Page 42 of Knox's Mission

“He claimed it was love at first sight,” she remembered. “He used to write short love poems on my bathroom mirror.”

“Were you in love with him instantly?” Knox asked.

“He was charming,” Lorna said. “I remember being wowed by the attention he gave me, which was like standing in the sun. I fell for that pretty fast. But, no, it wasn’t instant for me.”

If Knox had to guess, Donnie was attentive at first, showering her with love and affection. And then once he got his hooks in her…the true selfish asshole Donnie showed up.

“He used to compliment me all the time,” Lorna added. “He would show up at the end of my shift with a flower that he’d picked while on a walk. He didn’t have money, so he showed affection in different ways. We didn’t do the traditional dinner and movie dating, which was honestly what I liked most about us in the beginning.” She paused. “After a while, though, I did want to be taken out to arestaurant every once in a while. Donnie said he didn’t have money to pay for it and asked what was wrong with going to the grocery store to buy dinner so he could cook? Wasn’t that more romantic?” She paused again. “He would light candles and set up a table on the patio to make it special.”

Knox didn’t ask, but he would put money on the fact Lorna was the one who paid the grocery bill.

Lorna released a string of swear words that would make Knox’s military buddies blush.

“That sonofabitch played me all along, didn’t he?” Lorna asked, coming to the realization the others had already figured out. “I gave him three years of my life and all he wanted to do was use me.”

“He must have cared or he wouldn’t have stayed for three years,” Amy pointed out, but it was obvious she was just being kind as she tried to soften the blow from the reality.

“What else did he say about Amy?” Knox asked, needing to know if she’d been a target all along or if the ‘work for free’ story held water.

11

Amonkey howled. Was it different than the others? Amy’s pulse raced as she focused on the sound.

As Lorna opened her mouth to speak, Knox stopped cold, put a fisted hand up. Military training wasn’t required to guess what it meant. An involuntary shiver rocked her body at the thought of being caught in the sights of mercenaries, drug cartels, or whatever else might want to kill and/or feast on the three of them.

Questions surfaced. How had Donnie skated free? How had he survived alone in the jungle?

Before, Amy assumed it was skill, but now that she knew he’d only ever flown over the jungle—if that was even true—how could he have figured out how to live? More questions assaulted her. Was it herbrain’s way of distracting her from the fact she might end up with more bullet holes in her than Swiss cheese?

The monkey calls had to mean something or Knox wouldn’t be concerned.

Minutes ticked by as they stood frozen. Amy’s legs itched to move. Her calves burned. Standing in one spot was so much more difficult than walking. She measured her breathing so as not to make a sound.

The calls grew distant but Amy’s pulse refused to return to normal.

Knox opened his hand, motioned forward, and then went back to cutting a path through the thick vines. She imagined if they came back to this exact spot in a matter of days, the path would be closed up again, swallowed as though they’d never been here.

Right now, though, it meant anyone could follow them. Amy glanced backward. Lorna caught her gaze and shot a concerned look.

A second later, it must have dawned on her what Amy was doing because Lorna nodded and then surveyed the area. Amy could concentrate on their left and right flanks if Lorna covered them from behind. Knox was focused forward, carving a way through the jungle.

At this point, she was grateful they were dry, if she didn’t count humidity. They weren’t waist-deepin water or trying to swim in anaconda and tarantula infested waters. So, that was something.

As bright green as everything was, she also noted dangers lurked everywhere.

Knox stopped, his head turned, and then he brought the machete across his body before hacking a vine. A snake’s body flopped to the ground in two pieces. Knox pushed them back a couple of steps as the head tried to strike. He swiped the flat of the blade on it like a baseball bat. The striking snake’s head flew into homerun territory.

Amy’s heart battered the inside of her ribcage. She remembered the breathing technique she’d been taught in the yoga class her mom had given her as a birthday gift last year.In through the nose and out through the mouth. Slow, deep breaths.

Surprisingly, it worked. She needed to go back home and hug her mom. Speaking of whom, should she tell her about Garrett’s love? About his plans to come back to the Amazon to be with the woman he loved? About his plans to build a life with someone Amy and her mom would never meet?

To each their own, as far as Amy was concerned. Her mom would feel the same way. Knowing Garrett had plans for a future somehow comforted Amy. He’d found true love, which was no small feat. Would the knowledge have the same effect on their mom? Or would it dredge up more pain?

Because her mom still wasn’t doing great more than a year after Garrett’s death. Amy couldn’t say she’d been living her best life either, but she was still in the game. Still trying.

Garrett wouldn’t have wanted either of them to waste energy crying over him. He would encourage them to move on, live life. Her brother had been so full of life. It didn’t surprise her one bit that he would find the love of his life in some remote village. It was the most Garrett-like thing he could have done, just like when he’d surprised them by announcing he was enlisting. He’d never talked about a career in the military, so the news had caught Amy and her mother off guard.

His college plans, he’d said, weren’t for nothing. He planned to get the military to pay for his education. Amy knew there wasn’t money to cover since her dad’s death. As much as her mom tried to keep a brave face and pretend they were fine, Amy noticed all the little signs they weren’t doing as well as her mom wanted her to believe. For instance, she started shopping in bulk. Her mom had never been a hoarder but she got a big discount buying canned goods from the big box store down the street. Amy used to joke that her mom needed a forklift to bring groceries in once a month. The outdoor freezer was full. Her mom bought meat in bulk too.

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