Into the Gap
Glennon
He held out a hand to her and helped her over a fallen tree. “A few days ago, Steel vanished by taking two steps into the jungle. If we hadn’t just done it ourselves, I wouldn’t have believed that was possible. You literally can’t see the camp.”
“And that means no one can see us either. It works to our advantage right now. In some places here, Guillermo’s men could be ten feet away, and they wouldn’t see us. Of course, that also means we might not see them and stumble onto them unprepared.”
“Let’s not test that,” he suggested.
“Agreed.”
It took about ten minutes before he spoke again. “What was the deal with that woman?”
She wondered how long it would take. Surprisingly, it took longer than she thought it would; however, they were working hard to navigate the intense vegetation. There was absolutely no path here, and until they found one, the going would be frighteningly slow.
“Honestly, the baby looked too small. She told me she went into labor early. Probably stress because she ran from the father—he was beating her. Along the way, she couldn’t produce milk because she had no food.
Between being born too early, no money—which meant no food or water once she got here—and the stress of travel, the baby didn’t stand a chance.
She hadn’t had anything to drink in over two days.
The money was to bury the baby. Get herself someplace better. ”
A hand wrapped around her wrist, halting her movement. He stepped into her and curved a hand around her jaw. “You’re an amazing woman, Glennon.”
“I did what any decent person would do,” she grumbled, dropping her eyes to his chest. It wouldn’t pay for him to see how much his words affected her.
“And that’s where you’re so wrong.”
He moved another half step closer, and his chest touched her breasts. Their eyes locked, and then his mouth dropped to hers. The kiss was sweet. Soft. She wanted more, so much more. But now was not the time.
When they broke apart, her tongue tipped out to swipe her bottom lip, as if tasting the remnants of his kiss. “We should keep moving.”
Stepping back from her, he nodded, but he slid his grip from her wrist down to her hand so he could lace their fingers together.
“No dodging the subject, Glennon. Most people would not have done what you did. I was ready to walk right past her. I’d be willing to bet no one has talked to her in days, although I’m sure they know she’s there. ”
He wasn’t wrong. Here, it was every person for themself. If anyone thought they could take what little she had and sell it, nothing would stop them. Hopefully, now that she had some money, she’d move on quickly.
They continued through the vegetation for two hours, skirting the river where the boats would depart for the gulf and take travelers to the traditional start of their foot trek.
Crossing the river at the camp would have put them too far out in the open, but now they had no choice.
At least here, the water was only knee-deep.
Stepping onto the bank, they opened their water jugs to take a few small sips.
Both of them were sweating profusely in the jungle humidity, and dehydration could strike quickly.
It was one of the major killers of those who traversed the gap.
“How are you feeling?” he asked as they stood at the water’s edge.
“Tired,” she replied honestly. “A little sore.”
He urged her to sit on the edge of the bank. “Let’s stop for a few minutes. This is a lot of activity for someone who’s been pretty much bedridden for the last week. Frankly, I don’t know how you’re still standing.”
“No choice but to keep moving.”
They sat and rested, watching the water move on its path.
He had his tablet out. He didn’t have any service, obviously, but he’d taken a screenshot of the map he’d been looking at of their proposed path through the gap and made it the background screen so they could still use it.
He showed it to her. “Aerial views showed farmland in maybe a few hours’ walk. Research says we should be able to get more water there because they sell it from their wells.”
“You still have cash?”
“Enough,” he said vaguely.
Squinting, she studied his nonchalant response. “Just how much did you bring with you?”
“You don’t want to know.”
“Oh, I think I do.”
“When we met up at the hotel, I had just short of fifty grand on me.”
She blinked at him.
“What?” he asked. “I had no clue what we were going into. I wanted to make sure I had more than enough.”
What the fuck? “Triumph, who has fifty grand they can just grab and go with?”
“Other than my membership to Shadowlands, I don’t have many expenses. I basically live at our clubs, so I eat and drink there for free. Own my apartment, so no rent, and because I’m never there, utilities are next to nothing. Just my cycles and me.”
“The NSA paid that well?”
He laughed freely at that. “You had the best of the best, sweetheart. Yeah, they paid me well. But honestly, the clubs are where I made my money.”
“How much?” Oh good grief. “Sorry! That was rude. That question was out of my mouth before I could stop it. How much money you make doesn’t matter to me.
I lived in luxury beyond my wildest imaginings with Guillermo, and it didn’t guarantee security or love.
Hell, it didn’t guarantee kindness. This is more… ”
“Surprise?”
“Yes. Are nightclubs really that big of moneymakers?”
“Ours are. Tripoli pays to keep our financials out of the news, but we’re the top earners in the nation.
That man has a steel trap of a brain for business.
Even I’m amazed. Whatever magic he created, our waiting lists for membership are really long.
Maybe not thirty years, like that football team for season tickets in Wisconsin, but it’s long. ”
“Okay, so inappropriate as this is, I’ll ask again. How much?”
He pursed his lips, took another swig of water, and looked up at the sky. Was he calculating?
“Eight digits.”
“Eight digits?”
“Each.”
“Each?” Ice ran through her veins. “Low eight or high eight?”
“Thirty-something.”
“Thirty-something million?”
He nodded. “That’s without investing it.”
“Wait, wait, wait. Is that what you’re worth total, or is that what you get back per year?”
“First year was rough. Managed to break even, maybe? The three of us didn’t take a salary. Second year was better than the first year, and we just keep growing. Each new club adds to the pot. Not all of them have been open that many years, so it’s not as ridiculous as it sounds.”
She murmured blankly, “Not as ridiculous as it sounds, he says.” What the ever-loving fuck?
The clubs he was part owner of had been open for three years.
If they made ninety million dollars over that time—something which didn’t sound possible, and that was just what the three owners took in—he was easily worth over that if he’d invested any of the money.
What the hell was he doing out in the fucking jungle, running from a cartel, saving her ass?
Capping his water jug, he met her incredulous look. “Does that change things?”
“I’m going to pretend we didn’t have this portion of the conversation.”
“It’s just money, Glennon.”
“Oh my god, he’s delusional and gorgeous. What the hell?” she squeaked.
The grin that spread across his face made him look like he’d gotten the best birthday gift ever. “Gorgeous, huh? I’ll accept the delusional if you really think I’m gorgeous.”
If she didn’t shut down the crazy, spinning thoughts in her head, she was likely to have a panic attack. Maybe he couldn’t do math. Maybe he was plain lying. That made as little sense as what he’d confessed.
“C’mon, Mr. Moneybags. Let’s get going.”
She redirected her attention across the shallow, swift-moving water.
Up the bank on the opposite side, there was a washout that would serve as a path.
While they’d be able to see their steps more easily, which meant less chance of twisting an ankle or worse, especially in a place where no help would be found, there were other dangers on this type of route.
Before crossing, he dug into his backpack for a bandana that he twisted into a single strip to tie back his hair. He attached his water jug to his backpack, then hefted it back over his shoulders and stepped into the edge of the water, holding a hand out to her.
As she stepped into the water, she found a second reason to be grateful they hadn’t entered the flowage at the border.
Had they chosen to cross the river immediately, they would have had to swim as the water was higher there.
While this wasn’t the main river, it fed into that body.
Wet shoes and pants weren't fun, but wet everything was worse.
They continued along the washout for several hours before finally coming through a break in the trees. A small herd of cattle stood in a crudely fenced-in area, quietly chewing their cud, and a small farm sat on a hill in the distance.
“Is all of your cash in one place?” she asked. Voices would carry over the open expanse, so she kept her voice barely above a whisper.
“No. Didn’t think that was wise. I’ve got some stashed in various places so no one sees exactly how much I have.”
He was smart. Mostly. The amount of money he was carrying would be a temptation to anyone, let alone someone attempting the crossing, guiding travelers, or patrolling the gap itself. However, the fact that he’d spread it around showed he’d been thinking ahead.
“How much do you think we’ll need to get water?” she asked.
“Difficult to say. Shouldn’t be more than twenty dollars American, but… since we’re American, it could cost a lot more. I’ve got a hundred in small bills in my vest pocket, and they’re in twenty-dollar folds.”
Another smart move. He wouldn’t need to pull out all his cash from his pocket, luring the farmer into demanding more. Not that anyone could pull fifty grand out of a pocket. Holy Mother of God, he was crazy. Gorgeous, but crazy.
They began trekking up the hill toward the farmhouse. “How many people do you think they see each day?” he questioned.
“Depends on the day, I suppose. The number of people who have amassed enough money to pay for their passage probably varies. Guides take groups every day, so it could be anything from a small private party to a group of a hundred.”
“Any idea how many farms like this there are? Information on that was nonexistent in the short time I had to search.”
She shook her head. “No. Whatever is here, however, is going to be toward the outside edge. The further in you go, the less reputable the people are.”
“If we don’t run into complications,” he tacked on.
“Correct. I’m more worried about running into drug traffickers than getting lost. In a perfect world, if we just keep heading north, we’ll hit the edge eventually.”
A young girl stepped outside of the house. She wore a colorful, homemade dress, and her hair was braided back along her head and gathered into two poofs up top. Glennon guessed her to be somewhere around twelve years old.
She called out in Spanish to the girl. “Good evening. Your hair is very pretty. I wish I had pigtails like that.”
The girl smiled, preening a bit.
“We’re hoping you have drinking water for sale,” Glennon added.
The girl nodded shyly. She replied, “Fifty dollars American.”
“Can you do forty?”
The girl repeated, “Fifty.”
Glennon looked to Triumph, hoping he understood the game she was playing. While they had the money to pay the girl’s price, it wouldn’t pay to take the first offer. Haggling here was a way of life in South America when not in the large cities, and those who didn’t engage were suspect.
“We won’t have much left,” he whispered loud enough for the girl to hear.
Good. He understood.
The little girl wouldn’t understand English, most likely, but she’d be able to guess what they were discussing.
Glennon looked back at the girl. “If I give you fifty, I’ll only have ten dollars left for when I reach the other side.”
The child shrugged. “If I take less, my father will beat me.”
There was no way to prove the accuracy of that statement, although her arms, legs, and face showed no evidence of it. Still, she refused to chance it.
With a nod to Triumph, she approved the price.
He dug around in his pocket and pulled out the required amount.
After he handed it to her, she turned on her heel and led them to the house instead of the well.
Once there, she handed them each a gallon jug of purified water that they could have bought in a traditional store.
“I like this better than well water,” he said.
“Yes. It’s sealed, too, so that means it’s completely safe to drink. Out here, that isn’t always the case, and bad water is a good portion of why people die here.”
Both rigged the jugs to their backpacks. As they were finishing up, the girl approached Glennon, motioning her to crouch down. “What is it, little one?”
The girl motioned for her to turn around. She flashed a questioning look at Triumph but did as the girl asked. His posture was loose but watchful.
The child pushed her to a sitting position on the wood floor.
Quickly, hands threaded through her hair, parting it into two sections.
Within a few short minutes, Glennon’s hair was braided back from her forehead, then looped into buns atop her head, just like the girl who’d sold them the water.
She finished the knots off with two cloth strips that dangled like ribbons.
The gesture was sweet and innocent. She reached up to touch the new hairstyle. “Thank you, little one. I feel very pretty now.”
Smiling, the girl turned her attention to Triumph. Shyly, she tapped the leather bracelet on his wrist.
“She’d like it in trade for my braids,” Glennon told him.
Without a second’s thought, he unsnapped the cuff and helped the girl put it on her wrist. Laughing, she impulsively hugged him, then Glennon.
With a wave and a “Goodbye,” they headed out the door and continued onto the next leg of their journey.
“Sorry you had to sacrifice your cuff.”
He shrugged. “Worth it. Hairstyle is cute as fuck. All I want to do is grab them and use them to guide your head while you suck my cock.”
The sound that came out of her mouth was half-choking, half-startled laughter.
“Wow. You don’t hesitate, do you? No buildup to what you want. Just throw it out there.”
“Too much?” he asked.
“I’ll have to recreate the hairstyle after we have that conversation at home that you promised me.”