Rescue Me by Cherry Adair Page B

guys don't check in." He picked up the big gun and his pack. "We need to make tracks," he said, threading his arms through the straps. "Easier now that it's getting light. Drink some water as we walk." He handed her the canteen, andElizabeth sipped enough water to moisturize her dry mouth.
    "How many men were there?"
    "Only five."
    Only five . Sam didn't seem to be concerned that those men might be following them, soElizabeth presumed they were incapacitated. In this part of the world that could only mean dead.
    "I counted seventeen soldiers at the compound. If they realized that I didn't take the Jeep, do you think they'll send all of them after us? Maybe we should double back and really steal a Jeep. What do you think?"
    "First of all there were twenty soldiers. And no. We're not doubling back. By nowThadiwe has probably called in some of his palNkemidilm's people. Right now we have the advantage. Until they find those five guys back there, they won't know you aren't alone. They think they're hunting a lone woman, unprepared for this environment. That's a good thing, and to our advantage. Those guys didn't have radios or any communication devices on them. Stupid. But hey, I didn't train them. So to communicate they'd have to have gone back to base. We have a little breathing room."
    He tilted her face with a finger under her chin. His hard mouth curved into a smile. "You look like hell."
    "I'm perfectly aware of what I must look like," she said ruefully. While Sam's rugged face was bug free, she must look like the Creature from The Black Lagoon. She'd never been vain, but right now she was grateful she didn't have a mirror. God only knew what critters had glued themselves to the repellent on her skin.
     
     
    He removed a cloth from his pack, and applied it—dry—to her cheeks. "This must itch like crazy. Close your eyes. Let me get rid of the bugs at least. Grab theDEET —it's in the left side of the belt. Yeah, open it while I get rid of your passengers."
    Elizabethstood still while Sam cleaned her face, then reapplied the chemical to deter the bugs. She wanted to kiss him, but knew they had to keep going if they wanted to get away free and clear.
    The blackness of the night had lightened to a deep olive green. Now murky lime green shafts of light seeped through the dense tree canopy. It felt as though they were walking through algae-filled water. The body suit did an incredible job keeping her body temp normal, but her head was exposed to the thick steamy heat and perspiration tickled her skin and attracted insects.
    The jungle was a living entity surrounding them, the smell of dead vegetation and wet earth seemed to seep intoElizabeth 's pores. The noise level was higher now than it had been earlier, and she'd long since given up trying to identify everything making such a racket. Monkeys, insects, large and small animals.
    And her own breathing. Every time a bird called, she flinched. Not only did she hate birds, she discovered she wasn't that crazy about snakes, bugs, or mosquitoes either. Being in a rain forest wasn't exactly the best pick for a first time Grand Adventure.
    An adventurer she wasn't. Just because she wanted to be fearless and daring didn't mean she was hardwired to be so. She'd leave the adventures toKess and concentrate on her fledgling practice instead.
    If she made it back toMontana alive.
     
    Chapter Six
    Elizabethbumped into Sam's back as he came to a stopmidstride . She came around to stand beside him.
    They'd reached the river. Thank God. The water was thecolor of bad pea soup. Brownish green with unidentifiable lumps of vegetation floating on the surface. The air smelled, not unpleasantly… green , and a little like overripe fruit. Small trees and thick brush crowded the sloping banks. House plants Beth grew in little pots in her condo would thrive and flourish to gigantic proportions here.
    A thin, bright yellow snakeS'ed on the surface of the water, dragonflies, their iridescent wings