Chapter 13
13
T he first hour was not too difficult but then, as the roar of the falls came nearer, the terrain became more difficult to travel with the canoe dragging behind. Rocks jutted out in the underbrush, so Cam moved inland slightly to keep the river within range while being able to continue to head downhill with the woods over their heads.
The ground was soaked and slick but with the cover of the trees, the rain did not reach them as easily as it had when they were exposed in the water.
After another hour, they came to a section where the drops in the path were more significant. He surveyed the land and turned to see Miriam slipping down some rocks to join him.
“How you doing?” he asked and was rewarded with a smile and a nod. He stood, stretching his aching muscles. “I’d really like to get as far as we can before nightfall. Hopefully, the rain is almost at a stop. ”
“What do you need me to do?” she asked, eying the steep terrain.
“It looks like we can keep moving to the south a little bit, but head inland to skirt these rocks while staying near the tree line.”
“If we stay with these rocks, can’t we just lower the canoe down a bit at a time?” she asked, thinking that would be easier.
“Eventually, we’ll have to, but we need to avoid the rocks as much as possible.” Seeing her curious expression, he explained, “We’d be more in sight, babe.” Keeping his gaze on hers he could tell she did not know what he was implying. “If someone is looking for us and they’ve got helicopters, they could see us if we stay next to the river on the rocky ledges.”
Her jaw dropped open as she realized once the storm passed the possibility existed that someone could come searching for them. “But why? I’m nobody. Just a Red Cross nurse, that’s all.”
“Babe, you’ve seen where their main compound is. You’ve seen one of the local leaders. You’ve got inside information that they would love to contain.”
Miriam turned her eyes to the side, not willing for him to see her fear. Sucking in a deep breath through her nose, she slowly let it out, blinking furiously to keep the tears at bay. Gaining control, she turned back to him. “Okay. Show me what to do.”
“ Mujer de acero ,” he said, shaking his head. “We keep walking for now.”
Several hours later dusk was fast approaching, and they ran out of cover. The rain had stopped, and they could actually see a sliver of blue sky in the distance.
“Okay, babe, it looks like we can’t put it off any longer. We’ve got to climb down these rocks out in the open. But since we haven’t seen sight of anyone looking for us, I’d say we’re in good shape.”
Walking over to her, he threw his arms around her back, slinging the rope with them, and tied the ends around her waist.
“I’ll lower you down and you walk it just like you did that wall the other night,” he instructed.
She looked up in surprise, and with a small giggle said, “Oh, my God. Was that just the other night? It seems like a lifetime ago!”
Chuckling, he agreed. He stood with his hands on her waist for a moment longer than necessary, liking the feel of her in his arms.
“You know, Cam, I don’t even know anything about you,” she said, her eyes searching his. “You’ve risked your life for me, and I don’t even know your last name.”
He leaned over and touched his forehead to hers again, whispering, “Perez. Cam Perez. At your service.” Then he kissed her forehead once more. “All right, babe, hang on.” With that, he assisted her out over the edge of the rock cliff, and she gave a little scream as her hands and feet scrambled to find their holds. The edges were rough, pointing out in jagged, sharp angles.
She felt as though she did not do much to help since most of her descent was controlled by Cam’s muscles. Soon her feet touched the ledge, almost ten feet from where she started, and she called out. Untying the rope about her waist, she let it free so that he could pull it up and then fasten it to the canoe.
Keeping her feet on the four-foot ledge, she watched as the canoe was lowered toward her. As soon as she could she grasped the end and guided it to the ledge next to her. Then Cam dropped the rope into her waiting arms.
She watched nervously as he climbed down unassisted over the craggy surface of the slippery rocks. For once, she wished his body was small and lean, thinking how much easier it would be for him to maneuver the slippery surface. She could see his back and arm muscles bunch and smooth as he made his way closer.
When his feet touched the ledge, she let out the breath she did not realize she had been holding. He flashed her a grin, chucking her under the chin.
“Worried, carina ?”
“Yes,” she replied honestly. “Absolutely terrified!”
“Now it’s your turn to tell me something,” he said. “I told you my last name, now you have to tell me something about yourself.”
“What do you want to know?” she asked as he threw the rope around her waist and tied it again.
“Um, how old are you?”
“Twenty-seven,” she replied as he tightened the knot. “How old are you?”
Just as he swung her out once more, he called, “Twenty-eight.” He kissed her forehead again before she began to crawl down.
Watching her descend, he could tell she was more comfortable with allowing him to lower her while she guided her body along the wall of rocks. Soon, he was sending the canoe down to her again.
On the next ledge, she chanced a glance down to see that they still had a long way to go and the sun was beginning to set behind them.
“Are we going to be allr?—”
“Next question,” he interrupted, “And it has to be about me. Not this little vacation we’re on.”
At that, she snorted, knowing he was trying to take her mind off their precarious situation. She watched as he lowered the canoe before joining her once more.
“Um…Tell me about your family.” She saw a shadow cross his face and she immediately retracted. “No, you don’t have to.”
“No, carina , it’s fine. I’ve got a great family. Seems like I’m always causing them to worry though.” He saw her cock her head to the side while he tied the rope around her.
“Got a great mom and dad. Dad was born in Mexico, near El Paso where he met mom. They had me, two sisters and a younger brother. One of my sisters is married with a couple of boys.” Chuckling at the memory, he added, “They call me Superman.” After a brief pause, he looked at her. “Your family?”
“My mom and dad are wonderful. I’ve got an older brother—well, you know Jobe of course. He and Jack were in the Special Forces together. My oldest sister is Hannah. Married, with two kids. Next is Rebecca and she’s a teacher.” Giving a little shrug, she added, “And then there’s just me, the baby. ”
He halted as he stared at her looking intently at him. The sun had moved down in the sky so that it was illuminating the back of her head, like a halo. Jesus, she’s gorgeous. He leaned down to kiss her forehead again, but this time her face stayed turned up toward his and before he knew what he was doing, his lips touched hers. A barely-there kiss.
Her eyes widened, but before he could get out his apology, she smiled. And he was sucker-punched again.
“So, what’s your favorite food?” she asked.
“Anything my mama makes,” came his quick reply. “But when she makes her Mexican Wedding Cookies at the holidays…I think I’ve died and gone to heaven!”
Knowing they needed to hurry and get off the side of the cliff, he grinned as he swung her out once more. Going more quickly this time, she descended and then secured the canoe as it came down after her.
“What about you?” he called down. “What’s your favorite?”
“Mama makes chicken kabobs that are amazing. I actually just love to eat and will scarf down just about anything.”
As he started down, he commented, “You’re a tiny thing. You must not eat a lot.”
“Oh, I’d surprise you,” she replied. “I eat a lot, but drink diet soda. Well, as long as it has lemon in it.”
“Lemon?”
“Yeah. I know. My family makes fun of me. But soda is just empty calories, so I feel better if I drink diet soda. But the taste is kind of yucky. So, if I put lemon in it, then it tastes better. ”
His feet landed on the ledge, and he looked at her, a curious expression on his face. “I gotta confess that I’d like to see you eat as much as you say you do, but the diet soda with lemon? Not too sure about that,” he teased.
“Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it, Superman.”
Laughing, he looked over the edge. “Looks like we’ve got about three more of these and then we can start climbing down the rest of the way together where the slope is not as steep. It’ll be dark by then, but we can find a place to rest for a while.
“So, is that three more chances to learn more about you?” she asked shyly.
“You sure you’re not talking about three more kisses?”
He watched in amazement as she blushed a deep red from the top of her chest to her hairline, but before he could apologize, she just turned her smile back onto him.
“Well, okay then,” he said. For the next hour as the sun slowly set behind them, they continued their pattern of descent and learning about each other. She found out that he had been with the Richmond Police Department, had been undercover in a drug gang, and that was where he met Jobe’s wife, Mackenna. He played football in high school but was almost kicked off the team for what he called nefarious activities. He admitted that he had been a juvenile delinquent, never caught, and had a change of heart when he turned eighteen.
She confessed that she loved to sing, but only in the shower. Loved to dance, but only in the privacy of her apartment when vacuuming. He learned that she sometimes hated being the baby in the family, especially when they got in her business. And she was a great cook and liked lots of cream and sugar in her coffee.
And each time before he swung her out to climb down, he kissed her. Light. Soft. A touch of lips that held no particular meaning…and yet seemed to mean everything to both of them.
Sitting at the edge of the woods in front of a small fire that Cam had built, Miriam leaned closer to the flames as she ran her fingers through her hair. It was finally dry, but a tangled mess. The extra scrubs she had packed had been damp, but clean. Laying them on a branch near the fire was helping them to dry and she longed to put them on. The fire was welcome and for the first time since she was rescued, in the middle of the storm, she was beginning to feel dry. Walking over, she held her fingertips toward the flames, soaking up the warmth, wondering if they would stay permanently wrinkled. Sitting down next to the fire, she allowed the heat to seep into her whole body.
A noise in the distance jerked her from her moment of respite. She glanced around nervously wishing Cam would come back. He had left almost thirty minutes ago, saying he was going to see if he could find something for them to eat. The illumination penetrated the dark night, but beyond the firelight, the night was frightening. The warmth that gave off comfort provided the shadows that danced causing her gaze to jump around, aware that she was completely alone. What if he doesn’t come back? What if he gets captured? Injured? Lost? Her heart pounded against her ribs as another noise reached her ears. The image of the carnage she had witnessed had her chest heave with fear. Standing quickly as she heard a noise approaching, she grabbed the canoe oar, wielding it in front of her.
Cam came from the underbrush, finding his way back to the campfire. His arms were full of mangoes. Before he could present his bounty to her, she gave a shriek, tossing the oar onto the ground and rushed into his arms, her body bucking with sobs. He barely had time to drop the mangoes in order to catch her.
“Babe, what’s wrong?” he asked, wanting to see her face but unable to extract her trembling limbs from his.
Unable to speak, she continued to hold him tightly for several minutes until she was able to catch her breath. “I was scared,” she confessed, pressing her face into his neck. “I kept hearing noises and couldn’t see anything in the dark. I had no idea if you had been captured, or hurt, or lost, or?—”
“Shhhhh,” he whispered, as he continued to cradle her body tightly in his embrace. One hand around her middle held her heartbeat next to his. His other hand tucked her head underneath his chin. He held her close until her shivering subsided, then placed her gently back on the ground. “I’m so fuckin’ sorry, Miriam, that I had to leave you here alone. I knew I could sneak in and out, getting what we needed and wasn’t willing to take a chance that you’d be discovered.” He leaned down, holding her face in his hands, “Come on, have a seat and see what I brought.”
He maneuvered her closely to the fire again and they sat cross-legged on the ground, next to each other. He noticed she kept her leg touching his as though she were afraid he would disappear again. Reaching behind, he pulled out several mangoes. “I found a grove about a mile from here.”
Her eyes jumped to his face, fear still evident in her expression. “Was there anyone around? Did anyone see you?”
“No, no,” he assured her. Pulling out his knife, he slit into one handing her half.
Taking a deep breath, she allowed his presence to calm her. Leaning her body slightly onto his, she took another cleansing breath. He’s back and I’m okay. Taking the offered fruit out of his hands, she bit into the juicy goodness, the taste of the fruit better than anything she could have imagined. He did the same, and in a few minutes, they had eaten three mangoes, the juice still dripping from their chins.
He had filled his canteen with some water from the river and offered it to her to drink and wash off. She took a drink but hesitated when pouring the liquid over her hands. He looked at her quizzically.
Shaking her head, she giggled. “I know this sounds stupid, but after spending over twenty-four hours being soaked, I almost hate even getting my hands wet again.”
He chuckled his agreement, happy to hear her laughing. Standing, he held out his sticky hand to her and she allowed him to pull her up. Walking her to the river’s edge, she noticed that he did not let go of her hand the entire way. Squatting at the edge, he tugged her down beside him and they washed the juice from their hands and faces.
Once back by the fire, he used his boot to sweep some debris away and her clean scrubs as a pillow. Patting the ground between his large body and the fire, he said, “Come on, babe. We need to get some sleep and the fire will knock off the chill.”
“Won’t you be cold on the far side?” she asked, realizing that he was offering her the choice spot between the fire and his warmth.
“Not with you beside me,” he tried to joke, but the truth shone out from his expression.
She smiled and nodded, crawling over to lay on the hard ground. He reached over and pulled her body in tightly to his. “Shared body warmth?” she asked, knowing it was a method for staying warm, but felt the heat of her blush rise from her chest to her face.
“Absolutely,” he agreed.
Once again, neither thought it would happen but, soon they were both sound asleep.
Miriam woke, the pale early morning light surrounding her. As her eyes blinked, she could see that the fire had burned down to embers, but warmth still enveloped her body. Cam. He was pressed close to her back, one leg thrown over hers and his arm wrapped around her stomach, tight and protectively. She stretched slightly, wondering what awakened her.
She smiled, feeling something move across her leg thinking that Cam must be awake…or even moving his leg over hers in his sleep. Sleep. He’s still sleeping. Leaning carefully, she glanced down to see what he was doing, when she saw the red and black stripes of a snake slithering by her leg.
Throwing her body into action while emitting an ear-piercing scream, she rolled over Cam’s body. Her elbow jabbed his ribs sharply as she scrambled to her knees on top of him. Grunting, he was immediately alert, trying to move her thrashing body off his.
Unable to reach his knife with her body still mauling his, he grabbed her waist, hoisting her up as he stood. “What?” he growled, before looking down and seeing the snake.
As she turned to grab the oar, he pulled out his knife and flung it expertly toward the snake, spearing it. The snake was dead, his knife plunged behind its head by the time Miriam whirled around, holding the oar over her head to strike.
Staring at her, the bedraggled warrior-woman, Cam smiled. Then chuckled. Then burst out laughing.
Glaring at him, she continued to hold the oar, her eyes darting between his and the ground around.
“I think you can put the weapon down now, carina ,”
Huffing, she replied, “Don’t think you can carina me. You’re laughing. If I hadn’t jumped up, that snake could have killed both of us.”
Walking over, he pulled the oar out of her hands and tossed it to the ground. “Babe, you deafened it with your scream…and me as well. Instead of alerting me to trouble and then getting out of the way, you climb all over me, keeping me from doing what I’m supposed to do, which is protect you.” Wrapping her in his arms, he pulled her in closely, still able to feel the pounding of her heart. And his.
“Well…” she huffed, unable to think of an appropriate retort, her eyes still riveted onto the dead snake at their feet.
“But” he said turning back toward the fire, “we’ve now got some meat for breakfast.”
“M…meat?”
“This is a Sinaloan milksnake. Not poisonous. Not necessarily all that tasty, but it’s meat and we need the protein.”
She remained motionless, watching as he brought the fire back to life from its embers and then turned his attention to the snake. Eyes wide, she saw him pull the knife from the body and make a slit?—
Jerking around quickly so that her back was to him, she began to walk a little way into the woods. “I…um…have to…go,” she stammered and hurried off to take care of her business hoping that the snake would be gone when she returned.
Several minutes later, she approached cautiously. He looked up, smiling. “The coast is clear, babe.”
She could see that he had a slim stick with something sizzling on it, much like the chicken kabobs her mom made. The smell of the meat cooking was enticing, as much as she hated to admit it .
“Have a seat,” he ordered gently, nodding toward the upturned canoe. “It’ll be ready soon. Why don’t you cut up some of the mango left over from last night.”
Nodding, she was grateful for the task. While not ashamed that she was scared of the snake, she was embarrassed that she had reacted so outlandishly.
“Cam?”
“Right here, babe.”
“Um, I’m sorry,” she began.
He stopped what he was doing and glanced over to her. “You’ve got nothing to be sorry about. You didn’t run away, leaving me still sleeping. You reacted immediately and grabbed a weapon. You’re a mujer fuerte and while we’re in a shit situation, I’m fuckin’ lucky that I’ve got you.”
Her mind went blank as his last words washed over her. Lucky to have me? Before she could react, he handed her a stick with the sizzling meat on the end. She reached out tentatively, her expression unsure.
“Babe? Is a chicken pretty?”
She jerked back in surprise. “What? A chicken pretty? What are you talking about?”
“Just answer the question.”
“Um…no. I wouldn’t call a chicken pretty.”
“But you eat its meat.”
Her eyes moved back to the stick he was offering, the smell enticing her senses.
“Just think of it as your mama’s kababs,” he joked.
Smiling, she nodded in understanding. Taking the skewer, she touched her lips to the meat and pulled it off with her teeth. I don’t care if a chicken isn’t pretty, it doesn’t slither on the ground . But after one taste, she devoured the breakfast hungrily, in the face of a grinning Cam.
After they ate, he extinguished the fire while she gathered the rest of the mangoes and put them in her sack.
“I think I’ll put on my extra scrubs,” she said. “I’m dying to have something clean to wear.”
He immediately gave her his back, and while he could not see her body as she changed, he could hear every movement…and imagined every scene. Her top was pulled over her head and landed on the ground. He imagined her standing there with only a bra and, having been around her body for the past couple of days, he had no problem imagining her breasts spilling out of the bra.
He could tell when she slipped the new top on and heard her small moan of delight. His dick jumped and he willed it to behave. Next, he could hear as she pulled her pants down and imagined her kicking them off with her toned legs. As she slid her clean bottoms on, he imagined her gorgeous ass as she bent over. Now his dick was refusing to obey and was painfully pressing against his cargo zipper.
“Oh, my God,” she moaned again. “These clothes feel amazing.”
Without turning around, he growled, “Gonna go take care of some business. Be right back,” and he moved out into the woods.
He returned a few minutes later having willed his cock back down, but grumpily said, “We need to get going.”
She cautiously walked over to him, laying her hand on his arm, asking “Are you all right?” She looked up at him, uncertainty filling her expression.
Jesus, I’m a dick. Smiling back at her, he slid his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her forward. “Yeah, carina . I’m fine.” He kissed the top of her head, but before he could let her go, she lifted to her toes and raised her lips to his. Her kiss was light but as he moved his arms around her waist, he took the kiss deeper.
His mouth devoured hers and her tongue dueled with his. He lifted her into his arms as she wrapped her legs around his waist. Slanting her head for better access, he delved in as his tongue explored and memorized the taste and feel of her warmth.
Finally coming up for air, he noted her glazed expression, and he wanted nothing more than to see that very expression on her face as he came deep inside of her. Gently forcing her back to the ground, they both stood staring at each other, breath ragged.
This kiss was different. They both felt it. They both knew it. It was not the kiss of two people flirting, or even attempting to forget their desperate situation. This kiss held the promise of a beginning.
An adorable blush began on her chest and crept up her face. “Um, I guess we should be going.”
“Yeah,” he agreed, slowly moving to the canoe, and dragging it behind him. His mind was swirling as much as the water they were approaching. Trying to tell himself that she was still a mission, was a lost cause. She’s going to be mine , he vowed. Glancing behind him, he saw her staring at his back admiringly and then watched as her eyes darted away quickly. I just hope she feels the same way!
As they were moving the canoe closer toward the water’s edge now that the falls were behind them, she asked, “Cam?”
“Still right here, babe.”
“What did you call me earlier? Mujer fuerte . Isn’t that the name of the river?”
Chuckling, he nodded. “No, I didn’t call you a river, babe. It means ‘strong’. Yeah, the river is named The Strong River, which we sure as fuck understand. But I called you a strong woman.”
Strong woman. Smiling, Miriam did not reply as they placed the end of the canoe into the water and she crawled over into it, taking her seat.
He gave it a push and they paddled their way back into the current. On the water for the first time without the hindrance of pouring rain, she could see the surrounding area. The swirling waters in the daytime did not seem as terrifying as its roar in the dark of the night. She could see the forest along the river’s edge with the occasional cleared land where crops were growing.
“Keep your eyes open, carina ,” Cam called out. Seeing her gaze land on his, he continued, “Now that we are getting closer to the gulf, there will be more villages around. I talked to my contact this morning to see where we should go and he’s getting the intel for me.”
“Are we still in danger? Even if we pass a village? ”
“Babe, until I get you back home, we’re still in danger.”
Pulling her lips in, she just nodded, tired of the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach, wishing for this nightmare to be over.
“Don’t worry. I’ll get you there,” came the warm voice from the back of the canoe. Lifting her eyes once more to his, she took in his face that radiated concern…and protectiveness. And for the first time in weeks, began to feel as though she might just see home again.