Hustle

by Claire Chilton

  ‘I’m not sure she has a heart.’ He sighed, taking a seat on the bed.

  She frowned, not liking what she was hearing. ‘There has to be something good about her.’

  ‘Yeah, you’d think so, wouldn’t you?’ Jacob shrugged his shoulders, looking more puzzled than anything else.

  She narrowed her eyes. ‘It doesn’t sound as if you like her at all.’

  ‘I don’t,’ he said. ‘She’s trouble, and she gets under your skin—like a disease.’

  Ellie choked on her sip of water. A disease! Did he just call me a disease?

  ‘Oh, are you okay?’ He was beside her in a second, taking away the glass that was shaking in her hands.

  She coughed harder. ‘Oh, I spilt some.’ She brushed imaginary water off herself. ‘Could you get me a towel?’

  He nodded, jumping to his feet and rushing to the bathroom again. She tugged open the cabinet beside her and peered inside it. She found a small metal lockbox resting on the top shelf. She lifted the lid of the box. Contained within were a stack of cash, a passport and the map resting on top of it. Relieved to find the map, she quickly grabbed it and shoved it into her purse before closing the box and the cabinet.

  He hurried back with a towel, and she dabbed her dress down with it, making a display of soaking up imaginary water.

  ‘That cold shower seems to have done me the world of good.’ She smiled at him. ‘I’m feeling much better now. I may go to my room and lie down.’ She pushed herself up from the chair, gripping her purple handbag. ‘Thank you for your charming company and hospitality.’

  ‘Are you sure you’re okay?’ He offered her an arm to help her up, and she took it, brushing against him as she stumbled by.

  They headed towards the door, his muscled arm holding her up.

  ‘I’ll be fine now.’ She smiled up at him.

  ‘If you need anything during your stay here, just let me know,’ he said while standing in his doorway as he guided her past him.

  She stepped out into the hallway, releasing his arm and turning to face him. ‘You know, you should forget about that bad girl and date a nice one. My granddaughter’s single.’

  He frowned. ‘I thought you never married? What about Gerald?’

  Shit. ‘I said I loved Gerald. I never said I wasn’t married to someone else when I fell in love.’ She chuckled and patted Jacob on the ass, giving it a sharp pinch out of pure spite.

  He jumped at her touch, a look of distaste appearing in his expression.

  She winked at him. ‘Love comes in all shapes and sizes,’ she called behind her as she waddled down the corridor with his map in her bag.

  She continued walking slowly until she heard a door click shut behind her. She glanced back. He’d gone back into his room. She hurried down the corridor, racing for the stairs. It’s time to get the hell out of here. She grinned. That had been fun. She couldn’t help messing with him. She hadn’t meant to, but when he called her a disease, the temptation had been too strong.

  ‘Hey!’ She spun around at the sound of his voice, and her wig swung off her head, flopping against the wall beside her. She glanced down at it, her heart racing. Then she stared at him in silence for a moment.

  He stood in his open doorway holding her shawl in his hands. His eyes widened as he stared at her, and the shawl dropped out of his fingers before floating to the floor. ‘You!’ he bellowed. His brows knitted together as his expression rapidly turned from one of surprise to one of anger.

  Crap! She turned on her heel and raced down the corridor, hearing his heavy footsteps pounding on the marble floor behind her.

  She burst through the fire escape door and jumped down a flight of stairs before turning and leaping down the next flight to the first floor. She hurried through the doors into the foyer and leapt over the small balcony onto the pier, racing down it while trying to catch her breath. Her floral skirts billowed behind her as she teetered on old lady heels, clattering her way down the boardwalk. She glanced back. He wasn’t behind her. She pumped her arms, heading for the end of the pier. I’m going to make it.

  There was a loud crack in the air a millisecond before something hard hit her in the back as she reached the end of the short wooden walkway, and she toppled over the edge into the cold waters below.

  Pain blossomed over her body as she went into shock. Inky red blood tainted the water around her. She glanced at her shoulder with wide eyes.

  He shot me! I can’t believe he fucking shot me.

  Chapter Eleven

  Jacob paused in the stairwell, panting as he stared across the poolside. He watched Ellie leap over a barricade and land on the pier ahead of him. He clenched his hands into fists as anger flooded through him. She fucking did it again. She stole from me again!

  He boosted himself over the railing and landed on the pier several feet behind her. He intended to follow her, but froze when he heard what sounded like gunshot. He automatically ducked and hit the deck, glancing up just in time to see her get hit and topple over the edge into the sea below.

  A mix of emotions clouded his mind, anger, fear and concern. He jumped to his feet and raced towards the end of the pier, dodging bullets. Who’s shooting at us? He glanced back over his shoulder to see Bill running down the pier towards him.

  ‘Why are we shooting at her?’ he shouted.

  ‘We’re not!’ Bill cried, rushing to his side and dragging him behind a wall for cover.

  ‘Then who is?’ Jacob peered over the wall after a bullet whizzed over it, noticing a flash of reflected sunlight near the hotel gardens.

  The people who had been lounging by the pool were screaming and running inside the building as constant gunfire shot across the pool area towards the water where Ellie had fallen in.

  Jacob tensed his jaw at the idea that she might be dead. Anger expanded inside him, the kind he hadn’t experienced since his father went missing. She was a pain in the ass, but she was his pain in the ass. He wasn’t going to let her get away, so dying certainly wasn’t an option for her.

  He turned to Bill. ‘Can you take the shooter out?’

  ‘Yeah, if I double back. What are you going to do?’

  ‘Save her ass again,’ Jacob muttered.

  ‘I’m starting to think you like her.’ Bill grinned.

  ‘Don’t start thinking for yourself now.’

  ‘Hey! I think just fin—’ Bill began to protest.

  ‘Go!’ Jacob interrupted. Now wasn’t the time for bickering. ‘And don’t do anything stupid.’ He patted his friend on the shoulder. Bill was the closest thing to family he had left, but he was confident that he could handle a dangerous situation.

  Bill nodded and hunched over before hurrying down the pier towards the hotel foyer.

  Jacob stared at the end of the pier, counting the seconds it took for Bill to get to the shooter. How long can she be underwater and survive? Did the bullet hit her? Is she dying out there? Images of her body floating on the surface of the water caused his heart to burst in his chest. Please don’t let her die. Please don’t let her die.…

  It occurred to him, while he watched Bill stealthily creep up on the shooter, that his feelings for Ellie were more than just revenge. But since she’d just played him again, he was finding it difficult to rationalise what he was feeling.

  Her blood had splattered onto the weathered boards of the pier. He stared down at it in horror as the dark red liquid sank into the grain of the wood. Please let her be okay. He stared down at the water, coldness creeping over his skin when he saw blood tainting the surface.

  He didn’t think twice about it. He dived into the water, searching the inky depths for a sign of her. His heart seemed to have jumped into his throat, blocking it. He didn’t know what he would do if he found her corpse.

  The water was dark, and he couldn’t see much. He felt around, only finding weeds. His lungs began to burn for air, so he kicked to the surface, gulping in air when he burst out of the water. After a few breaths, he inhal
ed deeply and dived down again, searching for her. Where is she?

  By the time he realised she wasn’t there, he knew the search was pointless. If she’d been under for this long, she wouldn’t still be alive when he found her. He continued to dive, regardless of the reality, wanting to believe she was still alive.

  When he came up after his twelfth dive, he saw Bill waiting for him on the sands, waving for him to come to shore.

  Panting and with aching muscles, he swam over to the beach. He blinked saltwater out of his eyes, the lump in his throat refusing to dislodge. Had they found her? Was she dead? Loss washed over him, confusing his emotions. She was his lifetime adventure. He didn’t know if she was a good one, but just being near her brought him to life. Just like her story about Gerald, she was the wild and crazy thing that made his life an adventure. On some level, it was as if she’d been talking about them.

  ‘Where is she?’ he asked as he waded onto the beach.

  ‘No sign of her yet, but the gunman is in custody.’ Bill pointed to the Fuerza Publica officers who were cuffing a man’s hands behind his back.

  Jacob glanced at the azure ocean. Where did she go? The weight lifted off his chest. Did she get away?

  ‘Who is he?’ Jacob turned and scowled at the man.

  ‘A hired gun by the looks of it.’

  ‘Who hired him?’ Jacob set off towards the pier. I need to find out what happened to her.

  ‘I’m not a hundred percent sure, but I took this off him.’ Bill flashed a cell phone at Jacob. ‘He’s got Meyer’s number stored in it. I think it’s a safe bet to assume Ellie’s got a hit out on her.’

  Jacob frowned as he headed for his boat. ‘Does Meyer even operate out here?’

  ‘Normally, I’d say no. But why else would this guy have Meyer’s number? Whatever she did to Meyer, it was enough to bring him across the world to get to her.’ Bill kept pace beside him.

  ‘Well, she is pretty irritating,’ Jacob muttered.

  ‘What’s the plan?’ Bill frowned as Jacob untied his yacht.

  Jacob jumped aboard and gestured for Bill to follow. ‘We find her.’

  ‘What about Meyer?’

  ‘We find her first.’ Jacob scanned the ocean with determined eyes. ‘She’s mine.’

  * * *

  Ellie’s shoulder burned, but she ignored it, kicking her legs and heading for the opposite shore. Bullets whizzed into the water around her. She felt numb with shock. He was trying to kill her. What kind of monster is he?

  She heard someone running on the pier behind her. She inhaled deeply and ducked under the surface. There was a splash as someone else hit the surface. She sped up, swimming as far away from her pursuer as possible.

  She swam under the surface, holding her breath for as long as she could. When she eventually came up for air, the bullets had stopped firing. She swam for the other end of the cove, pushing her body to keep going. Don’t stop to worry about the damage, just keep going. You’ll make it.

  She glanced back. She’d left the hotel far behind her and could see Jacob diving at the end of the pier, looking for her. He didn’t glance in her direction.

  With renewed vigour, she used all her strength to cover the distance between her and the opposite shoreline. It was a rocky incline with a smattering of grass and thick jungle on top of it. She headed for it, thankful of the cold water numbing her burning shoulder.

  She fought not to scream in pain as she dragged herself up the rocks and climbed onto the grassy shore, her shoulder stinging with every movement. She lay on the hot soil for a few moments, panting from the exertion. God knows what damage I’m doing to my shoulder. She didn’t dare rest, knowing that she didn’t have long before she would be spotted. She rolled over and ripped open the buttons of her old lady dress, struggling out of it and pushing the soaked linen off her body.

  Underneath, she wore a pair of black cargo shorts and a black vest. She lay on the grass for a moment, drying off in the hot sun.

  After catching her breath, she glanced down at her shoulder. There was a deep gash across the top of her arm, where the bullet had raked through her skin.

  Okay, get a grip. You can’t just lay here waiting to be shot again.

  She pulled the purple handbag towards her, thankful that she’d packed her biker boots in it. The bag was still closed, but it was full of water. She opened it and emptied it out onto the grass. After the water splashed onto the grass beside her, her black boots fell out, followed by the map and compass. She grabbed the soggy map and compass off the grass before stuffing them into the pockets of her shorts.

  She glanced at her wounded shoulder. The tear in her skin was gushing blood. That’s going to need stitches. She ripped a sleeve off the linen dress. Since it was soaked in saltwater, she hoped it would make a clean dressing. She tied the cloth around her bleeding shoulder as tightly as she could, wincing at the hot pain blossoming around it. If nothing else, it’ll stop my strap rubbing over it. She gently laid the black strap of her vest over the dressing.

  An inch to the left and I would have had a bullet stuck in me. She trembled for a moment, pushing back the feeling of shock that was beginning to overwhelm her. Hold it together. Now is not the time to panic.

  She tipped the water out of her boots, and then pulled off her old lady shoes, tossing them aside. She pushed the boots onto her feet and tightly laced them up. They were cold and wet, but it was a welcome relief in the hot sun.

  She peered back at the distant shoreline and narrowed her eyes. She could just make out Jacob boarding his boat at the pier. He’d tried to kill her, and it didn’t look as if he’d finished trying yet. My fucking hero! Why didn’t he just let me drown if he wanted me dead? None of his actions made sense to her.

  Shaking her head and deciding to follow her survival instinct, she pushed herself up off the ground with her uninjured arm and stood up. She turned to face the jungle behind her, and then hurried through the trees, brushing past thick green fronds and disappearing into the undergrowth.

  Chapter Twelve

  Ellie staggered into the clearing, gasping for air. She swiped the sweat out of her eyes with the back of her hand, and then she rested against a thick tree trunk, taking a moment to regain her breath. She’d torn through the humid jungle to escape Jacob and ensure he didn’t follow her. She was trembling all over, using every ounce of energy she possessed to keep going. She didn’t know how long she’d been running, but she was pretty certain she’d lost him. That’s not the only thing that’s lost.

  She grimaced at the thick trees, searching for a hint of a way out, but only seeing dense greenery surrounding her.

  She lifted her left foot off the ground and winced. Her toes felt raw inside her boots, which had rubbed against her wet skin every step of the way. Even though they had dried on the outside, the boots were still sodden on the inside. The thick leather had been a welcome relief at first, a protective covering for her bare skin against the hissing insects on the jungle floor, but now she’d give anything for a dry pair of socks.

  She shook her head at her current situation. When she’d set off running, she hadn’t really had a destination in mind. She was getting shot at, so she ran.

  However, the farther she ran, the worse her situation became. Her feet were probably a blistered, bloody mess inside her shoes. Her bare arms and legs made her feel unprotected. Sharp pains shot down her arm and back from the gash on her shoulder.

  Fighting dizziness from exhaustion, blood loss and thirst, she realised she was lost in a tropical jungle with no way of calling for help.

  And who would I call? Who even cares that I’m out here? Her mind tried to tell her that Jimmy would care, but Jimmy wasn’t here and part of her was glad he wasn’t. In the long run, isn’t he better off without me? She licked her dry lips. It doesn’t matter. If I don’t find water soon, I’m dead anyway.

  She glanced around the clearing, sighing with relief when she saw the banks of a lake beside her. Water was some
thing she needed very badly. Is it safe to drink? The idea of stopping to boil it wasn’t a very alluring one. She still didn’t know if she was being followed. She didn’t know what time it was, and she didn’t know what to do if she was still here at night.

  She shivered. A night in the jungle alone didn’t sound like a good idea. It was beginning to dawn on her that a city girl like her shouldn’t have even tried to come to a place like this. I’m so fucking dead. If a gun-wielding psycho doesn’t get me, this place will.

  She shook her head and stumbled towards the lake. What’s a bit of dysentery when you’re probably going to get eaten by something nasty anyway?

  She knelt at the lake’s edge and scooped up some water into her hands. It was cool and clear. Her shoulder burned when she reached down and she glanced at it, letting the water fall through her fingers. The makeshift bandage was dark red and sticky. Blood splattered down her arm where it had poured through the bandage and smudged against the brush and leaves as she ran by them. She touched the bandage and fire bloomed down her arm. I’m so fucked.

  She tightened her jaw. Stop whining. I’ve just gotta get out of here, and it’ll be okay.

  She scooped up some more water and took a sip out of her palm, freezing in place when she saw a long green snake slide into the water from the opposite bank. She spat out the water and jumped back from the lake. The body of the snake was thick and long. She didn’t want to stick around to find out if it was harmless or not.

  She glanced up at the sun, trying to fathom where she was, but it wasn’t giving her any clues.

  Okay, think, think. I know the marina is two miles west of the beach. She glanced back at the broken shrubs behind her. And that’s the direction of the beach. I just need to know where west is.

  She fought the aches and pains of her body to try to think straight. The urge to sit down and just rest was growing stronger with every moment she remained near the lake.

  I need to figure out where I am. She paused for a moment, frowning, before widening her eyes. I may not have Google, maps, but I do have a compass!