Page 28 of Forced By the Bratva

I smiled. No wonder he had a jacket!

I wondered how many times he’d been here. He’d come so prepared; it was amazing.

He handed me a pair of boots, and I quickly put them on. We both donned pants before we began to stroll into the trees.

We entered the jungle, with Feliks holding my hand. Our fingers were locked together, and I could not help but steal glances at him. I intentionally stayed behind to admire how handsome he was from behind. His profile was so striking.

“How often do you come here?” I asked Feliks.

“I’m not sure,” he replied.

I’m not sure. That wasn’t an answer to my question, but I was ready to let it go.

“Let’s go this way,” I said to Feliks, pointing toward the right, and he led the way.

We kept walking until it began to get dark. I was the first person to stop and sigh deeply. “If we go further, you’ll have to carry me back to the car,” I teased Feliks.

He nudged my shoulders, then reached toward me, attempting to pick me up to carry me, but I dodged him, laughing.

We turned around to go home but soon realized the trail we were walking didn’t want to end.

“We took too many right turns,” I murmured. “How come we’re just walking straight and expecting this to lead us back to the beach?”

Feliks stopped abruptly and nodded. “Do you think we should head this way?” he asked, pointing.

I shook my head. I wasn’t sure. “You were the one suggesting route when we were coming...”

Feliks let out a frustrated sigh. “I know, but I don’t remember them anymore.”

I stared up at him. “I don’t remember either.”

My heart sank into my stomach. Feliks told me not to worry and pulled out his phone to call someone. There was a little frown on his face that he tried to hide. I didn’t try to hide the fact that I was scared. I hoped that Tom would be able to find us first—before the wild animals Feliks had mentioned.

“Don’t panic. I’ll call Tom.” I watched as his expression went sour. “No signal.” He held his phone aloft, frowning.

“Shit!” I cursed.

We were stuck.

Chapter 16 - Feliks

“Let’s find somewhere to sit and rest for a bit,” I told Jenna.

I squeezed her fingers gently as we walked toward a big tree together. We settled against its trunk, using the roots as our chairs.

“What should we do now?” Jenna asked, her lips trembling as she spoke. Her eyes darted around. It had gotten cloudy, and the cool evening breeze was getting intense. The moon was beginning to take its place in the southern part of the sky.

Jenna wrapped her arm around herself and buried her face. I was staring at her with sympathy.

“I will light a fire to keep you warm,” I told Jenna as I stood.

She grabbed my hand and looked up. As I stared into her eyes, I could see her eyes getting glassy with tears.

“Are we lost?” she asked.

“Only luck can save us,” I teased her with a slight smirk.

She scrambled to her feet and clung to my arm. “I will go with you.”

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