WAR: Disruption (23 page)

Finally, after ten minutes of searching, she located a break in the trees wide enough for the Jeep to fit through. She continued driving deep inside the shelter of the trees until she felt confident no one on the road would see them. With any luck, the tracks she’d left on the road would smooth out before anyone came looking for them. Hoping they were safe, she parked for the night and forced herself to eat a little of their nearly non-existent food supplies.

It was odd. A month ago, her biggest concern had been weathering the stares of the people at the grocery store when they saw her scars. Despite her emergency training, that girl had never been directly exposed to violence beyond Agatha’s attack. She would never have imagined that soon she’d be driving through the jungle, on the run from violent rebels, and caring for a wounded, feverish man by herself.

Yes, she was scared. Who wouldn’t be? Her life was in danger. Yet at the same time, the fact that she’d gotten Max out of that crater by herself filled her with pride. She wasn’t nearly as useless outside of the dance world as she’d thought. She was strong and adaptable. Maybe she
could
find another career that would fill the empty space in her soul where dance had always lived.

But what about Max?

That was the million dollar question, wasn’t it? Because the thought of saying good-bye to him at the end of this adventure threatened to bring on another panic attack.

Just take it a day at a time. Don’t borrow trouble.

Telling herself it would all work out, she crawled into the back, snuggled up next to Max, and fell into an uneasy sleep.

Day Eight

MAX JERKED BACK to consciousness and opened his eyes. Where—?

Rucksacks. Bags of supplies. Sleeping bags. Right. He was in the Jeep’s cargo compartment. The surface underneath him jolted as the Jeep bumped over the rough road. Pain slammed into him the next second. His ribs, lower back, and leg all hurt, reminding him of what he’d been through. His head ached. His mouth was parchment dry and had a faintly chalky taste, as if someone had fed him medicine.

Emily. Rebels. Crater.

Hell. How long had he been out? Hours? Days? The gray, watery light made it hard to tell what time of day it was.

“Em?” he croaked. But even to his own ears the sound was barely audible.

Okay, then. He’d just have to drag his sorry ass up to the passenger compartment. And he’d get right on that once his head stopped throbbing so fiercely. After a few minutes, he attempted to raise his hand, thinking he could hold on to one of the rucksacks and pull himself upright, but although he strained to move, his body remained stubbornly stationary.

All right. He’d rest a bit more and then try again. He waited, using every technique he knew in order to ignore the pain from his various injuries, but without much success. A little voice that sounded remarkably like Rene’s chastised him for pushing himself too far. Yeah, it didn’t take a smug doctor to tell him that he’d used up all of his reserves. At this point he felt so weak, he wondered if he’d ever move again.

Yes. I. Will.

He tried once more to lift his hand, but the effort proved too much. Blackness engulfed him.

The next time he woke up, the Jeep wasn’t moving and it was pitch dark. “Em?” His voice, though still quiet, seemed to echo in the interior. Worse, he didn’t hear Emily’s breathing.

Panic beat through him. “Em?” he called louder.

Still no answer.

Had Dietrich’s men found her? The rebels? Was this how it was going to end? Left alone to starve to death in the back of a Jeep? While the rebels or Dietrich did God only knows what to Emily?

Failure. Always letting down the ones you love.

Hell, no. He had to sit up. Had to—

A door opened. Because they’d kept the overhead light turned off, he couldn’t see who it was. “Em?” he tried again.

“Max?”

Seconds later, the cargo compartment door opened and Emily appeared in front of him. “Oh, my God, you’re finally awake!”

She grinned and scrambled into the cargo compartment, then placed a quick kiss on his mouth. She pulled away too soon and sat beside him. “How are you feeling?”

He tried licking his lips so he could speak louder, but found he didn’t have enough moisture in his mouth. Luckily for him, she understood.

“Right. Water.” Putting her arm under his neck and shoulders, she raised his head until it rested against his rucksack, then held his water bottle to his lips. “Drink as much as you want. While you were unconscious, I found a stream and replenished our supply.” She grinned at him. “I love these quick-filter bottles.”

The warm, slightly flat water tasted like ambrosia. Knowing he had to take it slow, he didn’t suck down the great gulps that his body demanded, instead allowing his parched tissues to soak it in gradually. When his head started to spin from being upright, he closed his eyes and turned his head away.

“Max?”

“Give me a sec. Dizzy.”

“Do you want to lie back down? Are you in a lot of pain?”

“No. Not lying down. Pain not important.”

Emily snorted. Max opened his eyes and saw her shaking her head in exasperation. “Max, you have cracked ribs, a knife wound, the equivalent of a stab wound in your thigh, a gouge on your forehead deep enough to worry me, and numerous other cuts, scrapes, and bruises. You’ve been unconscious and running a fever for the past two days. So, any macho man points you think you’re earning by pretending you’re fine have long since expired.”

She held his gaze. Max fought the urge to squirm as the look intensified, threatening to rip out all of his darkest secrets. He didn’t want Emily knowing the worst about him. That he wasn’t some hero. That he stumbled along, trying to do the best he could, but always failing the ones he loved or respected.

He cleared his throat and tore his glance away. Searched for something to say to break the tension. But Emily beat him to it.

She reached forward and touched the back of her hand to his forehead. “Better.” She sat back on her heels, then held up a baggie containing several bottles of pills. “I’ve been feeding you water laced with aspirin, your pain medication, and your antibiotics. But now that you’re awake, you can take them yourself.”

He glared at the pills. No wonder his head felt muzzy. It was the pain medication. “Dammit, you know I hate pain meds. Just give me the antibiotic.”

She rolled her eyes and shook three pills onto her palm. “Compromise. Two aspirins and one antibiotic. Happy?”

In answer, he swallowed the pills and washed them down with some water. Man, he felt more stable already. Amazing what effect being upright and hydrated had on his body. “Where are we? What’s been going on?”

Emily glanced away. “I’ll explain everything, but first we need to get moving.”

Wait. Was that guilt in her voice? Dammit, what was she hiding?

“Do you want to rest some more?” she asked.

“Hell, no.” He felt too helpless lying back here, cut off from seeing what was in front of them.

Emily rolled her eyes and gave him a wry smile. “Okay, then. Let’s see if we can get you up front. Uh—” She bit her lip. “Do you need to…ah…answer nature’s call first?”

The instant the words left her mouth, his bladder sent up an emergency flare. “Yeah. Thanks.”

“All right.”

She eased him out of the cargo compartment and to his horror the simple act of getting vertical made the world spin. He clutched the edge of the door and held on for dear life so he didn’t face plant on the ground. When he finally felt a bit steadier, he admitted, “I…ah…” He cleared his throat. “I’m not going to be able to make it into the woods.”

“No problem. I’ll be up front. Holler if you need help.”

Relieved that she understood his dilemma, he took care of business. Then Emily helped him into the passenger seat.

She pulled the night vision goggles over her eyes and put the Jeep in gear. As the vehicle lurched forward, Max could just make out that they were in the jungle.

 
“So where are we?”

“We’re just outside of my homestay village.”

“What do you mean your homestay village? Dammit, Emily, you were supposed to head for the border.”

She turned her head toward him and he knew she was glaring at him beneath the goggles. “I
did
try for the border. But that first evening I saw a bunch of those rebel troop transports down the road, so I had to hide in the jungle.”

“So? You still should have headed north. God, don’t you understand by now how much danger we’re in?”

She gave an angry hiss before returning her attention to their path. “I tried to head north, Max. I really did. But the jungle at that point was too thick. I barely managed to find a place to enter the jungle from the road. Trying to navigate the tangle of dense bushes and close trees was a nightmare. Every time I tried to get back to the main road, I had to make so many detours that I got lost.”

“Why didn’t you call for help?”

She gestured angrily at the sat phone. “I couldn’t get a signal under the thick canopy.” She sniffed and swiped a hand under her nose. “By the time I remembered the compass on your watch, I was already so far off course I’d almost reached the road to my homestay.”

“We’re not stopping there.”

Her shoulders jerked up. Oh, no.

“I already did. I just got back.”

“Goddammit, Em!”

“What? I’m not a complete idiot. I snuck in. Prudence, my homestay mother, was the only one who saw me. She wished me luck and gave me some food.” She nodded over her shoulder to the small nylon sack behind her seat. “I was only gone maybe fifteen, twenty minutes.”

“What the hell were you thinking?” She could have been hurt. Captured. Or—

“You don’t get it, do you?” Emily snapped. “You nearly
died
! Do you have any idea how scared I’ve been? How tired I am of running? Of being constantly on the verge of a panic attack because I’m afraid I’ll run into a patrol of rebels and get us both killed?” She inhaled twice in rapid succession. “I’m doing the best I can, Mr. Super Soldier. I’m sorry it doesn’t meet with your approval, but we were out of food. I’ve been so on edge that I’ve barely slept in days. So yes, I took the risk and asked for help.”

“Christ, Em. I’m sorry. But—” Sweat trickled down his spine. If the rebels had been in the village, or worse, Dietrich’s men, Emily could have been captured or killed. He could have lost her. All because he’d been unconscious.

No more.

The Jeep bucked as it left the jungle and turned onto a dirt road.

“Stop the car.”

“What?” She glanced over at him.

“Stop. The car. Now.”

“Why?”

“Because you don’t fucking listen when I say there’s danger.” He reached for the wheel.

“Okay, okay. I’m stopping already. Sheesh.” Emily slammed on the brakes and Max bit back a grunt as he nearly hit the dashboard.

“Get out. I’m driving.”

“Max, don’t be ridiculous.” Emily yanked off the night vision goggles and glared at him. “You’ve been unconscious for over two days. You haven’t had anything to eat. There’s no way you’re strong enough to drive.”

“And you’ve been driving without sufficient food or rest for two days. You’re making bad decisions. Ones that might get us killed.”

She flinched.

“So I’m driving.”

“Oh, I get it,” Emily muttered. “Now that the big, bad, macho soldier is feeling better it’s time for the little woman to retreat. Is this where I’m supposed to be barefoot and in the kitchen?”

“No. It’s time for the
trained professional
to handle a potentially deadly situation.”

“Fine. Whatever.” She pushed open her door, slid sullenly out of the driver’s seat, and stomped around the front of the Jeep.

Max had just put his hand on the door handle when several men holding AK-47’s stepped into the road. Two of the men turned on flashlights, revealing that they were dressed in civilian clothing.

Emily froze.

Another man stepped out of the jungle, seized Emily’s arm, and dragged her toward the others. As he did, he let the rifle in his other hand point to the ground. The other villagers weren’t as sloppy. They pointed their weapons at Emily. None of them seem to realize yet that she wasn’t alone.

Max palmed the pistol he’d stashed between his seat and the console.

“No. Wait!” Emily struggled, but the man backhanded her, then shoved her toward the other men so hard, she tripped and fell.

A wave of fury hit Max, but he forced himself to think past it.

The man snatched a fistful of Emily’s hair and yanked her to her knees.

“What are you doing?” she cried. “You’re Ebo, aren’t you? Don’t you remember me? I’m Emily. I stayed with Madame Prudence.”

“I know who you are,
obruni
. The rebels will give us much reward money for you. Plus, we will take your vehicle.” He raised his rifle toward Emily’s head.

Max shoved open his door and pulled himself upright. The pistol felt as heavy as a sandbag as he brought it up, braced his hand on the top of the door, and fired. The man standing above Emily fell. She screamed, but had the sense to roll toward the safety of the Jeep.

The rest of the men gaped at him in shock. Yeah, they hadn’t expected Emily to have company. Or to meet lethal resistance.

Their mistake. Max fired just to the left of the nearest man, close enough that the man dropped his weapon and leapt to the side. “Let us go or I will kill another.” If, as he suspected, they’d never witnessed a shooting before, his threat should be enough. “Throw your weapons onto the road and move away.”

The men glared at him.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Emily climb to her feet. “Emily, honey, are you okay? Can you drive?”

“Yes.” With a quick glance at the dead man, she climbed behind the wheel.

“Start the engine and turn the headlights on. That will temporarily blind them.” Max shifted his grip and fired at the feet of the man he figured for the leader. “What’s your decision?” he called.

The man spat on the ground, put down his rifle, then stepped off the road. The others followed suit.