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His foul glare made me regret that move.
“Sorry. That was uncalled for.”
He rolled his eyes, yet I thought I saw a tiny smile curl along his lips before he marched away. As I followed him, my thoughts tumbled to the times we’d had together when I’d volunteered at the military hospital. He was the only patient I’d shared long walks in the gardens with. Yet despite his agony, he was the one who insisted we take the slow strolls. Maybe he wanted to escape the smells and constant sounds of agony from fellow patients in the ward.
During our lengthy walks, he’d pushed through his constant pain with tiny smiles like the one he’d just given me. But those smiles never reached his eyes. His injuries were brutal. Burn scars were some of the most painful wounds a human could endure. But Hunter was brave, a soldier in every sense of the word. Showing pain was considered a weakness. It damn well wasn’t.
Somehow, we’d had a connection. Occasionally, his tiny smiles broke into laughter, and I would get a glimpse of the man he’d been before that fireball had ruined him. I so desperately wanted to help him get the old Hunter back, but that could never be. His scars were there to stay.
My ointment could help the next burns victim though, and the next. I was certain of it. That was why I needed to continue my research. I needed to tell my bosses at Blakely Pharmaceuticals what happened before they got wind of it and twisted the story around to it being my fault.
With renewed determination, I pushed through the thick underbrush, forcing my battered legs to catch up with Hunter. He was right; we had to keep moving.
A new sound added to the insects buzzing around my ears: rushing water. “The river is up ahead,” I said.
“I know.”
“Oh.” I blinked at him, hoping he would elaborate on how he knew.
As the distant roar of rushing water grew louder, Hunter seemed to stride faster. The wet leaves we’d been walking on all day changed to jagged dark rocks that were both slippery and uneven, making the trek even harder. Hunter stumbled and when he grabbed a branch to save himself from falling, the branch snapped off, sending him sprawling onto a shrub with large dark red leaves that just about swallowed him.
“Son of a bitch,” he shouted.
“You okay?”
“Of course I’m not fucking okay.” He jerked his body out of the shrub.
“I meant are you okay to get yourself out of the bush. Clearly, you were.” I swept my hand toward the non-existent path ahead of us. “After you.”
He shoved an enormous palm frond aside and the leaf swung back to me, slapping my face. I stumbled sideways and sat, wedged between two giant, blade-like roots of a Kapok Tree.
He leaned on the massive buttress root and held his hand forward. “Give me your hand.”
“Why are you so angry at me? Is it because I called you? Is that it? Well, you shouldn’t have come.”
“If I didn’t, you’d probably be dead.”
“You may be right. But at least I wouldn’t have to listen to your grumpy ass bullshit.”
“Yeah, well, this grumpy ass is trying to saveyourass.” He waggled his hand in front of me. “Now get up and get moving.”
I slapped his hand away. “No.”
He clenched his teeth so hard his jaw trembled. “Get up, Layla. We don’t have time for bullshit.”
“I’ll tell you what we don’t have time for, Mr. Navy SEAL. In about twenty minutes, we’re going to be in pitch blackness. We’re about to spend the night in the middle of the Amazon jungle, so we don’t have time to hike anymore. We need to get ready for a night of hell.”
“We’ll walk in the fucking dark if we have to.” He shoved his hand toward me again. “Get moving.”
“No. I’m staying right here.” I sat up and leaned back against the tree trunk which was wider than a bus. I couldn’t have found a better place to spend the night if I’d tried. Nestled between the two giant roots was at least some form of shelter.
“Layla! For fuck’s sake.” He leaned further toward me. “Get up. Or I’ll—”
“You’ll what, Hunter?” I glared at him.
“I’ll make you. If we miss the search party, we’re fucked.”
“You don’t get it, do you? This is the Amazon jungle. Just about everything here is trying to kill you.”