Nothing. It felt like someone had wrapped a cord around her heart and yanked on it. She couldn’t leave him. Not after everything he had done for her. She cared for him too deeply. “Mack, I’m coming.” Her voice was weak but firm. She dipped her feet into the water and prepared to jump in. She would save him. Just like he would save her if the situation were reversed.
The water rippled and something burst through the surface with a loud roar. Marley screamed and scrambled backward, arms and legs trembling. Mack flopped onto the shore, his knife clutched in one hand, a dark green stringy substance in the other. She scrambled up to him, touching his face and arms, wanting to prove to herself he was okay.
“Are you bleeding? What tried to eat you? Did you kill it?
Chest heaving as he fought for air, Mack lifted his arm. “Just some weeds.”
He held up the handful of wet, stringy seaweed and then his arm flopped back to the earth. “My foot got tangled. Pretty hard to cut myself free when I couldn’t see what I was slashing at. You okay?”
Marley wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. She wanted to pummel his chest for scaring the shit out of her. She chose instead to gently lay her head on his chest and savor the strong heartbeat beneath her ear. “I’m okay. I thought something had you. I was going to go back in there to get you.”
Mack chuckled and squeezed her tighter to his chest. “I told you, I’m scarier than anything in the water.”
Oh, he was scarier all right. He scared the living daylights out of her. “I’m so ready to get out of this place.”
He placed a kiss on her head and rolled them both up onto their feet. “I promised you I would get you out of here safely. And that’s a promise I intend to keep.”
He had promised to protect her with his own life. And she’d been asked to betray him . . . . Marley glanced into the jungle, hiding her expression from Mack. The thought of betraying him made her stomach churn, but it was unbearable to think of her child suffering. What was the right answer when therewasno right answer?
How could she not have realized her copilot was such an evil bastard? She’d thought she could read people better than that, but maybe Ramsey was some type of quirk on her radar.
“Come on, don’t think about Maddie right now, just think about getting out of here.” Mack entangled his fingers with hers, dragging her back into the thick jungle.
Touching him was almost painful, knowing what she had to do. Every breath, every step, every touch would be a lie. Mack obviously trusted her completely, and why wouldn’t he? She’d given him no reason not to. Although his men had grudgingly accepted her story about Ramsey, she could still tell they were more hesitant to trust her. She hadn’t merited their distrust at first, but now…
Marley continued to mull over her tortured thoughts as they made the slow and difficult journey through tangled vines and mud and bugs. Their wet clothes clung to their skin, the humidity in the air making it impossible for them to dry.
With each step forward, Marley knew she was one step closer to completing her betrayal. Mack seemed to sense her disquiet and left her alone for the most part, checking every few minutes that she was right behind him as they kept moving forward.
Her phone silently vibrated against her calf. Marley took a step and tripped over a small raised root. Mack caught her before she could hit the ground. “Let’s take a break here for a couple of minutes.”
She wiped a shaky hand across her face, not from exhaustion but from worry. The vibrating meant she’d received another message. She had to check it, and she had to do it without Mack knowing. God, she was a bitch for even thinking about hurting him. “I need to pee, going to step behind this tree.”
“Okay, holler if you need me. I’ll be right here.”
He didn’t even question her lie. Marley bit her cheek and quickly made her way around the tree before the truth tumbled out of her. She ripped her cell phone from her pocket and unlocked the screen, her hands shaking the whole time.I know where you are. I’m tracking you. If you fall out of line, I’ll know it.
Marley scrolled up to look at the coordinates marked on a graph picture in the text. There was a red dot marking her location and then a dotted trail leading northeast, to the location where he wanted her to lead the men. Mother of God, he really was tracking her. That meant he would know if Marley didn’t do exactly as he said. And there was no way for Marley to get to her daughter before Ramsey’s people did.
“Marley, you about done?”
She jumped and spun around, expecting to see Mack standing there, but he was still on the other side of the tree. He respected her privacy. “I’m . . . I’m, yes, I’m coming.”
How could she do this? She dropped her phone into her pocket and snapped the Velcro shut, locking it back in place. How could she betray this man she’d come to care for so deeply? This man who so clearly cared for her?
I’d do anything to save my child . . . Anything.
She needed some more time to think, to play out the possibilities in her mind, but time was something she did not have. Marley attempted to wipe her face clear of the fear and stepped out from behind the tree. Mack had his back to her, carefully scanning their perimeter, but he turned when he heard her approach.
His face immediately fell. “What’s wrong?”
So much for hiding her thoughts. Her father had always said she’d be a crappy poker player. She tried to laugh it off, but the sound that came out of her mouth sure as hell didn’t resemble a laugh—it was more of a croak.
“Did you see something over there?” Mack stepped around her, scanning the vicinity. “More guerrillas?”
Those heinous soldiers would be preferable to the despicable act she was even now considering. “No soldiers.”
She’d started to hope for a future with this man. Even played around with different scenarios about how she’d introduce him to Maddie and her family. They’d go out for ice cream together and play in the park. They’d have a picnic. It was so easy to picture Mack as a part of their lives. He just fit there, like he was made for them. Pain spread in thick tendrils out from her chest and down her arms. If she betrayed him and his team, they would all die.
