Page 44 of Devlin (Lighthouse Security Investigations Montana #4)

Mia skidded to a halt and turned slowly with Charlie at her side.

Enock stood at the back of the truck, feet planted wide, arm steady as he leveled a pistol at them.

He must have been riding inside the cargo hold, hearing them when they had climbed down from the back of the truck.

His broad frame was lit by the sunlight, sweat gleaming on his dark skin.

His expression was pained, but his intent was clear.

“Balakeli mabe, Mia,” Enock cursed.

Mia flicked a glance at the jungle to their side, her heart pounding so hard it drowned out all other sounds.

The truck’s engine idled a few feet away, its exhaust curling into the humid air.

The driver was still inside, unconcerned, probably thinking this was just another routine problem to clean up.

Charlie shifted beside her, his breathing heavy, his fists clenched.

Enock’s dark eyes burned with something close to regret. He looked at Mia, his fingers tightening around the gun. “You weren’t supposed to be part of this.” His voice was rough, nearly breaking. “I never wanted it to come to this.”

Mia swallowed hard. “Then let us go.”

Enock shook his head. “I can’t.”

Charlie took a step forward, his hands still raised. He was afraid—Mia could feel it in the way he moved, the way his breath hitched—but for the first time, he wasn’t running as he placed his body slightly in front of hers.

“Enock, this isn’t who you are,” she said.

“You have no idea who I am… who I’ve had to become,” he bit back.

“Then we can fix this,” she begged. “We can… can… I don’t know, but there has to be some other way.”

Charlie spoke in a low voice that was as shaky as hers. “You think you’re trapped, Enock, but you’re not. You still have a choice.”

Enock scoffed, but there was no real heat behind it.

“Like you? Like you had a choice? You did this just to go back to your homeland with money in your pocket so you could act superior to your father? You don’t know what you’re talking about.

” His face twisted in a sneer aimed at Charlie.

“Me…” he yelled, his free hand slamming into his chest. “Me… I have no homeland. My father was killed. My mother and sister were raped before having their throats slit. I was forced to fight alongside the ones who did this. Then I make it over the border in a boat with the clothes on my back. I’ve spent ten years in this country working and learning.

I got married. I have children. So when they came for me to help, they threatened my family.

You? You did this for money. I did this to save my family. Don’t talk to me about choice!”

Mia stared at the hatred pouring from Enock’s eyes as he stared at Charlie. The air felt so thick it was hard to suck in oxygen. Spots formed before her eyes, but terrified of passing out, she forced her lungs to expand.

She finally opened her mouth and gasped, “I know you don’t want to kill us.”

Enock flinched. Before he could respond, the truck’s driver leaned out the window, voice sharp. “Enock! Hurry up! We need to get them to the boat.”

Mia’s stomach turned to ice at the mention of the boat.

Enock’s jaw clenched. He didn’t turn around. “Just leave them.”

The driver snorted as he climbed down from the truck cab. “No. They’re worth something over there. The pretty girl will bring a pretty price.” He laughed. “So will the pretty boy.”

Mia’s breath caught, and she heard Charlie whimper.

Enock hesitated as he looked back toward them. The driver narrowed his eyes at Enock, but the damage was done. Mia saw Enock shift his shoulders, and his grip on the gun faltered as his arm lowered slightly.

Charlie must have seen it too, because he inhaled sharply, then turned to Mia. His voice was urgent, desperate. “Run.”

Mia’s eyes widened. “No?—”

He pushed her, yelling, “Run, Mia!”

A gunshot shattered the air. She felt rather than saw Charlie stagger next to her. For a heartbeat, he just stood there, his expression frozen in shock before his legs gave out beneath him. He collapsed onto the dirt, his breath a shuddered gasp. Blood bloomed across his chest.

Mia screamed as she dropped to her knees on the ground next to him.

She glanced over her shoulder, the idea that she was next flashing through her mind.

The truck driver still had his gun raised, but he wasn’t smiling.

His expression seemed almost blank, as though he had expected compliance, not this mess.

Enock didn’t hesitate. He swung his gun up and fired. The driver barely had time to react before the bullet struck him in the forehead. He slumped by the truck wheel, his body jerking once before going still. Birds squawked as they flew from the trees, taking wing to escape the loud noises.

Enock’s chest heaved, his expression carved in stone.

Slowly, he turned back to Mia, and she held his gaze for a few seconds.

Terror filled every fiber of her body, knowing she was next.

Death would be better than being taken by the smugglers to be sold along with the stolen food.

Devlin’s face filled her mind, and tears threatened to choke her.

He would find her body lying near Charlie’s.

Suddenly, everything she felt for him that she’d suppressed for ten years hit her as fat tears rolled down her cheeks.

Still crying, she lifted her chin as she stared at Enock.

His face fell, and a sob left his chest. He exhaled shakily, then lifted the gun to his own head.

Mia barely had time to whisper, “No—” before he pulled the trigger. His body crumpled, falling lifeless near the back of the truck.

Mia couldn’t breathe. Fuck! Fuck!

The sound of a gurgle brought her attention back to Charlie. He was gasping for air. Her hands landed on his shirt, ripping the fabric and then pressing it against the wound as if she could hold back the flow of blood.

“No, no, no,” she sobbed, dropping her chin to her chest as she tried to think of what she could do to save him. “Please, Charlie, hang on. Please, hang on.” His blood was seeping into the earth, warm and thick between her fingers. “Charlie, please,” she cried. “You saved me. Now you hang on.”

“Mi…a,” he whispered.

“Yes, yes,” she gasped, leaning closer to him.

“Tell… tell my… father that… I… I finally… did something good…” His chest stopped moving, and his eyes closed as his last breath left his body.

Kneeling in the dry grass at the edge of the jungle, she bent over his body and sobbed. “I’ll tell him… I’ll tell him.”

Her hands were bloody, but she swiped her tears and nose with the blouse material at her shoulders.

She wondered if she could wait for Devlin to find her there, but the notion flew from her thoughts as she heard the pounding of boot steps rapidly coming closer from the direction of the water just over the ridge.

Her stomach lurched at the thought of more smugglers, and she knew she couldn’t stay there.

Mia forced herself to release Charlie. Her entire body trembled as she stumbled to her feet.

Her legs reacted before her brain fully caught up as she raced toward the trees.

The humid air clung to her skin, her breath sharp in her throat.

Behind her, shouting voices tangled with the cries of more birds taking flight.

She didn’t know what the men were yelling, but the understanding was clear.

They wanted her, dead or alive. A shot cracked through the air, and bark from a tree next to her exploded.

A sharp sting burned through her shoulder, and she gasped, stumbling forward.

Her knees hit the earth, but instinct shoved her back to her feet.

The pain barely registered over the pounding of her heart.

She didn’t know much about guns, but she guessed the bullet had struck the tree, and then caught her in the spray of debris. Or maybe it had grazed her. Either way, warm blood now slicked down her arm, and the wound throbbed with every movement.

But she couldn’t stop now. She wove between the trees, pushing through thick underbrush, her breath coming in ragged gulps. Her feet slipped in mud, toes catching on roots and rocks, but she forced herself forward. Hopelessly turned around, she had no idea which way to go.

The jungle was dense only near the lake, its tangled web of trees offering her cover. But beyond the lake, the terrain would open into sweeping grasslands dotted with occasional trees. There, she’d be exposed, vulnerable. If the smugglers didn’t catch her, something else would.

She remembered the obligatory orientation class she’d had to attend when she’d first arrived in Uganda. She swallowed hard at the reminder of what roamed their lands. Lions. Herds of elephants. Rhinos. Even venomous snakes slithering unseen until too late.

When Jonan had taken them on the trip, she’d admired them from the safety of a vehicle, in awe of their beauty and power. But on foot alone, while bleeding, was not how she wanted to experience anything in the wild.

The sun baked the air. Sweat mixed with blood, making her shirt cling to her skin. She fought to keep her breathing steady.

Devlin would come for her. He had to. He said he could find her. Her hand flew to the necklace around her neck. The tracer. He had given it to her and told her he’d find her if she needed him to. It seemed like a lovely gift, but its meaning was overkill. Or so she’d thought at the time.

Devlin, please. Please be looking. She had no idea how long since she’d been taken or if anyone realized she was missing. When Charlie had untied her in the truck, she’d reached for her phone, but it was no longer in her pockets. It must have fallen when they’d grabbed her.

The idea of Charlie had tears burning her eyes, but she couldn’t afford them.

She came to a stop, listening for any evidence of the smugglers still following her.

All she heard was the breeze rustling the leaves and the cries of birds.

In the distance, she thought she recognized a hyena.

Her arm hurt, but she forced herself to think.

The jungle was her best bet. It gave her cover and kept her out of sight.

If she stayed close to the lake, she might find a village.

Behind her, she heard movement—men crashing through the undergrowth, their voices sharp, angry.

But just as she was about to panic, the sounds were distinctly getting farther away.

Not willing to settle for the idea that they were giving up just yet, she pressed on deeper into the tangled wilderness.

The pain in her shoulder worsened with each step, but she gritted her teeth, focusing on the path ahead. He’ll come for me…. I just know it.