Page 72 of Explorer's Revenge
“Like my dick,” Rick quips, but we ignore him.
“We are its prey, so let’s not stick around until it catches us,” Wilder orders.
The crashing sounds we make are loud as we race through the jungle, but not as noisy as that thing hunting us. Honestly, it’s more relentless than Rick flirting with Maeve, and that’s saying something. We either need to find high ground or get the fuck out of its way—something we are all acutely aware of—but having been washed away in the tsunami, we don’t have a clue where we are on the island, so we just pick a direction and hope for the best. It’s unrelenting, however, and only seems to pick up speed. I know we’ll run out of energy and need to rest before long, and then we’ll be screwed. All it has to do is wait us out, and it seems to know that.
“We need to find somewhere safe to rest and regroup,” Wilder says. We are all exhausted, so as we run, we search for an opportunity, but the land is flat. Trees are down from the storm, bent or misshapen, and the ground is still soaked and covered with debris, slowing us down.
The croc lets out a roar so close, it hurts and shakes the earth, and I glance back to see it heading right for us.
“Move!” Wilder yells, and he drags Rick with him as we break through some dense brush at a sprint, only to come to an abrupt stop at the person standing there, waiting casually.
It can’t be . . .
It’s impossible.
My eyes widen as I meet the familiar, beautiful orbs of Maeve Carter, who’s standing in front of me like the best figment of my imagination. I never thought I’d see her again, and for a moment, I drink in her beauty, wondering if she’s real.
She wears a cocky, knowing smirk and raises a gun.
“Duck,” she orders. I drop to the ground, and shots fire over my head. Turning, I see her hit the croc, and with a snap of its teeth, it starts to charge before she walks toward us, getting a few more shots off before the beast decides to spin and race away. It will be back, but for now, it’s gone.
She saved our lives.
I climb to my knees and stare at her, silent, confused, and relieved. We got her off the island.
We assured her safety, so how is she here?
Why?
“Hey, boys, miss me?” she calls as she reloads and slings her gun across her chest.
FORTY-TWO
MAEVE
They converge on me as a group, huddling around me as they check me over.
I can’t keep up with their rapid-fire questions, so I just chuckle and hold them. “I’m okay. I’m okay. I’m really here. Are you guys hurt?” I run my eyes over them again, barely believing they are safe.
When they quite literally ran into my path, I thought I was seeing things.
“What the fuck, Carter?” Wilder snaps. “How? Why?” It’s clear he’s confused as hell and worried.
“We can talk as we walk. We need to move,” I reply. I want to examine them for injuries, but the longer we linger, the more likely it is that the croc will come back. We need to get going.
“You’re right. Sorry, you were all clean.” Wilder winces.
I laugh as I look down at the mud now covering me. “Meh, a little dirt never bothered me.” I wink. “Come on, let’s go.”
He nods, and they fall into step at my side as I watch their backs with the gun. Their gazes keep slipping to me, though, and I can sense their desire for answers.
“Go ahead, ask.” I keep scanning the area around us. I didn’t find them again only to lose them the next second.
“What happened?” Way speaks first, which is surprising. “Last we saw, you were being airlifted out of here. We thought you were safe, then the water took us.”
The fact that they saw my rescue and couldn’t do anything to join me makes my heart ache. They must have been so afraid and utterly hopeless, especially when no one came back and found them. I wonder how they managed to survive, but he asked first, so I decide to answer their questions.
“I was knocked out for a while,” I explain. “When I woke up in the hospital, they told me the search was called off because of the weather, so I bribed my dad to help me get out, and I paid off a pilot to get me here. By now, Ajax will know, and a search and rescue team will be on the way. My dad will make sure it happens. We just need to get back to the beach, okay? Just hold on a bit longer.”
