Page 62 of Unleash You

“We didn’t even talk to him.” Anabelle pushed strands of blond hair away from her face. She didn’t belong here. “We didn’t try hard enough.”

“Jesus Christ. Yes, we did. Look at us. Look where we are. Just fucking look and wake up. Charlie doesn’t want you. I wrote those letters, not him. The Charlie you remember has been long gone.”

The words flew out of my mouth, and I couldn’t stop them. I’d made a mistake by letting Anabelle pretend her brother cared about her. Truth was, I was scared out of my mind to come back to this place and do right by him. I needed her strength to get me here. And for what? Charlie didn’t want to leave. He’d been more concerned with finding Rebecca than his own self-preservation.

“I’m sorry.” I reached for Anabelle’s hand, but she yanked it away. The anger that flashed in her eyes cut me deep.

“No, you’re not. You’re letting your fear of this place mess with your head. Of course, Charlie is hurting. You left him here. We have a day left. Let’s use that time to show him his family is still here.” She glanced upward as raindrops poured down her soft cheeks.

“Did you not hear him? He wants us gone.”

“Not to interrupt the newlyweds, but the guys across the way are on the move,” Mack called out from his position behind a tree.

Shots rang out and zoomed by over our heads. A shock of adrenaline rushed through me as I pulled Anabelle toward me. This was what I’d been afraid would happen. Out here, life was cheap. This kind of raid had descended on our camp on a weekly basis. Back then, I’d been forced to do the unthinkable, and it still hadn’t mattered because once bullets started flying, there wasn’t a winning side. I’d lost too many friends over this futile war. I wasn’t ready to lose Anabelle too. Not now or ever.

With my blood pumping hard, I grabbed my duffel bag and loaded it with two rifles and a couple of handguns, along with ammo. I’d been an idiot to hide all this from Anabelle. Whatever else of value Mack had, he’d have to leave behind. He was no longer welcome here.

“I always wondered why they let the whitey linger for many months.” Mack came to stand next to me, packed and ready to go. “They seem to leave Charlie alone too.”

“I know. I’m trying not to dwell too much on that.” Because all the scenarios playing in my head ended down the same path. Was Charlie working for Marcel now? Same as those guys across the way? It would make sense. How else would he have survived all this time alone? “He must’ve cut a deal with Marcel after we took off. What did Marcel want that only Charlie could give him? Rebecca?”

Marcel had already gone after her in New York. It was why she’d fled and ended up in Atlanta. Obviously, Marcel had a better chance at getting to her than Charlie. So then what?

More shots were fired our way and stopped my increasingly long string of questions from doing another merry-go-round in my head. I swung my duffel bag over my shoulder and grabbed Anabelle’s cold, wet hand before I darted away from the river, deeper into the jungle where Marcel’s guys couldn’t see us and where the wildlife ranged free for miles.

Fuck. The look of terror on Anabelle’s face was like a punch in the gut, which in turn made me want to kill somebody. I hated this anger brewing deep in my chest, though right now, the acid bubbling inside me was the thing we needed to stay alive. And that was the heart of it all. I hated the choice, the need to let my instincts take over. What or who gave anyone the right to take a fucking life?

I’d shut off my flashlight and used the relentless lightning to show us the way. The rain had picked up, pouring down on us from every direction as I shoved tall plants blocking our path. Even in her combat boots, Anabelle slipped and slid over the moss-covered earth, and I had to steady her so we could keep going. No doubt tomorrow she’d have bruised wrists and sore fingers.

When we came to a well-hidden area, I pulled her toward me to check on her. We were in a sort of cocoon of foliage, tall trees, and long hanging tree limbs. I dug through my bag and thrust a handgun into Anabelle’s grip. “Ever used one of these?”

“Nope.” Her hand shook, and her eyes went wide as she turned it one way and then another. “What do I do? Just pull here?” She clicked the trigger.

“Yeah, remove the safety first. Then point.” I showed her how, repeating the same movement several times until she nodded. I glanced over my shoulder, scanning my surroundings. “Fuck. Where did he go? Where’s Mack?”

“He was right behind me.” Tears streamed down Anabelle’s cheeks as the whites of her eyes shifted from left to right.

The clear starlit sky made it easier to navigate the area. I’d been here once before when it was pitch black. The kind of stuff nightmares are made of. In a way, I was glad I’d made the trek back to the jungle. I knew for sure I didn’t owe Charlie shit. Anabelle was my priority now.

“It’s okay.” I wiped her face with the back of my hand and kissed her lips.

She threw her arms around my neck and thrusted her tongue to entwined with mine. This wasn’t the time for making out, but she was afraid. And that was something I understood well. I held her tight, feeling every curve of her body pressed against me. Her mouth tasted salty from her tears and a musty tang from the rainwater.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. Anabelle, we have to go back for Mack. This place turned hostile for him because of us. We can’t leave him stranded.” I cradled her neck.

“I understand. Let’s go.”

“Are you sure you wouldn’t rather stay here? You’ll be safe as long as you stay quiet.”

“You’re not leaving me here. Please, I can keep up with you. I promise.” The panic in her tone twisted something at the pit of my stomach.

“We’ll have to backtrack.” I met her gaze, and she nodded.

Anabelle kept my pace as we jostled through the foliage and over thick tree roots covering the jungle floor. Clouds had swept across the sky, which meant less visibility. From where we were, I could see a sliver of the river through the greenery.

“He couldn’t have gone far.” I set down my duffle bag.

---