Page 11 of Weston

“Hurry the fuck up. I’m calling Brand to pick us up.”

The bloodlust that had made Wes see red lessened as they stormed toward the entrance. The fact that he may have justkilled Ellie’s murderer should’ve made him feel better. But, he still felt empty and at a loss.

They sloshed out of the flooded cavern right as the water reached their knees. Wes gritted his teeth, already feeling the wet liner in his prosthetic. Ignoring it, he charged into the sunlight and glanced down. For a moment, he didn’t move—just lifted his arm and numbly watched the blood flow from the knife wound and fall to the ground. He slowly turned his hands over. They shook ever so slightly and he still held his blood-soaked Ka-Bar in a tight fist. His blade wasn’t the only thing covered in crimson. Wes was splattered with blood from head to toe.

Corey came over, opened his medical kit, and tore open an alcohol wipe. Wes hissed as he cleaned the wound then wrapped a bandage around it. “Put pressure on it,” Corey advised. “You got nicked pretty good.”

Wes nodded, then looked at Corey and Lex. Neither appeared in as bad of shape as him. Or, at least not as blood-soaked. Swallowing hard, he started forward, heading back to the jungle path that would lead them down to the beach. But not before he noticed the concerned look that passed between Corey and Lex.

“I’m fine,” Wes snapped, marching ahead.

???

It was Ellie’s day off and she headed straight down to the lagoon with a bag of lettuce for the sea turtles. She liked to visit them every day and make sure they were doing well. Even though she couldn’t remember a lot of things, she knew she loved animals, especially the amazing sea creatures shesaw around the island. Whatever occupation she’d had in her previous life, she was pretty sure it wasn’t merely sitting at a desk all day crunching numbers. Being outside, surrounded by nature, made her happy. The fresh air, the animals, the sea…something about it called to her and she felt most satisfied when she was sitting at the edge of the lagoon, watching her turtles.

There were quite a few different species in the area, but she loved the green sea turtles the most. Research she’d done online indicated they were large herbivores who migrated long distances between feeding grounds and the beaches from where they hatched. The amazing creature was also endangered, and that made her heart hurt. If she could learn how to help protect them, she would.

After tossing the lettuce into the water, she studied their movements, noting their behavior and how they communicated with one another. She found it fascinating and ended up spending a couple of hours watching them and jotting down some notes in the small notebook she carried. Thunder rumbled, pulling her attention away from the turtles, and she noticed the sky was turning dark.Time to go.After stuffing the notebook and pen into her bag, she stood up and brushed the back of her pants off. A storm was brewing and she didn’t want to be caught in it.

Slinging her bag over a shoulder, Ellie began to hike back down the trail. It was about a twenty-five minute walk back to her place and the humidity was becoming unbearable. Sweat trickled down the back of her neck and she paused to swipe a hand across her forehead. The approaching rain would help lift the humidity, but only temporarily. It always returned with a vengeance once the rain stopped. Opening her bag, she pulledout a bottle of water and was about to take a drink when she heard movement in the jungle not far away.

She froze, listening closely, and the sound of deep, male voices reached her ears.

Not wanting to run into a group of strange men by herself, knowing pirates prowled the area, she stepped off the path and moved behind a large tree. It was probably nothing but some local fishermen, but she decided to err on the side of caution. Especially after her last memory.

As the voices grew louder, approaching quickly, she realized too late they were coming from behind her and she was in their direct line of vision. Spinning around, she came face to face with four men who looked like soldiers. They wore tactical vests, carried weapons and appeared to be in the middle of a hunt. Heart in her throat, Ellie jumped back onto the path and hurried forward.

“Hey!”

Shit.They’d seen her. For a moment, she nearly paused when she realized they spoke English.Americans.But what the hell were Americans doing wandering around in the Indonesian jungle? She didn’t wait to find out. Breaking into a jog, she hurried to put as much space between her and them as possible.

A voice called out to her again and Ellie glanced over her shoulder.Oh, shit.One of the soldiers was chasing after her. Picking up her pace, she hoped she could outrun him, but the thumping boots behind her kept getting closer.

“Stop! Please!”

The desperation in the man’s voice almost compelled her to comply. Almost. But she wasn’t reckless or trusting of strangers. Pushing herself harder, fear filled her, propelling her forward. A side cramp hit out of nowhere and made her gasp. It also slowed her down enough for the man to catch up.

A large hand grabbed her arm, halting her in her tracks, and spun her around. Panting hard, clutching a hand to her side, Ellie looked up into a pair of wide brown eyes.

“Oh, my God,” the man whispered, staring at her like she was a ghost or some kind of apparition. A myriad of emotions flashed across his face—shock, confusion, relief, joy. “Ellie?”

Ellie’s mouth dropped open. Even though he seemed to recognize her, she had no idea who he was or what he wanted. Her gaze dropped, taking in the dried blood splattered all over his clothing. He had a gun. He was missing a leg.

Her panic skyrocketed. He looked like he just stepped out of a slasher flick and she was pretty sure he wasn’t the victim.

No, that would most likely be her.

“Please, leave me alone.” She tried to pull her arm free, but his grip was firm.

“Ellie, what’s wrong? It’s me.”

She frowned, not sure how to respond to this complete stranger.

“Wes…” he said, studying her closely, waiting for a response. When she didn’t say anything, he clarified, “Your husband.”

Wes?A wave of dizziness pummeled through her and Ellie’s eyes rolled back in her head.

Chapter Six

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