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Eli chomped off a bite of beef jerky. “Think that’s wise? I mean, odds are if someone’s passing through, they’ll give us a lift.”

Dallas tucked away his water. Lorenzo had been kind enough to hook up Dallas with his pilot, but how much Eli knew about Dallas’s situation was yet unknown. In all likelihood, Lorenzo had been careful about what he’d divulged to Eli, even if he was a good friend. Their job was far too important, and the fact that Dallas had fled after Silas was murdered looked really fucking bad. Dallas didn’t want word getting out.

But by the same token, they were far enough from Venezuela. It was likely that no one from Ecuador would know a damn thing about Silas or the guns getting passed off to the militia. “I’m not so sure I want a lift from anyone we aren’t expecting,” Dallas said finally.

He zipped up his bag and stood, holding a hand out to Gemma. “Ready?”

She groaned and dropped her head back but slapped her fingers in his palm. “We shouldn’t have stopped.”

“You’re right. We’ll take fewer breaks going forward.” He hauled her to her feet and jerked his head at Eli, motioning for him to stand.

He passed the GPS to Gemma. “Keep an eye on our path and let me know when we’re about a quarter mile from the road.”

They got back on their trail, and his stick cut through the brush. Eli might not have anyone to hide from, but he and Gemma sure as hell did.

* * *

Three hours later, they stopped for lunch. Gemma’s feet pounded. Mark her words, she’d never again suggest they shouldn’t take a break. But if pushing extra hard allowed them to stop for a decent amount of time—no more than twenty minutes, according to Dallas—then it was almost worth it.

She sat cross-legged on a stump. Its girth told her the tree had lived to be several hundred years old before its demise. She’d taken off her shoes too, so she could massage her toes.

Dallas had a tiny fire going. Water boiled over it in a camping pot. The packets of freeze-dried food promised something close to a real meal. She watched as he added the hot water to her broccoli soup and passed it to her.

“Well, this is surprising,” she said, inhaling the yummy flavors of cheese and veggies.

He mixed Eli’s and handed it to him then glanced back at Gemma. “Freeze-dried food is great for survival. Light to carry and very little water to make.”

Eli nodded as he took a bite. “This one’s my favorite.”

Gemma blew on the yellowish mixture and slurped a sip. The tangy taste of cheddar hit her tongue, and she spooned out another. “Nice.”

After they’d finished eating and washed their dishes, Dallas stood. “I’m going to the washroom. Gimme a few,” he said, and disappeared into the jungle.

Gemma swung her gaze to Eli. He stood, and something tumbled out of his pocket.

She pointed. “Eli, you dropped—” The familiar bulky device registered in her brain. “Oh. You have a satellite phone too?”

Eli bent and picked it up. “Yeah, mine’s dead though.” He stuffed it in his pocket and reached for a protein bar. “Want one?”

She accepted the chocolate treat and put it in the slim pocket of her yoga pants for later. “Thanks. That’s too bad your phone’s dead. You didn’t get a chance to use it after we jumped?”

He cleaned his dishes with leaves then tossed them in his backpack. “Nope. I mean, I tried of course. Really kicked myself for that one.”

She nodded. “Thankfully Dallas has his.”

A moment later Dallas returned, and they quickly got back on track.

Gemma had finally stopped counting the hours. All that mattered was putting one foot in front of the other. The sun was high and beating down, the bugs were out in full swing, and the trees shook around them—it was enough for her to sweat off ten pounds. So far they’d been lucky not to encounter any wild animals. She needed their luck to continue.

She glanced down at the GPS and stopped with a gasp. Eli skittered to a stop behind her and Dallas turned, sweat pouring off his face. She held up the device. “We’re close to the road. Quarter mile.” The words sounded hollow.

Were they really almost out of this nightmare? The road itself wasn’t much of an accomplishment, but just knowing they could walk on smooth ground if they needed, that their ride would arrive at some point over the next few hours, made her knees quake.

Dallas must have felt the same jubilation because his mouth lifted. “Yeah?”

“Ha, ha! Yeah!” Eli shouted toward the trees.

The poor birds screamed and something hissed, but Gemma laughed.

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