Page 58 of Unleash You

“Who’s going to help us with the delivery? Is the US Embassy is still operational? ”

“Not really, but I have a contact that will be coordinating things with the Red Cross. She operates under their protection.”

That was it. There was no going back. Forty-eight hours, one change of clothes, and two-hundred thousand dollars’ worth of provisions and first-aid supplies. I’d hope Charlie would be willing to give our family another chance, that the jungle and all the things he’d seen there hadn’t changed him irrevocably.

We went to bed at nine that night. I thought for sure I wouldn’t sleep from nerves, but I was wrong. The minute I rested my head on his shoulder I drifted off to sleep. I dreamed I swam in a river for hours. I wasn’t afraid, but I also never got anywhere, no matter how hard I swam. Suddenly, my face went under, and I couldn’t breathe.

My eyes shot open to find Wesley tossing around on the bed, still asleep. He’d kicked all the covers over my face. I sat up and shoved his shoulder, but he didn’t wake up. He mumbled Charlie’s and Rebecca’s names over and over.

“Wesley.” I punched his shoulder.

He woke immediately with a crazed look in his eyes. His gaze darted around the dim-lit room, as if he didn’t know where he was. When he spotted me by the foot of the bed, he let out a breath. “What the fuck?”

“You were having a nightmare.”

He nodded. “I hadn’t had one since I started sleeping here. I thought maybe you had cured me.” He let his head fall on the pillow, his arm covering half his face.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. It’s mine. I left him behind.”

I crawled back into bed and had him rest his head on my chest. “We have one more hour of sleep.”

He grazed his fingers down my leg. “I don’t want to sleep.”

An hour later, I was dressed in the khaki pants Wesley had bought for me, a long-sleeve T-shirt, boots, and a rain jacket. I put my hair up in a ponytail and didn’t bother with makeup. Will drove us to the Charlie Brown Airport where our charter private jet waited for us. It had already been loaded with the supplies we’d promised to deliver to the Red Cross in Maracaibo. The local government wanted nothing to do with it, but Wesley’s contact had managed to get her church and the Red Cross volunteers to accept the donation.

I took a seat and buckled in. Next to me, Wesley looked calmed, but after what I saw last night, or earlier this morning, he was torn about going back to the jungles of Venezuela.

“We’re landing in the city. We’ll take it one step at a time. If we’re lucky, maybe Charlie is there waiting for us.” He squeezed my fingers.

I nodded, meeting his eyes, wishing I could do more to make him feel better, make him understand that what happened to Charlie hadn’t been his fault. My brother sacrificed himself to get Rebecca to safety, as he’d promised her. Didn’t he?

The short four-hour flight felt like days. The rough air and landing made my jitters turn into nausea. By the time our jet pulled up to the plane hangar, I was as pale as Wesley. “I think we’re here.” I smiled at him. What else could I do?

“Yes, we are.” He peered out the window and sighed in relief.

“Who’s that?” I pointed my chin at the tall, dark-haired woman in a supertight pencil skirt and high heels.

“My contact here. She’s helping us unload the provisions and make sure the local authorities are happy. Come on. I’ll introduce you.” He took my hand and pulled me down the airstair.

The woman threw her arms around his neck, saying something in Spanish before she turned her attention to me. “You must be Anabelle. I’m Luisa.”

“I am.” I shook her hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“Thank you for your generosity. Unfortunately, that’s all the thanks you’ll get. I’m sorry about that.” She pursed her lips, with a look of pity on her face. How much did she know about me? “I’ll do my best to return the favor.”

“Have you heard from Mack?” Wesley asked. The last time he’d heard from him was over the weekend. So much had happened since then it felt as though I had first heard his voice eons ago.

“Yes.” She rolled her eyes. “But first things first. You only have today to unload. Let me make sure my guys are on it, and then we’ll move on to your other thing.” She winked as she walked away with a mobile to her ear.

“I didn’t know you spoke Spanish,” I said when Luisa disappeared inside our plane. I pulled on the neck of my T-shirt. Being from Atlanta, I was used to the humidity, but something else was in the air here.

“I was here long enough. I had time to learn.”

Luisa collected our visas and passports, and was gone again. Wesley and I stood there watching a small army of people unload our plane. I was glad this part of our plan had gone without a hitch, but something in my gut told me finding Charlie wouldn’t be this simple.

“Both of you ready? You’ll be lodging at my place.” Luisa offered a warm smile.

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