Page 55 of Love Quest

Where did that thought come from?

All these life-threatening experiences are playing funny games with my brain.

And his, too, judging from the way his green-hazel eyes darken as he looks at me. As if he, too, was thinking about kissing me.

Thunder cracks in the distance, sounding disturbingly like a gunshot. The sudden noise pulls us both back to our senses, to the urgency of the situation and away from any crazy romantic fantasies.

I step back and scan our surroundings. We landed in a small clearing, but except for the spot we’re standing in, the terrain is still jungle all around. “Which direction?” I ask.

“Depends where we want to go.”

“We have options?”

Logan considers for a second. “I see only two choices: either we try for the village or walk back to camp.”

“The village would be safer, but it’s farther away.” I gnaw my bottom lip and twist my fingers. “And I don’t feel right not checking on the others.”

“Same here.”

“What do you think Smith plans to do to them?”

“Best case, he ties them up and he and his minions leave with the booty.”

“Worst case?”

Logan shrugs. “Hard to say. He left us sealed in a tomb to die. Kind of a big tell on the guy’s character.”

“But you said he wasn’t a murderer,” I protest, recovering the rifle. Smith’s M16 is muddy but seems otherwise undamaged. I check to make sure the safety’s on, then look down the barrel. It’s unclogged, shouldn’t be jammed.

Logan smiles apologetically. “I was only trying to comfort you.”

I knew he was lying. I don’t know if I should be mad or grateful. The lie did make me feel better at a time when I desperately needed comfort, so I land on grateful.

“Then we have to check the camp,” I say, making the decision. “Let’s make sure our friends are okay, and then we’ll see from there.”

“All right.”

I turn in a half-circle. I have no idea where we are. “Which way?”

Logan closes his eyes.

“Err?” I cough. “Are you trying to meditate the answer?”

He frowns, but keeps his lids closed. “I’m picturing a mental map of the area.”

After a few minutes, he blinks and stares up at the sky.

“Any luck?” I ask.

Logan stalks over to the edge of the vegetation. “Our best bet is to head west and then south, circle back the opposite way we came.”

“And how can you tell where the west is?”

He pulls the machete out from the sheath on his belt and points it at the sky. The rain has finally abated, turning into a drizzle while the clouds are clearing away. “The sun’s moving that way. We should follow.”

* * *

Logan

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