“Something’s wrong,” Audrey whispered.
He had to bite his tongue to suppress the urge to say, “Ya think?” He nodded toward Cocodrilo, who was already chopping at the undergrowth on the switchback leading up the mountainside. “You shouldn’t have told him about your brother.”
Surprise flitted over her features. “You caught that?”
“I do know some Spanish, Aud. I know what hermano means.”
She nodded wearily. “Maybe if I hadn’t said anything about Bryson, they’d have let us go with everyone else.”
He doubted that, but said nothing. He offered the rest of his water.
“Oh, God,” she said. “Thank you.”
Gabe watched her drink it down in the same greedy gulps he’d taken. Her neck and chest were pink like her cheeks. A fine sheen of sweat made her skin shine in the waning evening sunlight, captivating him. She started to choke on the water and he drew the bottle away from her lips.
“Easy. Don’t make yourself sick.”
“Sorry.” She coughed once more and dragged the back of her hand over her mouth. “I kept asking them for water, but they just pushed me on and on and on until my throat felt like sand and I couldn’t walk anymore because I kept tripping over my sandals. Then they gave me these instead.”
She curled her legs up to her chest and took off the rubber boots. Blisters covered most of the flesh on both her feet and Gabe’s blood went volcanic with rage. He wanted to kill her guards for that mistreatment, and gave serious consideration to ripping through the group right now with his bare hands. He could snap at least three necks before they realized what was happening, another three or so before they took him down—but that would leave Audrey in a very bad place. No companionship, no protector, just her and the guerillas, who would probably take Gabe’s death as an invitation to do whatever they wanted to her. He couldn’t let that happen and drew a deep breath, forcing his fury down to a simmer.
Audrey grimaced, touched the largest bubble on her left big toe, and lifted her gaze to his, looking like a child not understanding why she had been punished. He wished he could explain it to her, but he didn’t understand it, either.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Y-yes.” The word came out shaky, but then she firmed her lips and nodded. “Yes, I am okay. We will be okay.”
With a determination that rivaled any he’d seen in BUD/S, she slid the boots back on then turned her full attention on him. Her fingers feathered over his cheek, light as a breeze.
“You’re in pain. Is it your bad foot?”
“I’m fine.” Except that he really, really wanted to lean into her touch.
“Uh-huh. That’s why you’re white as a ghost.” She held up a hand to cut off his protest and took another sip of water. “Yeah, yeah, save it. I know you’re a regular Terminator.”
Gabe smiled. Couldn’t help it. The woman was amazing.
After a moment filled with the sounds of the jungle and the steady swing-chop-swing of Cocodrilo’s machete through the foliage, she sighed. “Those dead men back on the road…”
“What about them?” Gabe prompted when she trailed off.
“Cocodrilo’s afraid of them.”
“They’re not going to do him much harm. You know, considering they’re dead.”
“Gabe.” She pushed out an exasperated breath. “Not them, specifically, but who they worked for. Luis Mena.”
“Shit.” The name brought to mind a round, almost grandfatherly face. A face that had been on the Department of Defense’s watch list for years for suspected drug trafficking activities, kidnapping, extortion, terrorism, and so many murders nobody knew the exact count. The DOD intelligence gatherers claimed Mena’s operation was based out of Cartagena. And hadn’t he seen that city listed on Bryson’s itinerary? Bryson, who was in imports and exports….
Yeah, he’d known this was going to get nasty from the moment he heard the guerillas whispering Mena’s name. He just hadn’t realized that Bryson may also have a hand in that nastiness.
“There’s something else,” Audrey said, then folded her lips together when Cocodrilo snapped, “¡Silencio!” over his shoulder.
She moved closer to Gabe’s side, lowered her voice. “I didn’t catch all of it. Spiky Hair was talking too fast and his accent’s…but I got the gist. They found a GPS unit in the car they shot up. It was tracking our Jeep.” She paused, waited until his gaze met hers. “Mena’s men were following us.”
…
“I don’t get why Quinn doesn’t want me out in the field.”