WWCMD?
“Don’t worry,” Miri said to Rafa. “Like I said earlier. Everything will be fine.”
Chapter
Nine
“Almost there,” Hunter called tothem over the roar of the engine and the wind whipping though the cab of the truck.
Miri may not have been worried about these guys, but Rafa sure was. The only reason Rafa agreed to go on this detour was because he figured if theywerein on something with Quinn, they probably wouldn’t have let them stay back at the van if they’d tried. Well, and because Miri was clearly dead set on going with them, and Rafa wasn’t going to let her out of his sight.
Cooperation was key in situations like this. Rafa knew that from firsthand experience, like that time hisGloGeoteam had unwittingly walked into an inhospitable encampment in the bush. Fortunately, they’d been able to talk their way out of any trouble, but only after playingverynicely and beingveryagreeable.
At least they’d called Anissa to make sure she knew their whereabouts, though that provided little solace.
Miri, Rafa, Logan, and Felix were crammed in the back seat as the truck careened down the bumpy dirt road. Rafa had toput his arm around Miri to make enough room. He would have done the same thing if Felix or Logan had been beside him.
That’s what he told himself, at least.
Her side nestled softly into him, her lily of the valley scent now permeating its way into his clothes. Every so often she’d lean forward to ask Hunter or Kevin a question, resting her hand on Rafa’s knee to steady herself. She did it so casually, like she’d known him for longer than the little more than twenty-four hours since they’d first met at the airport. He didn’t mind. He quite liked it, in fact.
Was it intentional? Did she even realize she’d done it?
One thing was certain:Rafarealized it. Every part of him was aware. His entire body tensed under her hand, wanting to move but not wanting to draw attention to it in case she stole it away. It took all his strength to focus on the oddity of what was happening in the truck and not Miri.
Given the road’s condition, Rafa’s original detour plans probably wouldn’t have fooled anyone much longer. This wasn’t a road meant to be traveled on with any regularity. The closer they got to the river, the narrower the drive width became. Soon the forest seemingly swallowed them whole, encroaching into the travel lane.
Thwack!Branches slapped against the windshield then scraped the side of the truck, screeching as they dragged across the metal. Had they taken a wrong turn or something?
“So, why are you taking a boat rather than driving straight to Caracaraí on the highway?” Rafa asked.
“What’s the point of being in the Amazon if you’re going to drive everywhere?” Hunter said. “This is more of an adventure.”
Rafa watched Kevin messing with something in his lap. Kevin elbowed Hunter and flashed him a message on his phone,and Hunter gave him a simple nod before looking in the rearview mirror and catching Rafa’s glance.
Something still wasn’t sitting right with him.
“Where in DC do you live?” Rafa asked Kevin.
“Huh?” Kevin responded, tossing him a curious look over his shoulder.
The hair on the back of Rafa’s neck rose and, unfortunately, this time itwasn’tbecause of Miri’s touch.
“DC. That’s where you live, right?” Rafa called out to Kevin again.
“Oh. Yeah. I’m over by, uh, the ballpark. Gotta be close to my team, am I right?”
Time to see howrightKevin was. Having lived in DC for the last seven years, Rafa was more than familiar with the city. “Oh, so you’re in Columbia Heights?”
“Yep. Columbia Heights. Great ’hood.” Kevin said.
“Cool. I haven’t been,” Rafa responded, “but I hear it’s pretty sweet being able to see the Lincoln Memorial from the ballpark, too, don’t you think?”
“Totally. Makes me emotional every time I see it. So powerful.”
Wrong.
This was bad. This was very, very bad.
