Only once they had their camp settled did Nadirah sit down and unlace her shoes. The relief when they came off almost had her sighing again. “Oh, that feels good.”
“Any blisters?” He knelt by her feet and grabbed one, peeling off her sock for a peek.
“I don’t think so.”
“This one looks good.” He grabbed the other, and she protested. “You don’t have to check.”
“It’s the least I can do, since I dragged you into the jungle.”
“Hardly dragged. I offered to come.”
“Because the people chasing me left you no choice.”
True, but at the same time, she couldn’t say she hated that decision. Hated her sore feet, yes, but his company, the adventure, the possible discovery… What memories she’d make—assuming she survived.
“What’s wrong? You went from looking somewhat happy to upset.”
“Just thinking of the danger.”
“I will do anything in my power to keep you safe.” He still held her foot, but rather than setting it down, he began massaging.
And it felt so good.
“I have no doubt you’ll do your best. But you can’t know what we’ll face. The odds seem stacked against us.”
“It might seem that way, but by leaving the city, we should avoid being spotted or attacked.”
“We’ll have to go back eventually,” she reminded.
“By then, hopefully, the bounty on my head will have expired.”
“And if it hasn’t?”
“Then maybe there will be some unexplained animal attacks on a certain subset of the population that will convince the remainder that their time is better spent harassing someone else.”
“You’d kill them?” A shocking thing to even say out loud.
He shrugged. “Only if I have to. We learned on deployment that being nice and turning the other cheek wasn’t very effective. There are some people who only understand extreme consequences.”
She didn’t disagree. “Did you have to kill a lot in the military?”
“Enough, most of it not officially sanctioned, but expected.” He grimaced. “The higher-ups would say be kind to the indigenes of the area, don’t cause trouble. It takes only one kid with a bomb strapped to them, one woman running at you crying, begging for mercy, only to shoot at close range, to realize you can’t play nice with everyone.”
“That’s harsh.”
“It’s reality. When we return, if you, or your grandmother, find yourself being targeted or threatened, I will handle it in the only way they’ll understand.”
She could have argued she didn’t need that kind of help. That she’d rely on authorities. But the truth? It relieved her to hear he wouldn’t abandon her. So, she said, “Thank you.”
They spent the rest of that evening discussing more menial things. Her giving funny stories of her time in the zoo, which he matched with the lighter side of his military experience. They ate a can of pasta while watching the sun set over the water, then went to bed, her on the pile of the leaves and blanket, him in a tree because he insisted on keeping watch.
“Won’t you be too tired?”
“I’m good at sneaking in winks in short stints. Part of my training,” he’d assured with a grin.
It took her a moment before slumber hit, the strange sounds of the jungle unlike those of the city. Her bed was not very soft, but eventually, exhaustion put her to sleep. A sharp pain woke her.
“Ow,” she couldn’t help but cry out.
