Page 20 of All The Way Under
He turns his head to look over at me. We’re probably two feet apart.
“Baby suits you more than Saylor,” he says.
“Why?” I return.
“Because someone needs to put your ass in the corner.”
He laughs, his white teeth sparkling in my lantern light. I hate that he’s attractive. I hate that he makes jokes and is sardonic to a fault. I hate that his body looks to be a perfect specimen too.
But part of me is glad I hate everything about him, because if I didn’t, if he was polite, and mannered, and kind on top of the exterior package, something completely different would behappening in this dirt cage, and that ispositively evilto even consider.
CHAPTER SIX
brody
There’sno fucking way I can sleep. The ground is rock hard, and there’s no way to anticipate when these guys will be back. There are torches lit in the distance, near the stilted building they’re using as a main gathering area. I’d guess that’s where they sleep as well. I’ll have to sleep eventually, but that can’t happen until I’ve formed some semblance of trust with the woman sleeping soundly next to me.
I glance over to check on her to find her hands tucked under her chin as her lashes flutter gently. I wonder what she’s dreaming about—who she thinks about when her mind takes over unconsciously. I bet she misses her mansion and money, her soft bed, and the butlers at her beck and call.
Surprisingly, Saylor did not come off as I thought she would. There’s no sense of entitlement to be found. Something about this experience has stripped her of everything except her fire, which is unmatched, honestly. I can’t be like Nolan when she’s like that—so witty and sarcastic. It’s like she’s speaking to me, the real me, and it’s strange. I’ve offended her, sure, but perhaps not as much as I’d offend a random person off the street. She takes my blows with ease and gives it back tenfold.
Saylor knows a lot for the short amount of time she’s been here. She’s observant beyond measure and knows the exact intel she needs to benefit her overall standing in this village. There’s a hole in the fucking ground as a toilet, and as cruel as I am with my words, she doesn’t deserve to suffer like this. I vowed to protect her, but I’m going to go above and beyond now that I know she’s a worthy teammate. I will be able to count on her. While surprising, it’s welcome. Gathering intel and figuring out the hierarchy alone would have been difficult, but not undoable. She has done that task for me.
Saylor pulls her knees up, shivering in the night air. She’s using her jacket as a pillow, so choices were made. I take off one of my layers, a half-zip sweater, and toss it on top of her shoulders. Settling in under the warmth of the pullover, she sighs in contentment.
I bet, in the real world, it takes way more than a sweater to make this woman content. It’s a gross thought, because this isn’t the kind of woman who would ever look at me twice, but I allow myself the thought merely because she piques my interest in a way most women cannot.
I still have a thick long-sleeved shirt on top of a T-shirt, and a tank top under that. I was thoughtful in my approach, considering that this situation might arise.
Saylor exhales long and hard, and her breathing evens out again. The sound lulls me into a false sense of security.
There’s fuck-all secure in what’s happening though, and I remember Commander’s words about going with the flow and letting the circumstances dictate my next move. I didn’t fight them too hard, and I ended up exactly where I needed to be. In some ways, it felt too easy, as if they knew who I was and who I was here to find. I know that’s not the truth, but it’s still something to consider.
I fold my arms across my chest and look at the roof, tracing the lines in the red, muddy material. I read that it cracks during the drying process. This looks pretty similar to what was in the file. Saylor was correct in her assumption that this will cave in if the supporting structure is impacted in any significant way. The most common way these things collapse is weather incidents, tropical cyclones being the main one, and we’re at the end of that season.
Saylor’s breathing lulls me into a twilight sleep. I can still hear the tropical noises, lemurs howling, and insects chirping in a rhythmic cadence. After the harsh reality of setting forth on a mission of unknown length, I feel a strange peace in the calmness.
Even though I’m hungry and cold, there is an essence of something I don’t have in my life in the form of expectations. There are none.
I rub the spot on my wrist that itches because it’s healing over and think about my friends back on the boat. They’re probably laughing, thinking about what kind of trouble I’m getting myself into. I glance at Saylor and think it’s not the kind of trouble they think I’m in. For once in my life, I want my insides to match my actions.
What if I didn’t have to hide? What if I could be myself here?
I bob in and out of sleep, only woken when the chirping insect noise silences. I sit upright in time to see a new guy walking toward the cage, pushing a motorbike that’s missing parts. It’s before dawn, yet an inkling of light broaches the horizon in a pink hue. I stand, careful not to wake Saylor. She’s wrapped in my sweater, blissfully unaware of our visitor.
“I need food. Please let me help you with that. I can fix it,” I whisper, letting my gaze catalog the pieces that are missing and what he needs to get it running.
I run down the list in his native tongue, so I’m sure it’s not perfect, but he seems interested in what I’m saying.
“I promise. I’m not a threat.” I try to hunch down, to make myself appear smaller and avoid direct eye contact.
“They didn’t give me anything to eat last night. We can let her sleep,” I say, nodding to Saylor behind me. If she’s in here, she’s safe.
He looks hesitantly at the sleeping dragon on the dirt behind me.
“A real bathroom too? Please. What’s your name?”
Mako is his name, and he pulls out a damn dart gun as he unlocks the cage and lets me slide free. He locks it so quietly, I’m not surprised Saylor didn’t stir. Mako forces me to walk in front of him with the dart gun pressed to my back.
