Page 69 of Unleash You

“Fuck. How did you find me?” I sat up, and he shoved a canteen into my chest. I drank from it until my dry throat didn’t hurt anymore.

“Your radio message came through. Sounds like mine didn’t. Bunch of camps around here. The first person I asked if they’d seen a couple of Americans was able to tell me where you were.” He sat on his haunches. “Were you really chasing after a boat?”

I had a faint memory of swimming after Anabelle. What the hell was I thinking?

“Next time wait for the cavalry. This river will swallow you up and spit you out whole.”

I winced. “You don’t think I know that.” I rubbed my temple to ease the throbbing headache. “Where’s Mack?”

“On the boat, resting.” Teak hooked his fingers under my armpit and helped me up. “We should leave now. There’s another storm coming.”

I nodded and followed him to where our ride floated peacefully, tethered to a stump. Mack was out of the meds again. “I have a contact in Maracaibo. She’ll get him the medical help he needs.”

“Sounds good.” Teak hopped on and released the ropes.

The current grabbed hold of us and rushed us down river before Teak started the motor and steered the boat. Luisa would be able to help us with Mack and with more information on whether Charlie took our charter plane as well. My guess would be yes. If he had no problem leaving me stranded in the jungle, leaving me in the city would be a cakewalk for him.

The sun inched across the sky toward the horizon. Our first stop had to be Luisa’s house. I needed my passport to get back to the States. If we hurried, we would make it back to her place before dark. A lot of shit tended to go sideways during the late hours.

Teak got us back to the fishing village faster than normal. While he arranged for a jeep, I asked a couple locals if they’d seen a woman who looked like Anabelle. The first man I asked showed recognition in his eyes when I described her. But then he claimed we were the only Americans he’d seen that day. Two other people had a similar answer. In the end, a young girl was brave enough to tell me that two Americans had stopped by her mom’s shop. She then furtively pointed in the direction of the route up to Maracaibo.

As soon as we hit the main road, my head buzzed with different scenarios as to what the fuck to do next.

“I’m out of meds.” Mack stirred next to me when we entered the city limits.

“Almost there.” I patted his shoulder as Teak pulled into Luisa’s driveway and pushed the call button on the speaker. “Tell her you’re with me,” I said.

As soon as he mentioned my name, the tall gate swung open. Teak maneuvered around the courtyard and parked away from the house.

“Exactly how many lives do you have?” Luisa greeted me at the door. When she saw Mack, she sprang into action and ushered us to the first bedroom past the living room. “Through here. I’ll get the doctor.” She grabbed her phone, then paused. “You have American dollars, right?”

“We do.” I helped Mack lay on his stomach.

“Give me fifteen minutes.” She surveyed me from head to toe. “You remember where my room is, right?”

I nodded. “Upstairs, last door on the right.”

“Clean up. There’s nothing you can do for him now.”

“Charlie has Anabelle. Do you know if he took our charter?” I braced my hands on my hips to keep myself in check.

“Let’s take care of your friend first.” She tapped her phone and switched to Spanish, speaking so fast I barely caught a few words.

Doctor was one of them, so I did as she ordered. No doubt she needed to get rid of any evidence that we’d come back to her place. I wouldn’t mind getting the jungle stench off me either.

I hadn’t thought of Luisa’s suite in a long time. Probably because I wanted to forget every detail of my time in Venezuela. The place looked exactly how I remembered it, with a small Juliet balcony overlooking the courtyard and a huge poster bed littered with decorative pillows. I padded straight to the bathroom and ran the water.

After I removed my clothes, I balled everything together and set them on top of the toilet. I stepped into the shower and let the warm spray wash the day off me. I made quick work of washing my hair and scrubbing the rest of me. The cold water hit my back, and I knew it was time to get out. I cursed under my breath when the lights went out and I realized I had nothing clean to wear.

“Are you decent?” Luisa barged into the room, holding a candle.

“No.” I wrapped the towel I’d been using to dry my hair around my waist.

Her gaze settled on my chest, and a big grin spread across her lips. “I thought for sure going home for so long would make you fat.”

“I see the blackouts are not getting any better.”

“Same old, same old.” She clicked her tongue. “I brought you some clean clothes.”

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