No Place To Hide

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Ellie stumbled over a tangled vine crossing their path. Ryan reached out to catch her arm with his hand.

“You okay?”

She glanced at where he was holding her and nodded. “Yeah.”

The suffocating humidity pressed in against her chest. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t even go there. This isn’t your fault. I agreed to come.”

“Something tells me if you had known things were going to turn out this way you’d never have agreed to come.”

“I’m a saturation diver. I’ve never exactly gone out of my way to avoid dangerous situations.”

She filed his statement away as something to follow up on later. But not now. “When’s the last time you were marched through the Amazon jungle while being held captive by armed men with a known cartel leader wanting you dead?”

“I suppose you have a point.” Ryan let out a low chuckle. “If I had known all of that, I actually might have avoided this.”

“Options?” she asked.

“I’m not sure there are any right now.”

“Shut up. Both of you.”

She felt the jab of a rifle between her shoulder blades from one of the men behind her as he shouted at them in Portuguese.

She glanced at Ryan’s tense jaw, knowing he was, like her, searching for just that—options. Because while she might have learned how to navigate Rio the past few months, this was an entirely different world. Her gaze lowered, then stopped at a string of large red welts on his arm. She had no idea what he’d gotten into, but he was clearly allergic to something. She had antibiotic cream in her bag, but there was nothing she could do to help him right now.

Someone shouted behind them.

Ellie stopped and turned around. Three armed men crashed through the jungle from their left, waving their weapons and shouting in Portuguese.

“Ellie...” Ryan pulled her behind him for protection. “Translate for me. What are they saying?”

“I don’t know. They’re upset about something.”

The two groups of men shouted back and forth at each other in Portuguese, their guns aimed at each other in a showdown.

“What are they saying?” Ryan asked again.

“Something about money...stealing what is theirs.”

She stumbled out of the way as one of the other men cracked his weapon across Pedro’s head. She glanced around her. The forest spread out in all directions. Even if they did run, she had no idea where they were, but maybe that didn’t matter. Maybe they needed to simply run.

One of the men fired their weapons. One of Yuri’s men fell to the ground. Ellie stumbled backward to avoid getting knocked down as she watched the blood spread across his leg.

“Ryan...”

He grabbed her hand. “Run.”

* * *

Ryan grabbed Ellie’s hand and charged deeper into the jungle, praying the decision to run wasn’t going to get them both shot.

“If they come after us—”

“Just keep running.” He caught the panic in her voice, but if they slowed down—hesitated at all—they’d both be dead. And that wasn’t the only thing he was concerned about. If they didn’t escape now, his gut told him their odds of making it out alive were even slimmer. Because once their captors got out of them whatever it was they were after, they’d likely dump their bodies into the river. And if that happened, no one would ever find them.

The problem was, he had no idea which way to run except for away from the men who’d captured them. Adrenaline shot through him as they pressed down the untamed path away from the men whose shouts continued to echo through the thick canopy of the jungle. They’d been walking for at least twenty minutes before the other men had shown up. Maneuvering through the thick vegetation, though, was proving to be difficult. There was no trail. No clear route. Only skyward trees covered with vines that left him worried they would end up running in circles.

He could still hear the men shouting in the distance. Another weapon fired. He glanced back and caught shadows moving in their direction. They were coming after them now.

Sweat ran down Ryan’s neck. If he was right, the runway was behind them, which meant they were probably moving farther away from the nearest town. But if he guessed wrong, they might never make it out. And with the density of the forest, civilization could be just beyond their line of sight and they would never know it.

He forced his mind to think as they ran through the brush. When they’d landed, he’d seen the river to the north, though he had no idea how close they were to the nearest town. It made sense to head toward the river. But even if they did find a town, he had no idea at this point who they could trust. From what he’d understood about the situation back there, Yuri and his men weren’t the only people looking for them. Which didn’t make sense.

Instead of continuing to search for answers that weren’t there, he focused on the terrain, and getting them as far away from Yuri as possible through the dense forest. There were plenty of techniques he’d learned to use for low visibility when diving. He’d been in situations when clear water suddenly turned murky, dropping instantaneously from perfect visibility to less than a meter. Diving had taught him to stay calm, because panicking would only intensify the danger. The key was to take deep, regular breaths, slowly exhale and then consider your options.

But he had no gauges out here in the forest. No way to check air supply and depth. No exhaled bubbles to follow upward. Here they were surrounded by thick, wooded, marshy ground and tangled vines. There was nothing that would help with disorientation, or show them where the nearest way out was.

He squeezed Ellie’s hand, noticing that she was struggling to keep up beside him. Because his job required working with heavy gear and equipment, he was used to intensive training with cardio and weights, and pushing his body’s endurance, but even his heart was racing and his lungs burned from the exertion and the oppressive humidity.

“Ellie...”

She let go of his hand. “I need to stop. Just for a minute.”

He started in a slow circle, searching the trees around them for movement while she worked—palms on her thighs—to catch her breath. He listened for the sounds of the men who’d come after them. The constant hum of insects was broken by the occasional bird and monkey. But there was no sign of any of the men. Had they actually gotten away?

“Do you have any idea which way we’re going?” she asked.

“Not a clue. Do you remember how far the nearest village was from the airstrip?”

“According to the map, the village where we were supposed to go was the closest. About thirty minutes south of the airstrip. Dr. Reynolds had arranged for someone he knew to pick us up.”

“Sounds like either his man didn’t show up—”

“Or he saw what was happening and ran,” she said. “And now everything looks the same. Trees, vines, water...”

She was right. There was no way to tell if they were headed toward a village. What he did know was that they were somewhere in the middle of a billion acres of rain forest full of rivers, piranhas, boa constrictors and jaguars. Not exactly easy to narrow down where they needed to go.

He felt a sharp sting bore into his arm, and he brushed away the insect. “You ready? We need to keep going.”

“I know, but you need some repellant. You’ve got welts up and down your arm, and they’re not going to stop. I’ve got stuff in my backpack—”

“Later.” He scratched his arm. “We need to keep going. It’s just an allergic reaction, nothing seri—”

“Please.” She dropped her backpack off her shoulder. “I need to fix something.”

He grabbed her hands before she could unzip her backpack and pulled them toward his chest. “I know this is terrifying and I know you feel completely out of control, but we’re going to find a way out of this. We need to keep moving.”

She hesitated, then slid her pack back on. “I’m sorry. I just don’t know how to fix this.”

“For now, this will have to do.” He quickly rolled down his sleeves as an attempt to stop the mosquitoes’ feeding frenzy, glad he’d opted to wear long pants instead of shorts. Being eaten alive by these pesky insects was the last thing he needed.

He glanced behind him one last time as they continued pressing through the forest. He knew that if those men found them again, they weren’t going to simply let them go. He was sure of that. What he didn’t know was how long they’d be able to keep moving. Another ten minutes and they paused again. He held up his finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet for a moment. The chatter of monkeys echoed around them, a bird called out, all of these sounds competing with the incessant drone of insects. There was still no sign of the men who’d been after them, but he wasn’t ready to believe they’d actually lost them.

They continued moving at a steady pace, and Ryan was hyperaware of his surroundings. When he was a boy, he used to watch National Geographic specials with his grandfather and dreamed of exploring Africa’s vast terrain. Instead, he’d ended up exploring the oceans. Today, he wished he had a machete, or something enabling him to hack away the thick brush. But he knew survival was never only physical. Being pushed to the limit mentally was where many people lost touch with reality.

“We’ve gone from racing across Rio on a motorcycle on our tail to this?” she said. “Any ideas on how to find our way out of here?”

“When we’re lost underwater, we follow air bubbles to get to the surface. My best guess in this situation is that heading downhill should lead to water.”

“And where there’s water, there will be people.” She glanced at him. “Anything would be better than staying in this jungle, though I guess you’re not claustrophobic.”

He could hear her labored breathing and the panic lacing her voice as they walked at a fast pace. “Can’t be when you live up to twenty-eight days in a chamber under pressure doing back-to-back workdays of eight hours at a time. You finish work, shower and eat, then sleep because you’re so exhausted.”

“What’s it like, working in an environment like that?”

“There are places with near zero visibility, where it feels as though you’re surrounded by a heavy fog. But there are also locations that are clear all the way to the bottom.” They skirted around a pile of vines. He was thankful for the diversion and had a feeling she was as well. “And while there’s not a lot of time for sightseeing while on the job, there’s the occasional peek at black coral, lionfish and other sea creatures.”

Another ten minutes later they stumbled upon a wide stretch of river. Ryan stopped at the shoreline. A long canoe rested on the edge of the brown water, but beside that the forest simply stretched out around them. Acres and acres of trees, vines and water. Without a motor, if they attempted to go out in the boat, they’d be sitting ducks.

“A boat without a motor’s too risky,” he said.

“Agreed.”

“I also think we need to keep moving down the shoreline. At some point, we’ll run into people.”

A howl echoed through the forest. Ryan turned away from the shore, searching for movement in the trees.

Ellie’s face was flushed from the heat. It had to be getting close to three o’clock, and that meant the temperature was still fairly high. Without water, dehydration wouldn’t take long to settle in. And the heat was already making them perspire, which was only going to speed up the dehydration process. On top of that, there was the constant threat of malaria and yellow fever from every mosquito that bit him. But they couldn’t worry about that. Not when there were armed men after them. Because while heat stroke was a risk at this point, the odds of getting shot if the men found them again were probably even higher.

The brush rustled behind him. Closer this time. Ryan grabbed a thick stick off the ground, then turned to the right, ready to defend them. But his weapon wasn’t enough. Ryan heard the click of a revolver. Yuri appeared a dozen feet away. Far enough that they could run, but close enough that it would be easy to take them down with a clear shot.

This time the man wasn’t smiling. “Don’t move, both of you, and put your hands in the air where I can see them.”

FIVE (#uda2b470f-7228-5a73-8eed-c418cf70fba0)

The camp the men led them to was nothing more than a couple of run-down buildings, where they’d apparently set up a temporary hideout in the jungle. Yuri had offered no information about the men who’d ambushed them or the man who’d gotten shot.

“I need your first-aid kit.” Yuri grabbed her backpack, unzipped it, then dumped the contents onto the ground in front of them.

“What are you doing?” Ellie asked.

“One of my men was shot—”

“Wait.” Ryan grabbed the man’s hand. “This man needs medical help, not just a first-aid kit. There’s got to be a clinic somewhere nearby.”

Yuri pulled away. “I don’t have a choice. The nearest clinic’s an hour and a half from here by boat. We’ve got to stop the bleeding.”

Ryan glanced at Ellie. “I’ve got some medical training. You’ve got to do this properly.”

Yuri hesitated. “What are you going to do?”

Ellie stopped beside Ryan and studied the man who was lying on a mat on the ground in the shade of a large tree. While it was hard to feel sorry for him, blood had soaked through his leg. Avoiding infection in an environment like this wasn’t going to be easy. Any bacteria from the bullet, the man’s skin or clothing, or anything else that might have touched the wound could end up killing him. And if they could help, maybe their captors would end up being more sympathetic.

“I can flush the wound and cover it, but then you’re going to have to get him to a doctor,” Ryan said. “He’s going to need antibiotics.”

Ryan held the man’s gaze while Yuri considered the offer.

“Okay, but don’t try anything stupid.”

“I can help,” Ellie said.

Ryan nodded. “Good, because I’m going to need you. What do you have in your bag?”

“Just the basics. Antiseptic wipes, antibacterial ointment, bandages, medical tape, pain medicine.”

“What about scissors?” he asked.

Ellie dug through the bag, then handed him a small pair.

The man groaned as Ryan cut away the clothing from the wound. “The good thing is that the bullet skimmed his thigh, leaving a narrow trench instead of a hole in his leg.”

Ryan worked to flush out the wound with only an occasional instruction while Yuri continued hovering and Ellie tried to get the man to calm down. Five minutes later, Ryan covered the wound with a butterfly bandage Ellie had in her backpack, then gave the man some pills for the pain.

“We could help you get him to the nearest clinic,” she said, catching Yuri’s gaze.

“Forget it. If you think what you just did is going to somehow buy your way out of here with your good deeds, it’s not happening. The two of you aren’t going anywhere.”

Ryan grabbed a bottle of hand sanitizer and squirted the gel in his palm before handing it to Ellie. “How much are you being paid to keep us here?”

“Enough to make sure you don’t escape again.”

Yuri motioned to Pedro, who grabbed some twine and proceeded to tie them to two wooden chairs side by side at the edge of the clearing.

Ellie winced as the rope bit into her wrist. “Careful.”

“I don’t want to have a repeat of what just happened in the jungle,” Yuri said, dumping their backpacks against the tree behind them. “We wouldn’t want you to get lost again. There are dangers out there, so unless you know this place like I do, chances are you wouldn’t make it out alive.”

“That’s so considerate of you,” Ryan said sarcastically as the man walked away to check on the patient.

Ellie glanced at Ryan and caught the tension radiating up his jaw. Apparently, Yuri wasn’t kidding as far as ensuring they didn’t get away. She tugged on the rope behind her back. Unless they could manage to untie their bindings, he’d just nixed any chance of their escape.

Pedro came up to them, flipped around a third chair, then sat down in front of them. “I’m never sure what brings people like you to the Amazon. There’s no cell-phone service, no hot showers, no internet connections. None of the comforts of the big city. Just sticky humidity and giant mosquitoes everywhere.”