Before long, the ride was over—just as Mikey had said it would be. If it worked for that situation, then, maybe...It’s worth a shot.
Desperate, Olivia’s eyes opened, and she quickly scanned the ground for that one thing. At first, all she saw was more dead leaves and dirt. She was about to give up, feeling stupid for even trying, when she noticed an insect moving across the ground not far from her.
It was some sort of brown, beetle-looking thing. It didn’t look dangerous. She saw no pinchers, just a round, bulbous body with scrawny legs. With her ears still covered, she became fixated on the tiny bug as it slowly crept across the dead leaves.
Jake shot at his target again, and though her muscles still tensed, Olivia didn’t jerk like before. Instead, she found herself more focused on how something so small could be completely unaffected by the gunfire’s loud report.
When leaves and dirt erupted near their feet, all thoughts of bugs and carnival rides were lost. Jake fired once more before pulling on her hand and yelling, “Let’s go!”
Olivia held on for dear life as they weaved in and out between the trees and bushes. Her face and arms were probably getting cut up, and her bare feet were covered in blood and God only knew what else, but she didn’t complain. A few scrapes she could handle. A bullet in her back, not so much.
They continued to dodge the men chasing after them, Jake occasionally turning back to discharge his own weapon. After a few minutes of running in silence, Olivia thought maybe they were out of the woods, so-to-speak. However, the shooting began again, and this time, the bullets came at them from two different directions.
Jake wasted no time pulling her behind the nearest tree. She ignored the rough bark scraping against her back as he pressed his body protectively against the front of hers.Always protecting me.
Looking scary-serious, he dropped an empty magazine, reloading his pistol with one that was full. Sliding a bullet into the chamber, Jake whispered, “We’re being corralled. I think there are just two, but there could be more. We need to change direction.” He shook his head and scowled. “My ear piece is gone. It must have fallen out somewhere along the way, which means I have no way to contact my team.”
He looked at her expectantly, checking to see if she understood what hewasn'tsaying. Unfortunately, she did.
“Plan B?” Olivia whispered back.
Jake nodded, his regret obvious. He took precious seconds to rest the palm of his free hand against her face. It was crazy how just one, small touch from this man could calm her racing heart.
“It’s going to add a lot more time to our trip, but I swear on my life I will keep you safe.”
Reaching up, she squeezed his thick wrist, hoping her touch and the look she was giving conveyed the trust she had in him. Jake’s lips thinned as he gave her one hard nod in return.
“We need to move fast.” He looked down at her bloodied bare feet and winced. “Shit. I forgot about your feet.” Jake thought for a moment. “I can carry you on my back—”
“No!” she quickly blurted out. “I’m fine.”
Her feet did hurt, but she refused to make him carry her. Not only would it slow them down significantly, but it would also hinder his ability to defend them. Sure, the fallen twigs and occasional rock hurt to step on, but it could be a lot worse.
“I’mfine,” she repeated, this time with more conviction.
Jake looked as though he didn’t really believe her, but thankfully he didn’t argue. His hand dropped back down to his side, and Olivia hated how much she already missed the warmth from his touch.
“Stay on my six. In fact, hold on to my belt loop so we don’t get separated.”
Olivia followed him like that for what felt like hours. They’d shifted direction along the way and, though it was gradual, she could tell they’d climbed to a higher point in the jungle. Enemy fire finally ceased, and for the first time since she’d run from her tent, Olivia started to feel safe.
No, that wasn’t true. The minute she’d lifted that cap and looked into Jake’s eyes, she’d felt safe. Her feelings for him might be for not, but there was no doubt that Jake would stop at nothing to get them both home.
After a lengthy period without any sign of the other men, he stopped and turned back to face her. “It’s going to be dark soon. We need to start looking for a place to bunk for the night, but we need to take a quick break first.”
“Okay.”
Olivia’s chest tightened. The idea of staying another night in this Godforsaken place made her want to scream, but knowing Jake was with her helped to quiet her nerves.
He dropped his backpack and pulled a canteen from inside. Unscrewing the cap, he handed it to her without taking a drink for himself first.
She’d only been given water once a day for the last few weeks, and even then, it was in very small amounts. Between that and literally running for their lives—all while in the sweltering heat of the jungle—being given the opportunity to drink more than a few sips of water was a Godsend.
Without thinking, Olivia grabbed the canteen and began gulping the water as fast as her throat could move. Some spilled down over her chin. It wasn’t very cold, but it still felt amazing as it coated her rough, dry throat. Water had never tasted so good.
“Liv, wait!”.
Hearing the alarm in his voice, she jerked the metal container from her mouth so quickly she nearly choked. Coughing, she wiped off her chin with her forearm.
