dirt with a stick. The guards are several feet away, snoring lightly on the grass, feeling secure that the fire will keep away any predators.
“You do your padre right?” he asks. Like most men in this region and this line of work, he’s willing to let the difficulties from before slide, it seems.
I swallow thickly and hope it looks like I’m choking on grief. “Yeah. We’re good. Thanks.”
He nods. “Get some sleep. We’ll leave early, with sunrise.”
We do as he says, Caleb going to secure his gear while I slip the urn into my pack before using it as a pillow, lying down next to Emma.
There are so many things I want to say to her, but I don’t want them overheard, especially by Nikolai’s guys.
So I pull her to me, spooning her and keeping a protective arm wrapped tightly around her waist, whispering, “I’m sorry.”
She seems to understand the need to keep any gestures small right now, because she nods and snuggles back into me. “Me too.”
With a small, satisfied smile, one my mind says is almost kittenish, she drifts off easily. I’m sure she’s exhausted, because I am too. But I can’t sleep.
Caleb sits down beside me, leaning back on a rock where he can see Francisco and the two guards. “I’ve got watch. I’m good.”
Francisco shakes his head, smiling a little. “I guard. They later.” He tosses a thumb in the direction of Tweedle-Big and Tweedle-Bigger. “That’s what money is for.”
Caleb and I know better. Those guards are to watch for danger in the jungle, to make sure no one and nothing sneaks up on us while we’re vulnerable.
Caleb is watching for danger right here in our little group. He’s watching out for me, for Emma.
I do think he’s starting to like her. Maybe. He admires her guts, at least. So even if he doesn’t trust her yet, he’ll watch out for her because I care for her.
That’s what brothers do.
I check my watch and do some quick mental calculations. “Three hours. You catch rack before daybreak.”
He nods, already in stealth mode. Still and quiet, he sinks into the shadows.
He’s watching, and he’s not going to let anyone hurt his family.
That knowledge lets me close my eyes, glad he’s on my team.
Chapter 38
Emma
The sun is barely peeking over the horizon when Nathan shakes me awake. “Time to go.”
I stretch, my body arguing at the abuse from sleeping on the hard ground overnight. It’s been too long since I’ve been in the field, and even then, it was a lot more ‘civilized’ than this. If this is what Nathan’s idea of roughing it is, maybe I’ll stick to excavating at a Holiday Inn.
With a toilet and a long, hot shower. Ah, plumbing . . . I miss you.
On that note, I sneak behind a tree and take care of some morning business, glad Grant included a pack of biodegradable body wipes and a small bottle of hand sanitizer gel.
I take care of my morning needs, freshen up, and retie my messy ponytail, vowing to make a hair appointment as soon as I get back to New York. With a deep breath, I’m ready to tackle the hike back.
I think my body might disagree a bit though, as just about everything hurts, and when I slide my pack on, I swear I’ve got muscle cramps on top of my aches.
“Don’t worry,” Nathan says quietly as he helps me adjust my straps. “We’ll take it slow.”
The hike back out of the jungle is déjà vu inducing in its similarities to coming in, even though we’re going in a slightly different direction. I’m just following Francisco instead of Miguel this time. But Caleb is in front of me and Nathan behind me, so it’s the same black backpack landscape for my eyes.
After about two hours, we stop for a breather and to refill our canteens from a stream. Caleb leans over and whispers in my ear, “Did you see Miguel?”
My brows shoot together in confusion and he smirks. “Saw him hiding in a tree last night, gave him a thumbs-up. He did his job.”
It feels like an olive branch because Caleb knows I’ve been waffling between being mad at Miguel for deserting us to Francisco’s goons and being worried about him alone in the jungle.
But apparently, he did what Caleb hired him for, and that’s good enough. Men are weird . . . or maybe it’s unique to soldiers?
I don’t know, considering I have minimal experience with either.
We walk until sunset,