Reclaim: Project Xol

by Amabel Daniels

  I kept my gaze on her, surveying each inch of her exposed skin. Nothing else crawled up her limbs, and she clearly wasn’t reacting to a bite, pinch, or sting anywhere. A rush of air pushed from my lungs as I calmed a bit.

  Close call. “You’ll be okay.”

  She nodded, jerkily. “Yep. Sure. Okay. I’ll be peachy.” Facing me, she opened her mouth as though she’d gag and shook again. “Just…oh, my God!”

  “I’ll get the bag.”

  Tramer stretched—or tried to—as I passed him.

  Thank God for the man’s survival skills. I never would have known to provide a water source as a distraction for venomous enemies in the wild. And I bet it wasn’t a true and tested strategy. Luck was still hanging around for this hellish ride.

  The insects—reptiles or lizards?—heck, whatever scorpions were, they cared more about the water than the backpack. I grabbed it in a smooth but quick motion and eased away.

  “Must have come out of the rocks,” Tramer said, looking at last night’s abode.

  “Are they poisonous?” Cassidy asked.

  Tramer didn’t answer.

  “Are they?” she pressed.

  “Does it matter if they were? You weren’t bitten,” I said.

  She shuddered again and glared at Tramer. I didn’t see why knowing would make a difference. She’d survived, and that was the important part.

  “I’d like to know what to avoid out here,” she said, setting one hand on her hip now. God. That sass. It never failed to turn me on, even in the crappiest of situations—like ours, being hot, dirty, injured, tired, and I bet seriously lost out here.

  “Yes, they are,” Tramer finally said. “As are many scorpions and snakes in this area. But they’re nocturnal. We likely trespassed on their turf and they came to see what was up.”

  She cringed and surveyed the ground she stood on. “Not all venomous creatures are nocturnal…”

  “Then we’ll just have to keep an eye out for them,” Tramer said. “Because I don’t want to hang out here for the hell of it.”

  “At least most arthropods will run from us instead of attacking,” she ceded.

  Arthropods. Okay. Not lizards. Not that it made a difference…but her intelligence was just as sexy as her sass.

  My stomach growled and I rolled my eyes. Yeah, more pressing things, idiot… It didn’t matter what this woman did or what she looked like, she’d always turn me toward the luxury of wanting her.

  She came next to me and lowered to her haunches without even a frown. I’d felt all kinds of pulls and aches as I’d crouched to check the bag out, making sure there weren’t any other arthropods or venomous whatever that could have climbed in. If she was the least injured, good. Tramer, though… I glanced up to watch him take baby steps, breathing hard each time he landed on that foot. He was right, we had no reason to linger out here.

  Putting her hand on my back and rubbing a couple of times, she reached around me and plucked the map from the mess that was so far scorpion-free. While she stood to open up the battered paper, I grabbed two shirts, one for me and another for Tramer.

  I approached him. “You all right”

  He scoffed. “I’m still alive, and that’s a start.” He stopped pacing and rested his butt on a ledge of rock. “But the faster we get away from the foot of this mountain, the better.”

  I followed his line of attention and glanced over my shoulder, in the direction from where we’d come. We’d been fortunate so far with our unlikely escape from the cartel, but we’d be fools to push it. Besides, the guy needed ice, meds, clean water, new bandages. Finding medical help would be a fruitless hope, but we could do better than where we were.

  “So Xochimilco can’t be far.”

  On foot? I quirked a brow at Cassidy.

  She shrugged at my look. “Well.” She came to me and Tramer to point at the map. “We had to have been about here”—her fingertip indicated an area near a blob of green that ran to the side of the highway we’d been driving on—“and taken through here.” Trailing her finger through the colored shape, she gestured at the jungle and forest we’d been held in.

  “Which means we’re nowhere near 95 anymore,” Tramer said.

  The bold snaking line we’d wanted because that was what Hendrick had traveled on was on the opposite side of where we were now, if the location of that river was accurate. A thin blue line showed the water route we’d crossed last night.

  “But there’s going to be some kind of civilization nearby,” she argued, tapping at the clusters of roads not far from us.

  “No way to know if that’ll help or hurt us,” I said. Even if we were technically out of the cartel’s compound, there was no guarantee the surrounding area would be free of their control.

  “So…northeast again.” Cassidy glanced at us.

  I nodded at her, slowly, trying to force my will to hike again. Tramer saluted her on a sigh.

  She lowered to get the backpack and I helped Tramer get situated at my side.

  It was obvious his strength was waning. Unlike last night, he leaned on me rather than next to me. Heavier and harder to move, we went at a slower pace. Our progress was hindered even more when we needed to pause for bathroom breaks. And Tramer needed some water. And Cassidy worried we were straying too far east.

  A couple of hours later, but what felt like an eternity, we saw the first signs of a residence. A farm, to be exact. Fencing that had seen better days. A barn with faded paint and a roof half-crushed in. Next to it was a house, ramshackle but standing strong. A couple of mopeds were propped against a dead tree and a few bikes littered the front yard. Pecking at the dry dirt, a lone chicken strutted by.

  Cassidy checked glances at me while I scoped the area out.

  “We can wait over there.” Tramer pointed at an old firewood heap. It was a tall enough mound that they could duck behind.

  During our walk, we’d agreed a car was of most importance. Tramer couldn’t move on his own. Cassidy wasn’t confident to approach others. And I knew how to hotwire. It was a given I was up for this task.

  I pressed a kiss to Cassidy’s hair. “You got my back?”

  She dropped her gaze for a moment and I chucked her under her chin so she’d look at me. I hadn’t missed the horror on her face when she’d realized she couldn’t accurately fire that rifle last night. Yet she hadn’t sunken into some kind of self-deprecation or snit of feeling like she wasn’t good enough. What mattered was she’d tried. She hadn’t fled. Once again, she’d chosen me, decided to stay with me at all costs.

  I knew she wasn’t comfortable with any of this. She wasn’t experienced with violence and danger or handling weapons. Her innocence made her that much more precious to me. Regardless of her flaws and weaknesses, I loved her—

  Jesus. There it was. A simple conviction I couldn’t deny.

  I loved her.

  I swallowed hard and stepped back.

  I loved her.

  Lousy time for finding that. Locking down those farfetched emotions, I gave them a grim smile and snuck onto the dying farm.

  Love?

  It couldn’t be love. But even trying to dismiss it smacked of a great big lie.

  Not now, dammit.

  Forcing back all thoughts and feelings and doubts, I focused on not getting caught. No one was awake yet, if anyone lived here. Sounds didn’t come from the house. Voices, TV, radio—it was all silent, but that wasn’t any reason to think I could go unnoticed.

  I kept one of the cartel thug’s handguns ready in my hand and crept around the house. Tall, dry grass scratched at my pants and I loathed even that noise. More able-bodied and less injured than Tramer, I still lacked in the stealth department in the wild. On the streets, sure. Out here? Hardly.

  I froze, catching the sight of movement. A snake slithered away and I schooled my breaths to even out. I hadn’t even been looking down, watching the house and yard where vehicles were parked.

  A sedan with a driver door painted a
different color than the body. Two more mopeds. And at the end of the sloppy lineup, closest to me, was a rusted-out van. My choice was an easy one. If I wanted to sneak away, my best bet would be to avoid starting any of these vehicles. That car looked like it wasn’t maintained well, with one tire too low and dings all over the exterior. Which meant it might make a bit of noise at being turned on.

  That van, though… It was big enough for all three of us. Plus, it was parked at the end of the area, with a slope leading down toward the rough dirt road.

  I carefully walked to it and opened the door, cringing at the small squeak the hinges gave. No keys inside, but I could manage around that. Still watching the house, my gaze darting from window to window and back to the door, I reached in. I released the parking brake. Then I climbed in to push the brake and shove the gear into neutral.

  This wasn’t a new model by any means, and the vehicle buoyed with my movements. With the door open, I shoved into the frame. Budging faintly at first, it moved. After a few more steps, it sped up to inching by.

  Sweat dripped from my forehead and I squinted at the threat of blurred vision.

  Foot after foot, I pushed it, hoping moving it might gain some momentum with the gradual incline it had been parked on.

  My muscles burned under the strain, but I dug my feet into the earth and pushed on. If only it weren’t so damn hot… We’d been simmering in the humid heat since we’d arrived, but waking up in the more deserted mountainside promised we’d be baking. During our walk, we’d dehydrated ourselves to an extreme. I wasn’t in my prime for shouldering thousands of pounds of old metal.

  Wind teased at my wet skin, and I chanced a look back. I was nearly to the road. If I could clear the small rise of what remained of the weedy berm, I bet I’d be free. It could make it toward the wood pile Cassidy and Tramer hid behind—a good fifty yards from the house. The distance should be enough of a buffer to start the van.

  Cassidy jumped up when the front bumper came within their view behind the firewood. She rushed to me, glancing at the house. Tramer stayed slumped against the stack, breathing hard.

  “Will it start?” she asked, likely wondering why I hadn’t done just that.

  I wiped the sweat from my brow and grunted as I caught my breath. “It better.” I took her water bottle that she held out to me. A mere inch remained at the bottom. “I didn’t want to make noise by the house.”

  She nodded and came closer.

  Done with the water, I tossed the bottle inside. I wedged in and pulled at the wires. The cover was already missing, so maybe I was redoing what someone else had already achieved. It wouldn’t surprise me if this was a stolen van to begin with. While I searched for what I needed, Tramer pushed off the woodpile and hobbled toward the back.

  “Go on and get in,” I said to him.

  “In a minute. Covering the plate.”

  Cassidy left my side to assist him.

  “No.” He held up a hand to stop her, his other hand on the peeling and fading white paint of the van’s side. “We don’t have any more water.” A heavy breath left him. “I’m going to piss to mix up some mud.”

  “Ah…” Cassidy backpedaled to me just as I secured what I’d needed.

  Holding my breath, I tried to start it.

  A low cough and deep purr followed.

  Thank you.

  I knocked my forehead to the steering wheel as I sagged with relief. We’d gotten a break. Cassidy hugged my side.

  “Perfect,” she said.

  Her enthusiasm was cute. Or maybe she was being sarcastic. Still, it brought me further away from admitting defeat. Lifted my soul just the little bit I’d needed.

  “Perfect?” I pulled her hot body closer to mine, the bare skin of our arms sticking together. Her breath hitched and a smile teased on her lips. “We’re going to have to work on your idea of perfect.”

  She murmured a low sound of approval and wrapped her arms around my neck. That much closer, her breasts shoved up against me. Despite the hell we’d overcome, and the hell we faced, my dick stirred. Any time she pressed against me my desire for her soared. This woman…the things she did to me… I held back a groan.

  “Well…” She kissed my cheek then whispered in my ear, “Having you in my arms is a good start for perfection.”

  I fisted her shirt at the small of her back and brought her harder against me. “Yeah?” I laid an open-mouthed kiss at her neck. Tangy with sweat but still sweet. I sucked at her pulse and she arched up toward me.

  Hard knocks broke us apart a fraction.

  Tramer rapped his knuckles on the passenger door. “Sorry.” His grim expression showed he wasn’t. But he rolled his eyes and seemed to fight a smile. “Not sorry.” He stepped forward and his eyes narrowed with the pain the weight must have caused.

  Fuck. Not now, fool. How coldhearted could I be to let the poor guy remain in pain? That was just how potent my girl could be. One hot look, a simple kiss, a mere promise of more, and I was a sucker. I wasn’t used to this lack of control.

  “By all means, carry on,” Tramer drawled as Cassidy slipped from my hold. She opened the door for him and gave him her shoulder to lean on and enter. “I get it. I was married once. But…just wait ’til we’re outta here,” he groused, losing his grumpy tone for one of fatigue.

  “You were married?” she asked as she helped him inside.

  She clambered in with him, so I took the driver’s seat.

  “Before I signed up. High school sweetheart.”

  “What happened?” she asked.

  “I signed up.” He barked a rough laugh as he shifted to sit on the single seat back there.

  I glanced back, checking the interior for the first time. All the seats had been removed except the one bench he sat on. Cassidy scrambled up to sit next to me in the front bucket seat. The floor was cleared out. No debris or junk, save for a few empty beer bottles and a crate that held flannel.

  “She wasn’t as ready as she thought she was to be an Army wife.”

  I’d bet he didn’t tell others much about himself. Not the truth, at least.

  “Sorry,” I offered.

  “Eh. I doubted I would have been happy as a one-woman man anyway.”

  I caught Cassidy’s smirk and raised brows as I drove onto the road.

  “Or, I wouldn’t have been happy as a one-location man.”

  That made more sense. As much as I appreciated the wind blowing Tramer our way when it had, I believed he truly had a free spirit to have survived so long in the service the way he had. What we’d survived in the jungle over the last twenty-four hours was probably a cakewalk for him. His immediate knowhow and ability to lead attested for him likely scraping out of other dangerous terrain and unlawful enemies. His commitment to helping me and Cassidy with this Xol business was likely just another adventure for him.

  Not that it’s a damn game…

  “Hey!” Cassidy shuffled in the bag and pulled out a wire. The phone charger cord. She promptly plugged in the wire and rummaged in the bag again. “Well, one will work.”

  Tramer’s seat squeaked as he shifted, maybe leaning closer to see what she had. “That’s mine.”

  “Ours don’t have the right end for this adapter.” She plugged in Tramer’s phone and set the device on the console. “Will we even have service out here?”

  “I doubt it. But if we’re heading to the city, we’ll get some there,” Tramer said.

  I scanned the bleak, dry scenery, such a sharp contrast to the wetness of the jungle. We were higher up, that was for sure. I guessed we’d hit more humidity the further down the rocky terrain we traveled. One glance in the cracked sideview mirror showed no one pursuing us. Either the house was empty or everyone was still asleep.

  I checked the cab as I drove on the empty road, taking a good look at what we were working with here. Diesel in the…half-full tank? The arrow danced back and forth in the gauge. Well, we were coasting along at nearly fifty miles an hour—we obviously ha
d fuel. The clock claimed it was just after eight in the morning. There didn’t seem to be any seat belts. And Cassidy’s window was missing.

  I stalled, watching her profile as the wind whipped her short black hair into her face. She sat there, soaking in the breeze, her eyes closed and nearly smiling at the sunshine on her face. Such…perfection. She’d changed so much since I’d met her. Stronger. Braver. Bolder. And mine. There was no way I could ever walk away from her. After all the years I’d been deprived of love and comfort, it was whiplash to get sucked into cherishing this woman. It didn’t matter if I couldn’t man up and accept that I was in love with her. As long as she continued to choose me in her life, I’d take it.

  Checking the rearview mirror, I saw that Tramer dozed. Or maybe he was merely resting his eyes. Silence claimed our ride and very soon, we left the barren rural area. Streets were paved. Buildings were newer and not falling apart, or some were being constructed. Residences, offices, basic dollar stores. We passed by it all as we drove toward more populous areas. Everything had a “farm” feel at first.

  After a half-hour of scoping for a store, Cassidy pointed. “Over there.”

  The neon sign wasn’t lit in the bright, hot daytime, but the letters said it was a convenient mart, English in a small font below the larger letters.

  I pulled over on a side street and watched the traffic. Some people strolled down the sidewalk. Others drove by. I didn’t have the first clue of how to tell if anyone was connected to the cartel, and for that, I remained on edge.

  “All right, ice, food, water.” Cassidy turned to face Tramer. “Maybe ibuprofen?”

  “Yeah.” Tramer cleared his throat before saying, “But with what money?”

  “Shit.” Cassidy smacked the dashboard.

  The compartment sprang open. She jerked back.

  I grimaced at the pungent odor of weed. “Damn…”

  “Damn is right!” She grinned as she pawed through the mess of papers and wrappers in there. In her hand she held up a few bills.