle!” Carter used his oar to push off a giant boulder on her right.
“Do you think we should pull into shore?” she asked.
“Maybe.” Carter dug his oar into the water to avoid another rock. “We’ll keep going a bit more.”
She glanced up to the moon. It was nearly all the way over to the left side of the canyon. They’d be in complete darkness soon. White water frothed at the bases of rocks, making them a little easier to see, but it was the ones hidden beneath the boat, which they’d already crunched over several times, that concerned her the most. If they hit, there was every chance they’d smash a hole in the boat and sink to the bottom of the river.
She had no intention of getting back in the water again.
The boat lurched to a halt, slamming her forward. Metal squealed, loud and torturous, and the bow raised out of the water.
“Shit!” Carter leaned over the engine. His muscles bulged as he strained against its weight. It took Lily a few moments to realize the motor was caught on something.
Water tumbled into the boat.
She crawled back to help him.
The merciless torrent drove the boat under and at the same time wedged the engine against the rock.
“We have to lift it.” Carter’s panic scared her as much as the water flooding in. “Grab on and help me.”
She copied his lead and leaned over the back of the engine. With water cascading over her arms and lower body, she gripped her fingers onto the motor. “Ready!” she yelled.
A groan released from her throat, matching Carter’s cries of exertion. It didn’t budge at first, but then, as if something snapped, the motor flipped up. The bow fell onto the water. They both fell forward and the current caught again, carrying them on downstream.
“Holy shit,” Carter said. “Are you okay?”
“I thought we were going to drown.”
“Yeah, me too. Let’s pull into shore.” Carter tugged wet hair from his eyes. “We need a spot to hide.”
They bounced off several more rocks, both above and below the water, before she pointed to the right, farther up the riverbank. “There. That tree.”
“Perfect. Paddle.” Carter dug his blade into the water, as did Lily, and after a couple of frantic strokes they pulled in behind a fallen tree. About a quarter of its trunk sprawled across the water.
Carter clutched at a branch protruding from the water, and using more branches for leverage, moved them closer to shore. “Can you get out?”
Lily stood. “Okay.” Leaning over the bow, she looked down but it was impossible to see where the water stopped and the riverbank began.
“Here, hang on to this rope.”
A rope draped across her shoulder and she grabbed it with one hand.
Climbing over the side, she dangled her feet, reaching down to touch ground. The water rose up to her ankles, and she let go of the boat and crawled blindly up the riverbank.
“Okay, I’ll pull you in.” She braced her boots on the grass and tugged the rope until it wouldn’t move anymore.
A dull thump confirmed he’d tossed her pack ashore and seconds after a splash, Carter was at her side. He put Pompa down and the bird made a few clucking noises as if happy to be on dry ground too. She reached for her bag and groaned when she realized it was soaking wet. Hopes of finding dry clothes evaporated the second she undid the zip. Blindly fumbling around inside, she searched for something, anything that would make their situation better.
But there was nothing. The clothes were wet. The toiletries bag was useless, and she already knew they’d nearly exhausted all the supplies in the first-aid kit. And if all that wasn’t bad enough, her insect repellant was gone. The roll-on that was usually within easy reach in a side pocket must’ve fallen out.
“Shit,” She grumbled.
“What! Don’t tell me your passport isn’t in there after all that.”
“Oh, hang on.” Curling her fingers under the hidden flap at the inside back of the pack, she tugged at the zipper. She reached into the padded pocket and sighed with relief. “Yes! It’s here.”
“Thank Christ.”
“I told you it would be.” She didn’t need light to know the passport had water damage. But it didn’t matter. To have it back in her hands was a huge relief. Her Amex card was there too, and her small stash of cash. It seemed they hadn’t found this hidden pocket at all.
“That’s good
, babe.” He leaned in and kissed her forehead. “I don’t suppose there’s any food in there?”
“Oh, I wish.”
As Carter fussed about, securing the boat to a nearby tree, Lily scanned the surroundings. Behind her she struggled to make out anything in the darkness. In front, the river reflected the moonlight and slithered past until it disappeared in the distance like a sleek black eel. The fallen tree’s branches jutted from the water like desperate fingers and water tumbled over it with relentless repetition.
Lily leaned against the trunk on the riverbank and was surprised it still emanated warmth from the day’s sunshine. With a bit of luck, it’d keep them warm enough through the night.
“How’re you going?” Carter touched the small of her back.
She was wet, tired, cold, exhausted, and hungry. But there was no point mentioning any of them; he’d be the same. “I’m okay. I’ll be better once the sun comes up.”
“Yep. Me too.”
She sat down on the grass, her back against the tree trunk, and the second she became comfortable, a mosquito droned in her ear. She groaned at the noise and flicked it away.
Carter crawled in beside her. Their legs and shoulders touched, and just being next to him made her feel safe. It was impossible to understand how a man she’d known for just days could make her feel so complete. But he did. Her heart was open to him and she was ready to let him in. As he trailed his hand up and down her thigh, she knew she already had.
The insect returned, relentlessly buzzing in her ear. Every time she flicked it away, it came back.
Raw emotions bubbled to the surface. Tears pooled and spilled from her eyes. Discreetly wiping them away, she sucked in a shaky breath.
“Hey.” Carter ran his hand over her hair. “Don’t cry.”
“Sorry. I can’t help it.”
“No need to say sorry.”
“This is so crappy.”
He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, tugging her closer. “I know.”
A wave of extreme helplessness engulfed her. Lily’s chest heaved and tears flowed. Carter wriggled around so she sat between his legs and had her back to his chest. He held her in his arms, smoothing her hair and whispering words she didn’t hear. It felt good to cry. She cried for her father and what he’d endured decades ago. She cried for her mother, who’d become a widow too young. She cried for her family, who’d be frantically searching for her. She cried for Otomi, whose life was cut short so brutally. And she cried over the cruel irony of finding the man of her dreams, yet they might never make it out of the jungle alive.
She sucked in a shaky breath, unable to cry anymore. “Can we make a fire?”
“Sorry, babe, I don’t think we should.” He flicked at an invisible insect. “Those guys might come looking for us.”
Drying her eyes with the back of her hand, she nodded; she’d expected his response. With wet clothes, buzzing insects, and excruciating hunger, she was about to experience one of the worst nights of her life. Nothing could get worse than this. At least that’s what she hoped.
“Come on.” Carter wriggled out from behind her. “You lie next to the trunk and I’ll lie beside you.”
She allowed him to move her into position, and when he crawled in beside her, their faces were inches apart. He kissed her lips, just a brief kiss of reassurance.
“I don’t know how much more I can handle.”
He curled his arm out and Lily rolled into the crook of his shoulder. “This’ll be our last night. I’m sure of it.”
His steady heartbeat was as soothing as the warmth of his body next to hers, and she was surprised at how comfortable she was.
Her mind drifted to her family. They’d be beside themselves with worry. “What are we going to do when we get there?”
“We’ll go straight to the police, report Otomi’s death, and ask them to call your family.”
She tried to picture how that conversation would go. She imagined lots of tears and lots of I told you so’s.
But they’d be wrong.
Despite everything that’d happened and nearly dying several times, she had survived. She had the pictures to prove it. “Hey, what happened to your camera?”
“I left it back at the sinkhole.”
“What? Why?”
“It was ruined. It doesn’t matter; it’s insured. Besides, I have the SD cards—they’re much more important.”
She curled her hand over his chest, feeling the muscles beneath. “I hope the pictures turn out.”
“Me too.”
They slipped into comfortable silence, and soon Carter’s breathing became deep and steady. As he drifted off, Lily tried to mute all the unanswerable questions running through her head so she too could fall asleep.
* * * *
Lily must’ve slept, because when she opened her eyes there was enough light to see Carter lying next to her. His eyes were still closed and his lips were slightly ajar, inhaling long, slow breaths. Carter was handsome in a rugged, outdoorsy way. His long, dark lashes rested on his upper cheeks. His nose was cute and straight. A ray of sun caught in his hair, and she saw hints of both blond and whiskey colors in the knots.
“You know that’s rude, don’t you?”
She jumped. “What?”
He opened his eyes. “Staring.”
She giggled. “I thought you were asleep.”
“How can I sleep with your beautiful eyes drilling into me?” He kissed her forehead and groaned. “Oh man, I feel like I’ve been hit by a Mack truck.”
“Yeah, me too.” She lifted her head.
He rolled his arm out from under her neck and flexed his fingers. “Pins and needles.” He flicked his hand, obviously trying to work the blood back in.
“Sorry about that.”
“It’s all good. Did you sleep?”
She nodded. “I must have.”
He crawled to his feet. “Good. Come on, let’s go. I reckon we’ll be eating steak for lunch today.”
Lily moaned. “Stop teasing.” She stood and stretched, manipulating the pain from her shoulders.
“Oh shit, look at your legs.”
She didn’t want to look, but couldn’t help it. Sometime during the night, ants or mosquitos or both had feasted on her legs. Hundreds of angry red dots marked every inch of her skin. From the second she saw them, the itching attacked. She wanted to claw her nails up her shins, her thighs, her ankles. Carter must’ve seen that urge because he grabbed her hands.
“Don’t.”
Squeezing her eyes shut, she forced the new affront to her body from her mind. She opened her eyes and Carter met her gaze. “This had better be the last day of this fucking shit.”
He burst out laughing. “All right then, Tiger Lily, let’s get moving.”
While Carter untied the boat, Lily went into the bushes to relieve herself. Just the thought of being rescued and using toilet paper again had her moving faster.
Every step was agony, but she had no intention of removing her wet socks and boots. She’d never get them back on. Carter put Pompa’s cage into the boat, along with her pack, and then helped her aboard. She slushed through the ankle-deep water to the front seat, sat, and reached for the oar.
Carter jumped in the boat, pushed off, and they floated downstream.
Unlike last night, the river seemed peaceful, almost serene. Rays of sunlight pierced the trees on the right-hand side of the ravine and shimmered off the water like dazzling stars. Small butterflies danced about in a spectacle choreographed by nature. If it weren’t for her hunger and aching body, she’d have loved every minute.
Even the boat behaved itself today and maintained course down the river, almost of its own accord. Only on the odd occasion did they need to steer it back into position.
Pompa showed no signs of distress and flapped
his wings, soaring on the morning breeze. They rounded the first bend in the river and Pompa crowed long and loud, ruffling his feathers.
Carter huffed. “Lucky we don’t eat you, crazy bird.”
Lily snapped her eyes to him. “We will not.”
He did a double take. “I was joking.”
She turned back toward the bow and pretended to study her battered hands. Her aggression had been uncalled-for, and she instantly regretted it.
“Lily?” Carter said it as a question. “What’s going on? Why’s Pompa so important to you?”
She turned back to him. “I didn’t just want to save him for Otomi’s sake.”
“I’m sensing that.”
Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply, and let the air out slowly. “When I was twelve, I had a pet rabbit called Fluff Bomb. He was cute and mischievous and constantly escaped from his cage. Dad told me if I didn’t fix his pen, he’d put Fluff Bomb into our next stew.”
She could still picture the fluffy rabbit sitting in her lap, flicking his ears back and forward while she tickled his pink stomach. “Anyway, one night he got out again and ate my mom’s entire snow-pea crop. My dad loved his snow peas more than my rabbit.” Her fingers trembled as she covered her eyes. She clenched her teeth, determined not to cry.
“Come here.” Carter wrapped his hand around her wrist, pulled her to him, and she rested her chin on his shoulder, forcing back the tears.
“It was my fault he was killed.”
“It wasn’t your fault.” He pulled back, his eyes darkened, drilled with concern.
“It was.”
He tilted his head, and a small smile curled at his lips. “Well, I think what you did for Pompa makes up for it.”
Nothing could ever make up for it, yet she nodded.
Pompa crowed and flapped his wings. Carter chuckled. “See, even Pompa agrees.”
The boat bumped off a rock neither of them had seen and she scurried back to her seat and clutched the oar.
It was already warm, despite the sun still hiding behind the trees. The occasional fish jumped from the water, making Lily’s grumbling stomach grumble even more. With each curve in the river it widened slightly; this, in turn, had the current diminishing. When the sun finally peeked over the top of the treetops, Lily fought the glare with squinted eyes.
Out of Reach Page 28
