Ellie sucked in a lungful of air before her body hit the water. Immediately, the darkness of the river enveloped her. She tried not to panic as they plunged beneath the surface, but suddenly she couldn’t hear anything. Couldn’t see anything. Her only lifeline was Ryan’s hand gripping hers as they frantically tried to get away from the pirates’ boat.
Stay calm, Ellie. All you have to do is stay calm and get back to the surface.
The current was pulling them downstream, but no matter how terrified she felt, she couldn’t panic. Couldn’t let her thoughts wander to what was under the water now with them. Something knocked into her leg. Her body twisted away from it, ripping her hand loose from Ryan’s. Terror engulfed her. She opened her eyes, still disoriented by the darkness. Ryan, her only escape, was gone.
Her arms flailed in front of her as her body shifted away from the object. Something bumped into her again. Was it Ryan next to her or something else? She couldn’t tell. She needed to reach the surface, but she had no idea which way was up. Her lungs burned, her heart pounded, while fatigue swept through her limbs. Falling overboard wasn’t what was going to kill her. It was not making it to the surface. That was how people died.
Or being eaten by some carnivorous fish.
She ignored the thought. Where was Ryan?
For a split second, she was fourteen again. Jumping off the roof, then slapping hard against the water of the pool next to Ryan’s house. The water had sucked her under, leaving her unable to find the surface. Fear had flooded through her, making her mind freeze. In that moment—as foolish at it sounded—she’d been certain she was going to drown. And if she didn’t find her way to the surface of the river tonight...
Something brushed against her leg again, but this time she ignored the sensation. Seconds ticked by. Her eyes burned in the murky water as she searched for light at the surface. What had Ryan told her? Follow air bubbles to get to the surface. She opened her eyes again and forced her mind to calm. Something grabbed her arm, but this time it was Ryan, holding her hand again and pulling her with him. She took in a lungful of the humid air at the surface and felt the panic start to dissipate.
“We’re going to have to swim now,” he said, pulling her toward the dark, forested shoreline.
Moonlight hit the dark swirls of water around them, as she worked to keep up with him, but there was no time to think about what they’d just done. Jumping off a pirate ship into the Amazon River had only been part of the plan. Which was why she couldn’t let the situation paralyze her. Instead, she headed toward the shoreline beside him, kicking her legs and struggling to breathe in the precious air between strokes.
But where were the men who’d grabbed them? Had they discovered they were gone yet?
By the time they made it to the shore, the question was answered. She could hear the men shouting from their boat in the distance as they turned around and headed back up the river toward where they’d jumped off. The lights from the boat searched the water and the shoreline, but she and Ryan had already slipped into the darkness of the rain forest. She stumbled over a twisted vine as she struggled to orient herself to the new terrain. For someone who spent most of her days at her art desk—and worked out four or five days a week in the comfort of her local gym—the past few hours had stretched her physically. But at the moment it was fear and adrenaline that propelled her forward and gave her the edge she needed to keep up.
Her legs began to burn as she scrambled across the jungle floor beside Ryan. Water dripped into her eyes and ran off her chin, making her shiver despite the humidity. And even though she was out of the water, her lungs felt as if they were going to explode. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could run, but neither would she let the all-encompassing fear let her stop. Flickers of white light from the boat shimmered periodically against the trees behind them as the men searched the water and the shoreline, edging closer to where they were.
A beam of light hit the trees above them.
Ryan pulled her behind a thick tree, motioning for her to be quiet. She pressed her back against the tree, heart pounding, breathing labored. He leaned into her, as they waited for the boat to move downriver.
A minute later, he took her hand. “They’re gone. We need to go.”
They started running again, down a rambling path, making her wish she had her flashlight. But the risk was too great.
“Do you think they’ll be able to figure out where we hit the shore?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
“I don’t think so, but in case they do pick up our trail, we’ve got to keep moving.”
The eerie sounds of the jungle along with the constant swarm of mosquitoes pressed in around her as she stayed close to Ryan. Glancing back, she didn’t see the light from the river anymore, but there was still no way to know where the men were now, or if they’d stayed on the boat or decided to try to follow them into the night. But where were they supposed to escape to?
Five minutes later, she reached out for Ryan’s arm, signaling him to stop again. She pressed her hands against her thighs and fought to fill her lungs with air. Right now, all she wanted was to crash and sleep.
But that wasn’t going to happen. Not tonight anyway.
Despite the warm air, she was shivering. Her clothes were still wet.
Ryan stopped in front of her and brushed back a strand of her wet hair from her cheek. “Take a moment to catch your breath, but we need to keep going.”
She nodded, even though he probably couldn’t see. “I know.”
I need Your strength, God. I don’t know how much longer I can do this.
Because it wasn’t just this moment that had her nerves about to snap. Weeks of hiding, sleepless nights listening for sounds that they’d found her. It had left her vulnerable and anxious. Was she ever going to be able to put this behind her again and find normal? Settle down with a decent guy like Ryan, have a couple kids and live happily ever after?
Or maybe there wasn’t going to be normal again for her. Maybe this was going to be her new life.
Pushing away her rambling thoughts, the two of them started walking again, slipping through the darkness, surrounded by the constant buzz of insects. Lightning flashed in the sky, closer this time. The storm was heading their way, and from the look of the sky in the distance, rain was on its way as well. Ten minutes later, they came across an opening in the jungle. Ellie searched the tree line for signs of a village as thunder crashed above them and the first drops of rain began to fall. If they were going to get out of here, they needed to find someone—anyone—who could help. But they had no idea whom they could trust.
“Which way?” she asked.
“I have no idea, and I don’t think your map would work even if we did have it.”
Forget the map, she wished she had her phone, but that wouldn’t work here, either.
“I think we’ve lost the pirates, so we need to follow the river. That’s where we’ll find people.”
She nodded as shadows emerged into the clearing. The sound of a gun being cocked made her rip her gaze toward the right.
“Por favor—please...” She held up her hands automatically, praying they hadn’t once again run into the enemy.
* * *
Ryan grasped Ellie’s arm as she continued speaking to the man in Portuguese. He looked to be in his late teens, maybe early twenties. If it wasn’t for the weapon he held, Ryan would have considered trying to take down the man, but it wasn’t worth the chance of either of them getting shot.
“What’s he saying?” Ryan asked her.
“I told him we were grabbed by pirates. He says he knows those men. Last month they robbed him while he was out on his boat. He says they have brought fear to those who live along the water’s edge. Fear to go out at night. Fear to do anything.”
“I speak English.” The man took a step forward, then held down his gun so it wasn’t pointing at them. “My name is Diego.”
Ellie quickly introduced herself and Ryan.
“I can help. I can take you to my village. You should be safe there.”
“We don’t want to endanger you or the lives of your family.” Ellie glanced at Ryan, wondering, he was sure, how much they should tell him. “But we need to get to Manaus.”
“I can take you there myself in my boat in the morning.”
Ryan glanced at Ellie’s face, lit up for a moment by the lightning flashing overhead. There was no way to know if they could trust him or if this was another trap. If the man worked with the pirates or Yuri, they were going to end up right back where they had been.
“Why are you offering to help us?” he asked.
“Because I know who you are. I have heard rumors that there is a reward being offered for two foreigners,” he continued. “But you must understand that not everyone is willing to sell their souls for a handful of money.”
The man’s words managed to put Ryan’s concerns partially to rest. If what the man said was true, that he saw the pirates as the enemy, then that gave him motivation to help them. How much would it take for someone to be willing to turn away from their own set of ethics? The price on their heads had to be enticing. But he wasn’t sure they had any choice but to trust him. They were both tired, hungry and wet, and they wouldn’t survive long in the jungle on their own.
“What I said was true,” Diego continued. “The men out there, we call them water rats. Because not only do they take things from tourists, they steal from their own people. That is why I am willing to help you.”
“How far to your village?”
“Not far. Ten, maybe fifteen minutes.”
Diego started walking in the opposite direction from the river and from where the pirates were searching for them.
“You said you’d encountered these pirates,” Ellie said, hurrying to catch up with him. “What exactly happened?”
“I was out in my canoe fishing like I do every day. They tied me up, stole my GPS and my cell phone. I was terrified they would kill me.”
“What about the authorities?” Ryan asked as the rain picked up, though the canopy of trees above them blocked some of the downpour. “Aren’t they doing anything?”
“They try, but catching them isn’t easy. There is so much land and not enough people patrolling the river. These river bandits know this and take advantage of the situation. Some of them are even willing to take money to look the other way.”
Ryan frowned. He’d seen his own share of corruption in his line of work. In third-world countries where the oil industry was run by a network of warlords, businessmen and corrupt officials. In the end, the money itself was never seen by the people who needed it most.
“Not too long ago, five masked pirates, all armed, boarded a fuel ship and stole three thousand gallons of diesel,” Diego continued. “They also took the crew’s cash, watches and other valuables. They rob passenger ships and boats filled with cocaine. And the police rarely come into these waterways. When they do, the pirates know the river well enough to escape. It is a battle difficult—if not impossible—to win.”
Ryan slapped at a mosquito, one of hundreds, it seemed, that were buzzing around his head. He’d probably end up catching some tropical disease before this was over, but there wasn’t exactly anything he could do about the fact that his body seemed to be turning into one huge, itchy red welt. And at the moment, there were more pressing issues to deal with.
Ten minutes later, a small settlement appeared. It was designed in a circle, made up primarily of what looked like bamboo houses. He glanced around at the simple layout, lit only by a couple lanterns. More than likely there was no electricity or running water, but he hoped there would be someone who had a cell phone they could use.
Diego called out to someone inside a house. A moment later a woman in a colorful shirt and skirt appeared.
“This is my mother.” Diego quickly made introductions, then turned to the older woman. “She doesn’t speak English, but I’ve asked her to fix you something to eat.”
Within minutes, they were sitting at a rickety wooden table, and Diego’s mother was hovering over the table that was now filled with fish, bananas and boiled manioc. For the first time in hours, he realized just how hungry he was.
“This is delicious,” Ellie said, then started talking to the woman in Portuguese. The woman’s face lit up as they chatted.
“I told her what happened to you,” Diego said to Ryan. “Like me, she would do anything to help stop the men causing such panic on our river. Especially someone who threatened her little boy. She still calls me that.”
“Your English is good, Diego.” Ellie picked at a piece of fish while his mother left for the kitchen. “Where did you go to school?”
“Not here. Our village is too small to have a high school. We don’t even have electricity.” He shrugged his shoulders like it wasn’t a big deal. “We would go in my boat two hours upriver to the nearest school.”
“What was it like?”
“There are no books or desks, but students copy off the board and memorize their work. Now there is a teacher in Manaus who teaches us. We watch her lessons on a TV that we power by generators.”
“I’m impressed,” Ryan said. “What about furthering your education? There are schools in the cities you could go to.”
“I’ve thought about leaving for the city, but then who would take care of my mother and my siblings? So for now, I stay. And maybe one day, I will become a teacher.”
Ryan shifted in his seat, his own problems suddenly shoved into perspective. He’d dealt with loss, but not the never-ending need to source the basics like food and clean water. On top of that was the lack of medical care, schooling options and many things he took for granted, like running water and electricity.
Ellie slipped into the kitchen area to help Diego’s mom clean up.
“Come,” Diego said. “We can sit outside and watch the storm move past.”
Ryan took his last bite of fish, then moved onto the veranda as the sky lit up.
“Is she your girlfriend?” Diego asked, leaning against the wooden railing.
“Ellie? No. I’ve known her since we were both kids. My father sent me here to help her. Then we ran into some trouble.”
“She is pretty.”
Ryan couldn’t help but chuckle. “Yes, she is.”
He glanced at the open doorway. He could hear Ellie chatting in Portuguese, while Diego asked him a question about soccer. Ryan struggled to focus on their conversation. Ellie was pretty...beautiful, in fact. And he certainly hadn’t expected the strong feelings of attraction toward her. Not that any of that mattered. All he needed to focus on at this point was getting her safely out of the country.
* * *
A few minutes later, Ellie stepped out onto the veranda, stopping their conversation. “The rain has stopped. Diego’s mother offered their hammocks for us to sleep in tonight.”
“And in the morning, I can take you up the river,” Diego said.
Ryan nodded. All they could do now was pray that no one looking for them found them in the meantime. He slapped at a mosquito, feeling as if they were slowly going to drive him insane.
“They like you,” Diego said. “The mosquitoes.”
“Too much,” Ryan said.
“I have something that will help.” Diego stepped off the porch, dug around in the dirt a little bit, then came back with dozens of tiny ants swarming on his hand.
More ants? Ryan frowned.
“Wait a minute. Do those bite?”
“They won’t bite.” Diego started crushing the ants on his arms and rubbing them across his skin. “You can smell this?”
Ryan leaned forward and hesitantly sniffed. “I can, but this is supposed to keep away the mosquitoes?”
“Try it.”
Ellie sat down on one of the hammocks, swinging slowly back and forth with an amused grin on her face.
“You think this is funny?” he asked as he went ahead and smashed some of the ants across his arms.
“Very amusing,” she said. “Though I think I should try it as well.”
“You must trust me,” Diego said. “You will notice the mosquitoes will leave you alone now.”
“Thank you, Diego.” Ellie finished rubbing the ants across her arms. “For everything. You and your family.”
“The men who took you don’t represent who we are. I want you to know that.” Diego brushed off the rest of the ants from his arms. “In the morning, I will take you up the river in my boat to Manaus, where you can get help. But in the meantime, you must both sleep.”
Ryan nodded, then glanced at Ellie. He just prayed he’d be able to keep her safe until then.