Chapter 8 #2
“I did. Told her to get over herself. That I could die tomorrow walking across the street. Or she could. There’s no guarantee in life.
You have to live each day as if it’s your last. And I was done with her shutting me out of her life.
I wanted to talk to my niece and nephew, and wanted to be involved in all their lives, even if I didn’t live in the same city or state as her and her family. ”
“Did it work?”
“Yup. But only after we had a five-hour conversation about how careful I am, how I know what I’m doing, the hours of training I’ve had, and will continue to have, and the credentials of my copilots and teammates.
I answered every question she had—that I was allowed to—and by the end we were both exhausted, but she was satisfied that I was doing what I loved, even if it was dangerous, and she admitted she was proud of her little brother. ”
“I like that for you both.”
“Yeah.”
“Your parents are still in Kansas?”
“Yup. No clue why. It’s cold, and flat, and windy.”
“I could go with some cold right about now,” Mandy said with a small laugh.
“Yeah, me too,” Buck agreed.
She’d been walking beside him while they talked about family, and he’d taken her hand in his…
which felt good. Sweaty, but good. Besides, at this point, sweat was the last thing he was worried about.
Neither of them was currently at their best, but their experience had let them cut through the superficial shit couples dealt with at the beginning of a relationship.
What was a little sweat between friends?
They hadn’t repeated the amazing kiss they’d shared in the pool, but it was never far from Buck’s mind.
He’d never felt as connected to another woman as he did Mandy.
It was the same feeling he had about his teammates, with Obi-Wan…
without the physical part, of course. They’d shared an intense experience together, and were working together to get through it, much as he and his fellow pilots did.
It hadn’t been a life-or-death situation, at least not since they’d evaded detection back at the LZ and when they’d first fled the area around the rebel camp, but no less intense.
“I want you to meet them,” Buck blurted.
“My family.” When Mandy looked at him with longing in her eyes, he knew he’d made the right decision.
“My mom will love you immediately. She’ll want to know all about your students and how you decided to get into teaching.
My dad will just nod his head and say in his gruff voice something along the lines of, ‘You’re too good for my son. ’”
She laughed.
“And my sister will probably try to include you in whatever shenanigans she has planned next for her little brother. She’ll be thrilled to have an insider who can work with her to cause havoc in my life.
Last Halloween, she showed up on my doorstep dressed as Bigfoot—you know, with the whole hairy getup—and tackled me to the ground. Scared the crap out of me.”
Buck decided he was going to make it his mission in life to make this woman sound as happy as she did right that moment as she laughed.
“She sounds fun.”
“Natalie is fun…when she isn’t annoying,” Buck agreed.
He was about to launch into another story about his annoying sister when Rain burst out of the trees in front of them, planted his feet, and growled low in his throat.
Any amusement Buck was feeling disappeared in an instant. This wasn’t the stray dog they’d gotten to know. In fact, during all the time they’d known him, Rain hadn’t made more noise than a few whimpers and whines.
But right now, his teeth were bared and he was making some seriously scary sounds in his throat.
“Easy, boy,” Buck said, pushing Mandy behind him. He had no idea what had gotten into the dog, but he wasn’t going to risk Mandy getting bitten.
“What’s wrong with him?” she whispered.
“I don’t know.” But they were at a stalemate. The dog wasn’t moving, wasn’t responding to Buck’s gentle tone, and he didn’t seem inclined to stop growling anytime soon.
“We’re just going to keep walking,” Buck said softly to the dog.
As if he could understand him, Rain violently shook his entire body and took a step toward them.
Buck stepped backward, pushing Mandy as he went. That went on for several steps, Rain growling and moving forward slowly, head down, and Buck and Mandy backing away from him.
Then suddenly, Rain darted to the right, scaring the shit out of Buck. For a second, he thought the dog was lunging at them.
He quickly moved forward, hoping to get away from the stray he’d become very attached to—but Rain was having none of that. He swerved back in front of them and growled once more.
Confused and frustrated, Buck stood stock still, not sure what to do. The last thing either of them needed was a dog bite, especially considering Rain almost certainly had never had any inoculations and could be carrying some sort of doggy disease.
Rain walked to the right again…then stopped and looked back at them, letting out a small whine.
“I think…does he want us to go that way? To follow him?” Mandy asked, sounding unsure.
Buck’s head tilted, much as Rain’s did when it seemed as if the little dog was thinking. “Actually, I think maybe he does.”
In an experiment, Buck took a step forward, not surprised this time when Rain growled again and moved to get in front of him, prevent him once more from going any farther in the direction they’d been heading.
When Buck took a step to the right, Rain’s ears perked up and he quickly took the lead, looking back as if to say, “Yes, follow me!”
Buck looked from the dog to the path they’d been on, then down to the compass he’d attached to the zipper of his flight suit.
They’d been steadily walking east, toward the border, but Rain wanted them to turn south, which would make their trek to Guyana even longer.
At this point, he just wanted to get out of this stinkin’ jungle.
And he had no doubt Mandy shared his thoughts.
But there was even less doubt that Rain was trying to tell them something. That he wasn’t happy with the path they’d been on for hours.
The dog wasn’t always around when they were walking.
Sometimes they’d see him trotting alongside them or trailing behind.
Every now and then, he’d end up in front.
Sometimes they’d go all day without seeing him, but he was always there when they woke the next day, eagerly anticipating whatever Buck managed to snare for them to eat.
He and Mandy had actually had a discussion about how silly it was that they continued to share their precious calories with the dog, but neither had stopped.
Twice, Rain had brought his own contributions to the meals, in the form of a small mouse and a squirrel he’d managed to catch.
The first time that happened, it was a shock, but Buck had cooked the mouse and fed the entire thing to Rain.
Mandy swore the dog had a proud smile on his face as he waited patiently for his meal.
The second time, it seemed almost normal to be cooking a rodent that the stray dog had provided for them.
But that Rain was nothing like the dog who stood before them at the moment. His muscles were shaking, as if he was a second away from pouncing. His ears were twitching back and forth and his nose was in the air, constantly sniffing.
Looking from Rain to the path, then back to the dog, Buck made a decision.
The animal had trusted them not to hurt him, to provide for him…
Buck would do the same in return. If Rain didn’t want them going east, it would be stupid to continue in that direction.
At some point they’d have to head east again, but it wouldn’t hurt to go south for a while. Just in case.
“Come on,” Buck said in a low voice, reaching for Mandy’s hand once more.
It was slow-going through the trees, but Rain never got so far ahead that they couldn’t see him.
In the past, the dog would run ahead, only reappearing every now and then, as if checking on them.
But now it was as if he was purposely moving at their pace, carefully leading them where he wanted them to go.
Never getting out of their sight…and maybe more importantly, never letting them out of his sight.
He could feel how tense Mandy was and hated that he had no words to comfort her. He wasn’t sure what had gotten into Rain, but as crazy as it might seem, he trusted the dog’s instincts.
They walked for about twenty minutes, and just when Buck thought they should attempt to head back east, toward the border, an out-of-place sound reached his ears.
Rain heard it at the same time, because his ears flattened and he growled low in his throat. Not at him and Mandy this time, thank goodness. The dog was staring to the left…
To the east.
Buck pulled Mandy behind a large group of trees and crouched down with her. To his surprise, Rain joined them, lying right by Buck’s side. He was alert, his gaze fixed on something Buck couldn’t see.
“Is that…people?” Mandy whispered.
“Sounds like it,” Buck said.
“It could be the good guys.” But she didn’t sound sure.
“I doubt it. Look at Rain.”
The dog was shaking so hard as he lay next to him, it was almost alarming. And it wasn’t because he was cold. Buck reached out a hand and cautiously placed it on Rain’s head. “Easy, boy,” he crooned, amazed the dog was allowing him to touch him.
“He’s scared. Terrified,” Mandy said.
“Yeah.”
As they hid behind the trees, they heard men walk by.
Two, based on the voices. Not close enough to see them, but their conversation carried easily in the suddenly quiet jungle.
They were speaking in Spanish, which Buck was able to understand, thanks to the classes he’d taken in both high school and college.
“This is stupid. We don’t have any proof anyone was left behind.”
“Right? I don’t care what Carlos says, we’re wasting our time.”