Page 24 of No Questions Asked

He grinned, reading both my anxiety and frustration accurately. “Don’t worry, I’ve got us covered. I ordered some items online for us before we left for New York. Long-sleeve, lightweight, moisture-wicking shirts, and breathable, tightly knit fabrics for our pants. No thin materials or short sleeves. The mosquitoes and insects will be relentless, trust me.”

“I do trust you, because I know you’re right. It also reminds me how much Ididn’tenjoy my last jungle trek,” I grumbled.

“That was not a trek,cara, it was survival, and it was brutal. This time will be much different. You might even enjoy yourself a little.”

I sincerely hoped he was right. Finn, Basia and I had almost died in the jungle, so the thought of returning was causing me a lot of anxiety even though Iknewit would be totally different. Slash sensed my nervousness and was doing his best to remind me that not only were we going to be prepared, he’d be going with me, which made everything much more doable this time around. It helped more than he knew.

“I also ordered special mosquito and insect spray,” he added. “Just a heads-up, we won’t be sleeping in the nude or in comfortable pajamas. We’ll cover up fully at night, including socks, and sleep under special netting I purchased.”

I knew he was right, but his practicality still wasn’t helping my mood. “You do remember it’s hot in the rainforest, right?”

He sat up, regarded me with amusement. “I remember. We’re going to have to make a shopping run for hiking boots and extra socks this afternoon, but otherwise, we’ve got everything else we’ll need, including sunscreen, wide-brimmed hats, and extra-large water bottles. I’ve already got notice that the boxes should be delivered in the next few hours.”

He was very organized, my guy, and I had to give him points for that. So, I pushed my anxiety aside, sat next to him on the bed. “It’s pretty handy having you around.”

“Good to know.” He put his arm around me, pulling me closer. “I just may use that to my advantage.”

“You already do,” I protested, resting my head against his shoulder. “You’re such an overachiever.”

He chuckled and then turned his head so his face rested against the crown of my head. “There’s always room for improvement. Want to test that theory?”

“Right now?”

“Right now.”

I lifted my head abruptly, bumping into his jaw. “Oops. Sorry. But what about the laundry and the packing?”

He winced, rubbing his chin. “What about it?”

I considered my options. If we managed our time well, which we usually did, we had time for a little distraction. Already I could feel the tight knot of anxiety in the pit of my stomach lessening. “Fine. Who am I to argue against improvement?”

He didn’t answer because he’d already pulled me down on the bed and started kissing me. My anxiety disappeared as I wound my arms around his neck. As usual, he was right. The laundry and packing could wait.

We had far more important matters to tend to.

Lexi

Our flight didn’t leave until late morning, so we had plenty of time to finish packing, eat and make it to the airport with time to spare. It felt weird to dress in long pants, long sleeves and hiking boots—for the plane. But it was both practical and logical, so I went with it. Hats, insect repellent and sunglasses were in our carry-on bags, along with our laptops and accompanying equipment.

The plan was to catch a flight to Miami from Dulles International airport, where we would change planes and then head for the city of Manaus, Brazil. From Manaus we’d take a chartered plane to the town of Coari that would also be transporting additional supplies and equipment for the lab. After reviewing the distance online and combining it with our flight data, I determined it would take us just shy of three hours from DC to Miami and then another five hours to Manaus. From there, it’d be another hour and a half on the chartered flight to Coari. After reaching Coari, we’d travel by jeep to the research site. Although I wasn’t certain exactly how long that would take, I felt confident in calculating the entire travel time would take somewhere between ten and eleven hours.

Ugh. I hated flying.

I tried to temper my anxiety when we got to the airport about two hours before our flight and breezed through security. Slash suggested we get some coffee, so we grabbed a couple of cups and headed to the gate to wait. I’d just sat down on one of the hard plastic chairs and took my first sip of coffee when I spotted Gwen walking toward the gate carrying a large, orange duffel over her shoulder. Her eyes widened when she spotted us.

“Lexi? Slash? What are you guys doing here?”

“We’re going to Brazil,” I said. “What about you?”

“The same place. Didn’t Elvis tell you I was selected as the microbiologist from ComQuest?”

“What?” I looked at her in total surprise. While Gwen was wicked smart, how in the world had she been chosen over the other senior scientists? “I haven’t talked to Elvis for several days. I had no idea you were the ComQuest microbiologist that had been selected. Wow, Gwen, that’s great. Congratulations.”

“Thanks.” She dropped the heavy duffel at her feet with a sigh of relief. Since the gate area was crowded, Slash stood, insisting she sit in his seat. After a moment, she agreed and perched on the edge of the chair, her knees turned toward me. “I’ve been working on this project for several months. It’s a long story how I was selected to go to the rainforest, but I can fill you in on the flight. You guys are going down there, too?”

“Yep.” I balanced the coffee cup on my knee, steadying it with one hand. “They wanted hands-on information security. Slash is technically on vacation so he offered to go with me and workpro bono.”

“That’s so cool. I’d heard X-Corp, and specifically you, had got the job, but I didn’t know you’d actually be traveling to the field lab. Why do they need you there?”

---