~ 31 ~
RIPLEY
I woke before Peyton did. Not because I’d slept well, because I hadn’t. It was a combination of many things, but mostly listlessness, self-preservation, and the desperate need to protect her.
And of course, the dreams.
The nightmares.
She looked peaceful sleeping against my chest, all curled into me on the tiniest, most uncomfortable cot in the universe. Though my back muscles burned, I remained still, content to watch the gentle rise and fall of her chest. The thin beams of sunlight streaming in practically set her hair on fire, as it spilled through cracks in the warped plank ceiling.
Off in the distance, the deep chugging of a marine engine finally caused her to stir. The baked-in smell of fish was finally overpowered by the scent of smoke, and salt, and diesel.
Her eyes blinked open. My heart skipped a beat.
“You good?”
Peyton nodded, and smiled. She didn’t look scared.Come to think of it, she never looked scared. Even when she should’ve been.
“Let’s go,” I urged. “We need to get moving.”
Together we slipped from the shack, squinting against the pale pink sun. I led her through the jungle, then down onto the side streets that would take us into town. We moved swiftly and quietly, our movements just subtle enough to escape notice. Or so I hoped, at least.
We cut inland at what I hoped was the right spot. I exhaled a hiss of relief when the docks came into view.
It was Theo who saw us first. The poor guy looked like he hadn’t slept in a year. He perked up excitedly at our approach and waved us over.
“Sup, nerd.”
The relief that washed over his face was actually touching. Of course, it was Peyton who got a hug first. A kiss too. Not that I wanted one.
“You’re alive!” Theo cried.
Colson appeared out of nowhere, like he’d just spawned in. The shirt and shorts he threw me bounced right off my chest.
“Put some clothes on, you stand out like a sore thumb.”
“Do I really?” I chuckled, looking around. “Aren’t we in Belize?”
“You’re in your underwear, at six in the morning,” he countered. “And you look like prison Tarzan, with all those tattoos.”
“Yeah, well I didn’t exactly have time to get dressed.”
“Wefigured. What happened?”
“Extraction team. Small and surgical.” I glanced back at Peyton. “Not surgical enough, though.”
Colson looked like he could kill an army. His curled-lip expression softened however, as he embraced Peyton.
“A drone scoped us,” I went on. “They took out the power. Stupid move, actually. It gave us warning.”
“We got the lights back on eventually,” Theo nodded. “Once we did, all we found was blood and glass.” He swallowed. “And teeth.”
“You can thank her for that cleanup,” I jerked a thumb. “It was free dental work night at the villa, and Peyton was putting in a double shift.”
Theo chuckled. “Seriously?”
“She also rearranged some guy’s face with a bottle,” I added. “It was a thing of beauty.”
