Chapter Five
Ryland
She said it with humor lacing her voice, and it was my turn to raise a brow. “You think the touch of a gentle hand could sway me? You are certainly welcome to try.”
Her laughter danced through the air, light and carefree. It appeared out of place given the current circumstances.
Right. The poachers.
I needed to focus. How on earth had this slip of a woman managed to distract me from the mission I’d devoted the last year of my life to? Maybe she really was working with the poachers, some kind of distraction to throw me off their trail.
I gave my head a mental shake. That was the dumbest thought I’d ever had, and I’d had some incredibly dumb thoughts in my lifetime. “I think we need to get off this island. The poachers already have a major head start. I need to get my arm dealt with and get back on their trail.”
She nodded, all trace of laughter gone. “Right. I left my kayak on the beach below the trail. How did you get here?”
“A speedboat. I tied it up just out of sight of the beach. With any luck it should still be there.”
Her brows drew together in a frown. “Why wouldn’t it be?”
“Because if I was wrong about the poachers seeing me when they fired that shot, then they would know I had to have transportation to get here. They may have gone looking for it, to make sure I’d be trapped here.”
“Oh crap.” She looked distressed. “I left my kayak in plain sight on the beach, right beside their Zodiac. It didn’t even occur to me to try and hide it. They can’t miss it.”
I cast a look of sympathy toward her. “It’s probably gone, then, or scuttled.
They must have gotten a good look at you when they took a shot at you.
They’ll make damn sure your ride is in no condition to get you off the island, and given the lack of traffic to and from this place they might figure stranding you is as good as shooting you.
Better, actually. If anyone finds your corpse it would just be another case of a kayaker who didn’t stick to the buddy system. ”
She shot me a look that would have felled a lesser man. “Wow. Aren’t you a glass half empty kind of guy. Maybe they were in a hurry and didn’t bother with my kayak.”
A low relentless throbbing held the nerves in my arm hostage, and the last thing I wanted to do was antagonize the woman. “Let’s go have a look then, but you stay behind me and do exactly what I say.”
She arched one of those lovely brows. “Seriously? Do I look like I’m good at following orders? Why would I do what you tell me?”
I shot her a look calculated to give her chills. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to be having that effect. “Because if we’re both wrong and those guys are still here on the island, then I’m your best bet to keep you alive.”
“Oh.” She didn’t look suitably chastised, but she glanced at my gun, visible in the shoulder holster, and refrained from saying anything else. She gestured to the dog who fell in beside her and the two of them looked at me expectantly.
“This way.” I turned and started to make my way up the hill.
“Isn’t the beach the other way?”
I had to give her credit for making the question sound like a bland inquiry instead of an accusation.
“Yes, but this path circles back there eventually. If the poachers are on the beach, they’re going to expect you to come back down the same path that you went up.
People tend to stick to what they know, especially if they’re feeling spooked or scared.
So, we’re going to take the long route. There’s an offshoot to this path that leads to a cliff overlooking the beach.
I want to make sure it’s clear before we show ourselves. ”
That impressed look on her face did wonders for my self-esteem. Now if I could just keep us both alive long enough, maybe she’d agree to go out with me.
Where the hell had that thought come from?
I was a loner. Sure, I occasionally spent the night with a female, but it was just that, a meaningless night of sex we could both walk away from in the morning.
No expectations. No regrets. I wasn’t the kind of guy women dreamed about settling down with.
I’d seen and done way too much to settle into society as a normal guy with a wife, a couple of kids, and the inevitable minivan.
I’d learned to keep my emotions under strict control, and I never, ever let myself care too deeply about anyone except the members of my team. They were my family.
So how did this woman, this slip of a female, manage to get under my skin so easily?
“I have to admit that makes sense.” Kimberly fell into step behind me, and I was impressed with her ability to glide through the forest without making a sound. The dog padded at her side, his ears constantly swiveling back and forth.
I nodded at Diego. “Is he trained as a guard dog or something? He looks like he’s on alert, searching for the enemy.”
“Heavens no.” Kimberly glanced fondly at the dog.
“He was a stray that no one claimed. My ex picked him up from a shelter, although I’m not sure why.
He didn’t think twice about abandoning him when we split.
I think Diego feels it’s his duty to protect me, and frankly he’s more dependable than the ex ever was.
He’s easier to get along with too. He eats whatever I give him, and he doesn’t complain about my housekeeping skills. ”
I smothered a smile at the picture of Diego dutifully ignoring a giant dust bunny as it lurked under the bed.
I’d be happy to ignore them too, if she invited me into her bedroom.
“Okay, there’s a clearing up ahead and we’re going to skirt around it, just in case.
No point in getting caught in the open.”
“Right behind you, boss.”
When I turned my head to give her a sharp look, Kimberly smiled innocently. Oh, this one could be trouble. Didn’t she realize what a badass guy I was? She had absolutely no sense of self-preservation. If she kept up with the attitude, I was going to be forced to do something.
Like what, a little voice in my head asked. Take her over your knee and kiss her until she agreed to knock it off? That would go well, now, wouldn’t it?
I glared at her. “This is serious.”
“I know. I said I was right behind you.”
Yeah, right. Her innocent act wasn’t fooling me one bit.
The bushes off to the left rustled and I immediately dropped to a low crouch, motioning Kimberly to do the same.
* * *
Kimberly
I didn’t hesitate, following his lead and hitting the dirt with uncomfortable speed. I had a feeling I was going to sport more than one bruise when I finally managed to make it home. Diego dropped to his belly, crawling slightly forward to place his bulk between me and the noise.
We lay there for what seemed like an eternity, watching the tall grass sway to and fro. Something or someone was making its way through the bush.
I wished I’d thought to bring my binoculars with me, but unfortunately, they were safely stowed in one of the dry hatches in my kayak. I hadn’t planned on doing any bird watching today. It could just be an animal over there, but until we got a clear view, there was no way to tell for sure.
I moved up beside Ryland, using my forearms to drag myself along the ground without getting up, a neat trick I’d learned at boot camp -- a get in shape kind of deal I’d attended once.
Diego kept pace with me, and when I realized he looked like he was mimicking my elbow crawl I had to stifle a burst of laughter.
“Can you see what it is?” I made sure to keep my voice a soft whisper.
Ryland shook his head, not taking his eyes off the patch of grass. “Not yet.”
Common sense told me I should feel terrified, laying on the dirt in the middle of nowhere with a complete stranger at my side, and the fact that I didn’t scared me all over again. I still wasn’t entirely sure he was one of the good guys.
A flash of color caught my attention. Someone emerged from the bushes across the way, quickly followed by another.
One of them had a crossbow dangling carelessly from his hand, a quiver of arrows strung across his back.
Based on that, I guessed those were two of the guys who’d been trying to find me earlier.
My eyes widened in terror, and Diego let out a barely audible growl.
Ryland stiffened, his good hand grasping tight around a tuft of grass. “Those the guys who shot at you?”
I nodded. “By the looks of that crossbow, I think they must be, but there were at least four of them chasing me after they missed the first shot.”
He narrowed his eyes, raking the clearing from side to side with a hard gaze. “I don’t see anyone else. There’s five of them altogether. They probably split up. These guys must have circled back after they lost sight of you. They never got eyes on me, so they don’t know there’s two of us.”
“So what do we do now?” I wrapped my fingers around Diego’s collar to make sure the dog didn’t decide to get up and take a run at the poachers. I had no doubt they’d shoot the dog without hesitation.
“We wait.” His mouth set in a grim line. “I’m in no condition to fight and we’re outnumbered.”
I reached back and pulled my phone out of my pocket. Even without cell service it had its uses. Holding it in front of me, I managed to snap a half dozen pictures before the two made their way to the far side of the clearing and disappeared back into the forest.
“Good idea. If the pictures aren’t too blurry, we might be able to get a positive ID on them, and the GPS and time stamps will place them right here.” Ryland sounded impressed, and somehow that made my insides feel warm.
This was not good. I didn’t do people, and I certainly didn’t do men. They were too unpredictable and definitely too likely to turn on me just when I started to trust them.
Diego let out a low whine, and I realized I was gripping his collar too tight.
“Sorry, buddy.” I loosened my grip and patted the patient dog on his head.
“You okay?” Ryland gave me a quizzical look.