should have taken her chances with the cops.
Normally, she didn’t let remarks like that bother her, but she was exhausted, sweaty, dirty, her feet hurt, her back was stiff, and the spot on her neck where something had bitten her was starting to itch like crazy. She wasn’t in the mood for Wade acting like a jerk and making a bad situation worse.
Still stewing, she stomped through the thick underbrush that scratched against her legs. Spanish moss dangled from low-hanging branches, and Hope tried not to think about what might be slithering on the ground by her feet.
She refused to acknowledge the sound of approaching footsteps. She didn’t care which one of them it was. As far as she was concerned, they were both assholes—though, for what it was worth, she’d reached the conclusion that they had no intention of hurting her. It was the only reason she hadn’t tried to ditch them in the middle of the night. She’d keep her end of the bargain, and then they damn well better take her straight to the American consulate like they’d promised.
After that, good-bye and good riddance.
Whoever it was, he didn’t say anything, just fell in line beside her and matched her stride for stride. Eventually, curiosity got the better of her, and she slid a quick peek to her left and saw it was Hector.
He slapped the side of his neck and grimaced. “I’m curious. How come the bugs aren’t eating you alive?”
“Eucalyptus oil. I dab a little on my skin every few hours. It’s not a hundred percent effective, but I’ll take what I can get.” And no, she wasn’t sharing. As it was, she’d probably run out long before they made it back to civilization.
She slanted another glance at him. Poor guy. The bugs were having a field day with him. Too bad she was out of hydrocortisone. “You didn’t bring insect repellent?”
“I’ve got some spray in my pack, but it only seems to encourage them.”
She laughed, and then realized it had been months since she’d had anything to laugh about.
Hector unsheathed his machete and hacked a low-hanging branch so she could pass without ducking. “Look, I know he’s rough around the edges, but try not to let him bother you.”
Hope scoffed. “I’ve dealt with his type my entire career.”
Guys like Wade were a dime a dozen in the military, where she’d served as an Army surgeon for eight years. Over the course of her service, she’d treated enough testosterone junkies to last her a lifetime. Pararescue jumpers. Explosive ordinance disposal techs. Special Ops were some of the worst. Many of them disliked being treated by a female doctor and weren’t shy about expressing those opinions.
But even if they intimidated her, she’d quickly learned not to show it. The second you did, it was all over, and they ran roughshod over you.
“He wasn’t always like this,” Hector said.
“Like what, an asshole?” She paused for a moment to take in the terrain. About a hundred yards out, a massive tree stood at a sixty-degree angle, and she remembered walking past it just a day or so ago.
Shaking his head, Hector chuckled. “You don’t mince words, do you, sweetheart?”
“I do when I’m dealing with a patient or their family. Any other time, not so much.” And even then, her bedside manner only went so far. There was a limit to how much abuse she was willing to put up with. It was something her uncle had taught her at a young age: know your worth, don’t settle for less, and never expend precious energy on people who don’t appreciate you.
“That’s good. I won’t mince words either.” Hector slapped at another insect, this one snacking on his arm. At the rate he was going, the insects were going to suck him dry by sundown. “Wade used to work with me at the DEA; did you know that?”
“No, I didn’t.” Aside from his foul temperament, she really didn’t know anything about him. To be honest, she didn’t care. She didn’t know him, didn’t like him, and hoped to forget all about him once this nightmare was finally over.
“Well, now you do. Best damn agent I ever trained. Back in the day, he and his team were responsible for one of the biggest drug busts in our division.” He smiled, pride apparent in his voice. “The Wade I used to know—the man I worked with for almost a decade—was a very different person: good-natured, idealistic. Extremely devoted to winning the war on