“What problem?” Rafa asked.
“The soft spot you have for her.” His father sighed again. “Rafael, I know this isn’t what you wanted. To be on another expedition, away from home. Away from your life. I know we said we’d talk about your career and your future when you got back but…she isn’t it.”
Rafa wrinkled his brow even though his father couldn’t see it. “What do you mean?” he asked.
“I’m sure you have lots of feelings about what’s happening to you right now. Being there, in the very same jungle where I fell in love with your mother. But Dr. Jacobs can’t be that for you.”
The buzzing and chirping of the rainforest stilled, as if creating silence for Rafa’s father to hear his thoughts. His dad was right—there were all sorts of feelings swirling through his head, things Rafa couldn’t make sense of.
But it had beentwodays. He wasn’t in love. He couldn’t be.
“Dad, I don’t know what you’re even talking about. Just because I enjoy being around her doesn’t mean I—”
“She wants to destroy everything your mother wanted to protect,” his father said, cutting him off. “Destroy the very memory of her.”
“No, Miri isn’t like that. She cares about protecting the city.”
“By revealing its location to the rest of the world? How can she protect it once it’s been found? If you care about her, you need to convince her to leave before os protetores find you.”
“She’ll hate me if she finds out. I don’t want to be the reason she quits.”
“And I don’t want to lose you!” His father’s voice boomed through the phone. Long, slow breaths reverberated on the other end. Almost as if he were angry. “I won’t have you die for a woman you barely know,” he continued after calming down. “I’ve already lost your mother. I can’t lose you, too. You’re all I have left.”
Rafa hung his head. His father was right. Two days ago, Miri was nothing to him. Was he really willing to risk everything—his job, his father’s trust, hislife—for her?
“Okay,” Rafa said.
“Okay, what?”
“I’ll do it. I’ll find a way to get the team out of here.”
His father let out a breath. “Thank you. Be safe, my boy. And remember, I’m with you. Always.”
Chapter
Twelve
“I’m so glad you’ve arrived,”Anissa said, tapping her clipboard on a small side table in Miri’s cabin.
Miri turned away from the window perched high above the river after counting the team members down by the boat. Eight of them total.
There should have been nine.
“So am I,” Miri said.
She’d never been happier to see her friend. Or an actual bed. Although the furnishings in the huts were simple, after the night they’d had, this place felt like a five-star hotel. If she hadn’t still been wearing Logan’s clothes, dirty from sleeping on the deck of the boat, she would have already nestled into that cozy-looking bed.
“Is that everyone?” Miri asked, nodding her head down to the group then turning back toward Anissa.
“Erm…” Anissa said, twisting her face, “about that. We had someone quit in Caracaraí.”
“Quit?” Miri blurted out. Shit, shit, shit. “What happened? Why didn’t you tell me when I called earlier with our update?”
“I didn’t want to worry you.”
“Worry me? Anissa.” Miri said her name very matter-of-factly.
“I know, I know,” Anissa said, raising the clipboard to cover her face. “But with those guys attacking you and with you being out in the middle of nowhere, I figured you didn’t needanotherthing to worry about.”
