No Place To Hide
Lisa Harris
A witness to murder…Now she’s running for survivalFormer navy diver Ryan Kendall’s father sent him to Brazil with a simple assignment: extract compromised witness Ellie Webb. But with Ellie determined to trek into the Amazon, following a lead on her father’s murder, Ryan must protect her. As cartel members and pirates chase them, though, can they survive the dangerous jungle…and take down a killer?
A witness to murder...
Now she’s running for survival
Former navy diver Ryan Kendall’s father sent him to Brazil with a simple assignment: extract compromised witness Ellie Webb. But with Ellie determined to trek into the Amazon, following a lead on her father’s murder, Ryan must protect her. As cartel members and pirates chase them, though, can they survive the dangerous jungle...and take down a killer?
LISA HARRIS is a Christy Award™ winner and winner of the Best Inspirational Suspense Novel for 2011 from RT Book Reviews. She and her family are missionaries in southern Africa. When she’s not working, she loves hanging out with her family, cooking different ethnic dishes, photography and heading into the African bush on safari. For more information about her books and life in Africa, visit her website at lisaharriswrites.com (http://www.lisaharriswrites.com).
Also By Lisa Harris (#uda2b470f-7228-5a73-8eed-c418cf70fba0)
Love Inspired Suspense
Final Deposit
Stolen Identity
Deadly Safari
Taken
Desperate Escape
Desert Secrets
Fatal Cover-Up
Deadly Exchange
No Place to Hide
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
No Place to Hide
Lisa Harris
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ISBN: 978-1-474-08462-8
NO PLACE TO HIDE
© 2018 Lisa Harris
Published in Great Britain 2018
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
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www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
“If we don’t jump into that water we’ll die.”
“And once we make it to shore?” Ellie asked. “Then what? We’re back in the jungle again.”
“At least we’ll be away from the men after us.”
“There’s a bounty on my head, Ryan. You don’t think they’ll find us again?”
“I don’t know what other option we have, Ellie.”
She blew out a huff of air. “So what’s your plan?”
“They’re not paying attention to us for the moment, so we jump. Hopefully, they won’t notice right away that we’re gone. Once we get to the shore...we run.”
She looked up at him, her eyes wide with fear, but also the courage he’d noticed before. Emotion washed through him—one he couldn’t quite identify. For the first time since Heather’s death, he felt something that left him wishing they were somewhere else—anywhere else—where he could get to know her better.
He slammed shut the thought. Now was not the time. He needed to stay focused on getting them out of here. Alive.
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
—Isaiah 41:10
Dear Reader (#uda2b470f-7228-5a73-8eed-c418cf70fba0),
Ten years ago, my family and I headed to Brazil for language school, where we spent six months learning Portuguese. While our time was focused on school, I was able to take two short trips. One with my husband to Rio, and a second trip with our three kids to the Amazon. Thankfully, our adventures there were no more dangerous than swimming with the pink dolphins and fishing for piranhas! But it was definitely a time I’ll never forget.
I hope you enjoyed Ryan and Ellie’s story as they fought to survive in this beautiful country. And even more important as they learned that God is the one who upholds us when all hope is lost. May we always remember that He is the one who will give us the strength we need to face whatever lies before us.
Be blessed,
Lisa Harris
To all the wonderful friends I made while living in this beautiful country. You will always be a part of who I am today.
Contents
Cover (#u75ec33c7-845a-53e6-8455-5bc138dd5d1b)
Back Cover Text (#ue5fe25c4-4690-5225-ab03-e70c3c130f13)
About the Author (#ub5054659-633f-5059-9f80-b512031e0870)
Booklist (#u8ccfa074-ebcf-5ab7-93f5-f0b27fa87f19)
Title Page (#uffbda742-3b8c-5ea7-a3ca-28b3008018ec)
Copyright (#u41ba2a9d-aa1c-5315-90d5-283714b266a6)
Introduction (#uee5108a9-20c9-5418-8c41-56e36f10bea4)
Bible Verse (#u6c8b655d-9aea-5647-86f4-6060493f67be)
Dear Reader (#u72a63f74-0342-5b4a-8ad3-c2b0f570d5f1)
Dedication (#u9831c63c-a9a1-5d16-b6b0-699a2446ae68)
ONE (#ub223490d-3b79-55ca-a5fd-a122c972b407)
TWO (#u98c9324b-031d-5d20-be5e-688ad29250f0)
THREE (#u0a007de5-1fbe-5a95-b815-ec99ea3bd359)
FOUR (#u5581aa02-fcc8-5864-a4e3-26dac221ef45)
FIVE (#u62bdc4f1-c99b-5edd-b188-89cd0cc9af9b)
SIX (#litres_trial_promo)
SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)
NINE (#litres_trial_promo)
TEN (#litres_trial_promo)
ELEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
TWELVE (#litres_trial_promo)
THIRTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
FOURTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
FIFTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
SIXTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
SEVENTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
EIGHTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)
ONE (#uda2b470f-7228-5a73-8eed-c418cf70fba0)
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Ellie Webb made her way down the steep incline of the favela, where hundreds of homes sat packed together in a sprawling maze of steep streets and unpaved narrow alleys. While the working-class shantytown was home for thousands of lower-middle-class Brazilians, for her the tight-knit community had become the perfect place to disappear during the day while she taught English to local kids hoping for the chance of a better future. And for her, darker skin, along with an ability to speak fluent Portuguese, had allowed her to blend into the community.
Almost.
She caught the incredible view of Sugarloaf Mountain that sat at the mouth of Guanabara Bay and jutted out into the Atlantic as she headed past a family-run restaurant and dozens of other tiny shops and homes. In reality, she’d never completely fit in, just like she would never be able to forget why she was here. Long days at the center offering outreach programs and development opportunities had helped keep her busy enough to numb the pain, but she still missed her job and her friends. Still wondered if her best friend, Maddie, had found another maid of honor for her September wedding, and how Lucy, her miniature golden retriever, was doing.
Her phone rang, interrupting her thoughts, and she pulled it out of her back pocket, hoping it was Dr. Reynolds letting her know he’d arrived.
“Hello?”
“Ellie? Ellie, I can’t believe it’s you.”
Her heart thudded in her chest. “I’m sorry...who is this?”
“It’s Audrey.”
“Aunt Audrey? Wait a minute. How did you find me?”
Because it wasn’t possible. Her mother’s sister was the only family she had left, and yet even Audrey had been told she’d died in the same fire that killed her father. It had meant no communication that might risk Arias’s men finding her. No telephone calls or letters. No social media. Nothing that could bring the cartel leader and his hit men back to her. Not until he was back in prison along with whomever he’d hired for the hit.
“I was visiting your father the night he was killed. I saw you run out. I went after you but lost you in all the commotion. After that I...I was so scared they’d come after me.” Her aunt paused. “Later when the authorities said you were dead, I couldn’t believe it. But I never stopped looking for you.”
Ellie stood in the middle of the busy street, barely noticing the group of kids playing an impromptu game of soccer, or the loud hip-hop beat pumping through someone’s radio. Because her aunt’s revelation was like a punch to the gut. She’d kept her aunt in the dark in order to protect her, but if Audrey knew she was alive, who else did?
She started walking again. “I don’t understand.”
“I know you don’t, and I don’t have time to explain right now.” Her aunt sounded frantic. Terrified of something. “All you need to know is that I hired a private detective to find you, but he’s been murdered. He’d managed to track down your cell phone and where you are, but now I’m afraid that the men who killed him have that information and know where you are. I’m so, so sorry, Ellie, but you need to run.”
Ellie’s mind fought to untangle her aunt’s words. Because nothing made sense. No one besides her father’s best friend, Jarrod Kendall, knew where she was. He’d assured her of that, and she trusted him with her life. He’d arranged for her false papers, a visa and even the leak to the media that her body had been discovered in the fire. Which was why everyone believed she was dead.
“Where are you now?” her aunt asked. “Because you need to leave Rio.”
“In the favela where I work. I was on my way to grab lunch for my team—”
“You can’t go back to your work or to your apartment.”
Ellie bit back the list of questions she needed to ask and looked behind her, feeling vulnerable even in the middle of the crowded favela. How had a private detective managed to track her down?
“How much time do I have?” she asked her aunt.
“Not long. They have the same information I do, which means they could be there right now.”
A sick feeling spread through her.
“Then I’ve got to go,” Ellie said. “I’ll call as soon as I can.”
She forced her mind to click through her options. If her aunt was right, then she couldn’t go back to the center where she worked. Nor could she go home or to any of her friends here. She was going to have to disappear. Again. The familiar sense of fear she’d lived with over the past few months washed through her. She had no reason not to trust her aunt. Unless someone had gotten to her as well.
Ellie hurried down a narrow flight of cement stairs, past a woman hanging up her laundry. A young girl swept the walk outside her house. Children played in the narrow thoroughfare with graffiti on the walls.
She glanced behind her up the alley. There was no way they could find her here. Was there? A man in black jeans and a white T-shirt darted down the stairs behind her, almost knocking down one of the kids who was playing. His cold gaze caught hers as he headed toward her.
They’d found her.
Ellie smashed the cell phone against the pavement, then started running, careful not to lose her balance on the uneven pavement as she raced down the street. Her aunt had been right. Going back to her apartment wasn’t an option. She had her passport and some cash with her in her leather messenger bag. Now she just needed to get to the bus terminal, where she’d left a bugout bag in one of the long-term lockers in case something like this happened, and leave the city.
She turned down another street, then glanced behind her, unsure if she’d lost the guy with all the pedestrian traffic. No...he was still coming toward her. She needed a way out. A motorcycle sat fifty feet ahead of her. There was something familiar about the tall, muscular driver who had turned around to see what the commotion was.
Ryan Kendall?
The last time she remembered seeing him was on a trip to his family ranch well over a decade ago, where he’d driven her crazy with his dumb jokes and juvenile pranks.
“Hurry,” he shouted, handing her a helmet.
There was no time to ask what Jarrod Kendall’s son was doing here. Instead, she jumped on the back of the seat, grabbed onto his waist and shouted for him to go. He zipped around a group of women, then headed for the main road as her pursuer disappeared behind them.
A minute later, Ellie’s heart was still pounding as Ryan merged into the traffic. She closed her eyes, wrapping her arms tighter around his waist as he took the turn too fast for her comfort. It was one thing sitting behind a mototaxi driver who knew the streets of Rio like the back of his hand. She was quite sure Ryan, on the other hand, would be completely lost without his rented GPS.
He sped down the freeway like a local, but even that didn’t help loosen the knots in her stomach as she pressed against his back. It wasn’t rush hour, but the traffic was still congested. Someone honked behind them. She tried to slow her breathing. She knew that Arias’s operation was extensive, though Ryan’s father had assured her that she’d be out of Arias’s reach here in Rio. Apparently, that wasn’t true. All she wanted right now was to find somewhere safe, where they couldn’t get to her.
But they’d just proved that place didn’t exist.
Ellie glanced behind her, unable to shake the uneasiness that had settled over her. The surrounding mountains boxed in the city, helping to add to the congested traffic, which was why she always took a taxi in order to avoid driving. Something in her peripheral vision caught her eye. A motorcycle was weaving in and out of traffic as it sped toward them. If it was the same guy she’d caught coming after her in the favela... She squeezed her arms tighter around Ryan’s waist as they flew past a large truck.
“You okay?” Ryan shouted above the noise of the busy freeway.
“No.” She leaned against him and squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. “I think we’re being followed.”
* * *
Ryan glanced in the side mirror at the motorcycle closing in behind them. He couldn’t help but wonder for a split second how he’d managed to find himself speeding down a highway in the middle of Rio with a possible cartel member behind him, instead of scuba diving in the middle of the Atlantic like he’d planned. He sped up, then weaved in between two cars, trying to determine if Ellie’s theory was correct. But the other motorcycle also increased its speed and continued to bridge the distance between them.
Definitely not a coincidence.
He glanced in his side mirror again, trying to deduce what the other rider was planning to do. Running them off the road was always a possibility. Or maybe he’d simply been planning to follow them and hadn’t expected to be made. Ellie’s arms squeezed tighter around his waist, making him wonder what he’d been thinking when he’d impulsively rented the motorcycle. There was nothing heroic about rescuing a maiden in distress only to throw her into another life-threatening situation.
The back window of the car to their right shattered. Ryan swerved to miss hitting the car as it fishtailed, and almost ran into a single-cab truck before the car hit the center barrier, then skidded to a stop behind them.
But there was no way they could stop. The armed motorcyclist had just made his intentions perfectly clear.
“Hold on.” Ryan pressed on the accelerator, praying as he worked to stretch out the gap between them. “We need to lose him.”
“There’s a split in the highway up ahead,” she shouted. “A mile, maybe two. We might be able to lose him.”
“Which direction should I go?”
“To the left. The other way veers off into a sharp curve.”
It wasn’t a foolproof plan, but it was going to have to work. He continued to increase his speed, dodging in front of cars as he tried to widen the distance between them, but the other motorcycle still managed to keep up with them.
If he took a shot at them again...
A minute later, they passed a sign, signaling the upcoming split. Two kilometers, or roughly one mile. Traffic was fairly heavy, but he maneuvered through the lanes, keeping primarily to the right, as if he was planning to exit. He kept his eyes on his mirrors. He’d raced motorcycles all through high school and college and had been good at it. His father had been the one who’d taught him everything, from running tighter lines, to how to use the brakes, to ensuring he understood every minute detail of how a bike ran. And that attention to detail had translated into winning more races.
But this was different. Back then he hadn’t been riding with someone holding on to him he was supposed to protect with a shooter closing in.
He passed another sign as he weaved through traffic, then went back into the right lane. Another half mile to the split. He held his position, waiting until the last minute, then swerved to the left, barely making the turn.
The other bike tried to follow, but by the time he realized what they’d done, it was too late. The driver swerved to the left, overcompensating, then slid across several lanes of traffic before disappearing from view.
They road in silence for another thirty minutes, until he was certain they weren’t being followed. He turned onto an avenue running parallel to the Atlantic Ocean, then found a place to park the bike. With dozens of tourists and locals enjoying the warm October sunshine along the white, sandy shoreline, they would be safe here for the moment.
He helped Ellie off the bike, then pulled off his helmet, his hands shaking as he set it on the seat. If his hands were shaking, he could only imagine what she was feeling. Not only had they just survived a near fatal accident, but this entire situation was also intensely personal for her. She’d lost her father, and now, once again, almost her life.
She pulled off her helmet, then caught his gaze. “Thanks for the rescue, but what are you doing in Rio?”
He hesitated at her question. “I was working off the coast, and my father sent me to check on you. Said that the last time you spoke to him you’d sounded upset. He wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“I guess my paranoia that the cartel would find me wasn’t that far off.” Her eyes watered as she blew out a sharp breath. “My aunt called right before you showed up. Warned me that Arias’s men had found me.”
He shook his head. “Wait a minute... No one is supposed to even know you’re alive, and yet we just got shot at and almost run off the road, and now you’re telling me that your aunt knows where you are as well.”
“She’s been looking for me.”
Her watery eyes turned into full-blown tears, and he had no idea how to react to her crying. Hugging her seemed too intimate, and yet he didn’t want to just ignore what she was feeling. The last time he’d seen her, she’d been fourteen or fifteen. They used to spend summers at his father’s Colorado ranch, until her family moved to Dallas. And now his father had sent him to do a simple extraction, but he had a feeling this was going to turn out to be a bit more complicated.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I will be.” She wiped her cheek with the back of her hand, clearly trying to gain back her composure. “I’m sorry. Except for the night my father was murdered, I don’t think I’ve ever been so terrified.”
“You have nothing to be sorry about, but we need to get you out of the country,” he said. “My father’s already booked two seats on a direct flight to the States for tonight in case I felt we needed to leave immediately, which clearly we do.”
He focused his attention on her but continued to stay fully aware of the scene around him. He couldn’t assume anything when it came to their safety. Not after what he’d just witnessed.
“Ellie...”
She stared out across the stunning blue water lined with countless kiosks and beachgoers a few seconds longer before looking up at him. “I’m sorry, but I can’t leave.”
“What are you talking about?” he asked. “We were almost killed a few minutes ago.”
Surely he’d misunderstood her.
“I have information on the man behind my father’s death,” she said. “Proof that could finally lead to his arrest and conviction.”
“What kind of proof?” he asked, unsure he liked the direction of the conversation. She couldn’t be planning to play detective and try to solve her father’s murder herself. He’d agreed to escort her home. Not follow up on some clue she thought she’d come up with. That he planned to leave to the authorities.
“I made contact with a doctor who works in the north of Brazil along the Amazon River,” she said quickly. “He has evidence he’s been afraid to take to the authorities, but he’s agreed to meet with me.”
“Wait a minute...so you’re planning to go to the Amazon?”
“I’ve already booked a private flight that leaves in the morning.”
Ryan frowned. A simple extraction, in and out, didn’t include a stop in the Amazon.
“I’m sorry, but you can’t—”
“If they can find me here in Brazil,” she said, catching his gaze, “what’s to stop them from finding me back in the US, where they have even more resources? Which means I won’t be able to quit running until the men behind my father’s death are in prison.”
Ryan shook his head. “I agreed to take you back to the US, not off on some wild-goose chase down the Amazon.”
“That’s fine, because I’m not asking you to go with me.” She let out a sharp breath. “Have you ever lost someone you loved?”
Ryan’s muscles stiffened at the question. “Yes, but—”
“Then you have to understand that not only do I need closure to my father’s death, I need the men who killed him to pay for what they did. And if I ever want to stop running, I have to make sure they’re caught.”
“And some...doctor in the Amazon is your best lead? How does that play in to your father’s murder?”
“Let’s just say that even cartel leaders and drug lords need medical care.”
“And this doctor you tracked down knows the man you believe is behind your father’s death and has some kind of information you believe might help solve his case?”
“Exactly.”
“Which could put his life in danger as well.”
“I know, but we’ve been very careful,” she said. “He works one week a month at a second clinic about two hours upriver of where he lives. He’s agreed to meet me there. No one will suspect anything.”
“Forget it. It’s way too dangerous, and I promised my father I’d get you out of here.” Ryan glanced down the wide boulevard that ran parallel to the ocean and was lined with hotels, restaurants and bars. How was he supposed to convince her to leave? “Listen. I’m not a chauvinist, but a woman on her own, traveling down the Amazon, is probably not the best idea. Especially when the cartel is looking for you.”
“Don’t you think I haven’t thought of that?” Ellie looked up at him. “I realize this isn’t some sanitized cruise, and we’re not just talking about avoiding leeches and piranhas. It’s not safe. I get it. And in fact, I feel as if I’m poking my finger into a hornet’s nest.”
He didn’t miss the apprehension in her voice or the hint of fear in her eyes as she caught his gaze. But he also didn’t miss the look of fierce determination. The bottom line, though, was that someone was out there, looking for her, and from what his father had told him, they weren’t going to stop until they found her.
“You know my father,” he said. “He will do everything in his power to stop whoever’s behind this. Including finding out what this doctor knows. But you don’t have to do this on your own. It’s not safe. We need to get to the airport and return to the States.”
She shook her head. “You don’t understand. You don’t have to come with me, but I’m going.”
TWO (#uda2b470f-7228-5a73-8eed-c418cf70fba0)
Ellie started walking away from him, toward the water, still carrying the helmet she’d been wearing. She needed to clear her head. She wished she didn’t feel so angry. Wished her nerves weren’t so rattled. Surely flying to the Amazon to meet the doctor wasn’t nearly as dangerous as riding a motorcycle across Rio with Ryan Kendall. Unless, of course, the cartel managed to track her there as well.
Memories engulfed her, dragging her back to a place she didn’t want to be. Like the last time she’d spoken to her father. He’d apologized for burdening her with his problems, telling her that this case had him on edge, and with the evidence he’d seen, he was ready to give his judgment and see Mauricio Arias remain in prison for the rest of his life. It might not have been the first time he’d received threats, but for some reason, when she’d hung up the phone, she’d been left with the impression that this time was different. This time it was personal.
She had already been worried over the toll the case had been taking on his health, which was why she’d insisted on coming over and making dinner. Normally their weekly Friday-night dinners included takeout and a couple hours of conversation, where they were forbidden to mention politics or law. But after the week her father had had, she’d figured he’d enjoy a home-cooked meal rather than spicy Thai or greasy pizza.
Instead, she’d found her father in the entryway. He was lying on the hardwood floor, a pool of blood beneath him, and his eyes were closed, as if he was sleeping.
Except he hadn’t been sleeping.
She’d knelt over her father and quickly felt for a pulse or a breath—anything that would assure her it wasn’t too late. She’d begged that God would step in and wake her up from this nightmare. Her stomach had twisted as she pulled back his suit jacket, revealing where the bullet had struck his chest. Everything her father had feared had become a reality.
A second later, a bullet had slammed into the wall behind her. She’d glanced at the figure standing in the doorway on the other side of the room as time seemed to momentarily freeze. Dark hair, piercing brown eyes, spiderweb tat on the side of his neck... Details imprinted on her mind as she’d grabbed her phone, then dived behind the paisley couch. A second bullet had struck the arm of the piece of furniture, missing her by only a couple inches. Her father was still lying motionless on the floor, but there had been nothing else she could have done for him. He was already gone. Which meant she’d had to find a way out of the house before it was too late.
She tried to shake off the memories that had yet to stop chasing her the past couple months as she walked past a beach vendor selling coconut water straight from the coconut to a couple of tourists. On any other day, Copacabana Beach, with its long stretch of shoreline, crystal blue waters and the magnificent Sugarloaf Mountain in the background, was one of her favorite places in the city. But today, she didn’t really see any of it.
How was she supposed to make Ryan understand she couldn’t return with him?
She stopped at the edge of the sand, not far from where a father and son were building a sandcastle. She and Ryan always had been polar opposites growing up. His father had mentioned that he’d spent a decade as a navy diver and now worked as a saturation diver for oil companies. She wasn’t sure what the job entailed, but she was pretty sure it was dangerous. She definitely wasn’t the adventurous type, but this wasn’t the time to admit to him how terrified she felt. If she did, she had a feeling he’d kidnap her himself in order to get her to return.
But the risks involved didn’t change anything. Not now.
“Ellie...”
She felt a surge of resolve run through her as he stepped up next to her. She studied his lean, solid profile, stopping at his strong jawline and five-o’clock shadow. She trusted him, but only because she trusted his father, and his father had sent him. She also knew that flying to the Amazon hadn’t been a part of the bargain. But until the authorities found her father’s killer, she’d always be looking over her shoulder, and that wasn’t a life she intended to live any longer. Which was why she had no plans of backing down. With or without his help.
“I need to find out the truth,” she said, “because I’m tired of running. Nor can I simply ignore the information the doctor has.”
She caught the hesitation in his eyes, knowing they needed to leave. Even if they had managed to evade the man who’d tried to grab her in the favela, they were still out in the open and exposed. But this wasn’t a fight she was willing to walk away from.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t let you do that,” he said. “Once we get to the safe house back in the States, you can meet with my father and tell him about this doctor and the information he has. I’m sure he’ll be willing to send someone to meet with the man.”
The warm sun made her long to take off her shoes and dig her toes into the sand, as if it was just a normal day. “That’s not good enough. Dr. Reynolds is risking his life to meet with me, which means I owe it to both him and my father to go speak to him. And he told me that he’ll only meet with me. Not the authorities.”
“Are you forgetting that not only did your aunt manage to track down your cell phone number and location, we were just chased out of the favela?”
“I know it sounds crazy, but I need to show you something.” She pulled a couple photos out of the side pocket of her bag, desperate for him to understand. “This is my father a couple months before he was killed. He was a huge sports fan, and I surprised him with tickets to watch the Dallas Mavericks for his birthday. And this—” she showed him the second photo “—this is the sketch I drew of the man who killed my father, then burned down his house.”
Ryan let out a soft sigh. “My father told me about what happened, and I am truly sorry for your loss.”
“What exactly did he tell you?” she asked.
“That three months ago your father was murdered by members of the cartel and his house was burned down in connection to a high-profile case he was presiding over. And that you were a witness to who murdered him—and despite what the news channels all reported, you were very much alive.”
Except for Ryan’s father, she hadn’t spoken to anyone about that day. Her friends back in the United States thought she was dead, and her new friends here couldn’t find out what had happened to her. It was a burden she’d had to face on her own with only her faith to carry her through.
“The last time I spoke with my father,” she continued, “he sounded distracted. Preoccupied. He’d hinted about the strain of the cartel-related triple homicide. When I pressed him for more information, he assured me nothing was wrong, but I didn’t believe him. Especially when he admitted there was missing evidence and a string of threats directed toward him.
“The next day, I found him lying in the entryway of his house in a pool of blood.” She fought back the emotion as she looked up at Ryan. “I don’t need a sketch to remember what his murderer looked like, because I see him every night when I close my eyes to go to sleep, and every time I’m reminded of why I’m here. Your father helped me disappear. Helped leak the rumor to the media that I’d died in the fire so the cartel wouldn’t come after me. And yet even that didn’t stop them from looking for me.”
“Why don’t you contact the authorities and tell them what’s happening?” he asked.
She ignored the string of vendors heading their way with offers of ice cream, skewers of shrimp and henna tattoos. “Because there’s a leak somewhere in the investigation, and besides your father, I still don’t know who I can trust. Your father’s been trying to figure out the truth, but he’s walking a fine line, and so far, he hasn’t been able to.”
“You have to understand that I’m truly sorry for everything that has happened to you,” Ryan said, motioning to the men that they weren’t interested in buying anything. “But my father sent me here to ensure your safety. Not to take you on some wild-goose chase that may or may not pay off.”
“And I need you to understand why I have to stay and find out the truth.”
“I do, but—”
“No. I don’t think you do understand. Arias is known for his brutality. He has people working for him—hired to do his dirty work—along with people he pays in order to ensure he walks, which is why my father is dead. And why I’ll be dead as well if he gets his way.”
“I get that, but you and I aren’t equipped to carry out an investigation. What you just told me about Arias should be reason enough for both of us to get as far from here as possible.”
“So, what? I just keep running. Keep playing this game of cat and mouse until someone finds my dead body and he gets away with murder again. He knows I’m alive.”
“No. Of course not—”
“That’s why I need to meet with the doctor.”
Today, Ryan Kendall might not be the irritating teenager she remembered—after all, he had just shown up unexpectedly and rescued her—but he was still just as stubborn. And so was she, and she had no intention of changing her mind.
“I need you to take me to the bus station,” she said, heading back toward the bike.
Ryan hurried to catch up with her. “Why?”
“I decided that if I ever needed to get out quickly, I was going to be ready this time. I’ve got a bugout bag in one of the lockers with some things I’ll need, including a burn phone. I’ll stay at a hotel tonight, then take a taxi to the airstrip in the morning.”
“And this contact you’re supposed to meet with, this doctor. Where are you meeting him?”
“I’ve got a pilot flying me to an airstrip that’s located near the small village where he’ll be.”
“I’m coming with you.”
She stopped, turned around, then quickly stepped out of the way of a couple of kids. “I’m not asking you to come with me.”
“Maybe not, and while I’ll probably regret this, I’m volunteering. But on one condition. Once you talk to the doctor, you have to promise you’ll leave with me. And in the meantime,” he said, “we’re going to have to find a way to keep you safe.”
* * *
Ryan frowned as they headed back toward the motorcycle, certain he was going to regret what he’d just agreed to. He still wasn’t sure why he’d offered to go with her to the Amazon despite undeniable evidence that someone was after her. So much for his father’s clear-cut plan to simply escort her back to the United States to the safe house he was setting up.
But one of her questions had struck a chord, making it impossible for him to just walk away. He glanced at the watch Heather had given him a month before their wedding. Two weeks before she’d died. He knew all too well how hard it was to have someone you love snatched away from you with no warning. And how important it was to find the answers that would bring closure. Even if it meant risking everything. Heather would have told him to go. Just like she would have already told him to let her go.
He glanced behind them, still unable to shake the uneasiness. Someone was still out there looking for them. He needed to keep her safe, but they’d tracked her to the favela. Who was to say they couldn’t track her to the Amazon?
“You know you don’t have to do this,” she said as they stepped up next to the bike.
“Don’t you even start trying to talk me out of this,” he said, slipping on his helmet.
She smiled for the first time. “Thank you for coming with me.”
“Just doing what my father asked and keeping you safe.”
He took a few seconds to study her as he pushed the strap down under his chin. Shoulder-length dark hair. Warm smile. Wide almond-colored eyes. She’d turned out incredibly beautiful.
Not that it mattered.
What mattered was getting them both out of here in one piece.
Thirty minutes later Ryan pulled into the parking garage that was attached to the bus terminal. Outside the busy station, scores of people bustled about, surrounded by yellow taxis. Ryan watched a couple lug a suitcase out of the trunk of their car as he and Ellie headed through the garage. Three tourists with backpacks were heading toward the terminal in front of them. He forced himself to shake the worry. No one had followed them here, and no one was going to follow them to the Amazon. They’d fly in, meet the doctor and fly out.
Simple.
He might not have been able to save Heather, but he was going to save Ellie.
“Do you remember the last time we saw each other?” he asked, pushing the lingering memories away as they started across the catwalk that had access to the upper boarding sector of the bus terminal.
“It was the summer before I started eighth grade if I remember correctly,” she said.
He had a feeling she hadn’t forgotten. Her family had visited his parents’ ranch, and Ryan had dared her to jump off the roof and into the swimming pool. She must have gotten tired of his taunts, because she’d eventually climbed onto that roof before propelling herself into the deep end of the pool below.
It hadn’t ended well. She’d panicked and his father had ended up jumping into the pool and rescuing her.
“I was thinking I probably owed you an apology,” he said.
“Forget it. That was a long time ago, though I did think I was going to drown that day. And for the record, I now have an irrational fear of drowning.”
“Like I said, I owe you an apology, though I have grown up since then in case you were wondering.”
She smiled, but he could still sense the tension in her stride. He’d hoped that breaking the ice between them would help her relax, but she’d been right when she’d told him that this wasn’t some exotic holiday. Neither of them had any idea what was going to be waiting for them once they arrived. Which meant he was going to have to be prepared for anything.
Inside, the crowded terminal looked more like a shopping center, with its dozens of shops and food vendors. But while there might be safety in numbers, he also knew that whoever was after her would probably assume she was going to try to leave the city. And Rio’s main bus terminal was as good as anyplace to start surveying. He searched the crowded space for anyone who looked out of place. Someone without any luggage, or someone he’d seen earlier today. But the odds were in their favor. They might know she was in Rio, but Arias’s men couldn’t keep tabs on every plane, bus and car exiting the city.
“Just give me a minute,” she said as they approached the lockers. “I need to pay, then grab my bag.”
His cell phone rang as they stepped in front of the lockers. He checked the caller ID. It was his father.
“Did you find her?” his father asked.
“Yeah. I was just getting ready to call you.”
“And...?”
Ryan turned around, hesitating with his answer. “They know she’s here in Rio. A guy was after her, and we barely made it out of the favela.”
“Ryan, you need to get out of there now. Everything’s arranged on my end with the safe house. Get to the airport. You’ll be safe there until your flight—”
“It’s not going to be quite that simple.” He glanced at Ellie, who was busy paying for the locker rental. His father might have trusted him to get her to safety, but he wasn’t going to be happy when he heard they wouldn’t be making the flight back to the United States.
“Ryan...what’s going on?”
“She’s arranged a private flight to the Amazon. She’s been in contact with someone she believes has information on her father’s killer. Evidence that could potentially help take down Arias. She’s insisting on meeting with him tomorrow.”
“Forget it. I don’t care what she’s found at this point. You need to get her out now. It’s not safe where you are.”
“And if she’s determined to go?” Ryan pressed his phone against his ear in order to hear better in the noisy terminal. “I can’t just let her fly out on her own—”
“I promised her father if anything ever happened to him I’d take care of her. He would have done the same thing for you or your sister.”
“I told her I’d go with her.”
“Then tell her you changed your mind. I don’t care if you have to drag her to the airport, you get her on that plane, Ryan. Do you understand me?”
“I can try, but I can’t make any promises.”
Ryan hung up as Ellie walked up to him with a large, gray backpack hanging off her shoulder.
“Is everything okay?” she asked.
He slid his phone into his front pocket. “That was my father.”
“He doesn’t want me going, does he?”
“No.”
She shifted the backpack on her shoulder. “Your father’s done a lot for me, but I’m not going to change my mind. My contact knows what he’s up against and has made it very clear that he won’t speak with anyone else. I can’t lose this opportunity to find out the truth.”
He pulled her out of the way of a group of travelers who weren’t paying attention to where they were going, and felt her jump at his touch.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “My nerves are on edge.”
“Which is why my father is right. These people who are after you...they aren’t going to stop looking. We could fly your contact somewhere safe until this is over, or—”
“He won’t meet with anyone else, but I’ll understand if you want to change your mind about coming with me.”
“When I said I’d come with you, I meant it,” he said as they started back to the parking garage. “We can get a couple rooms at a secure hotel I know about, and leave in the morning.”
“And your father?” she asked.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll deal with him later.”
Because in the meantime he had plenty of other things to worry about. He knew enough about Arias and the cartel to realize they were about to walk into a war zone. Her father’s death was related to the cartel. All along the Amazon were drug gangs, cartel leaders and even pirates, all on the rise due to rapid changes throughout the area. A surging population paired with organized crime had helped to fuel a sense of lawlessness. And they were headed right into the middle of it.
THREE (#uda2b470f-7228-5a73-8eed-c418cf70fba0)
At seven thirty the next morning, Ellie and Ryan sat in the small waiting room adjacent to the hangar while their pilot filled out the necessary paperwork for their flight. Perspiration had beaded across the back of her neck, making her wish the stuffy room had an air conditioner, or if nothing else a fan to circulate the air. Even though they were just easing into summer, today’s temperatures were supposed to hit eighty degrees with high humidity. Along the Amazon, the temperatures would probably be even higher.
While she honestly hadn’t expected him to go with her, Ryan had already gone far beyond the call of duty. He’d secured two rooms for them at a hotel, where they’d ordered room service to ensure no one saw them. But as much as she’d wanted to catch up with him, she’d been too exhausted emotionally to be very sociable. By nine, she’d fallen into a restless sleep filled with nightmares of someone chasing her through the Amazon rain forest.
She yawned, then glanced at her phone for the umpteenth time, stood up and started pacing the VIP departure lounge. Her determination to follow through with their plan wavered. Maybe Ryan and his father had been right, and they should have taken last night’s flight back to the United States. She had no experience in tracking down a killer. Which was why she should leave the investigation to the authorities and trust that they would find out the truth as to who had killed her father. Just like the legal process would—at some point—put them in prison, where they belonged. All she was doing now was risking the lives of both Dr. Reynolds and Ryan.
“Ellie...what’s wrong?”
She glanced at her phone again, the familiar worry gnawing at her gut. “I’m hoping nothing, but I still haven’t heard from Dr. Reynolds. I texted him this new number. He was supposed to send me a signal when he arrived this morning so I knew he was okay.”
“I wouldn’t worry. Things run slower in this part of the world and never keep to a schedule. Which means there could be any number of explanations. The boat he’s on could have broken down, he might simply be running late—”
“Or they could have gotten to him.” She turned around and faced Ryan, his casual answer doing little to reassure her. “I’m sorry, but I’m the one who dragged him into this mess and if anything happens to him...”
Ryan leaned forward and rested his forearms against his thighs. “From what you’ve already told me, the doctor made his own decision to gather information against the cartel, which means I’d say he did a pretty good job of dragging himself into this situation on his own.”
“I know. But while I’m not the only person affected by Arias, this has become personal. I need to find a way to put an end to it.” She sat back down next to him. “My father’s dead, my aunt thought I was dead, too, and all my friends and the people I worked with think I died in that fire. I just want this all to be over.”
“That’s why we’re going,” he said, catching her gaze. “It will be. Soon. I promise.”
“The two of you ready to go?” The pilot she’d hired stepped into the room, interrupting their conversation.
She nodded at the balding man in his early fifties, praying that the trip that had eaten up most of her savings would be worth it. Ryan grabbed his small backpack and walked with her toward the plane as she shoved aside any second thoughts. If it meant bringing her father’s murderer to justice, she could do this.
Fifteen minutes later, while the small craft was heading north above the city, Ellie stared out the window. The blue-green ocean was to the right, running along Rio’s skyline surrounded by the mountain chain that ran along the coast of South America. She loved flying. Loved the feeling of climbing to altitude, then soaring across the miniature images below.
It was almost enough to make her temporarily forget where they were going and why. She took in a slow, deep breath, and for the first time in weeks she felt her muscles begin to relax. Maybe it was simply the calm before the storm, but even if that was all it was, it was a moment she intended to hold on to for as long as she could. In another four hours or so, they’d be on the ground, and she’d have to deal again with the reality of her situation and how someone wanted her dead.
She glanced at Ryan with those striking blue eyes of his. He sat beside her, mouth tight, hands clasped tightly in his lap. Her brow furrowed. She would never have pegged him for someone with a phobia of flying.
“Not much of a flyer?” she asked.
“I don’t mind flying, actually. I just hate the takeoffs and landings,” he said, opening his eyes and shooting her a grin. “I know it doesn’t make sense, but I’ve always preferred to be under the water, for some reason, than thousands of feet above it.”
She chuckled, enjoying talking with him after the awkwardness of yesterday seemed to have passed. “Your father mentioned you used to be a diver for the navy. That sounds a lot more frightening—and more dangerous—than flying.”
“I left the navy after about a decade and now work as a saturation diver.”
“Your father told me that’s what you’re doing now, but he didn’t really explain what the job was.”
“I work for oil companies using a saturation system. We live in a pressurized chamber for up to a month, then are transported to the underwater work area every day in a closed bell.”
“A closed bell?” She felt a shiver slide through her. “So you live and work under constant pressure?”
“It allows more work to be done efficiently without worrying about decompression stops.”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry, but that definitely sounds terrifying.”
He shot her a smile. “It’s intense work, but the old Jacques Cousteau documentaries always fascinated me as a kid. Whenever we were on holiday, I would be out spearfishing or snorkeling. I was always in the sea and always wanted to be a diver. Back then I just had no idea I could make money doing it.”
She let out another soft laugh. At least he was human with at least one irrational fear. And there was another thing she was pretty certain about as well. His presence was one of the reasons she hadn’t completely fallen apart. Over the past three months she’d had to deal with not only the death of her father, but also the complete upheaval of her life. And while she’d made friends here in Brazil, she hadn’t been able to tell them the real reason she was here. Regular check-ins with Ryan’s father had helped, but he was five thousand miles away.
“I thought my father told me you were married,” she said as the plane leveled off and his hands began to relax in his lap. No ring had made her assume otherwise.
“Married? No.” His brow rose slightly at the question. “That would be my sister. She got married right out of college and now has three little girls.”
“So you never found Ms. Right?” She’d asked the question as a simple conversation starter, but from the look on his face, she’d just wandered into forbidden territory. “I’m sorry if that was too personal.”
“I was engaged. Once.” He stared past her out the window.
Yeah...definitely too personal.
Though honestly, she couldn’t imagine marrying someone with such a risky job, who was gone for weeks at a time. More than likely his ex had decided to find someone with a more...normal day job.
“What about you?” he asked, shifting the subject. “Any Mr. Right in your life?”
“No, though I was almost engaged once.”
Ellie frowned. That is if you could call wishful thinking almost engaged. The night she’d expected Lance to propose, he’d broken up with her. And to make it worse, he’d ended up marrying one of her best friends.
She stared back out the window, wondering how she’d allowed their conversation to become so personal. Maybe it was simply having to adjust to the lack of contact with any other Americans over the past few months that had allowed her to let down her guard now. But just because she was lonely didn’t mean she was ready to open up her heart.
* * *
Ryan settled back in his chair as their pilot leveled out the small plane, leaving the city behind them. Despite her personal questions, he hadn’t failed to notice how guarded she seemed. Though he couldn’t really blame her. She’d been in hiding for the past three months, without being able to communicate with anyone she cared about.
As for himself, this was already probably the most amount of time he’d spent around a woman for, well...for a very long time. His father was constantly trying to nudge him back into the dating game, and if he didn’t know better, he could easily believe his dad had set up this entire scenario to get the two of them together. In fact, a part of him wasn’t sure why he hadn’t started dating again. Enough time had passed for the major wounds of his heart to begin to heal. But something had still continued to hold him back and keep him running.
Just like Ellie.
Except Ellie had been running from a legitimate threat. From a man who wanted her dead because of retaliation over what she’d seen. He, on the other hand, had been running from his own emotions and fears.
The thought struck him hard. The revelation would no doubt be one his father would be proud of. If he was to start dating again—which he had no plans whatsoever to do—and if he was honest with himself, from the short time he’d been around her, he knew Ellie was the kind of woman he’d like to spend time getting to know better. When they were kids, he’d enjoyed hanging out with her, and she’d always been a good sport no matter how much he’d teased her.
“Where’d you learn Portuguese?” he asked, figuring they could both do with a neutral subject.
“I love languages and ended up studying both Spanish and Portuguese in high school and college. Right after I graduated, I was given an incredible opportunity to work for two years in a studio based in São Paulo. I ended up fluent in the language and loved my time here. So when my father was murdered, it seemed like the perfect place to disappear. And it would have been if Arias’s arm didn’t stretch further than we thought. I never imagined he could find me here.”
He watched her smile fade into a frown. The underlying reason they were here had once again managed to rear its ugly head.
“Sorry. I promised myself I wouldn’t think about the reason we’re going during the flight,” she said, “but I can’t seem to get away from it.”
“It’s hard to ignore.”
“Have I thanked you for coming with me?” she asked.
He smiled. “Once or twice.”
“I know this plan probably seems crazy, and trust me, I typically tend to avoid crazy.”
“Like jumping off the roof into a swimming pool?” He nudged her with his elbow.
She laughed. “I guess sometimes you can’t avoid crazy.”
They spent the next couple of hours chatting off and on about what had happened since they’d last seen each other. But never—he noted—about anything too personal. Her job as a medical illustrator, places they’d traveled, his last diving stint, the last books they’d read... And if the conversation started veering toward something personal, she always changed the subject.
Ellie glanced out the window, then grabbed his arm. “Look down below us.”
“What is it?”
“About four or five miles from Manaus, two tributaries of the Amazon meet but don’t mix.”
“What?” he said as he leaned over her. But she was right. The two colors of the merging rivers were clearly distinct.
“The lighter-colored river is the Solimões,” she said. “The darker side of the water is the Rio Negro. Its black-tea color comes from decayed plant matter, and with barely any sediment, it’s actually considered one of the cleanest natural waterways on the planet.”
“Wow...that is amazing,” he said, staring out the window at the water below them. “Though I am curious why they don’t they mix.”
“Because of the extreme differences in water temperature, density and speed, they stay separate until they hit a strong wave of whitewater and become a part of the Lower Amazon River. I know you’ve traveled a lot for your job, but I’m guessing you’ve never visited the Amazon.”
“I’ve worked in Eastern Europe, Australia, South America and the Middle East...but never visited the Amazon.”
“Do you see yourself involved in saturation diving long-term?” she asked.
“Probably not.” He didn’t even have to think about his answer.
“Why not?”
“Other than the fact that it’s an extremely demanding job? I think about having a family one day and, despite the money, would prefer not to be away for weeks on end.”
She looked back down at the river as the pilot made an announcement through his headset that they would be landing in about fifteen minutes.
“Where exactly are we landing?” Ryan asked, feeling the plane begin to drop in altitude.
“There’s a small, isolated airstrip where a contact is supposed to meet us and take us to Dr. Reynolds.”
“Is the pilot waiting for us on the ground?”
“He’ll return in the morning. I didn’t know how long it would take with the doctor, so I thought it was better to stay the night. It will be rustic—”
“You’ve forgotten I’m pretty used to the simple life,” he said. “On the job—when I’m not working—I’m sleeping, eating and relaxing in a tiny pressurized chamber. Let’s just say it’s about as far from glamorous as you can get.”
At half past one, just as the pilot had announced, they were taxiing down the short runway in the middle of the dense tropical forest they’d been flying over the past few hours. Ryan waited for the pilot to open the side door, then stepped out of the plane behind Ellie, thankful they’d arrived. Because the sooner they could talk to the doctor, the sooner they could get out of here.
Ellie picked up her backpack, then turned to their pilot. “We’ll plan to meet at nine in the morning.”
The pilot tugged on the waist of his pants. “I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to return tomorrow.”
“Wait a minute... What do you mean? That’s what we agreed to.”
“Things have changed.” The man glanced toward the tree line behind them. “Turns out you weren’t my highest-paying customer today.”
Ryan turned around. Three armed men started toward them. Adrenaline surged as instinct kicked in, and Ryan’s mind quickly ran through their limited options. His job required him to be able to stay calm in order to cope with emergencies. But while his gut wanted to jump in and fight them off, he knew there was no way he’d win. One of the men quickly grabbed his arm, ensuring he didn’t question his decision.
“Ryan...”
Another man grabbed Ellie’s arm and told her to shut up. How had he not seen this coming?
The pilot took an envelope from their leader, then boarded the plane.
“Wait!” Ryan said, shouting at the pilot. “You can’t just leave us here.”
The man holding him back tightened his grip on Ryan’s arm, his protests lost in the roar of the engine.
FOUR (#uda2b470f-7228-5a73-8eed-c418cf70fba0)
Ellie watched as Ryan lunged toward the man holding him. But the odds were stacked against them.
A rifle clicked next to Ryan’s temple. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
The man dug his fingers deeper into her arm. She’d have a nasty mark above her elbow tomorrow, but if they didn’t find a way out of here, a bruise was going to be the least of her problems.
She glanced at Ryan, and the horror that she was the one who’d gotten him into this slowly sank in. She should have listened to his father. Or at the least should have insisted he drop her off at the private airfield, then take his own flight back to the United States.
Except then she’d have been on her own.
She watched as the airplane that had once been their ticket out of here taxied down the runway. It picked up speed, took off, then skimmed the top of the tree line before fading into the white clouds above them. She’d missed something. No one was supposed to have known about her meeting with Dr. Reynolds. She’d made sure of that. And now, not just her and Ryan’s lives were at stake, but the doctor’s was, too.
“Welcome to the Amazon.” One of the armed men with a row of tattoos running down his neck smiled, revealing a large gap between his front teeth.
“This isn’t exactly the welcome we expected,” Ryan said.
“Your plans have changed, though I am assuming you have already figured that out.”
The man ran his finger down her cheek. Ellie pulled back as far as she could, her stomach souring at the smell of alcohol.
“Let her go,” Ryan said.
“You’re not exactly in a position to argue with me.”
“Yuri? I could put an end to this right now. Teach him a lesson.” One of the other men aimed his gun at Ryan, the look in his eye making his intent clear.
“If I were you,” Yuri said, “I would do what he says. Pedro, he is a bit...trigger-happy, as I think you Americans call it.”
“Then just tell me this,” Ellie said, searching for answers as to what went wrong. “Who’s paying you to take us?”
“I am just the middleman, but don’t worry. All of your questions will be answered before long.”
He barked out a string of orders in Portuguese.
“What did he just say?” Ryan asked.
“He wants them to look through our bags.”
One of the men grabbed her bag off her shoulder, unzipped it, then dumped its contents across the ground. A second man did the same thing with Ryan’s bag.
“Any knives? Weapons?” Yuri asked her.
She pressed her lips together as the man searched the pockets, refusing to answer while at the same time hoping they didn’t find the survival knife she’d packed in the bag. It was one of the last gifts her father had given her. But it was too late. The man slid out the knife and slipped it into his pocket. Thirty seconds later, they were finished.
“Pick up your stuff. Both of you.” Yuri grabbed a Snickers bar from the pile beneath her feet and ripped off the wrapper before taking a bite. “We need to go.”
Ellie studied the surrounding terrain as she shoved her things into her backpack. The small airstrip was surrounded by thick trees for as far as the eye could see. This Amazon rain forest was twice the size of India and made up of floodplains, savannas and rivers. Not exactly a place they could simply walk out of, even if they did find a way to escape. The doctor had told her that the airstrip where they landed was less than a mile from the river—north, she remembered—but the plan had been to catch a ride downstream to where Reynolds would be waiting for her. There was no sign of the guide the doctor had promised to send.
“Trust me, there’s nowhere to go out here, unless you want to run into something even more deadly,” Yuri said, seeming to read her mind. He laughed, then took another bite of the candy bar as she slung the pack over her shoulder. “Without a guide, there is no telling what you might encounter out here.”
He was right. Where could they run? She glanced at Ryan and caught the concern in his eyes. He’d come to take her out of here, and she’d just walked them both into a trap.
Yuri slapped his leg. “Time to go.”
They left the open terrain of the airstrip behind and marched toward the jungle with Yuri in front of them and Pedro and the other man trailing a few feet behind. The thick canopy of trees enveloped them as they stepped into the heavily forested terrain. Large trees with thick vines soared toward the canopy that blocked part of the sunlight. A bird called out beside her. If she was right, they were moving south, away from the village and deeper into the jungle.
“You haven’t told us what you wanted,” Ryan said.
She glanced at Ryan, who’d just spoken out loud her own deep-seated fears. Because while this could be nothing more than a random kidnapping and ransom scenario they’d just stepped into, her gut told her this was no coincidence. Though she had no idea how, Arias’s men could have found her in Rio and somehow managed to track her next move here.
“Like I said, I’m simply the middleman,” Yuri said. “And like your glorified pilot said, whoever is willing to pay the most wins. Today, you just happen to be the prize.”
“Why?” she asked.
“Let’s just say you’ve made someone very unhappy. Poking into things you shouldn’t.”
“Like my father’s murder,” she said.
She’d been right. This had to be the work of Arias, though she still had no idea how they’d found her.
“Even I didn’t ask as many questions as you when I took this job.” Yuri sidestepped a vine that was lying across the uneven path they followed. “You will find out when we get there.”
“So where are we going?” Ryan asked.
“To a camp not too far from here.”
Ellie fought against the mounting fear. Arias was known for his brutality, for his seemingly unlimited resources...and for the people working for him—hired to do his dirty work.
A small branch snapped as she stepped on it. How could she have been so stupid? She’d known the heavy risks of coming here. Knew exactly what Arias and his men were capable of doing, especially knowing how far his reach was. They’d found her in Rio, and yet somehow she’d managed to convince herself that her plan was invincible. That flying here would be the linchpin that took down Arias.
Instead, she’d only managed to put more lives in danger.
She glanced at Ryan, guilt saturating her far deeper than the sunlight hitting the spongy jungle floor. At least they hadn’t tied her and Ryan up as they marched between the armed men. But why would they need to? Yuri was right. There was nowhere to run. And even if they did, there were plenty of other dangers in the forest besides the men holding them at gunpoint. Spiders, snakes, poisonous dart frogs. A chill shot through her despite the humidity. And if they ended up in the water, there were things worse to encounter than piranhas. For starters, the razor-sharp teeth of the cañero, who moved in packs and had sharklike jaws. Not to mention malaria, yellow fever, dengue fever, that humidity made a breeding ground.
She tried to shut down her negative train of thought. Because it wasn’t the wildlife threatening to kill them right now. Instead, it was three armed men. And while she’d clearly read too many travel blogs about the risks of traveling in South America, no travel blog had told her how to deal with this situation.
Ellie stumbled over a tangled vine crossing their path. Ryan reached out to catch her arm with his hand.
“You okay?”
She glanced at where he was holding her and nodded. “Yeah.”
The suffocating humidity pressed in against her chest. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t even go there. This isn’t your fault. I agreed to come.”
“Something tells me if you had known things were going to turn out this way you’d never have agreed to come.”
“I’m a saturation diver. I’ve never exactly gone out of my way to avoid dangerous situations.”
She filed his statement away as something to follow up on later. But not now. “When’s the last time you were marched through the Amazon jungle while being held captive by armed men with a known cartel leader wanting you dead?”
“I suppose you have a point.” Ryan let out a low chuckle. “If I had known all of that, I actually might have avoided this.”
“Options?” she asked.
“I’m not sure there are any right now.”
“Shut up. Both of you.”
She felt the jab of a rifle between her shoulder blades from one of the men behind her as he shouted at them in Portuguese.
She glanced at Ryan’s tense jaw, knowing he was, like her, searching for just that—options. Because while she might have learned how to navigate Rio the past few months, this was an entirely different world. Her gaze lowered, then stopped at a string of large red welts on his arm. She had no idea what he’d gotten into, but he was clearly allergic to something. She had antibiotic cream in her bag, but there was nothing she could do to help him right now.
Someone shouted behind them.
Ellie stopped and turned around. Three armed men crashed through the jungle from their left, waving their weapons and shouting in Portuguese.
“Ellie...” Ryan pulled her behind him for protection. “Translate for me. What are they saying?”
“I don’t know. They’re upset about something.”
The two groups of men shouted back and forth at each other in Portuguese, their guns aimed at each other in a showdown.
“What are they saying?” Ryan asked again.
“Something about money...stealing what is theirs.”
She stumbled out of the way as one of the other men cracked his weapon across Pedro’s head. She glanced around her. The forest spread out in all directions. Even if they did run, she had no idea where they were, but maybe that didn’t matter. Maybe they needed to simply run.
One of the men fired their weapons. One of Yuri’s men fell to the ground. Ellie stumbled backward to avoid getting knocked down as she watched the blood spread across his leg.
“Ryan...”
He grabbed her hand. “Run.”
* * *
Ryan grabbed Ellie’s hand and charged deeper into the jungle, praying the decision to run wasn’t going to get them both shot.
“If they come after us—”
“Just keep running.” He caught the panic in her voice, but if they slowed down—hesitated at all—they’d both be dead. And that wasn’t the only thing he was concerned about. If they didn’t escape now, his gut told him their odds of making it out alive were even slimmer. Because once their captors got out of them whatever it was they were after, they’d likely dump their bodies into the river. And if that happened, no one would ever find them.
The problem was, he had no idea which way to run except for away from the men who’d captured them. Adrenaline shot through him as they pressed down the untamed path away from the men whose shouts continued to echo through the thick canopy of the jungle. They’d been walking for at least twenty minutes before the other men had shown up. Maneuvering through the thick vegetation, though, was proving to be difficult. There was no trail. No clear route. Only skyward trees covered with vines that left him worried they would end up running in circles.
He could still hear the men shouting in the distance. Another weapon fired. He glanced back and caught shadows moving in their direction. They were coming after them now.
Sweat ran down Ryan’s neck. If he was right, the runway was behind them, which meant they were probably moving farther away from the nearest town. But if he guessed wrong, they might never make it out. And with the density of the forest, civilization could be just beyond their line of sight and they would never know it.
He forced his mind to think as they ran through the brush. When they’d landed, he’d seen the river to the north, though he had no idea how close they were to the nearest town. It made sense to head toward the river. But even if they did find a town, he had no idea at this point who they could trust. From what he’d understood about the situation back there, Yuri and his men weren’t the only people looking for them. Which didn’t make sense.
Instead of continuing to search for answers that weren’t there, he focused on the terrain, and getting them as far away from Yuri as possible through the dense forest. There were plenty of techniques he’d learned to use for low visibility when diving. He’d been in situations when clear water suddenly turned murky, dropping instantaneously from perfect visibility to less than a meter. Diving had taught him to stay calm, because panicking would only intensify the danger. The key was to take deep, regular breaths, slowly exhale and then consider your options.
But he had no gauges out here in the forest. No way to check air supply and depth. No exhaled bubbles to follow upward. Here they were surrounded by thick, wooded, marshy ground and tangled vines. There was nothing that would help with disorientation, or show them where the nearest way out was.
He squeezed Ellie’s hand, noticing that she was struggling to keep up beside him. Because his job required working with heavy gear and equipment, he was used to intensive training with cardio and weights, and pushing his body’s endurance, but even his heart was racing and his lungs burned from the exertion and the oppressive humidity.
“Ellie...”
She let go of his hand. “I need to stop. Just for a minute.”
He started in a slow circle, searching the trees around them for movement while she worked—palms on her thighs—to catch her breath. He listened for the sounds of the men who’d come after them. The constant hum of insects was broken by the occasional bird and monkey. But there was no sign of any of the men. Had they actually gotten away?
“Do you have any idea which way we’re going?” she asked.
“Not a clue. Do you remember how far the nearest village was from the airstrip?”
“According to the map, the village where we were supposed to go was the closest. About thirty minutes south of the airstrip. Dr. Reynolds had arranged for someone he knew to pick us up.”
“Sounds like either his man didn’t show up—”
“Or he saw what was happening and ran,” she said. “And now everything looks the same. Trees, vines, water...”
She was right. There was no way to tell if they were headed toward a village. What he did know was that they were somewhere in the middle of a billion acres of rain forest full of rivers, piranhas, boa constrictors and jaguars. Not exactly easy to narrow down where they needed to go.
He felt a sharp sting bore into his arm, and he brushed away the insect. “You ready? We need to keep going.”
“I know, but you need some repellant. You’ve got welts up and down your arm, and they’re not going to stop. I’ve got stuff in my backpack—”
“Later.” He scratched his arm. “We need to keep going. It’s just an allergic reaction, nothing seri—”
“Please.” She dropped her backpack off her shoulder. “I need to fix something.”
He grabbed her hands before she could unzip her backpack and pulled them toward his chest. “I know this is terrifying and I know you feel completely out of control, but we’re going to find a way out of this. We need to keep moving.”
She hesitated, then slid her pack back on. “I’m sorry. I just don’t know how to fix this.”
“For now, this will have to do.” He quickly rolled down his sleeves as an attempt to stop the mosquitoes’ feeding frenzy, glad he’d opted to wear long pants instead of shorts. Being eaten alive by these pesky insects was the last thing he needed.
He glanced behind him one last time as they continued pressing through the forest. He knew that if those men found them again, they weren’t going to simply let them go. He was sure of that. What he didn’t know was how long they’d be able to keep moving. Another ten minutes and they paused again. He held up his finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet for a moment. The chatter of monkeys echoed around them, a bird called out, all of these sounds competing with the incessant drone of insects. There was still no sign of the men who’d been after them, but he wasn’t ready to believe they’d actually lost them.
They continued moving at a steady pace, and Ryan was hyperaware of his surroundings. When he was a boy, he used to watch National Geographic specials with his grandfather and dreamed of exploring Africa’s vast terrain. Instead, he’d ended up exploring the oceans. Today, he wished he had a machete, or something enabling him to hack away the thick brush. But he knew survival was never only physical. Being pushed to the limit mentally was where many people lost touch with reality.
“We’ve gone from racing across Rio on a motorcycle on our tail to this?” she said. “Any ideas on how to find our way out of here?”
“When we’re lost underwater, we follow air bubbles to get to the surface. My best guess in this situation is that heading downhill should lead to water.”
“And where there’s water, there will be people.” She glanced at him. “Anything would be better than staying in this jungle, though I guess you’re not claustrophobic.”
He could hear her labored breathing and the panic lacing her voice as they walked at a fast pace. “Can’t be when you live up to twenty-eight days in a chamber under pressure doing back-to-back workdays of eight hours at a time. You finish work, shower and eat, then sleep because you’re so exhausted.”
“What’s it like, working in an environment like that?”
“There are places with near zero visibility, where it feels as though you’re surrounded by a heavy fog. But there are also locations that are clear all the way to the bottom.” They skirted around a pile of vines. He was thankful for the diversion and had a feeling she was as well. “And while there’s not a lot of time for sightseeing while on the job, there’s the occasional peek at black coral, lionfish and other sea creatures.”
Another ten minutes later they stumbled upon a wide stretch of river. Ryan stopped at the shoreline. A long canoe rested on the edge of the brown water, but beside that the forest simply stretched out around them. Acres and acres of trees, vines and water. Without a motor, if they attempted to go out in the boat, they’d be sitting ducks.
“A boat without a motor’s too risky,” he said.
“Agreed.”
“I also think we need to keep moving down the shoreline. At some point, we’ll run into people.”
A howl echoed through the forest. Ryan turned away from the shore, searching for movement in the trees.
Ellie’s face was flushed from the heat. It had to be getting close to three o’clock, and that meant the temperature was still fairly high. Without water, dehydration wouldn’t take long to settle in. And the heat was already making them perspire, which was only going to speed up the dehydration process. On top of that, there was the constant threat of malaria and yellow fever from every mosquito that bit him. But they couldn’t worry about that. Not when there were armed men after them. Because while heat stroke was a risk at this point, the odds of getting shot if the men found them again were probably even higher.
The brush rustled behind him. Closer this time. Ryan grabbed a thick stick off the ground, then turned to the right, ready to defend them. But his weapon wasn’t enough. Ryan heard the click of a revolver. Yuri appeared a dozen feet away. Far enough that they could run, but close enough that it would be easy to take them down with a clear shot.
This time the man wasn’t smiling. “Don’t move, both of you, and put your hands in the air where I can see them.”
FIVE (#uda2b470f-7228-5a73-8eed-c418cf70fba0)
The camp the men led them to was nothing more than a couple of run-down buildings, where they’d apparently set up a temporary hideout in the jungle. Yuri had offered no information about the men who’d ambushed them or the man who’d gotten shot.
“I need your first-aid kit.” Yuri grabbed her backpack, unzipped it, then dumped the contents onto the ground in front of them.
“What are you doing?” Ellie asked.
“One of my men was shot—”
“Wait.” Ryan grabbed the man’s hand. “This man needs medical help, not just a first-aid kit. There’s got to be a clinic somewhere nearby.”
Yuri pulled away. “I don’t have a choice. The nearest clinic’s an hour and a half from here by boat. We’ve got to stop the bleeding.”
Ryan glanced at Ellie. “I’ve got some medical training. You’ve got to do this properly.”
Yuri hesitated. “What are you going to do?”
Ellie stopped beside Ryan and studied the man who was lying on a mat on the ground in the shade of a large tree. While it was hard to feel sorry for him, blood had soaked through his leg. Avoiding infection in an environment like this wasn’t going to be easy. Any bacteria from the bullet, the man’s skin or clothing, or anything else that might have touched the wound could end up killing him. And if they could help, maybe their captors would end up being more sympathetic.
“I can flush the wound and cover it, but then you’re going to have to get him to a doctor,” Ryan said. “He’s going to need antibiotics.”
Ryan held the man’s gaze while Yuri considered the offer.
“Okay, but don’t try anything stupid.”
“I can help,” Ellie said.
Ryan nodded. “Good, because I’m going to need you. What do you have in your bag?”
“Just the basics. Antiseptic wipes, antibacterial ointment, bandages, medical tape, pain medicine.”
“What about scissors?” he asked.
Ellie dug through the bag, then handed him a small pair.
The man groaned as Ryan cut away the clothing from the wound. “The good thing is that the bullet skimmed his thigh, leaving a narrow trench instead of a hole in his leg.”
Ryan worked to flush out the wound with only an occasional instruction while Yuri continued hovering and Ellie tried to get the man to calm down. Five minutes later, Ryan covered the wound with a butterfly bandage Ellie had in her backpack, then gave the man some pills for the pain.
“We could help you get him to the nearest clinic,” she said, catching Yuri’s gaze.
“Forget it. If you think what you just did is going to somehow buy your way out of here with your good deeds, it’s not happening. The two of you aren’t going anywhere.”
Ryan grabbed a bottle of hand sanitizer and squirted the gel in his palm before handing it to Ellie. “How much are you being paid to keep us here?”
“Enough to make sure you don’t escape again.”
Yuri motioned to Pedro, who grabbed some twine and proceeded to tie them to two wooden chairs side by side at the edge of the clearing.
Ellie winced as the rope bit into her wrist. “Careful.”
“I don’t want to have a repeat of what just happened in the jungle,” Yuri said, dumping their backpacks against the tree behind them. “We wouldn’t want you to get lost again. There are dangers out there, so unless you know this place like I do, chances are you wouldn’t make it out alive.”
“That’s so considerate of you,” Ryan said sarcastically as the man walked away to check on the patient.
Ellie glanced at Ryan and caught the tension radiating up his jaw. Apparently, Yuri wasn’t kidding as far as ensuring they didn’t get away. She tugged on the rope behind her back. Unless they could manage to untie their bindings, he’d just nixed any chance of their escape.
Pedro came up to them, flipped around a third chair, then sat down in front of them. “I’m never sure what brings people like you to the Amazon. There’s no cell-phone service, no hot showers, no internet connections. None of the comforts of the big city. Just sticky humidity and giant mosquitoes everywhere.”
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