where Wade had stormed off and her heart ached for him. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what was going on inside his head. “Think I should go talk to him?”
“No, not yet. Give him another few minutes to cool down.” He unscrewed his canteen and offered it to her.
“Thanks.” She took a long drink, not realizing until then just how thirsty she was. “Will he still want to move on the compound?”
“Yeah, probably more so now,” Austin said without hesitation. “He didn’t come all this way just to pack it up and go home.”
“But Aranza knows he’s coming.”
“I’m well aware of that.” He lowered his voice to avoid being overheard. “I don’t think you understand how badly my brother needs to do this. How it’s been eating him up inside. I’ve watched him over the past four years. He’s beyond the breaking point. If he doesn’t achieve some measure of justice, I don’t know how much longer he’ll be around.”
Her heart slammed against her rib cage. “You think he’s suicidal?”
“I honestly don’t know. That’s what scares me.” He rubbed one hand along the side of his neck, his lips pressed into a thin line. “The only time I see life in his eyes is when he interacts with you.”
Her pulse jumped. “Is that good or bad?”
“Hell if I know.” He shrugged. “I suppose it depends on what that means to you. I get the impression you feel something for him. Am I wrong?”
She considered saying it was none of his business, but the concern etched in the lines of his face had her biting the comment back. “No, there’s something there. I just don’t know if it’s real or the by-product of a stressful situation.”
“Fair enough. Whatever it is, be careful. I don’t want to see him getting hurt any more than he already is.” Austin checked his watch. “I better go talk to him.”
“No, I’ll do it. If you don’t mind.”
For a second or two, it seemed as though he might tell her no, but then he gave a tight nod. “He’ll probably be more receptive to you. Don’t push him too hard, or he’ll shut down on you. If you need anything, give me a holler.”
After a bit of searching, she found Wade by the dried-up creek, sitting on a fallen log, his forearms resting on his knees and his gaze locked in the same thousand-yard stare she’d seen on far too many of the soldiers she’d treated.
His face was flushed, his jaw clenched tight. The knuckles on his right hand were bloody and raw, most likely from taking his frustrations out on some unfortunate inanimate object. Unsure what to do, she sat beside him, dug into her bag for the Jolly Ranchers he’d given her just a short time ago, and held one out to him.
“Tequila would probably be more appropriate, but since I don’t have any in my bag, this’ll have to do.”
He twisted his neck to look at her, and the raw pain in his eyes hit her like a punch to the gut. Not saying a word, he took the candy, unwrapped it, and put it in his mouth.
She waited a few minutes for him to speak. When he didn’t, she asked, “Want to talk?”
“No.”
“It might help.”
“No, it won’t.”
“Well, in that case, I’ll just sit right here in case you change your mind.”
“Not necessary.”
“That’s okay. I insist.”
He huffed out a breath of annoyance. “Goddamn, you’re a pain in the ass. You know that, right?”
She knew he was trying to drive her away, but it wasn’t going to work. No way was she going to leave his side while he slogged through a river of torment. “That’s Dr. Pain in the Ass to you. I didn’t go through all those years of medical school for nothing.”
He made a low, rough noise to convey his opinion of that.
They sat together, completely silent, for what seemed like hours. All around them, the rainforest had resumed its normal chatter, a comforting blanket of white noise. More than once, she sensed a presence behind them. In all likelihood, it was Austin, checking up on them. She appreciated his brother’s concern, and the fact he knew well enough to give them space.
At last, Wade dropped his head in his hands and let out a low, deep groan. “Hector was like another brother to me. I trusted him with my life, and he sold me out. Twice. And here I thought I was a half-decent judge of character.”
She couldn’t begin