Fractured Futures

by SY Thompson

  “It doesn’t matter,” he grated with a husky, seldom-used voice. “We knew we’d have to go to ground sooner or later. Look up ahead. The waterway is getting too narrow to navigate by boat. This is as good a place as any and I have a feeling we’re getting very close anyway.”

  When the two boats drew up to the riverbank, a new problem developed.

  “I’m not going in there,” Billy declared succinctly. “This area is very dangerous. Snakes in there that can eat a man whole. No good.” He spit on the ground to emphasize his point. The Seminole folded his arms and stared stubbornly into Sullivan’s gaze.

  Sullivan couldn’t have cared less. They weren’t ten minutes behind their prey and he was tired of the constant complaining.

  “Are you sure?” His eyes narrowed dangerously.

  Billy swallowed hard, but nodded his head in obstinate affirmation. They were about to enter the thickest point in the Everglades. Alligators and snakes abounded in these woods and wouldn’t hesitate for a moment before they made a meal of an unwitting man. Added to the fact that they weren’t paying him for this job and that made for one very headstrong guide.

  “Fine, have it your way.” Without hesitation, Sullivan reached under his heavy jacket and behind his back. He pulled out a Colt .45 and shot Billy once between the eyes then watched calmly as the body slumped back in the canoe.

  “Bring the equipment.” He stepped off the canoe into the black gumbo mud of the Florida Everglades.

  Hastily, the men shared a nervous look before grabbing the backpacks from the bottom and followed quickly. When they had gone only ten feet from the water, another mishap befell the rapidly diminishing band of cutthroats. One of the men snagged his foot on the trip wire.

  As his ankle caught on the wire, the man looked up in sharp fear. A heavy limb swung toward him, released from where the strand had held it confined. Razor sharp branches tore into his midsection and slammed him back against another tree trunk, causing the wooden spikes to drive even deeper. He never had time to scream.

  Sullivan growled into the humid air like an animal in a rage. He cared nothing for taking these men’s lives himself, but it infuriated him that a useless actress and her pilot would do it before him. He would make them pay dearly for this.

  THE SOUND OF gunfire caused Sidney and Ronan to jerk in surprise. They cast fearful looks downriver and both knew they were quickly running out of time. Soon they would have to give up setting their booby traps and try to beat a hasty retreat.

  “Let’s go,” Sidney urged, grabbing her briefcase and the saddlebags before she walked into the woods.

  “Did you notice the waterway is starting to narrow? It looks like they won’t be aboard the canoes for much longer.”

  “Then let’s get moving while we can.”

  Sidney didn’t hesitate to lead the way into the swamps, amused when Ronan cut protectively in front of her. Aware of the way her companion kept frowning and checking the scanner’s readout, Sidney felt like the noose was slowly tightening around them.

  “There are only four of them left,” Ronan reported, walking ahead through the swamp. “At least the odds are getting better.” “I guess they’re starting to turn on each other, huh?” “Maybe, but there are still enough of them to have me worried. I suggest we hurry.”

  Hours later, night started to fall and Sidney started to stumble every other step. She was falling behind in the lengthening shadows and losing sight of Ronan. Maybe Ronan was distracted by ideas about getting out of the swamps and how to proceed once they were, but Sidney realized she couldn’t continue this way.

  “Ronan, please... I need to stop.”

  Ronan stopped immediately and turned toward her with a contrite expression. Even in the shadows, Sidney could see that she could also do with a break.

  “I’m sorry, I could kick myself. Here I’ve tried to do everything I can to save you and I’m rushing you into a dangerous marsh in the darkness.” Ronan walked back to Sidney, gently took her by the shoulders, and guided her to a fallen log. “I think I’m just so focused on getting out of here that I didn’t realize how late it was getting.”

  “I just wish I had your stamina,” Sidney panted before she poked Ronan in the stomach with a cold, dirty finger.

  Ronan pulled the analyzer out of a pocket and took a quick reading to check on their adversaries’ progress. Sidney felt a little irritated that Ronan kept scanning the area, but understood how important it was to make sure they could keep moving safely.

  After a few moments, Sidney prompted impatiently, “Well?”

  “I’m only reading three people now and they aren’t moving, approximately two miles from our current location.”

  Sidney mopped her sweaty brow with the back of a grimy hand. “It sounds like we’ve gained some space. Maybe luck is on our side and the Everglades have proven too dangerous for our enemies.”

  Ronan conceded the point with a slight nod. “In any case, I would hazard a guess they’ll have to stop for the night. I think it’s a good idea for us do the same. We’re both tired and it’s too dangerous to travel any farther. I’ll get a fire going. I’m not sure there are any predators around here, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.”

  “Sounds marvelous. My feet are killing me and I could eat a horse.”

  “Why don’t you rest while I make a fire and start dinner?”

  Sidney acquiesced, but wasn’t capable of just watching while Ronan did all the work. She helped gather wood for the fire and then pulled a couple of blankets from one of the saddlebags. Sidney folded the blankets and made a simple sleeping pad fairly close to the fire ring that Ronan constructed.

  The blankets Sidney used weren’t thick and wouldn’t be comfortable, but at least it was some protection from the cold, damp ground. Their combined body heat would make it more bearable. Sidney kept track of Ronan from the corner of her eye and ignored the shiver of arousal. She couldn’t help notice the smooth way she moved in these primitive surroundings. Sidney wanted to concentrate on survival, to shut out everything else and focus on what was most important but even in these circumstances, it was getting harder and harder to control her rampaging hormones.

  Their quick supper was very quiet, both women too exhausted and lost in their own thoughts to talk much. As soon as it was finished, they lay down side by side to attempt to sleep. Sidney was apprehensive about sleeping against Ronan again, her emotions burning hot inside her. She was sure she wouldn’t be able to sleep this time, but exhaustion won out and she was unconscious almost instantly. Images of passion-filled blue eyes and sweat-slick skin filled her dreams.

  The next morning Sidney had difficulty moving. She grunted once aloud and winced as she tried to move off the sleeping pad. Ronan heard the stifled groan and Sidney could have sworn she saw a flash of irritation. The expression vanished as quickly as it appeared and Ronan moved toward her. No question Ronan was in good shape, but Sidney thought even she was starting to feel the toll of all their exertion. Her body had to be exhausted and reawakening in the swamps would do little to improve her temper. Ronan stopped briefly at the saddlebags and rummaged through their supplies. She found whatever she was looking for and walked over to where

  Sidney still sat stiffly by the fire.

  “How do you feel?” Ronan asked, squatting down next to her.

  Sidney snorted. “Like I’ve been hit by a bus. How do you expect me to feel? On top of that I hate to camp. Bugs, dirt in my coffee...” She looked up at Ronan and quickly glanced away again, her cheeks taking on a reddish hue.

  Ronan held up an object that looked like an upside down inhaler. “Well, this should take the edge off.”

  She started to press the medicinal spray injector against her neck, but Sidney blocked her with a swift forearm. “What is it?”

  “Don’t worry. It is just a mild analgesic, but it’ll make you feel better.”

  Sidney was reluctant, but she hurt just enough to try it. “Okay.”

 
She waited stiffly as Ronan pressed the injector against her neck. The tool hissed slightly as Ronan administered the medication, but Sidney didn’t feel any pain. Almost immediately, her muscles relaxed as the tension and stiffness drained away.

  “Whoever your friend was, he should have been nominated for sainthood.”

  Ronan merely quirked her brow and smiled at Sidney’s delight. She gave herself a dose in the neck and then started to make breakfast.

  “Sorry,” Ronan apologized in advance. “Only dry rations and water for breakfast. We have to get moving.”

  “Oh, what I wouldn’t give for a huge cup of steaming black coffee right now. How much longer do you think?”

  “We covered quite a bit of ground yesterday, more than I thought we would. With a little luck we should reach the edges of the swamps by late afternoon.”

  “Amazing what you can accomplish with the hounds of hell chasing you,” Sidney retorted, delighted that they wouldn’t be sleeping on the ground again tonight.

  “You can say that again.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  SULLIVAN WATCHED SANTOS and Harper. He had only learned their names from watching them interact. Currently they led the way on the expedition along the route Sullivan had outlined. They had begun to squabble constantly, but instead of separating, they continued to walk together and argue. He began to think they enjoyed the bickering as something to occupy their time, but they were starting to get really annoying. If this continued, they’d become an impediment to the mission. When they finally moved in for the kill, Sullivan would have to ensure their quiet.

  “Don’t you wish,” Santos said angrily in response to something his companion said. The slightly overweight, balding man turned around and continued to walk backward so he could fight with Harper face to face. “She only went out with you because I lied and told her you were rich.”

  Harper rolled his eyes. “Well, even if that is true it’s not the reason she stayed with me. Face it, she has more sense than you give her credit for. Not to mention that she is much better looking than her little brother.”

  Sullivan thought they must know each other well.

  That was a serious mistake. These two were so familiar with each other that they’d fallen into an old squabble and forgotten about the hazards that surrounded them in this bog. It was just a prime example of why Sullivan never worked with people he knew. They were a distraction.

  He saw it a moment before it happened and smiled in dark humor as the scene unfolded. Sullivan could have warned Santos, but then he wouldn’t be free of this incessant chatter and it would teach Harper a valuable lesson: don’t take the jungle for granted.

  Santos walked two more steps before he realized that the ground underneath him was more spongy than usual. He frowned and stopped in his tracks, then stared down in stunned disbelief as he sank quickly to his knees in quicksand. His friend instinctively rushed to his aid as Santos struggled to free himself. Harper threw off his pack to allow more freedom to use his arms. He reached out to the other man, confident that he could pull him free.

  “Grab my hand.”

  Sullivan saw the opportunity to get rid of both of them and took it without a second thought. He caught Harper off guard with the boot on his rear end as he kicked him into the center of the sinkhole. Both men screamed and clawed for a way out while Sullivan watched them with a sinister smile on his face until they disappeared from view.

  SIDNEY TRAILED RONAN by about ten feet. This part of the jungle was particularly heavy. Vines hung from the trees and overgrown brush made it difficult for them to walk. Tree trunks were closer together than before and blocked out most of the sun, casting ominous shadows that seemed to dance and mock the women’s flight. All Sidney could do was concentrate on picking her way carefully behind Ronan. When she did have a few spare moments to relax on one of their infrequent breaks, thoughts of her companion swam in her head.

  Ronan had said she had funded the professor’s research. Sidney felt that the by-products of that research were the vital key in unlocking the mystery that surrounded Ronan. She had no reason to doubt Ronan’s character. There was an air of honesty and innocence about her that Sidney didn’t think anyone capable of faking. She was arrogant, insolent, and intelligent.

  And absolutely gorgeous.

  She was sure it was these other qualities more than her stunning beauty that drew Sidney irresistibly against her will. She’d never once heard Ronan talk about where she was from, except indirectly. Whenever the subject came up, she evaded the question or changed the subject. Moreover, she knew things, Sidney realized with a frown. Things a person could only know if...

  Eyes going wide in shock, Sidney came to a standstill as she watched Ronan’s retreating back. Suddenly things seemed to click into place. How and when Ronan would know what was going to happen to her, the extremely sophisticated motorcycle, and all of that futuristic equipment. The key word was futuristic.

  Her heart pounded and her mouth was suddenly dry. She wondered if it could be true. Could this woman really be from the future? Sidney felt disoriented at the prospect, caught in the plot to one of her movies. She grasped her previously injured wrist and remembered how easily Ronan had healed her. Though far-fetched, it was a distinct possibility.

  Sidney refocused on the present and could barely see Ronan in the gloom. Since she had the analyzer, it was a very real possibility that Sidney might get turned around in the jungle if she lost sight of her. She refocused her mind as she rushed to catch up, determined to pursue the time travel subject further when she had time. Only a few feet behind now, Sidney glanced ahead and saw another looping vine. This one was substantially thicker than the others and for some reason garnered her interest. She trailed the satiny black length of it with her eyes and found it terminated in a bobbing and weaving, hissing, diamond-shaped head. Ronan was about to walk right into a twelve-foot-long python.

  “Look out!”

  Sidney dropped her briefcase to leap toward Ronan. She wasn’t sure what she had planned to do by racing toward her but a second later, everything spun out of control. The scene seemed to play out in slow motion as Sidney scrambled forward. She watched Ronan draw the pistol from her belt with lightning quick reflexes and cut the serpent in two.

  Perhaps her momentum prevented her from being able to stop, or maybe it was just the unconscious desire to instigate an encounter. Whatever the reason Sidney was unable to cease her headlong rush and plowed right into Ronan. Both of them crashed heavily to the ground and in the tangle of arms and legs, Sidney suddenly found herself lying on top of the other woman. Soft breasts pressed against her chest and she suddenly had a great deal of trouble drawing breath.

  “S...sorry,” she mumbled absently, caught in the cobalt web of desire she found reflected back at her.

  For an unknown amount of time, she stared into the ice blue gaze before her eyes shifted lower and focused on the full lips. Ronan’s mouth was open, her breath panting. She was so close Sidney could see the tiny wrinkles on the lips and wondered if they were still as soft as they looked. She saw her tongue move, the words forced out.

  “Kiss me,” Ronan said in a breathless whisper.

  The words ignited a fire in her core that Sidney had long since thought extinguished. With a groan of excitement that overwhelmed her, she lowered her head and captured the lush softness with her own. Heat flashed through her brain, exploding simultaneously in the center of her being. Lips explored gently at first and charted the tender flesh. Then Ronan’s lips parted in a gasp and their tongues began to entwine in earnest as they absorbed, immersed in, and devoured each other.

  Unconsciously she pressed closer to the strong body, as she tried to absorb every sensation that seared through her. Her mouth was insistent, almost bruising the soft flesh of Ronan’s mouth as she tried to consume her. No thoughts remained, only this hungry excitement that rendered her breathless and caused her to moan into the mouth against her own. The satiny softness of R
onan’s lips slid over her own provocatively and Sidney lost herself in the sensation. The outside world ceased to exist as Sidney thought of nothing, striving only to drown in the sweetness she tasted.

  The hardness of the ground finally ended the moment. Branches and various objects dug into their overheated bodies, dampening the moment with the need for movement. Sidney drew away to see Ronan, eyes closed and mouth swollen with the strength of their passion, her lips still parted as she struggled to calm her breathing. Sidney’s hands were on Ronan’s chest and she was mortified to find that she had undone several shirt buttons in her desire.

  Suddenly she felt extremely embarrassed by the wantonness of her kiss and lack of control. While it was true that Ronan had asked her to kiss her, the strength of Sidney’s desire for another woman caught her off guard.

  “I...” she managed, but then realized there was nothing she could say. She sighed, closed her eyes, and then reluctantly climbed off Ronan.

  Oh God, what have I done?

  She walked slowly back to pick up her briefcase. Her face flamed and Sidney stood with her arms folded as she stared down at the battered brown case. She started in surprise when long arms slid around her waist from behind and pulled back to rest against Ronan’s strong frame.

  “It’s all right,” Ronan reassured her with a gentle kiss against her temple. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

  Sidney pulled away from the comfort she had found in the embrace. Her feelings of vulnerability caused her to lash out. “No, it is not all right. I am not accustomed to behaving in such a manner. And certainly not with an employee.”