Page 66 of Unleash You

With a quick glance behind me, I pressed on, making sure I kept the glow of Charlie’s hut in my line of sight. “Wesley,” I called out and spun around to see if the man from before had heard me. It was a pathetic attempt. As I squatted, I hoped the guy had pointed at this spot because there were no snakes or other critters around here. I’d never peed faster in my life.

After I finished, I made quick work of my trousers and got back on the path. Not too far down, a whimper stopped me in my tracks. The camp was still close by, but I was submerged in a jungle of darkness. Straining my neck, I listened for the cry again, past the raindrops and the soft wailing of the wildlife nearby. And there it was again. The sound definitely belonged to a person. I veered off the path toward a small shack.

“Hello?” I shouldered open the wooden door, peeking inside through the missing slat. A boy not older than twelve showed his face. He had a large bruise on the side of his face and eyes red from crying. “Hi. Do you need help? Are you lost?”

“What the hell are you doing?” Charlie gripped my arm and yanked me away from the shack.

“I didn’t mean to pry.”

His fingers dug deep into my skin as he pulled me to keep up his pace. He didn’t stop until we reached his hut. “Stay in the tent. We leave in the morning.”

“What about Wesley and Mack? We need to find them.” I shuffled away from him. “I’m not leaving without them.”

“You said you’d take me to Rebecca.”

“And I will, but we can’t leave Wesley behind.”

“Why not? He did it to me before.”

“Because that would be an asshole move. He came back for you.” I glared at him.

He stepped forward. “I’m not asking you. I’m telling you. We’re leaving first thing. And you will bring Rebecca to me.” He tightened his hold on me until it felt as if my hand would come off. When I nodded, he let go and left me again.

What the hell? I misread his intentions from the beginning. He wasn’t coming home with me. His only goal was to get Rebecca. I’d managed to wedge myself between him and what he wanted most. Shit. I couldn’t do that to her. Charlie had completely lost his mind.

I sat on his bed, feeling the weight of this entire day wash over me like a ton of bricks. My eyes drooped closed, and I knew I couldn’t fight sleep anymore. That night, I didn’t really have dreams, though my mind kept going back to the boy from the shack and Wesley dressed in his fatigues.

18

Blind and Stupid

Wesley

I glared at Charlie as he trod around the campground ordering people about. By now, I was a hundred percent certain the guys shooting at us were with Charlie. They’d chased us in a pattern deeper into the jungle to get us away from this place. Smith’s old site was back in business.

I raked a hand through my damp hair. We were in deep shit if my saving grace was that Anabelle had been grabbed by Charlie and his men. I couldn’t even begin to imagine what would happen to her if someone with a different goal in mind picked her up. Dropping to my knees, I let the previous day fall on my shoulders like an anvil. Anabelle was in danger at the hands of her own brother, and it was entirely my fault.

I allowed myself a few more minutes of self-pity before rising to my feet. Trudging my way back to Mack, I replayed all the events in my head, what I knew for sure, and what was all a huge assumption on my part.

“The guard hasn’t moved?” Mack shifted his body to face me and winced. I’d checked on him a few times throughout the night. He was running a fever. The meds made the pain bearable, but he needed a permanent solution now rather than later.

“Yeah.” Even if Mack hadn’t been injured, there was no way we could take on an entire army of men. For now, I had to settle for knowing Anabelle was nearby. “We need to get you help. We can’t stay out here another night.”

I fiddled with the radio I’d brought with me, tuning to Luisa’s frequency and talking softly into the speaker. I tried Teak too, but nothing was coming through. Reception out here was shit, but the storm had cleared, and that meant our chances of reaching someone were better. Luisa could hire a small army to help get Anabelle back, though I’d wished I could sneak her out of here with zero bloodshed.

“And the visas?”

“Fuck the visas. I’m not leaving here without Anabelle.”

“Right.” He rubbed his thigh.

“What do you think are the odds that our canoe will still be where we left it?” If Charlie took it, I’d have to carry him back to the fishing village.

“Dunno, man. Depends on what Charlie’s intent is. If he wants you gone, the canoe will be there. If he wants you dead, no canoe.”

Charlie wasn’t the Charlie I grew up with, but he wasn’t a murderer. He was pissed at me. And he probably thought I deserved to stay here, worried sick for Anabelle for a few days. But beyond that, I refused to believe he’d want to do us harm.

“Got more of those meds. My ass is killing me. I think the bullet hit a nerve or something.” He met my gaze. “You should rest a while. You look like shit.”

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