At the river, I should have told Hunter no more when he suggested he needed to change his tone around me. But I was in his arms, and all I wanted was him.
He's still all I want. But I don't want him to change who he is or how he acts around me. Hunter embodies all that is sinfully alpha male. It's what attracts me to him. And he deserves better than someone he feels he needs to "tone it down" to be with.
Maybe he shouldn't have gotten into it with Julieta, but I can understand why he's frustrated. All of us have our secrets, and none of us are willing to tell them, in fear it will make things worse.
Hunter and the rest of the guys are problem solvers. It's in their blood. And Julieta doesn't ever back down. So I can't fault him for being upset.
Naomi comes into the tent. "What's wrong?"
I wipe my eyes. "I had a horrible panic attack."
She puts her hand on my shoulder. "Are you okay?"
I force a smile. "Yes. I'm fine now."
"Have you had them before?"
"Before I was abducted. Where have you been?"
"I went to wash up in the river."
"With Andre?"
"Yes."
"Did he say where they are dropping us off?"
Naomi swallows hard. "Everyone goes back to their home countries, except me. I'm being taken to the U.S."
Panic rises. "What? I can't stay in Belize. And why would you go to the U.S.?"
"I'm not sure. I can't figure it out."
"Emilia isn't going to the U.S., either?" I ask.
"No."
"Andre didn't say why?"
Naomi's frown deepens. "He doesn't know, and Interpol won't tell him. It's above his pay grade, apparently."
"Seriously?"
"Yep." She arches her eyebrows.
"What are we going to do?"
She shakes her head. "I'm not sure, but the plane isn't scheduled to pick us up until tomorrow. So there's a small window of time to figure it out."
I twist my fingers and rack my brain about what to do.
"Have you eaten breakfast?" Naomi asks.
"No."
"Let's go eat. Andre said it's important we get food in our bellies."
"Okay."
We step outside the tent, and I immediately scan the campground for Hunter, but I don't see him anywhere. Everyone else is eating pancakes, and Dirk is roasting several things on a stick.
"Where's Hunter?" I quietly ask Zoe.
She gives me a sympathetic smile. "He took off into the woods."
"What?"
She shrugs.
I glance around to see if I can see him in the trees, but I can't. My pulse increases again.
Oh jeez. Calm down. I can't have another panic attack just because he needed to get away from me.
Andre approaches and hands me a plate of pancakes. "Have some breakfast, Vanessa."
I take a deep breath, and he motions for me to sit on one of the stumps. I take a bite and groan. When I finish chewing, I say, "Syrup never tasted so good."
"Save some for your meat. It'll add a nice flavor." Ryker smirks and points to Dirk's stick.
"That looks disgusting," Zoe spouts.
"It's a great protein. Even divas need protein." Dirk scowls.
Zoe rolls her eyes. "I'm not eating that."
"But what is it?" I ask.
"Jungle rat," Ryker says.
"So gross," Zoe complains.
"How do you know?" Dirk replies.
"Fourteen months with the cartel and lots of uncooked, nasty things thrown down the hole."
"I just put my best seasoning on this." Dirk claims, insulted.
Zoe snorts.
Andre quietly says to Naomi, "It's protein. Make sure you get some."
She nods. "Okay."
When Dirk gets done, he dices it up with his knife and portions it into twelve.
"Where's Hunter?" Andre asks.
I shift on the stump and look at the dirt.
Dirk says, "I asked him to go check my traps while I cooked."
"Okay. Who wants to go into town and pick up supplies for the ladies?"
"I'm in," Dirk volunteers.
"Me, too," Axel says.
"Whoa! This is hot!" Emilia's face turns bright red.
Malin hands her water. "Dip it in the syrup. It'll counteract some of the spices."
Penelope clears her throat. "Hand me water, too, please."
"Little easier on the spices next time might be good," Malin says to Dirk.
"It's not that hot."
"I don't think it's hot, either," Zoe says.
"See! Even the diva is good with it."
Zoe glares at him.
Since I don't know where I'm going or when I'll eat next, I roll all of Dirk's rat in syrup, fold it in my pancake, and dip the carb in more sugar.
"It's not that bad," I tell Dirk. "Little hot but better than most of the stuff I've eaten the last eight months."
"Thank you, Vanessa." He smirks at everyone.
We finish breakfast, and I spend the rest of the morning pacing the camp near the edge of the jungle, waiting for Hunter to return. I don't understand why Naomi is going to the U.S. but the rest of us are supposed to go to our home countries. And I wonder how to get out of Belize.
Hunter is gone for hours. When he finally steps out of the trees, I'm relieved to see him. I'm on the other side of the camp and want to talk to him. I'm not sure I should or what I'd say if I did. But Andre marches over to him, and they get into a long conversation, preventing me from talking to him anyway.
Dirk and Axel return with bags full of shoes, clothes, and bikinis for all of us. The other girls take theirs and go off to the river to swim with the guys. I sit down next to Naomi, and she hands me a royal-blue bikini.
We try to figure out our current predicament when Andre's voice booms, "We have a question."
I jump. "What's that?"
Hunter and Andre sit down on the ground across from us.
Hunter glances at me but then focuses on Naomi.
"What do you two both know? Maybe if we look at what is different, we can figure out why Vanessa is supposed to return to the Belizean government and Naomi isn't," Andre says.
I twist my hair tight around my finger. "I already know why they want me back."
"Why?" Hunter asks. And when his eyes catch mine, I know he isn't going to like what comes out of my mouth next.
"Carlos Garcia. He isn't going to let me go. He wants to marry me and won't stop until he does."
Hunter's jaw clenches. "But you told him no?"
I can't look at him. I quietly say, "He didn't take the rejection very well."
"What did he do to you?" Hunter growls.
I jump.
"Sorry," Hunter says, and guilt fills me that I once again am making him feel bad about being himself.
I trace my finger in the dirt. "Nothing I want to talk about. But if I were with him, I would have been forced to marry him by now."
Rage radiates off Hunter. His breathing is like a snarl.
He's so angry.