28. Whisper
CHAPTER 28
Whisper
Hiking through the dense jungle went on forever and each step was another step to nowhere.
After Cody had opened up to me this morning, he seemed to have gone deeper into his shell and not the other way. I tried asking probing questions, but he was a master at shutting me down.
My heart ached for him and what he’d been through, and what he was about to go through. I was certain he was innocent, but proving he had nothing to do with what was happening on his farm was going to be damn hard.
The sun was a blazing hot beacon above us, blasting my head with an intensity that seared my scalp. Humid air wrapped around me like a woolen blanket, and I was so damn hungry dizziness swirled through my mind. Fatigue was turning my bones to rubber.
Will we ever get out of here?
Or will we be like Cody’s father, gone forever?
At a stretch of riverbank that was wide enough for us to walk side by side, I slowed down so Cody had to come beside me. Each time I stole glances at him, so many emotions were etched on his face I couldn’t distinguish between them, but his clenched fists radiated anger.
We reached a patch of grass that flanked the river in a lush green carpet.
“I need a break, Cody. Let’s rest here.” I crumbled onto the grass before he responded, leaving him no choice but to stop. Heaving a breath, I kicked off my sneakers and peeled off my disgusting sweat-soaked socks, trying not to breathe in the foul stench. “What I’d give for a long hot shower.”
“Have a swim.” He nodded at the water.
“Will you join me?”
He rolled his gaze to me like I was an idiot.
“We’ll stay in the shallows, so your feet will stay grounded.” I stood and peeled my shirt up over my head. His gaze shot to my bra, then he snapped his eyes away like my lingerie hurt him.
Shaking my head, I tugged off my shorts, and wearing my bra and knickers, I stepped into the cool water. A sigh tumbled from my throat. “Ah, this feels so good.” I tilted my head back and tousled my hair in the water.
As I scrubbed my face and arms, each time I glanced at Cody, he looked away. His sadness consumed him, and I wished I knew what to do to help him. My promises seemed so shallow. “Cody, will you please come in? It’s divine. You’ll feel like a new man.”
He tilted his head from side to side, maybe trying to release a knot from his neck. Then he stood.
Yes. He’s coming in. I clamped my jaw, determined not to make a big deal out of it.
He removed his jeans, and wearing sexy jockey underpants, he walked toward me.
Holy smokes, he’s hot.
His legs were as toned as the rest of his body and every muscle was defined to perfection. Cody was giving me a demonstration of exquisite masculine physique, and I had a front-row seat.
Yay, me.
“Come in right here.” I pointed at a gap between two shrubs. “It’s a bit slippery so watch your step.”
I reached up to grab his hand.
“I’m fine.” He clenched his jaw.
“All good.” I eased back but remained ready to help him.
He waded into the river, showing zero fear, and settled in at my side. I lowered down until the water reached my shoulders and fought to keep my comments to myself. Cody lowered down and a sexy moan tumbled from his throat.
I splashed water onto my face and ran my fingers through my hair. Feeling somewhat normal again, I released a massive sigh. “Feel better?”
“Yeah, this is good.” A ghost of a smile softened his expression, and my heart skipped a beat.
He truly was spectacular.
Inhaling deeply, I tilted my head back again, letting the water cool the heat burning my scalp.
A piercing scream shattered our peace. I bolted to my feet, and my heart shot into my throat as I locked eyes with Cody. The scream morphed into laughter, echoing off the water and bouncing between the trees.
“People,” Cody said, and together we scrambled to shore.
He gripped my hand, helping me find my footing on the slippery rocks. We raced to our clothes. I yanked my shorts over my wet underpants, and Cody wrestled his jeans over his dripping legs.
A woman’s laughter bounced between the trees and my heart thundered with renewed energy.
“Hurry up!” I giggled at Cody still wrestling with his jeans.
“I’m trying.”
As I pulled on my socks and shoes, Cody tried jumping into his jeans.
Laughter bounced to us again, and as my heart thundered, I yelled. “Hello!”
Cody grabbed my hand, and we sprinted toward the laughter.
We raced along the riverbank, slipping on moss-covered rocks and gripping onto each other to keep our balance. Hope surged through my veins. This was our first sign of life in what felt like forever.
“Hello,” Cody hollered.
“Help!” I yelled.
We rounded a bend and a couple stood in a deeper section of the river, splashing each other and laughing.
“Hello!” I waved my hands over my head.
The woman’s long blonde hair caught in the sunlight like spun gold. Neither of them had noticed us yet.
“Shit, Cody, she’s naked.”
“Damn.”
“We better not scare them.” I waved. “Hey, hello!”
The woman squealed and lowered into the water.
The man faced us.
“Help us. Please,” I called, waving my arms over my head.
They swam closer to the bank with the woman behind the man.
We slowed our scramble, and a wave of relief washed through me that was so heavy I nearly crumbled. I grabbed Cody’s hand, and he squeezed his palm to mine.
As we neared them, a make-shift campsite emerged through the trees: a two-man swag with the zipper open and a campfire with a stainless-steel pot suspended over glowing coals. Oh God, do they have food? My stomach rumbled but I couldn’t decide if I wanted food or a phone first.
“Are you guys okay?” the man asked from the water.
“No. We’re lost, and we need your help.”
“Shit. Okay, well, give us a sec, will ya. We, um, just need to grab our clothes.”
“Yes. Yes of course,” Cody said, and we turned away from them.
“We made it, Cody.” I squeezed his palm.
“Told you we would.” He fixed his gaze on me and his expression was so intense my breath hitched.
“How long you guys been lost?” the man asked. Water splashed as he climbed to the shore.
“Four days,” Cody said, and when his expression darkened, I wondered if he was thinking the same as me, that it felt like so much longer, and yet not long enough.
“Jesus. What happened?” the man asked. “Okay, we’re dressed now.”
The woman wore a yellow bikini that showed off her stunning figure and olive skin, and the man wore just a pair of black shorts.
“You hungry? We have some leftover bacon and egg omelet.” The woman indicated to the pan in the fire.
“Oh, yes please,” I said.
“I’m good, thanks,” Cody added.
Damn, he won’t eat bacon. He must be starving. My heart ached for him.
“Here, have a seat.” The man rolled out a towel for us to sit on. “I’m Marty, and my wife, here, is Sarah.”
They looked to be in their early twenties. Both had blonde hair and sun-kissed skin. They appeared to be so carefree and happy. Maybe I was doing life all wrong. I couldn’t remember when I’d last taken time out to relax.
“Here you go.” Sarah handed me a tin plate with scrambled eggs and bacon pieces mixed through. I couldn’t even give Cody some of the egg.
“Thank you. We are so lucky to find you.” I ate the food and groaned. “Oh yum, this is so good, we haven’t eaten all day.”
“Jeez. What happened to you guys?” Marty asked, pulling on a T-shirt as he sat across from us.
“It’s a long story. Do you have a phone we could use?” I asked.
“Yeah, but there’s no signal here,” Marty said.
“Dammit,” I muttered.
“Yeah, sorry. It’s why we come here,” Sarah said. “So Marty can’t take any work calls.” She gave him a look that overflowed with love.
“You sure you’re not hungry, man?” Marty said. “We’ve got bananas.”
“You could talk me into that.” Cody nodded.
Sarah walked to the swag and removed a hand of bananas.
Her cheeks dimpled with a smile as she handed them to Cody.
“Thanks.” Cody devoured a banana in three bites.
“You have a few nasty scrapes and bites. I have some antiseptic cream,” Sarah said.
“I’m fine, thanks,” Cody said.
“Thank you. I’m fine too,” I said, ‘but we really do need to use a phone. Would we need to go far to get a signal?”
Marty and Sarah shared a look. “It’s not far. We’ll take you.”
Marty stood and threw a cup of water onto the glowing coals.
“I’m so sorry to cut your stay short,” Cody said.
“It’s all good, man. We were going soon anyway. Besides, it’s not every day we get to rescue someone.” As he folded down the swag, Cody ate three more bananas, and I finished my plate of food.
Sarah scraped the last of the eggs and bacon onto my tin plate. “How did you get lost? You don’t look dressed for hiking out here.”
She nodded at Cody’s jeans and bare feet.
Cody and I glanced at each other. How could we summarize everything that happened?
I heaved a sigh. “It’s a really long story. Do you mind if we tell you on the way?”
“Of course.” Suspicion danced in her eyes as she eased back a bit.
As they packed up camp, Sarah eyeballed Marty a few times, and I suspected she was growing wary of us.
I stood. “Shall I wash the plate and pot?”
“All good,” Marty said. “We’ll wash them later.” He took the plate from me. “Do you want us to call an ambulance for you?”
“No. I need to call the police.”
“The police?” His eyes widened.
“We were attacked and chased into the rainforest.”
“What?” Sarah snapped.
“Yes, that’s why I need the police. And to tell my mom. She’ll be worried about me.”
Sarah seemed to relax. “You poor things. It’s a bit of a hike back to our car, maybe two hours.”
My shoulders slumped.
“You need me to carry anything?” Cody asked.
“No. We’ve got this, man,” Marty said. “You two look like you’ve been through hell. Can you walk okay?”
He lowered his gaze to Cody’s bare feet.
I laced my fingers into Cody’s. “We made a pact that we’d walk out of here. Didn’t we?”
Cody frowned. “Sure did. It was touch and go for a bit.”
“Come on then,” Marty said. “It’s this way.”
Sarah gestured us ahead, and we fell into single file, plunging back into the tangle of green. The sun bore down like a furnace, making me sweat in places that I never thought possible. Cody and I shared details of the past four days, but I did most of the talking. No surprise there.
“But why did those men chase you into the rainforest?” Sarah asked.
I’d glossed over that information at the start of our retelling, but Sarah cycled right back there once I’d reached the point where we met them.
“Because they’re assholes,” Cody said.
“I’m a Border Force officer,” I added. “I went to the farm because I believed they were conducting illegal activity.”
Marty huffed. “Well, I’m guessing you were right.”
“That’s what we need to find out.” During our discussion, I hadn’t mentioned anything about my brother, and I wondered what Cody thought about my omission. We hadn’t really discussed what my plans would be regarding Dane. If we had, I would have told him that Dane had to pay for anything illegal he’d done, and I had a rotten feeling Dane was going to jail for a long time.
A thought slammed into me like a wrecking ball. What if they’d murdered Dane because of me?
Oh God! My legs nearly buckled beneath me.
No. Please don’t let it be true.
Please.
Forcing my mind away from that thought, I focused on what I had to do once we could contact someone. First, I needed to call Mom to let her know I was safe and see if Dane was home. Her answer regarding Dane would be the domino effect for who I called after that.
Finally, we reached the edge of the jungle, and as we followed an asphalt path toward the parking lot, tears swam in my eyes.
We’d made it.
When the parking lot came into view, Marty sprinted ahead to their car, pulled out a pack, and raced back to us carrying a phone.
“Here you go.” He offered it to Cody.
Cody indicated for me to take it.
“Thank you so much,” I said. My fingers trembled as I dialed Mom.
“Hello?”
Mom’s voice had tears pooling in my eyes. “Mom, it’s Whisper.”
The other three continued walking to the car and I followed them.
“Oh, luvvy, thank God you’re okay. Where have you been? We’ve been so worried about?—”
“Mom, I’m fine, it’s a long story. Is Dane home?”
Mom choked on a sob. “No, we’re worried about him too. Do you know where?—”
“Mom, listen to me. I’ll call you back as soon as I can, but I need to make some calls. Okay?”
The phone rustled.
“Whisper,” my brother Clint barked into the phone. “Where the hell have you been? You scared the shit out of us.”
“I’m sorry. It’s a long story but?—”
“Where are you?”
“Clint, I can’t talk right now. I need to make some calls about Dane. I will call you back, I promise.”
Clint groaned. “If you’re in trouble, don’t talk to the police until?—”
“I’m not in trouble, Clint.” Not in the way he was referring to, anyway. Clint was the only lawyer in Rosebud, and although I didn’t believe I needed him, Dane did. Provided he hadn’t been murdered.
Oh God, I can’t believe I’m thinking like that.
“I gotta go,” I said. “Love you.”
I ended the call.
Marty opened the back of his Range Rover. As Cody crawled into the backseat, his gaze swept to me. So much sadness blanketed his expression that my heart wept. I had a terrible feeling Cody was going to need Clint’s services, too. And I would make damn sure he got it. I strolled over to the car, and Cody moved over so I could sit next to him.
As Marty and Sarah loaded their gear into the back, I stared at a sign welcoming visitors to the Mossman Gorge Section of the Daintree Rainforest and dialed my work. After talking my way past the receptionist, Holly, who stressed her worry over me, I was finally put through to Ryder.
“Jesus Christ, Jewel, where the fuck have you been?” Ryder barked down the line.
“I’m sorry, boss. It’s a long story. But have you seen Dane?”
“Are you okay?” he asked, ignoring my question.
“Yes. I’ve been lost in the Daintree Rainforest for four days. I’m tired, hungry, and have a few scratches, but otherwise, I’m okay. But I have some info on Dane, so I need to know if anyone has seen him.”
“Nobody knows where he is. What’s going on, Jewel?”
“Ryder, I’m putting you on speakerphone.” I pressed the button. “I’m here with Cody.” Damn, I don’t know his last name. “Cody rescued me after I was attacked and held hostage.”
“Jesus Christ! Who attacked you? And why?”
As I summarized everything from my messages from Dane to Bruce’s attack and Cody’s uncle and my suspicions about the farm, Cody stared out the window to the bushes like he was in a trance. Sarah and Marty hovered just beyond my open car door, and their wide eyes confirmed they were listening to the conversation.
“Bloody hell, Jewel!” Ryder said. “Where do you think Dane is?”
“I have no idea, sir. Last time I saw him, he was forced to drive a semi away from the Baxter Creek Corn plantation.” I placed my hand on Cody’s arm, and he jolted, blinking rapidly as if waking from a dream. Or a nightmare. “Do you happen to know the registration of that truck?”
Cody shook his head. “Sorry.”
I described the truck to Ryder. “But, Ryder, there’s something else. Cody told me that Grant Hughes is the farm accountant.”
Ryder whistled. “Son of a bitch. Where are you?”
“I’m at a parking lot at the entrance to the Mossman Gorge section of the Daintree Rainforest.”
“Okay, I’ll make a few calls and get back to you on this number.”
“Thanks, boss.”
“And, Jewel, listen, do not go back to that farm or do anything stupid. You hear me?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I mean it. If Scorpion Industries are involved, they’ll do anything to stop you talking.”
“Yes, sir. I understand. Can you text Lacey’s number to me, please? I need to give her some info.”
“Roger that,” he said.
“Oh, speaking of Roger. I have a terrible feeling that Roger Newton may be involved in Scorpion Industries.”
Ryder groaned. “For fuck’s sake! I hope you’re wrong, Whisper.”
“Yes, sir. Me too.”
“Okay, hold tight. And hey, I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Thank you. Me too. I wouldn’t be if it wasn’t for Cody. He saved my life.”
“And she saved mine,” Cody said, matter of fact.
Ryder huffed. “I bet she did. She’s a good operator. I’m glad you’re both okay.” He ended the call.
Cody crossed his arms over his chest as if shielding himself from the reality of our situation. His expression was a mix of utter exhaustion and bewilderment.
“You want to call anyone?” I asked, offering him the phone.
“Who would I call?” He clamped his jaw.
“Sorry.”
The phone buzzed with Lacey’s number. I put the phone on speaker again. “Lacey, it’s Whisper.”
“Jesus Christ, Whisper, we’ve been so worried about you.”
“I know. I’m sorry.” I gave her a summary of the situation. “Do you have any information on Dane? Please tell me if you do.”
Lacey was a police detective, so she couldn’t always share intel with me. Especially if her boss was involved.
“I’m sorry, Whisper. I wish I had something to tell you, but we don’t. He’s listed as a missing person, and at this stage, we have no leads at all.”
I groaned. Hating that I was doing this to my brother, but completely out of ideas on what else to do, I told her my suspicions about what was on that truck.
“Ah, Jesus.” Lacey’s tone was loaded with empathy. “Why would Dane do that?”
“I don’t know. I’ve been asking myself that for days. But, Lacey, Grant Hughes is the farm accountant.”
“Son of a bitch. We need to check out that farm,” she said.
Cody swept a puzzled look my way. He had a slight tremor in his fingers, and I couldn’t decide if that was frustration or sheer exhaustion.
“Hopefully he’s still there,” I said, but I doubted it. He would have escaped in that chopper days ago. Once again, that bastard would have slipped through our fingers.
“You need anything?” Lacey asked. “I can reach out to the Port Douglas police station to?—”
“No, thanks. I just need to find Dane. Please keep me posted if you hear anything.”
“Will do. I’ll contact Aria to get a chopper up there. All going well, we’ll be there in three or four hours. I’ll call you when we’re on our way and figure out a pickup spot.”
“We’ll get to the marina and meet you where Tory docks the plane.”
“Perfect. Wait for us there.”
“I will. Can you let Ryder know that’s where I went?”
“Sure. And, Whisper, don’t let Cody out of your sight. We need to know his connection in all this.”
Shit! I forgot to tell Lacey he was listening to the conversation.
“Stay away from that farm until we get there,” she added. “And don’t do anything crazy.” She ended the call.
Cody groaned, and something intense burned in his haunting blue eyes that reached right into my chest.
My arms ached to hold him, but instinct warned me away. I couldn’t read him, couldn’t reach him. And I couldn’t help him right now. Just like I couldn’t help Dane.
I had no idea what was going to happen to either of them.