Chapter 6
“Hey,” Amy said as she cut across the small space. “You need to keep your voice down or do I have to remind you there are dangerous animals who would eat us and some tribes who would serve us to the river as sacrifices?” She had no idea if what she’d just said was true but she was feeling dramatic. Most of the tribes, she’d read, were very welcoming to strangers but there were always outliers. And she was feeling protective of Lorna. Her friend—former friend?—might be a turncoat, but Amy would always defend someone being bullied. Period. It was just how she was made.
Donnie whirled around like he was about to give her hell in return, but then froze when his gaze fixed on something over her shoulder. Or should she say someone? Because a quick glance said Knox had accomplished more with one glare than she could with a whole string of threats.
Mouth agape, Donnie seemed to think better of saying what was on his mind.
Amy could feel the heat coming off Knox in palpable waves. Good. It would keep Donnie in line. She wondered if there was any chance she could help Lorna see the guy for who he was: a jerk.
Knox had been right, though. People might act differently when they were in love but co-dependance was a problem. As much as Amy wanted to walk away from the situation if—when—they made it back to civilization, she would say her piece later. Ultimately, it would be Lorna’s choice to stay with someone who treated her like an afterthought.
A second later, Knox moved to his pack, shouldered it, and then said, “Move out.”
The fact he’d felt the need to prepare her for what lay ahead said it was going to be bad. And that was just the threats he knew about. The ones he could see coming. The others? Amy involuntarily shivered.
She focused on sticking close behind Knox as he wielded the machete with ease. She wondered if her brother had these same skills. Decided he must. When Garrett had been around, life had been easier. She’d felt safer. Had Knox ever felt the same?
She remembered walking downstairs to hear the low hum of whispers coming from the kitchen. Following the voices, she saw Knox hovering over the kitchen island. His hands were clasped and he stared at the granite like the world might crumble if he lifted his gaze. There’d been blood on his face. His lip was puffed up like a float at the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade. But there was nothing celebratory about his expression. He couldn’t have been more than sixteen years old.
And she couldn’t have loved him more.
Her brother offered reassurances based on his tone, but she hadn’t been able to quite pick up the actual words he’d been saying. Whatever had happened, Garrett was there to help his friend pick up the pieces.
How she wished her brother had been there for her freshman year when…
Amy shook off the reverie, focusing on the present danger instead. Because it was everywhere. It was real. And if she turned her attention away too long, she could end up bitten by a venomous snake or half a dozen insects.
Knox tapped the base of a vine and then warned, “Pit viper. Give it a wide berth and it should leave us alone.”
Lorna clung to Donnie. His expression sour, Amy couldn’t help but wonder if he cared about Lorna at all? Or was she convenient, content to follow him around like a puppy hoping for a treat? Her friend had been strong once. Right?
Or had Lorna been strong compared to Amy all those years ago when Amy’s world had been ripped out from underneath her?
A lot had changed since then. Amy had found her footing again. She had a goal. She was going for it despite the challenges.
All of that effort couldn’t end here in the jungle, she decided. She’d come too far to let her dream slip away. As resolve grew inside her, the sound of rushing water grew.
Knox chopped through thick vines and then stopped. Three more steps and he would be in the water.
Skimming the surface, Amy noticed brown-black spots the size of a hand or man’s foot floating on top of the green-brown water.
“Tarantulas?” she said in an almost inaudible tone.
Knox must have heard because he gave a slight nod. He turned his head to the side and said, “Their bite feels more like a wasp sting than anything else. Their hairs can irritate your skin though, so don’t get too close.”
Did he seriously think she intended to cozy up to one of those creatures?
“Not going to be a problem for me,” she said.
“I can’t go in there,” Lorna’s panicked voice cut through the air. “I just can’t. There has to be a different path.”
“Yeah,” Donnie chimed in. “Plus, you’re facing the wrong direction. Base camp is that way.” He brought up his watch, no doubt complete with compass, and pointed the opposite way.
“I know where I’m going,” Knox stated. “If you want to break out on your own, be my guest. But Amy is coming with me.”
The determination in Knox’s voice told her not to question his decision. He was the expert. He was the one with the skills to get them out of here alive. And, based on his tone, he had a plan.
“Amy, can you talk some sense into your brother’s friend?” Lorna whined. The whining was starting to get old. Plus, who was she to tell Knox what to do? And why did Lorna mentioning Amy’s brother feel the equivalent of fingernails on a chalkboard?
She could unpack all that later when they were safe. In the meantime, she would file the comments away.
“I’m going with Knox,” Amy supplied, matter-of-fact. “You two can do what you want.”
“Are you serious?” Lorna asked. “You would leave us out here?”
Donnie seemed to know better than to agree with his girlfriend after the stunt he’d pulled.
Amy craned her neck around enough to glare at Lorna. When someone shows you who they are, believe them.
Lorna shrank against Donnie. As much as Amy couldn’t imagine needing anyone else to that degree, Knox’s explanation of what real love looked like seemed better all the time. Strange though, because he wasn’t the kind of person who she expected to contemplate the subject. Then again, he’d always been tightlipped about his thoughts, his life.
All she knew for certain was that his dad was a selfish prick who drank too much and passed out on the sofa most nights. As tight as money had been after Amy’s father’s death, her mom always made room for Knox at the dinner table. Was that the only reason he had food?
“Grab onto my pack with both hands, stay close, and keep your eyes on the back of my head,” Knox advised.
Amy immediately obliged before Knox led them into the water. She stared at the murky water, looking for danger. She wasn’t sure what to look for aside from the tarantulas. A fin? Were there sharks in these waters? Waist deep, Amy searched for any topic to focus on besides the water or what might be lurking beneath.
Sex. No. Although it was bound to pop into her thoughts this close to Knox. Even dirty and smelling like the jungle, the man was hot. How on earth did he manage to pull that off?
So, no sex.
Correction, not no sex ever. Just no sex right now.
Her brain was traveling down a road that didn’t need to be visited right now.
However, it was distracting her. So, mission accomplished there.
What else could she think about?
Food. No. Thinking about food only made her hungrier. They’d either depleted the food supply or were close and Knox felt the need to ration what was left in case they got lost.
No thinking about dwindling food supplies or getting lost. Those topics sent her stress levels soaring and, frankly, were depressing.
Christmas. Christmas was a safe topic. Amy loved Christmas. The whole holiday season was magical. Gifts were one thing. After her father died, money had been tight but her mother managed to keep the house until Amy graduated high school, keep food on the table, and find a way to ensure presents were under the tree every year.
Looking back, she wondered if tight funds had anything to do with the reason Garrett went into the military rather than go to college. He’d never talked about it growing up. Knox, on the other hand, had made it clear he was signing up the minute he could. He wanted to get away from his father without taking any of his money.
When she was younger, she didn’t understand his stance in the same way it resonated with her now. Knox and his father were always at odds. She had no idea where his mother was or how she played into the equation. Was she still alive? Because she never visited. Did he talk to her? Because he never once mentioned her.
Something brushed against Amy’s leg. She sucked in a breath. Panic gripped her. She squeezed the pack so hard her hands hurt and her knuckles turned white.
“You’re okay,” Knox soothed. “Just underbrush.”
“You felt it too?”
He nodded.
Amy released the breath she’d been holding. Too late. Her mind already shifted to focusing on the water that had risen to above her waist.
“We’re still going the wrong way,” Donnie huffed from behind.
“Feel free to break off at any time,” Knox shot back. “But in the meantime, I need you to keep your trap closed.”
Nothing looked familiar as Amy glanced around. Then again, she’d traveled to the Flooded Forest at night. Monkey calls filled the air. Amy’s heart nearly stopped beating. Were they crossing a tribe’s hunting spot? A common area for drug drops? Or something more sinister? It would be so easy to make a dead body disappear in the jungle without a trace.
Icy fingers gripped her spine, sending cold chills through her nervous system. Making it out of this jungle alive seemed like beating impossible odds. All her hopes were riding on Knox but could he stop a snake from striking? A spider from biting? His mosquito spray worked miracles against those blood suckers but there wasn’t a spray to protect against everything, least of all losing her heart twice to the same man. There might be a spark in his eyes when he looked at her but was it enough to act on? Or would he simply disappear again when—or if—they made it out of here alive?
Knox’sfirst priority was keeping the group calm. He’d chosen the water route to avoid areas with questionable local tribes or mercenaries. Out here in the river, they had a chance. On land, probably not so much. At the very least, they would be split up. His dark side didn’t mind breaking away from Donnie and Lorna. But he wouldn’t abandon them no matter how inconvenient it was to travel with four instead of two. Two made them nimble. Four started getting in the way, slowing progress. Opinions were one of the reasons. Everyone had one. Donnie wasn’t shy about his dissent.
When Knox really thought about it, the man was lucky to be alive. No two ways about it.
Having Amy close kept his stress levels at a more even tone. She calmed his nerves in ways he hadn’t known since he was a kid.
I got this, Garrett. I’ll get her to safety.
The others would benefit from Knox’s commitment to his friend. So be it. At this point, Knox wasn’t going to be picky.
Glancing across the bank, he saw what he’d been looking for and a wave of relief washed over him. Except for one fact. They were going to have to swim across. Knox didn’t swim. He glanced up and around, searching for something else he could use to get across the water. The water was higher than usual. He’d almost missed the arrow tree because of it. The tips stuck out. Barely. He’d been here before.
Could he swim across? The annoying voice in the back of his mind pointed out that he didn’t have much choice. Amy was cold and he needed to get her into dry clothes. The Yanomami resisted the outside world and still fought for their survival and to keep their lands. They’d saved Knox’s life once when he found himself in this jungle, shot, flat on his back. They’d taken him in, fed him, and then released him.
Would they extend their aid to him now? He’d been alone back then, separated from the others in his unit. Mosquitoes had feasted on him until tribe members had rubbed plants leaves on his skin. Other plants healed the swollen bites. Their self-sufficiency against all odds impressed him. They were survivors of one of the harshest environments. On a different level, he could relate.
Knox turned around to face Amy. “Trust me?”
“I’ll say yes for argument’s sake.” Amy’s forehead creased and she cocked her head to one side.
“Swim over there.” He pointed to the opposite bank.
“Seriously?” she asked with a surprising amount of calm in her voice. But then, he remembered she used to swim like a fish in her parent’s backyard pool. Knox, on the other hand, couldn’t be bribed to dunk his head underwater. The closest he came was to sitting on the edge. Even that brought back horrific memories of his dad forcing his head underwater in the tub for the slightest infraction. His old man had been brought up by a strict pastor as a father. Despite cutting ties, Knox’s dad seemed eager to carry on the punishment traditions. Kneeling on grains of rice in the kitchen for hours had topped the list until Knox got old enough for his father to deem a punching bag. The old man would pass out by eight or nine o’clock every evening, then wake up at the crack of dawn to dole out chores while he sat at the kitchen table drinking coffee and barking out orders. Basic training was like a trip to Disneyland compared to the home where Knox grew up.
“Don’t do it,” Lorna warned. “It’s reckless.”
Spite might be the reason Amy looked inclined to tell Lorna to go to hell. Swimming, crossing to the other side would be one sure way to thumb her nose at her friend.
“It’s fine,” Amy said before shocking the hell out of Knox and going for it. The current pushed her downstream farther than he liked.
But now, he had no choice but to push past his own fears and swim. You might not be a FROG but you know how to swim. You can do this. You have to now that Amy is on the other side, exposed.
The mental pep talk was enough to push through. Overthinking would plant him where he stood. So, he didn’t. He took in a deep breath, counted down from five, and then paddled like hell until he touched the opposite bank. Grabbing hold of a vine, he forced a calm he didn’t feel before hoisting himself out of the water.
He’d flown across the river like a bullet, so Amy was a little farther downriver. He stood up and waved the couple across. Lorna looked like she might throw up. Donnie’s head was turned to her, and he was spewing out words that made her tense and shrink. Seeing her being berated—and that was the only explanation—made his fists clench.
Once this was over, he planned to have a talk with Lorna about her options and getting the help she needed. Donnie might not be throwing punches but his mental abuse sickened Knox. All abuse sent white-hot anger through Knox. Anger that he’d spent the better part of his adult life trying to reconcile. Which was the only reason he wouldn’t take Donnie out into the jungle and beat the hell out of the man. Using violence to teach a lesson or punish someone revealed weakness in the abuser.
No way in hell was Knox going to be like his old man.
Lorna shook her head. Amy called to her friend, who took a step away from Donnie. That was the first good sign Knox had seen so far that she might listen to reason. The best thing to do with an asshole like Donnie was bleed him out. Give him zero attention. His ego wanted to be the center. To hell with that. Remove oxygen and the fire dies out. Path of least resistance and it had the unexpected benefit of annoying the recipient.
Win-win.
“Just swim to me, Lorna,” Amy called out. “Keep your eyes on me. I’m right here.”
Lorna nodded and then made her move. Something must have brushed against her leg halfway across because she literally caught fire. Lorna made it to Amy, who held tight to a vine as she leaned into the water.
A splash, both women’s heads dipping under water, had Knox gunning toward them as fast as his legs could carry him. Where were they? Where’d they go? Swept away in the current?
Donnie shouted. Damn him for drawing attention they didn’t need right now.
Without overthinking, Knox went in after Amy and Lorna at the spot where they disappeared. By the time he made it, their heads popped up fifteen feet downriver, maybe twenty. Shit.
Determination kicked in. Knox sliced arms through the water, pushing hard, kicking like a wild. Water chugged up his nose, causing him to cough. There was no time to stop. Lorna and Amy were struggling with something.
Anaconda?
Shit.That wouldn’t be welcomed news. Arms flailing, heads dunking, the ladies were being carried farther downriver. He needed to pick up the pace. Swimming until his arms went numb, he reached them as both went under. Pulling them up caused his head to dunk. Water was everywhere, ears, eyes, nose. Throat.
Knox broke the surface long enough to take a deep breath. He could only hold his breath for roughly a minute and a half. That had been his record when he’d tried to push past his fear of drowning. He couldn’t say the attempts worked, but he could swim when there was no other choice. Not that it was easy. Turned out, some fears were buried so deep it was next to impossible to reach them.
Amy eased into his grasp, whereas Lorna was in complete panic mode. She flailed. Her fingers struggled for purchase, grabbing anything and everything, including his hair. At this rate, she was going to force him below the water’s surface and drown him.
Panic gripped him as he felt the ability to hold in air slip out of his grasp. Take in a breath down here and it was all over. Then again, he wouldn’t take a breath. His brain would fight against the idea long enough to pass out. Then, he’d take in a breath and drown.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
He struggled to fight Lorna enough to keep both of their heads above water.
Amy must have caught on to the fact he was struggling because her muscles coiled, and then she struck like a King cobra. A second later, Lorna’s body went limp and the pressure she’d been putting on Knox lifted enough for him to break the surface.
As soon as his head jutted out of the water, he gasped for air. He couldn’t get his arms and legs to work right. The current threatened to drag him under again.
“You’re okay,” Amy soothed through labored breaths. “Breathe, Knox. Breathe.”
Those words had a calming effect on him, giving him the reprieve he needed to shock his nervous system back into operating mode. Finally, his arms listened to his brain’s instructions and moved. His legs followed suit next.
“Grab her right side,” Amy said before choking on a mouthful of water herself.
Between the two of them, they could keep Lorna’s head above water long enough to get her to shore. Hopefully, she would stay knocked out so she wouldn’t fight them.
With Lorna in the middle, they managed to swim to the riverbank and then wrap her in a vine to keep her head and half of her torso safely above water. Knox had enough strength left to help push Amy out of the water. She immediately grabbed hold of a vine and then extended a hand back to pull him out.
With a heave, he pulled his heavy body—soaked from head to toe—from the rushing water.
Once they were safe on land, they managed to pull the vine holding Lorna toward them. Knox reached for her, missed, and almost fell into the water.
“Swing the vine,” he said to Amy. At this point, her friend was just out of reach. She was unconscious, so no help. With him on one side and Amy on the other, they managed to swing the vine enough for him to grab hold of Lorna’s still-limp body. With his last ounce of strength, he pulled her to shore, untangled her, and then eased her onto the ground.
Knox wouldn’t allow himself to think she might be already dead. He noted that Donnie was nowhere to be found.
At this point, Knox didn’t care.
Amy was crumpled on her side, watching, gasping for air like she’d just run a marathon in record time.
Knox sat down hard before lying back. He clasped his hands on top of his head like a runner to open his airway, allowing in oxygen. Even sitting up required too much energy, so he didn’t try.
All he could do was heave for air and hope like hell there were no predators around, ready to strike.