Page 49 of Knox's Mission

Knox hated the thought of leaving them alone, but he needed to assess the threat and he couldn’t do that if he stayed put.

He shot a look at Amy that he hoped she understood. She gave a slight nod. That was his lady!

If nothing else came out of this, he realized that he had to come clean with her. The thought of her believing he was some kind of hero for being with Garrett when he died, when in reality Knox was the reason her brother was dead, would haunt him the rest of his life otherwise.

Since he never half-assed anything, he would also tell her about his feelings. But first, he needed to keep them alive. He pulled his Glock 19 from his thigh holster. He’d been holding onto it until absolutely necessary, not wanting to waste a single bullet.

The folks closing in could be tribe members who meant no harm. He wouldn’t be able to tell until he got a closer look.

Crouching low, he moved away from Amy and Lorna, out into the thick vines so he could circle the men and get a sense of how many numbers theywere up against. As he moved around the perimeter, he saw two men step into the clearing, pushing someone in a yellow shirt. From here, he couldn’t see faces but the man being pushed had to be Donnie. The others were in green fatigues, just as Amy had described.

“Help,” came Donnie’s voice.

“Donnie,” Lorna screamed as Knox moved to a spot where he could get a better visual on the situation.

“Lorna, I’m so sorry,” Donnie whined.

Knox found a good spot and realized Donnie had the barrel of an automatic weapon poking in his back as he walked into the center of the clearing.

“If everyone doesn’t come out where they can see you with your hands up, they’ll shoot me,” Donnie’s voice shook as he spoke.

Was this legitimate?

If Donnie made an alliance with the men who’d chased him and Amy a couple days ago, he might be innocent. Based on the scene unfolding right now, that was exactly the picture being painted.

Knox crouched low and aimed. There was no way he could shoot from this distance and guarantee that he wouldn’t hit Donnie. He could circle around the back. Nah. Wouldn’t work. A stray bullet could hit one of the ladies instead. He couldn’t risk shooting Amy or Lorna. He might have had hissuspicions about Lorna before, but her actions indicated that she was innocent in all this. She’d been burned. Unless she’d pulled off one hell of an acting job, she wasn’t part of this.

Donnie was still suspect, though. This could be a rouse to get the three of them out in the open.

Lorna and Amy stood up.

“Donnie!” Lorna broke free from Amy’s grasp, and bolted toward her ex.

Dammit, Lorna. That was a critical error.

The shot would be impossible to make now without risking hurting an innocent party. So, he couldn’t take it.

New plan. Rescue Amy. Get her the hell out of there. And then figure out a plan to take Lorna back.

Right now, the opponent had the advantage. First of all, they had Donnie. They were making it appear as though he wasn’t part of the plan. Maybe not. It was feasible that he’d been captured by the men who…

Hold on a second. Why wouldn’t they shoot Donnie? Why use him as leverage at all?

Amy’s camera. It had to be. It was the only explanation for keeping her alive. She’d evaded them the first time. By the time Donnie found her, Knox was on the scene.

Had Donnie sold his soul to these men? Promising to get the camera back if they let him live?Didn’t he know they would kill him the moment they got what they wanted?

The explanation rang true. It could explain why he’d been acting so squirrely. Why not take Amy’s camera and disappear?

The simple answer was probably the correct one. But Donnie might have been in league with these men from the beginning. How would that play out, though?

Would A.J. have been involved?

The second scheme was elaborate. Too elaborate? It would involve the hired guide and the so-called accidental meet-up with the men with guns. Lorna getting sick might have made the whole situation easier for Donnie and company. In fact, Lorna getting sick might not have been a coincidence at all. Donnie might have slipped something into her food or a water bottle. She would have thought nothing of him handing her a drink. She’d trusted him implicitly.

Bad move on her part.

Lorna was paying the price with her heart and probably her pride.

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