Chapter 10
The fierce way Damien vowed not to leave her soothed Mila. She worried she was being selfish not going to the Indonesian military. Would he find it easier to escape on his own? But she couldn’t in good conscience leave when he’d come after her and given up his chance for an easy extraction.
She rubbed her exhausted eyes. She was wet and filthy, and men with guns were only a short motorbike ride away.
An overwhelming wave of fatigue had tackled her after the team had left and she’d given into the tears.
But for the moments when Damien had held her, she’d felt safe and had been able to rebuild her resolve.
She hoped Vance would endure some kind of punishment for getting them into this mess.
She closed her eyes and leaned into Damien’s side, drawing warmth from his body. Not many people would go off script and rescue someone who wasn’t part of their mission, but she was really glad he had.
Avoiding Agus by herself would have been almost impossible, and she had no idea how to navigate through the rainforest, but Damien hadn’t hesitated once.
“How long have you worked special ops?” she asked.
“A few years.” He filled his canteen from water in his pack and handed it to her. “Drink.”
The water tasted heavenly and she forced herself not to gulp it down. “What made you join?”
He shrugged. “I wanted to be the best. Only special ops could take me there.”
“Why?”
He glanced at her. “Why what?”
“Why did you want to be the best?”
An emotion she couldn’t quite read crossed his face. Maybe part bashful, part determination. “I wanted to protect those who were vulnerable. Why did you come here?”
She sighed. “I was running away.” She could admit it now after the stress of the past few hours.
He pulled out two sealed packets. “Are you up for a delicious MRE?”
She grimaced. “I’ve heard they taste disgusting. I’m all right for the moment. I had rice porridge at the village.”
He nodded and put one back in his pack. “What were you running from?”
“Life.” She picked up a large leaf and tore it into strips.
“After the whole thing with Vance blew up in my face, I had to get away.” Her smile was sad.
“But if we’re being honest, I still hadn’t figured out what I wanted to do with my life.
I’ve tried so many things, but nothing felt right.
I think my family were beginning to find me indecisive and irresponsible. ”
“There’s nothing indecisive about the way you helped those people after the earthquake.”
She pressed her lips together. He was right. She shrugged. “Both of my brothers knew what they wanted to do as soon as they’d graduated high school. I’ve been flitting around trying to find something I felt passionate about.” She sighed. “I think it’s one reason I fell for Vance’s charm.”
“The man has charm?” Damien asked.
His incredulity made her laugh. “Yes, he can be very charming when he wants something. He made me feel important and worthy.” But Vance had none of Damien’s presence and kindness.
“What did he want?”
“Respectability.” She placed the strips to the side and picked up a new leaf. “I was a good girl he could date, and my father gave him a job at his company because I vouched for him.” She closed her eyes and shook her head. She’d been such a fool.
“Did it work?”
“Yes. We only saw each other a couple of times a week, but when we were together, he wined and dined me, made me feel like I was the centre of his world.” She rolled her eyes at her naivety. “He surprised me with a marriage proposal on a day cruise with family and friends and I said yes.”
Dobby studied her. “Because you wanted to marry him, or because you didn’t want to seem indecisive?”
He knew her well already. “The latter. I wasn’t ready for marriage, but I thought maybe we needed to spend more time together. I decided to surprise him by cooking him dinner one night and caught him in bed with another woman.”
Damien scowled. “He’s more of a fool than I thought if he cheated on you.”
His words were a balm. Her confidence had been shaken after that night.
“When we broke up, my father fired him. It turns out he wasn’t doing any work and the only reason Dad hadn’t fired him earlier was he didn’t want to upset me.
” Somehow she’d become the weak one her father felt he needed to protect.
Perhaps if he’d confided in her earlier, she might have seen Vance for who he truly was.
“And so you came here?” Damien placed his empty MRE packet back in his backpack.
She nodded. “Mum volunteered here twenty years ago when the last tsunami hit. She kept in touch with a few people and they mentioned they wanted someone to teach their children English. They hoped to increase tourism to the area.” She smiled.
“I decided to come here without telling anyone but the woman on the island.” She sighed.
“I should have told my parents. Then Mum would have told me how much Agus hated her.”
He handed her another leaf. “Have you enjoyed yourself?”
“Yes.” She wove the strips together creating a rope like she’d been taught.
“It’s such a different life, but the people are so lovely, and I enjoy being connected with nature and the slower pace.
I finally felt as if I was doing something meaningful.
” She scowled. “But I won’t ever be able to come back thanks to Vance and Agus. ”
He stroked her thigh and warmth spread through her body.
“Tell me about Agus. What does he do?”
“From what I can gather he’s a smuggler; drugs, cargo, whatever you want. He might also be a pirate, stealing from boats coming through the area.”
“Are people scared of him?”
“Some are. As long as you do what you’re told and stay out of his way, you’re safe.” She sighed. “But some see him as a saviour, bringing wealth to the island.”
“How did you stay off his radar before Vance came?”
“I had nothing of value and he didn’t know who my parents were. Those who knew kept quiet.” The first couple of weeks she’d been a little concerned, but Agus had lost interest when a large group of surfers had arrived.
Damien took a long drink from his canteen and then gestured with it to her legs. “Do you want to use a little to clean up?”
She hesitated. “How much have you got?”
“About nine litres.”
She shook her head. “We might need it. I’ll go down to the ocean when it’s clear and wash.”
He nodded and clipped the canteen back to his belt.
“Will Agus give up searching for us?”
“I hope so. The chopper is probably part of the relief effort, or the military taking stock of the damage. Agus will want to talk to whoever’s in charge.”
She nodded. “So what’s plan C?”
He smiled. “A boat’s our best bet. We can’t keep trekking through the jungle as we are. Your foot will get torn to shreds.”
He was right. Her feet already stung with dozens of micro cuts. “Do we need to wait until that chopper leaves?”
“Yeah.” He scanned the canopy and seemed satisfied. “I don’t want to get caught out in the open when it flies over. They might think we need rescuing.”
He spread a dark sheet over the ground between two buttress roots. “Lay down. Get some rest. We’ve got some time before we need to leave.”
“What about you? You haven’t slept at all.” He had to be exhausted.
“I’m used to it.” He grinned. “Special forces, remember? We’re the best of the best.”
She smiled because he wanted her to, but she touched his arm. “Tell me if you need me to stand guard while you sleep.”
His expression changed from surprise, to gratitude, to something deeper. He leaned forward slowly, his eyes on hers and then lightly kissed her lips. “You’re killing me,” he murmured.
Her heart thumped and she wanted to deepen the kiss, but he pulled back and tapped on the blanket. “Bedtime.”
Her heart rate didn’t slow as she lay down.
Damien wasn’t the kind of man she was used to.
Her peers at university had been more interested in extra-curricular activities than learning, and the men she met at her parents’ social events were all looking to get ahead and if that included seducing the boss’s daughter, all the better. Only Vance had fooled her.
She shook the memory away.
Childish or selfish.
There was nothing childish or selfish about Damien.
His confidence and competence as he’d driven the moped down the mountain had been shockingly arousing. And the way he’d handled his gun…
Her cheeks heated.
But she’d seen a softer side to him as well.
His genuine concern for her when they’d first met. His fear when looking for Ethan. The no-nonsense way he cut through Vance’s bullshit.
All of it added up to a man she wanted to get to know better.
She trusted him when he said he’d get them out of here. His conviction was impossible to dismiss. And she knew enough about the special forces to understand if he couldn’t help her, no one could.
But she was the weak link here. If she couldn’t keep up and move when they had to move, she’d get them both killed.
And she couldn’t risk Damien like that.
With that in mind she turned her attention to sleep.
***
Dobby exhaled in relief as Mila closed her eyes and almost immediately fell asleep. Every time he thought he understood who she was, she did something that surprised him. Never in all his operations had his target cared about his well-being.
And despite her exhaustion, she was thinking strategically. He shouldn’t have offered her the water to clean herself. Not when they might be here for a few more days and would need it all for drinking. He’d been worried about her comfort.
Foolish, losing focus of the mission.
But after a few short hours, he cared for Mila more than he was comfortable with.
He closed his eyes for a second and exhaled again.
What a day.
The radio he used wouldn’t be able to contact the helicopter or the ship, and though he had a satellite phone, there was no point using it until he had a plan. For the moment they were on their own.