Ellie watched the river ripple behind them in the wake of the boat, while Ryan sat across from her, his jaw taut. She wasn’t sure if his serious expression came from their decision to continue the mission of trying to find the doctor, or because it had dredged up memories of loss. That she could understand—the physical ache that often went with losing someone you love. And so far, for her, it had yet to fade. But hearing his story about Heather had also done something else. It had opened up another layer of who Ryan was. And somehow sprouted a new desire inside of her to get to know the man.
But she couldn’t think about that right now. Even after spending the day waiting at Paula’s for night to fall, she still found that her nerves were shot and her heart wouldn’t stop pounding. She needed to stop second-guessing their decision, but slipping into the rabbit hole had now become more like an episode of The Twilight Zone. Her routine life had managed to morph into something totally out of control, and she had no idea when it was going to stop. She stared out across the mesmerizing waters as they sped past miles of green forest. Losing her mother had been her first real experience with tragedy and loss. And with that loss had come a redefining of who she was and what was important. And then the unimaginable had happened, and she’d lost her father. It had changed her perspective and shifted her priorities. Which was why she couldn’t just walk away.
She shot up another prayer, keeping up with her continual dialogue with God. They needed to find the doctor quickly and get out. Diego’s assurances, though, that the camp wasn’t well guarded did little to convince her that they hadn’t made a risky decision. If Arias ended up showing up, or if they were confronted by armed men... She reined in her train of thought. She wasn’t even going to go there. She couldn’t. Because not going wasn’t an option.
“The sky’s incredible, isn’t it?”
At Ryan’s question, she shifted her attention to the sunset. “Yes, it is.”
She might have been looking out across the water, but she hadn’t really seen anything. At the moment, the river looked like a sea of glass, with the yellow glow of the sinking sun reflecting against it. Wispy clouds hovered above the horizon. If she closed her eyes, she could almost imagine it was just the two of them, lost in this world. A world where no one was after them. Or maybe that was just what she wanted.
She pushed away the unrealistic thoughts.
“One day I want to come back here and really see the rain forest. Without worrying that beyond every turn in the river, there’s someone after us.”
A chill rushed up her spine. There was no way to forget what was real at this moment.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Depends on the minute, I guess.”
“That’s understandable.” He leaned forward, brushing his fingers across her knees. “I’m a hundred percent behind us rescuing the doctor, but if you want to back out—”
“No. I still want to do this. I know it’s the right thing to do.”
No matter what happens. But the distraction of the setting sun wasn’t enough to settle the turmoil raging inside her.
She turned to Diego, who was guiding his boat. She needed an answer to the question that had been hovering at the back of her mind all day. “Diego?”
He glanced back at her, his hand still firm on the tiller.
“If Arias was to show up, how would he get in and out of here?” She hadn’t been able to shake the feeling that he might come after them in person.
“You think he would risk coming here?” Diego asked.
“I don’t know, but if he did. How would he get here?”
They’d discussed Arias over lunch today. The men working for him seemed inept at what they did, their only motivation a pocketful of money. But from the details she knew about the case, Arias was different. He had no problem paying men to do his dirty work, but neither would he hesitate to get a job done himself. She glanced behind her for signs of another boat, wishing she could shake the unease that had settled in her stomach. She couldn’t exactly imagine the man coming here after her. After her father’s death, the cartel leader had been released from prison on a technicality. Which meant his best bet was to simply disappear.
But she’d seen photos of his four-million-dollar mansion. It was nestled in a gated community outside Dallas and included an indoor heated pool, a sauna and four fireplaces. She also knew he wasn’t going to take a chance that evidence might show up that would send him back to prison.
Diego seemed to ponder her question. “My guess would be that he’d fly in, then take a boat the rest of the way like you did.”
“What about the road system?” Ryan asked above the low roar of the motor. “Is that a viable option?”
“Yes, but the construction is a never-ending job,” Diego said, “Which is why most people use the river. Many of the sections aren’t even completed yet and are nothing more than dusty roads in the dry season and a muddy mess in rainy season. They build the roads primarily for oil, gas and logging companies, but the cowboys use them as well to drive their herds of cattle. They’re just not practical for most people.
“Do you think he will show up?” Diego asked.
Ryan shook his head. “Impossible to say, really. But if he’s the one who put out a bounty on us, and he realizes he still doesn’t have us...”
Diego steered the boat toward the shoreline. “The camp’s a little bit farther up the river, but we can walk from here.”
Ryan took Ellie’s hand and helped her out of the boat and onto the waterlogged shoreline. He squeezed her hand before letting go, leaving goose bumps up and down her arm. She shoved away the distraction as they started walking parallel to the shoreline toward the camp, careful to keep in the shadows of the forest. They’d agreed not to use flashlights, which meant the only light came from the now setting sun and the faint glow of the moon.
The sound of a motor hummed in the distance, growing louder. Ryan held up his hand, and she froze behind him and Diego. A mosquito buzzed in her ear, but she hardly noticed it. Instead, she drew in a sharp breath as the familiar silhouette of the pirate’s boat sped past them. Ryan grabbed her hand.
“That’s them,” Diego said. “They’re leaving now.”
The three of them stood in silence until the boat vanished into the darkening waters.
“How long do you think we have until they return?” Ryan asked.
“Several hours. Maybe until morning.”
Plenty of time for them to get in and out. That knowledge gave her a sense of relief. But only if the men stuck to their routine.
She walked between Ryan and Diego as they headed toward the camp, thankful for the cover of darkness. Five minutes later, they were close enough to scout out the compound, but deep enough in the shadows that they wouldn’t be spotted. Her heart raced as she took in the four wooden structures, far enough off the river that you wouldn’t see them from a boat passing by. She watched for movement among the shadows.
“I see a woman,” Ryan said.
“She will be the one who does the cooking and washing for the men,” Diego said.
“There’s a guard at two o’clock,” Ryan said, “but he’s armed.”
“If we take him by surprise, we can take him down.” Diego crouched down beside them. “We’ve got a couple of machetes and a length of rope.”
Great. So they’d brought a knife to a gunfight. Even at three against one, she didn’t like the odds. But it wasn’t as if there were a pile of options.
Ellie started searching the row of small huts for the doctor and signs of another guard. Something moved on the side of the second building. Dr. Reynolds sat on a chair against the wall, his hands tied behind him.
“The doctor’s here,” Ellie said, blowing out a sigh of relief. “But what about the woman? Do you think she’ll be a problem?”
“I don’t think so,” Diego said. “She’s probably either a relative or someone they are keeping against her will.”
They watched the guard’s movements for another fifteen minutes, but clearly security wasn’t something he was worried about.
“Ellie.” Ryan squeezed her hand. “I want you to go to the woman. Keep her quiet and make her understand that we’re not here to hurt her. We’ll take care of the guard. Are you good with that?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
“Diego, let’s go.”
Ellie kept to the shadows as she crossed the compound in the opposite direction of Ryan and Diego to where the woman was washing dishes.
The woman saw her and Ellie started toward her.
“Senhora...” She needed to keep the woman quiet.
The woman screamed and started running.
“Senhora, no—”
Someone flew at her from behind, slamming into her, and knocked her to the ground.
* * *
Ryan grabbed the unsuspecting guard from behind and quickly wrapped his arm around the man’s neck. His weapon dropped to the ground. A second later, Ryan had him subdued. He signaled for Diego to tie up the man, then froze. Shouts sounded across the compound. He glanced back to where Ellie had gone, then felt his stomach drop. There was a second guard standing over someone.
Ellie.
Grabbing the gun, he sprinted across the compound. Where had the second guard been? Ellie was facedown on the ground, but he couldn’t tell if she had been hurt. He aimed his gun at the man’s head.
“Put your gun down,” Ryan shouted.
Diego came up behind him, yelling in Portuguese at the man, who had yet to move.
The guard lunged at Ryan. Using the momentum of his punch, he pulled the man toward him, then swept his leg around, knocking him to the ground. He tried to scramble to his feet, but Ryan knocked him out with a punch square to the jaw.
He grabbed the second gun, then shouted at Diego to tie the man up.
“Ellie...” He helped her back up onto her feet and pulled her into his arms. They’d cut this one way too close. “You okay?”
Ellie rubbed her wrist and nodded as Diego started tying up the second guard with the rope they’d brought. “Yeah. I think so.”
“Good, because we need to hurry. I don’t want to take any chances of the others coming back before we get out of here. Make sure both of the guards can’t escape, Diego, and Ellie and I will go get the doctor.”
“Dr. Reynolds...” Ellie said a moment later. “I’m Ellie Webb.”
The doctor looked up at them. “Ellie?”
“Are there any other guards?” Ryan asked.
“No, just the two of them.”
“Well, then, the cavalry has arrived,” she said, shooting the doctor a smile. “Or at least we’ve arrived.”
“Ellie, I can’t believe it. You found me.”
She quickly made introductions, then studied the older man’s face in the moonlight. He had a large bruise across his left cheek and a long red gash across the edge of his receding hairline.
“They did this to you?”
“It’s nothing.”
Her stomach lurched. “I’m so sorry.”
Ryan started cutting through the ropes that secured his hands behind him with one of the machetes.
Ellie stopped in front of him. “I’m so, so sorry. This is all my fault.”
“No, it’s not. I agreed to help you. I wanted to help you. I just thought... I didn’t think they’d find me. I tried to be so careful. At least you’re alive. They told me they were going to kill you.”
“That was their plan, I’m sure, but we managed to escape.”
“Can you tell us what happened?” Ryan asked as she started on the man’s bound feet.
The doctor glanced around him, clearly nervous. “I always knew that if they found out what I’d done, they would kill me, but I decided I had to take the risk. Two years ago, Arias’s men killed my son. To this day, it’s an unsolved case, but I know who did it. Not a day goes by that I don’t wish I had a way to avenge his death. That is why I take the risk. That is why I decided I will do anything I can to stop these men.”
“I understand your loss,” Ellie said, “and I am so sorry.”
“I never met your father, but I read about him in the newspaper. I realized he was willing to stand up against evil. Somehow it gave me the courage to try to help put an end to what is going on here when I heard from you. Yesterday, they came to my clinic. They didn’t even try to hide. They just walked in like they owned the place, put a gun to my head and told me I was coming with them. They dragged me away to one of their boats, knowing no one would stop them.”
“And since you’ve been here?” Ryan finished with the second rope and pulled it off.
“They’ve been questioning me.” He shoved his wire-framed glasses up the bridge of his nose, then rubbed his wrists. “But I insisted I didn’t know where you were. And I didn’t tell them anything.”
“You did fine,” Ellie said.
The doctor glanced toward the river and started to stand but quickly fell back down onto the chair.
“Dr. Reynolds?” Ellie grabbed the older man’s arm.
“I’m okay.” He held up his hand. “I haven’t moved for hours, and I’m stiff and probably dehydrated. I just need a minute, but we need to leave. If they come back and find me missing, they will come after me. And we all know they won’t stop there.”
“I saw some water around the corner,” Ellie said. “I’ll be right back.”
Ryan squatted down in front of him. “Our friend over there has a boat and can get us to Manaus. And once we’re there, we can get a plane out of the country.”
“I have the evidence Ellie needs.” The doctor pulled out a small ziplock with a folded paper inside it from the bottom of his shoe as Ellie returned with a cup of water.
“Where did you find it?” Ryan asked.
“About a month ago, I treated a man for a ruptured appendix that almost cost him his life. Inside the man’s clothing, I found a small book filled with handwritten lists of narcotics dealers, surveillance reports, hits and the names of dirty law enforcement officers here, in the United States and in Venezuela. I copied it, then carefully tucked it back away, praying no one would be the wiser.”
The doctor handed Ellie the paper, then took a sip of the water she offered. “Your father’s name is there on the list of hits. It’s proof that Arias was behind this.”
“This is enough information to put Arias and his men away for the rest of their lives,” Ryan said.
Ellie took a step backward into better light and stumbled.
“Are you okay?” Ryan asked.
She nodded, brushing off his question, but he didn’t miss the pain in her eyes. “I twisted my ankle when I fell, but it’s nothing.”
“Let the doc take a look at it.”
“Really, Ryan. I’m fine. It’s nothing more than a sprain.”
“No, he’s right. Let me quickly take a look at it, then I think I’ll be able to go.”
Ellie hesitated, then let him look.
“Did you hear a pop or a snap when you hit the ground?” he asked.
“No. Which is why I really don’t think it’s broken. I can move it. It just hurts when I walk.”
Ellie sat on a wood chair and the doctor kneeled down in front of her and pulled off her tennis shoe.
The doctor pressed along the side of her ankle. “Where does hit hurt?”
Ellie winced. “Ouch.”
“That answers my question. But it doesn’t seem crooked, and it doesn’t seem to be swelling much. Just a bit discolored on the side. Can you move it?”
Ellie nodded and moved it in a slow circle.
“What about pressure on it if you stand?”
“Let me try.”
Ryan reached out and grabbed her arm, helping her balance. “Well?”
Ellie’s jaw tensed. “I really think it’s okay. The pain’s not that bad.”
“You don’t look okay,” the doctor said, “but I don’t think it’s broken, just sprained, though walking could make it worse. And the only way to really tell is with an X-ray, which, of course, we don’t have access to. What you really need is an ice pack, and I don’t have one of those, either.”
“I’ll be fine,” she said, putting her shoe back on. “We need to get out of here. Once we get to Manaus, I can find some ice.”
“I’ve double-checked the guards,” Diego said, walking up to them. “Neither of them are going anywhere.”
“And the woman?”
“I let her go,” Diego said. “She was being held against her will and was grateful.”
“Then all we have to do is get to the boat,” Ryan said.
“Ryan...”
He turned toward the river at Ellie’s warning and heard the buzz of a motor. A second later he caught the reflection of lights on the water. Someone was out there.
“We need to hurry.”
Ryan wrapped his arm around Ellie’s waist. They headed for the shadows of the forest. He was sure she was walking as fast as she could, but it wasn’t fast enough.
“I’m going to carry you.”
“Ryan—”
The sound of a rifle fired in the air behind them. Ryan tightened his hold on Ellie.
“Turn around slowly,” someone shouted, “and put your hands up in front of you.”
Frustration coursed through him. Five men with weapons stood in a semicircle around them. They’d been so close. All they needed to do was get to the boat, then head up the river.
He turned around, his arm still wrapped around Ellie’s waist. He felt her fingers dig into his skin. He couldn’t let anything happen to her. His job was to protect her. He’d promised his father. Promised himself he wouldn’t let this happen again.
Ellie drew in a sharp breath as one of the men stepped into the moonlight in front of them. “Arias.”