slicing through glutinous limbs until the jungle swallowed him in its deep green throat.
Mitch caught up with her. She felt his fingers secure her arm as he tugged her to a halt.
“ Tell me,” he commanded.
In the deepest shadows of the rainforest, a chill overtook Alex as she stared helplessly at the hand on her arm.
“ Tell you what?”
“ You know what it is. That place. You know what it is.”
Once again, in Mitch’s eyes Alex saw refuge. How much she longed to slip into these lagoons and engulf herself in their secret depths. But even her precious lagoons harbored crocodiles.
She did not want to hypothesize on the giant cement exclamation point that proved what a mistake she had made.
“ No,” she answered.
“ Alex.”
She could sense his frustration before she heard him add, “What are you going to do?”
He knew she was withholding something, and yet instead of pushing, he simply asked, what are you going to do ? It nearly made her feel a connection with this man−as if he was an unexpected ally in a world where no one was trusted.
Her throat constricted. “I will protect them.”
***
It was an unconditional statement. Mitch watched the resolve on her face and realized that Alex would go to any length to assure the safety of her team, and the notion didn’t sit well with him.
“ How?” he challenged. “Alex, my career has kept me in close quarters with places like that,” his arm swung back towards the underbrush. “They saw us. Trust me. You think we were discreet? Don’t anticipate that.”
There wasn’t even a flinch. Not a single indication that she was afraid. Calm eyes assessed him.
“ I am not a fool,” she whispered. “Obviously that structure is not on any of our maps, but I’ve spent the better part of a year down here. I have my suspicions as to who inhabits it. It was a tactical mistake to be in this region. A mistake I am quickly going to resolve.”
“ Who do you think it is?”
She shrugged. “Guatemala hosts any number of denizens. Poachers, looters, drug runners. What am I supposed to do, curl up in the fetal position? You don’t make historical discoveries in the fetal position.” She didn’t wait for a response. “When I had a home, I lived in Sarasota. I could go to the 7-Eleven and run into poachers, looters and drug runners in the parking lot.”
“ But in that 7-Eleven parking lot you could scream for help.” Mitch looked up at the canopy of trees obscuring the sun. “Here in the jungle, no one is going to hear you.”
“ Do you want me to say that I’m scared?” There was an edge to her voice. She glanced into the tunnel Chuck had forged. “Even if I were, I can’t let them see that. They’re depending on me to keep them safe.”
Mitch followed her line of vision through that channel and located the flash of red and gold charging through the brush far ahead.
He turned back to her. “Look at me.”
Alex stared into the jungle.
“ Look at me,” he commanded.
Verdant irises slid in his direction.
“ Who is going to keep you safe, Alexandra?”
C hapter Four
After so many years of snubbing support, why did Mitch’s husky question disturb her so much?
“ The same person that always does.”
It was impossible to stand confined in the shadows with this man and not be wholly affected by him. He made her feel small and unbalanced.
“ And as far as this group goes,” her voice thickened with emotion. “I will send every damn one of them home if I think they’re in danger. As a matter of fact, that is what I’m going to do.”
Mitch looked at her as if she was either full of it−or perhaps it was respect she saw in his eyes. “But I will not leave here.”
An annoyed snort was his only response.
Alex persisted. “I really don’t know what you’ve done in your career—the places you’ve been. I had a brief verbal bio presented to me by Phillip. Yeah, it sounded impressive. Yes, I have heard that most of
Mitch caught up with her. She felt his fingers secure her arm as he tugged her to a halt.
“ Tell me,” he commanded.
In the deepest shadows of the rainforest, a chill overtook Alex as she stared helplessly at the hand on her arm.
“ Tell you what?”
“ You know what it is. That place. You know what it is.”
Once again, in Mitch’s eyes Alex saw refuge. How much she longed to slip into these lagoons and engulf herself in their secret depths. But even her precious lagoons harbored crocodiles.
She did not want to hypothesize on the giant cement exclamation point that proved what a mistake she had made.
“ No,” she answered.
“ Alex.”
She could sense his frustration before she heard him add, “What are you going to do?”
He knew she was withholding something, and yet instead of pushing, he simply asked, what are you going to do ? It nearly made her feel a connection with this man−as if he was an unexpected ally in a world where no one was trusted.
Her throat constricted. “I will protect them.”
***
It was an unconditional statement. Mitch watched the resolve on her face and realized that Alex would go to any length to assure the safety of her team, and the notion didn’t sit well with him.
“ How?” he challenged. “Alex, my career has kept me in close quarters with places like that,” his arm swung back towards the underbrush. “They saw us. Trust me. You think we were discreet? Don’t anticipate that.”
There wasn’t even a flinch. Not a single indication that she was afraid. Calm eyes assessed him.
“ I am not a fool,” she whispered. “Obviously that structure is not on any of our maps, but I’ve spent the better part of a year down here. I have my suspicions as to who inhabits it. It was a tactical mistake to be in this region. A mistake I am quickly going to resolve.”
“ Who do you think it is?”
She shrugged. “Guatemala hosts any number of denizens. Poachers, looters, drug runners. What am I supposed to do, curl up in the fetal position? You don’t make historical discoveries in the fetal position.” She didn’t wait for a response. “When I had a home, I lived in Sarasota. I could go to the 7-Eleven and run into poachers, looters and drug runners in the parking lot.”
“ But in that 7-Eleven parking lot you could scream for help.” Mitch looked up at the canopy of trees obscuring the sun. “Here in the jungle, no one is going to hear you.”
“ Do you want me to say that I’m scared?” There was an edge to her voice. She glanced into the tunnel Chuck had forged. “Even if I were, I can’t let them see that. They’re depending on me to keep them safe.”
Mitch followed her line of vision through that channel and located the flash of red and gold charging through the brush far ahead.
He turned back to her. “Look at me.”
Alex stared into the jungle.
“ Look at me,” he commanded.
Verdant irises slid in his direction.
“ Who is going to keep you safe, Alexandra?”
C hapter Four
After so many years of snubbing support, why did Mitch’s husky question disturb her so much?
“ The same person that always does.”
It was impossible to stand confined in the shadows with this man and not be wholly affected by him. He made her feel small and unbalanced.
“ And as far as this group goes,” her voice thickened with emotion. “I will send every damn one of them home if I think they’re in danger. As a matter of fact, that is what I’m going to do.”
Mitch looked at her as if she was either full of it−or perhaps it was respect she saw in his eyes. “But I will not leave here.”
An annoyed snort was his only response.
Alex persisted. “I really don’t know what you’ve done in your career—the places you’ve been. I had a brief verbal bio presented to me by Phillip. Yeah, it sounded impressive. Yes, I have heard that most of
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