Page 16

M addox

“Charmaine. Wake up.” I moved toward her, crouching down, repeating what I’d said a second time. Damn if she didn’t look beautiful when she slept.

Her murmurs continued. She was even moaning, the seductive sound slipping past her lips creating a strange electricity in my system.

Good God. What the fuck was she dreaming about now? I’d been shocked that after the nightmare she’d managed to fall asleep, but was grateful she had.

Yet holding her after she’d awakened had been…

Ridiculous. Hell, I’d lost all sense of control around her, giving in to a desire that could have cost us our lives.

What the hell was wrong with me? As I raked my hand through my disheveled hair, I continue chastising myself.

The last thing I needed was to feel anything for anyone.

Doing so not only meant creating a weakness but also allowing my memories to surface.

None of them good.

Yet the taste of her sweet mouth lingered in mine even after consuming a full bottle of water. Charmaine was as unnerving as she was beautiful. She was also way too hardheaded.

Another moan drew my attention. We needed to get the hell out of here. The longer we remained in the cave, the easier it would be for the insurgents to discover our location.

Only I reminded myself I was no longer in a war, at least not one of my choosing.

Yet I’d been right about karma. Seeing several familiar buildings where prisoners had been detained had brought back one too many unwanted memories. I’d learned that pain was an action that I could conquer, which had pissed off the soldiers. They’d only tried harder to break me.

The fuckers had failed.

Shifting, I tried to shut off the once frequent images that threatened to derail my control.

The ranch had saved me, which was why I had no clue what the hell I was doing here. The thought brought a half chuckle. Being an idiot.

I took a deep breath, allowing myself to enjoy just looking at her. She’d passed out in the jungle either from the rush of energy from her panic attack or sheer exhaustion. I’d found a cave right where I remembered seeing it a couple of years before. A lifetime ago.

At least my memories had been correct.

She stirred but didn’t wake. Whatever dream she’d been having certainly wasn’t about the men who’d kidnapped her.

Fortunately, I’d packed a first aid kit, which had allowed me to disinfect the bullet wound and the cuts and bruises she had. For being in a fucking brutal prison cell held by some of the most savage men in the world, she was suffering from only minor injuries.

At least there was that.

Her hair was still matted from the rain, her body now curled in a fetal position.

I’d been forced to pack light, including a change of clothes for her.

I’d done my best making her comfortable after washing her face.

She hadn’t budged during any of it. Thankfully the clothes she’d changed into were dry.

“Charmaine. Time to wake up.”

She finally stirred, her eyes opening slightly. With a smile on her face, she dragged her tongue across her bottom lip.

I exhaled as she closed her eyes once again, obviously content in whatever dream she was having.

When I reached out to touch her, her eyes flew open and she snapped her hand around my wrist. Jerking up, she gasped for air.

“What are you doing?” she demanded.

“Trying to wake you. Jesus Christ. You’re fine. You’re safe. Remember?”

She blinked several times and I could tell as soon as she was able to focus. “We’re still in the cave?”

“Yeah, we are. But not for long.” I stood, backing away. “The rain has stopped and it’s light outside. We should get going.”

She sucked on her bottom lip and struggled to get to her feet, wincing as soon as she did.

“Careful. You’re going to be unsteady on your feet for a little while.”

While she nodded, she studied me for a few seconds and grabbed her other clothes, shoving them into one of the duffels. Now she was nervous around me.

Sighing, I nodded to the other bag. “There’s additional water bottles and some rations. I’m sure you’re hungry. They’ll need to do until I can get us across the border.”

“Into where?”

“Honduras. We’ll need to spend a night or two before we head back to the States. I’ve got a friend who has a place where we can crash.”

“What about my friends?”

“They’re dead, Charmaine. There was nothing you could do to save them.” While it was good she was finally coming down from the initial shock, her behavior could turn unpredictable, just another complication neither one of us needed.

She’d told me about their murders herself. Everything was starting to settle in with her. After her eyes clouded over, she turned away from me, pressing her hand to her mouth.

I wasn’t the kind of man you wanted to try to comfort anyone. I’d never developed that skill. Plus, I had a feeling women used their feminine wiles to get what they wanted.

I knew from firsthand experience. That had been a hell of a long time before, something I honestly wasn’t interested in thinking about any longer. My life was entirely different.

Or it had been until this gig.

A few more days. I continued to remind myself of that.

Last night had been an anomaly. Nothing more.

I’d never touch her again.

“They deserve to be brought back to the United States for a proper burial.” She turned back toward me, all fire and brimstone once again.

“That can’t happen.”

“Why? Tell me why?” She tossed a hate-filled look over her shoulder.

“You’ve been a reporter for how long?”

“I’m a journalist, but years. Why?”

“I’ve read some of your stuff. You know exactly how it goes with men like Alfaro.”

“No, maybe I don’t.”

“Their bodies were burned by the time you were tossed into that prison you were in. The man might be a savage, but he’s not stupid enough to leave evidence of murdering foreigners. His own people he couldn’t care less about.”

“How generous of him.”

Why did it feel like we were in the middle of a standoff? “Have a bite to eat. Then we’ll leave.”

She kept her hard glare on me.

“So this trip was about orphanages, huh?”

“Why does that seem so odd to you? There are millions of children across the world who are suffering. Not just because they’re waiting for a family, but also because men like Alfaro are leaving children without their parents.

They control sixty percent of the food chain, almost eighty percent of the government in El Salvador, and God knows how many police they have in their back pockets.

Those kids have no chance of obtaining a normal life since people who used to give frequently are either afraid of continuing to do so or their money is extorted or stolen the moment it comes into this country.

So yes, this was about highlighting the plight of the forgotten children. ”

“Impressive.” There was conviction in her voice, but I also heard a slight glitch. My instincts were right. She was keeping secrets, perhaps from her own crew. Her sadness was likely laced with guilt.

“Why do I feel like there’s a but with everything you ask?”

I chuckled. “Pretty dangerous country to be in even with all your humanitarian desires. If I were to venture a guess, I’d suggest this article you wrote on Alfaro last year is the reason he decided to take you out of the blue. You also knew about the women.”

She furrowed her brow. “Okay, a source told me he’d gotten into human trafficking. They provided photographs of several women who’d been kidnapped.”

At least she was admitting certain truths, although nothing about the chemical compound. Right now, I wasn’t going to push her.

“It seems ridiculous to think Alfaro would bother worrying about me. The man is as powerful as he is psychotic.”

At least she had a slight grasp on what we were dealing with.

“Hmmm… You are correct. He’s a noted psychotic with sadistic tendencies, so I wouldn’t put anything past him, but it’s a lot of effort because of one journalist’s article.

However, he also holds a grudge. If he thought you were doing a follow-up article, he might consider you worthy of taking the time to hunt and kill. ”

“Are you accusing me of something?”

My instinct was still working and I turned slightly in her direction. Just in time to see her adjusting something under the shirt I’d brought her. I made mental note. I would find out what she was hiding.

More important, how in the hell had she slipped whatever it was past the soldiers?

“Not at all. I’m just suggesting there could be another reason you were kept alive.”

She walked in my direction, passing by and hunkering down to the bag.

When she pulled out a granola bar, her fingers were shaking.

She’d certainly highlighted her bravery since we’d met.

However, she’d never placed in this position before.

That left her feeling vulnerable and uncertain of everything.

Trust could be an issue.

I grabbed a bottle of water and checked my watch. We had approximately a mile to go to reach the Blazer. As long as it hadn’t been found, we were golden. If it had, she wasn’t going to appreciate the way we’d be getting into San Pedro Sula.

“Men always have distinct and usually ridiculous reasons for their atrocious behavior.”

“Ouch,” I told her, slapping my hand on my chest. “Sounds like a woman scorned. Your husband?”

“And you seem like one of those savages you were talking about. And yes, my very ex-husband who doesn’t deserve acknowledgement under any circumstances.”

“I’m sorry. Whatever he did.”

“I just wasn’t good enough. Whatever. I’m over him.” She looked away, obviously controlling her emotions.

“I’m curious. What were you dreaming about?” Of course my question came just when she was taking a sip of water.

Which she spit out.

“Careful there. Don’t drink it too fast.” Something about her drew a part of my personality into the open that likely should never see the light of day.