She needed him, but she didn’t want him to think she was needy. He’d already risked his life to get her out of the compound and this far. She bit down on her lip to keep from begging him to stay and instead nodded. “Hurry,” she whispered.
He gave an almost imperceptible nod and pushed through the brush, paralleling the riverbank before disappearing into the gloom within seconds.
Marta’s breath caught and held. She was alone in a jungle…at night. Almost worse than being held captive by a cartel. But Crusher was only seconds away, even if she couldn’t see him. He’d said so, and she had to believe him or freak out.
She forced air into her lungs and rolled the stiffness out of her shoulders.
He’ll be back.
Minutes passed. Minutes that felt like hours.
Come back, Crusher.
She rocked back and forth, repeating that mantra in her head. By the time she thought he might have gotten lost, she pushed to her feet, staying within the shadows, away from the moonlight reflecting off the water.
A rustling of leaves, followed by the snap of a twig, froze Marta in place. Should she drop down, stay still or run? Quietly, slowly, she sank back behind leaves.
Leaves shimmered in the moonlight before a dark shadow pushed through the brush and headed straight for her.
She held her breath, terror locking a scream in her throat.
Chapter 3
As Crusher neared the spot where he’d left Dr. Hale, he frowned. This was the spot, wasn’t it? He hurried the last few steps, his heart pounding, suddenly afraid he’d miscalculated or someone had gotten to her before he could return. “Marta?”
A tiny gasp sounded from behind a curtain of leaves.
Marta burst through the leaves and flew into Crusher’s arms. She clung to him like she would to a life raft in a raging sea.
“Hey,” he whispered against her cheek, willing his heartbeat to return to normal. “It’s okay. I told you I’d be back.” He spoke in a soothing tone, hoping to calm his own nerves as much as hers.
“But you were gone so long,” she whimpered. “I thought you’d gotten lost. Or worse, the men who’d been chasing us found you.”
“I’m back. I’m okay, and no one followed me,” he said, brushing a hand across her cheek. “And I brought you something.”
“I don’t need anything but you.” Tears slipped down her cheeks.
“Hey.” He brushed a thumb across her damp cheek, hating the tears. He was never good with tears. “You might reconsider when you try this.” Crusher held up what looked like a giant banana. “Have you had the plantains?”
Marta pressed a hand to her stomach. A fraction of a second later, she snatched the plantain out of his hand. Quickly peeling it, she sank her teeth into the fruit, her eyes rolling as a moan sounded deep in her throat. “Thank you,” she muttered past the big bite in her mouth.
Crusher’s smiled in the murky darkness.
Marta glanced at the plantain and back to Crusher. “What about you?” She shoved the plantain toward him. “Here, take half.”
He shook his head and pulled another plantain out of one of his cargo pockets. “I have more. They should get us through the night.”
Marta took another bite of the plantain and chewed more slowly, as if relishing the blander version of a banana.
Crusher peeled his plantain. “Not as sweet as a banana, but full of potassium, vitamins A and C, and they’ll hold us over until we can find something with protein.” He took a bite and chewed, staring out at the river. “Can you swim?”
Marta nodded beside him. “I can, but it’s been a while.”
“You shouldn’t have any trouble. I found a spot where it’s shallow enough that we can wade across—but that will be later. I think it would be wise of us to sleep for a couple of hours and conserve our strength before we’re on the move again.”
“By we, do you mean me?” she asked, one eyebrow cocked.
His gaze shifted toward her, a smile pulling the corners of his mouth. “I’ll stand guard.”
