Hector, on the other hand, looked as if he might throw up. “Was that really necessary?”
“They wanted to go into the bathroom,” Wade replied, a hint of irritation in his voice. “I didn’t see you springing forward with a better idea to stop them.”
“Great. That’s just fucking great.” Hector’s hands gestured wildly as he spoke, while the vein on his temple looked ready to burst. “Mexican prisons suck, you know that, right? Do you have any idea how much time you could serve for two counts of battery against a law enforcement officer?”
“No, and we’re not hanging around to find out.” Wade crossed the room, unzipped one of the backpacks, pulled out a thick, silver roll of duct tape, and tossed it to Hope. “Tie them up, and be quick about it; we’re leaving in five.”
“But it’ll be dark in a few hours.” That didn’t give them a whole lot of time before they’d have to stop for the night.
“What’s your point?” He smirked. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid of the dark.”
“Of course not.” That wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth either. Under normal conditions, she wasn’t afraid of the dark, but she had been scared to death out there all alone, especially at night when she couldn’t see more than a foot or two in front of her face. Not that she’d ever admit that to him. He’d probably laugh at her.
“Then we need to move.” Wade crossed to one of the mattress pads, unzipped it, and pulled out a shotgun. He clipped a black nylon strap to the gun and slung it over his shoulder. “You don’t want to be around when these guys wake up.”
Well, he had a point there. Spending time in a Mexican prison sounded almost as bad as going back to the compound. She crouched beside one of the policemen, checked his vitals to make sure he wasn’t more than unconscious, and then bound his wrists and ankles with the tape. For good measure, she placed a strip over his mouth to prevent him from calling for help.
“If you want,” Hector said, “I can run to the store for supplies while you two finish up here.”
“Good idea.” Wade looked to Hope. “How many days did it take you to get here from the compound?”
“About five, but we might be able to make it in four now that I know the way.”
Wade shifted his gaze back to Hector. “Let’s go with ten days’ rations for three people, water purification tablets, and sunscreen. Oh, and insect repellent. Maybe some ponchos in case it rains.”
“I’ll see what they have. Think we need more ammo?”
“No, we should have enough. Any more would just weigh us down. We can restock after we bring her to the consulate.”
Well, at least that meant he intended to keep his end of the bargain. Then again, he might have just said that for her benefit. Either way, she didn’t have much choice at this point but to follow through with their arrangement.
With a soft click, the door closed behind Hector, and an awkward silence filled the room.
Hope went back to work, staying focused on her task, probably using too much tape on the cops but she figured it was better than having them escape before they were safely out of town. That probably meant she was an accessory to battery and false imprisonment, and for a moment she wondered if Mexican prison uniforms were orange, and how she’d look in one.
All the while, she could feel Wade’s gaze boring into her, and she resisted the urge to glance up until she was finished with the second cop. She tore the tape, checked the cops’ vitals one more time, and then brought the roll over to Wade.
With a grunt, he stuffed the tape into his pack and yanked the zipper closed. Then he tipped his head up, his gaze locked on her, and it was all she could do not to squirm. “Hector doesn’t trust you. He thinks this might be a setup. Is he right?”
A sliver of fear chilled her blood. “What? No, of course not.”
“That’s good. I’ve never harmed a woman before. But if I learn you’re working for Aranza…”
He didn’t finish the sentence. Didn’t need to. The cold, steely glint in his eyes told her more than she needed to know.
Chapter 4
The insect repellant seemed to act more like a marinade, and after a day in the sweltering jungle, Wade’s face, neck, and hands were dotted with bites.
He swatted at yet another insect and grimaced at the smear of blood left behind on his hand. As far as the bugs were concerned, he and Hector were an all-you-can-eat buffet. Fortunately, he’d had enough sense to wear pants and a long-sleeve shirt, though they made him sweat like a pig, or his legs and arms would be just as bitten up.
For some reason, the bugs didn’t seem to be nearly as interested in Hope. She only had a few noticeable marks on her exposed forearms and face. Maybe she’d won the mosquito lottery, or her body didn’t emit the chemical compounds that the insects found irresistible.
Or maybe, just maybe, it was because of the ice in her veins.
She’d barely spoken since they left town, only giving one- or two-word responses to anything he or Hector said. To be fair, he understood her resentment. If their positions were reversed, he’d feel the same way.
But that wasn’t his problem; he didn’t have room in his life for understanding. He was here for a purpose, and come hell or high water, he wasn’t going back to the States until Aranza was brought to justice. Or fitted for a casket. Either option was fine by him.
He tossed a glance over his shoulder to Hector, who brought up the rear. Sweat beaded the older man’s brow; his face was flushed from exertion, while his cargo pants and T-shirt were shellacked to his skin. He’d been on the quiet side as well, though that might have been because he wasn’t accustomed to this much physical exertion.
As Wade turned his head forward, he almost plowed into Hope, who’d stopped dead in her tracks, her brows drawn down in a frown.
In an instant, his senses went on full alert, while his right hand reached for the stock of his shotgun. “What’s wrong?”
She shook her head. “Nothing. I’m just trying to find something that looks familiar.”
Aw, shit. “You’re lost?”
He’d had a bad feeling that something like this would happen ever since the trail they’d been hiking on narrowed to a dirt line, and then disappeared entirely. There was nothing but green as far as the eye could see. Tall, thick trees stretched up toward the sky, their canopy blocking out most of the sun, while dense underbrush made travel a slow-going affair. Overhead, birds chattered away, unbothered by the humans below.
Hope shrugged as she fiddled with the strap of her bag. “No, not exactly.”
Just his luck—or maybe was it karma? No, he didn’t believe in that shit—to get lost in the middle of nowhere with the guide he’d blackmailed into leading them to the compound. If his brother, Nate, were here to see this, he’d laugh his fucking ass off. “Either you’re lost or you’re not. Which is it?”
Irritation flashed in Hope’s hazel eyes as she cocked one hand on her hip. “For the record, I’m a doctor, not a damn tour guide. Since I never intended to come back to this godforsaken place, I didn’t bother keeping notes. So excuse the hell out of me for not memorizing every branch and bush that I passed while running for my life.”