Page 33 of Extracted

He scanned the river, his expression intense and his jaw clenched. “Give me the GPS. You don’t have good pockets,” he said, with a glance at her bare legs.

That she did not. She handed over the device. He buttoned up the cargo pocket after placing the phone inside. “Be ready to catch the rope when I send it back.”

She bit back a comment about him falling to his death. Her heart twisted at the thought, making this whole idea seem even more dumb. She caught his arm. “Be careful. Don’t let go unless you know you can reach the other side.”

He waggled his eyebrows at her. “You just worry about getting yourself across.” He backed up with the vine, ran, and leaped off the ravine.

Her stomach plummeted as she watched him soar over the water like a very large monkey. She pressed her hands to her temples as he approached the other side and snapped his feet to the ground. He teetered, and then his booted toes dug into the dirt and he gained traction.

“Ready?” he called.

She nodded. He whipped the vine toward her. Stretching out her hands, she caught it as it came close. She stared at the rush of dirty water and her hands grew damp.

This was a very, very bad idea. She worked out, did yoga and Pilates. There was no reason she couldn’t swing on a darn vine. She wet her lips and backed up then sprinted toward the slope and leaped off. Her swing didn’t carry as much force as Dallas’s, but she careened over the river. The churning below was deafening. She pinned her knees tighter around the material. A little scream caught in her throat.

Dallas’s arms opened, and she smacked into him. He towed her back, his weight preventing her from boomeranging to the other side.

She planted her feet in the dirt next to his and let go of the vine. Dallas’s feet slid from beneath him, and they both smacked onto the earth, inches from the river.

Dallas let out a hoot of laughter. “Goddamn. I can’t believe that worked.”

Gemma swatted his chest and climbed to her feet. “I can’t believe we tried that.”

He climbed up next to her and looped his arm over her shoulders, exhaling deeply.

She glanced up at him and furrowed her brow. “I’ve never known you to be scared.”

His face twisted and his arm fell away. “I wasn’t scared. I’m the one who went first.”

“Oh, that’s right,” she said with a chuckle. “You’re king of the jungle.”

“Damn straight.” He thumped his chest and Gemma let out a laugh that burned up the last of her energy.

She pressed her hand to her still-raging heart. Dallas dug into his pocket and pulled out the device. He turned the GPS to face her. “Forty-five minutes. Think we can make it?”

She glanced up at the low-lying sun. “We have to.”

* * *

Dallas stomped his feet on the ground. They weren’t far. A few minutes. Sweat had long since stopped pouring from his skin. He was too dehydrated. Gemma fought to keep up with his stride, but if he didn’t keep them moving at a steady pace, they’d never make it.

At least the temperature had cooled a few degrees. The only positive aspect of the coming night.

He glanced behind him and reached for Gemma’s elbow. Her arm hung loosely in his grip.

“Dallas—I don’t think I can take—another step—”

The swing across the ravine had temporarily exhilarated them and then led to an almost-immediate crash.

Gemma stumbled, and he caught her before she hit the ground. Swooping her into his arms, he lifted her.

“No, don’t.” She kicked. “I can walk.”

“Too bad. We need to get there.” He summoned all his strength and stomped one foot in front of the other.

He scanned the shroud of trees, the light dimming by the minute.

“There!” Gemma bounced forward in his arms.

---