Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
Crossing the border was anticlimactic. Hell, Amanda didn’t even know they were safely back in Guyana until they came upon a dirt road with a sign indicating how far it was to Baramita, a town not too far from the Venezuelan border.
“Are we…did we make it?” she stuttered.
“Looks like it,” Nash said with a smile. “Although we aren’t out of the woods yet. The rebels illegally crossed the border to snatch you and the kids once, they could do it again.”
He wasn’t saying anything Amanda hadn’t already thought about.
She couldn’t think of anything but that.
She still had about three months left in her agreement with the school, but the thought of staying was terrifying.
She assumed security would be increased, to keep everyone safe, but what if that wasn’t good enough?
What if the rebels were so determined to get back what they’d lost, the boys and girls—even Amanda herself—that they returned with more men and more firepower?
They’d certainly learn from the mistakes of the first kidnapping, probably separate the kids as soon as they were back across the border, with the men who’d been promised the girls taking them immediately.
She shuddered. And of course, Nash noticed.
“What? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she said without thinking.
“Don’t do that. Talk to me, Mandy.”
He was right. They’d been through one hell of an experience together, and it felt disrespectful for her to clam up now. “I just…I was thinking about what would happen if they do come back.”
“I’m sure there’ve been changes at the school to make sure everyone’s safe,” Nash told her.
“Yeah.”
“Let’s just see what we find at the school before you do any worrying. You’ll also feel better after you get a shower and some real food in you.”
“How are we gonna get to the school? I have no idea where we are or where it is,” Amanda said.
“Hitchhike. How else?” Nash answered with a smile.
But that didn’t assuage Amanda’s worries. “Is that safe?”
“In normal circumstances, no. But we’re in Guyana, and I’m armed, and we have Rain…I think we’ll be okay.”
“Will someone pick us up if we have Rain? And we aren’t looking very…trustworthy.”
Nash chuckled. “You mean since we’ve just spent two weeks trekking through the jungle and look like escaped convicts?”
“Yeah, that.”
“Have faith, Mandy.”
That was the problem. She wasn’t the same na?ve woman she’d been when she’d arrived here in South America.
She’d come to teach children and found herself in a life-or-death situation.
It had been, what…a month since she’d been kidnapped?
She felt as if she were a completely different person now.
Amanda wasn’t sure she could look at anyone without suspicion ever again.
They walked along the dirt road, and it was amazing how good it felt to not be in the jungle.
Oh, there were still plenty of trees on either side, but walking on an actual road felt liberating.
But…also a little strange. Like they were too exposed.
Rain seemed to think so too, as he kept to the side of the road, walking amongst the trees instead of out in the open.
It occurred to Amanda then that the little dog might not even want to come with them back to the school. That thought made her extraordinarily sad. She didn’t want to leave him. Didn’t want to have to worry about him every day and wonder if he was all right.
He’d stuck by their sides like glue ever since they’d heard the men patrolling the border. But the truth was, she had no idea if the dog would want to leave the only home he’d probably ever known.
The rumble of an engine sounded so out of place, it was hard for Amanda to identify at first. She’d spent weeks getting to know the sounds of the jungle—rain, birds, random animals—that an engine seemed almost foreign now.
But Nash didn’t hesitate. He stuck his thumb out in the universal hitchhiking sign and, to her amazement, a battered gray pickup stopped. The man behind the wheel gaped at them.
“Thanks for stopping. We could use a ride,” Nash said.
“Are you Amanda Rush?” the man asked in accented English, staring at her with such surprise, it made her uncomfortable.
“Why are you asking?” Nash asked, tone much harder than it was a moment earlier, as he stepped in front of her to block the man’s view.
Amanda felt Rain lean against her side at the same time, as if he was prepared to protect her from anyone who dared lay a hand on her. It was comforting to be in an overprotective male sandwich between Nash and the dog, but she was also extremely curious as to how this man knew her name.
“I’ve been driving up and down this road every day, hoping to run into you!” the man exclaimed. “We got word from Desmond Williams over at the orphanage that you and an American pilot were missing, and to keep an eye out for you. And here you are! You are Amanda, right?”
“I am,” she said, before Nash could reply. “Thank you so much for looking for us.”
“Well, I’ll be damned,” the man said. “Never really expected to find you. The jungle usually chews people up and refuses to spit them out. Come, hop in the back of the truck, and I’ll have you back to the school before you can blink.”
“My dog can come too, right?” Amanda blurted.
The man’s gaze dropped to the dog at her side. He looked surprised again, but shrugged. “Makes no difference to me.”
This was the moment of truth. Did they get in or did they not?
But this man wouldn’t know her name if he was one of the rebels.
She didn’t remember anyone back at the camp asking her name.
They might’ve heard the kids mention it, but they all called her Mandy.
And there was no way they’d know her last name. This man had to be on the up and up.
She looked at Nash to see what he thought.
He looked wary but not overly suspicious, which was a huge relief.
Keeping himself between her and the driver, Nash urged her toward the back of the truck. He helped her climb inside, then hopped up himself.
Rain stood in the road looking confused…and worried. His brown eyes were glued to the both of them, and for a moment, she wasn’t sure they’d be able to get him to come after all.
“Come on, Rain,” Amanda coaxed, slapping her thigh. “It’s okay. You’re coming with us. Jump up. You can do it!”
With one last look around, Rain crouched, then leaped.
Amanda couldn’t help but laugh as she held out her arms to catch the dog literally throwing himself at her. She fell backward into the bed of the truck with an armful of smelly, dirty dog. Nash was there to make sure neither of them fell right back out of the truck.
“Ready?” the man called from the cab.
Nash gave him a thumbs-up.
Amanda sat up and watched intently as the man backed the truck up and turned around on the road. She was ready to jump right back out if it looked like he was going to drive them in the direction they’d just come from.
It wasn’t until they were on their way—in the opposite direction from the border—that she finally relaxed.
“We did it,” she said, just loud enough for Nash to hear.
“We did,” he agreed.
Amanda hugged Rain against her chest and rested her chin on the top of his head as they headed—hopefully—for the school and orphanage where her whole ordeal had started.
She had mixed feelings about what was to come.
Not that she wanted to go back into the jungle, but she, Nash, and Rain had gotten into a routine.
It was comfortable. Predictable. Whatever lie ahead of her was not.
As if he could sense her unease, Nash wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
She leaned into him and closed her eyes.
With this man next to her, she felt stronger.
Which wasn’t smart, as he’d probably be leaving as soon as they got to the school.
His copilot was probably waiting anxiously for him, and Amanda had no doubt the rest of his team would be equally worried by now. He’d have his own issues to deal with.
Things would change between them, and she could only hope he’d meant what he said about seeing her once she got back to Virginia.
It might’ve been something he’d said in the heat of the moment, and, once reality hit and he got back to his life, he might regret being so impulsive.
That would hurt, but she’d rather know right off the bat than be led on or have him date her briefly out of some sense of obligation.
Nash Chaney was an honorable man, and if he said he’d do something, she had no doubt he’d follow through on his promise to take her out when she returned to the States. But she didn’t want to be a chore, a task he had to complete to keep his word.
She liked this man. A lot. She still dreamed about the kiss they’d shared.
It was intense, and the best kiss she’d ever received.
They hadn’t repeated it, but he’d shown affection in other ways…
holding her hand, making sure she got the first pieces of cooked meat.
And of course, he still slept with his arms wrapped around her every night.
But ultimately, she was worrying for nothing. She couldn’t control anyone other than her own actions. And at the moment, all she could do was go with the flow. Things would work out or they wouldn’t. That was the bottom line.
One day at a time. Right now, she just wanted to see how things went after they arrived back at the school. She was anxious to see the kids. To make sure they were all right. See for herself that they were safe and sound.
The truck didn’t drive very long at all before it began to slow. Looking around the cab, Amanda saw the familiar road that led to the orphanage and school where she’d spent three months of her life. She couldn’t help but smile.
They’d done it. Against all odds, she’d made it back to where her nightmare had begun.