“That’s good,” she says with approval. “But you really aren’t going to hurt them, right?”
“I don’t want to.” But in a battle between keeping Ava safe and hurting these boys? Yes, I’d do that. I just don’t want it to come to that. Right now they’re distracted and I could disarm one and down the others, but a stray bullet could hit Ava.
The two boys finish their conversation and the tall one turns back. He jerks his handgun downstream. “You come help us clean our village and we will let you go.”
“What’d he say?”
“He wants us to come to their village and clean.”
“Like do their laundry? Clean their bathrooms?” She sounds confused.
“I suspect cleaning the village means something other than sweeping the floors of their homes. Duval has to be monitoring the flight. The purse must have a tracking signal. When the plane didn’t land, he probably fired up a GPS tracker and sent out scout troops to retrieve the case. These boys’ village must be the closest form of civilization to the crash site. Given that we haven’t heard them in the jungle, they must have just landed and started occupying the village.”
“Oh shit. That’s bad, right?”
“Maybe. My men are following Duval, which means if Duval’s mercenaries are there, Garcia should be hot on their trail.” I turn to the boys. “How many men came to your home?”
The tall boy holds up eight fingers. “Only eight, but too many guns. They kill chief and two others and then everyone surrenders.” He raises both arms and then lowers them. “We were gone hunting and returned to see home under attack.”
“My woman needs to be kept safe. Can you do that while I come with you and clean your home?”
The tall boy translates and the leader nods.
Eight men. I have the AK Ava found in the boat, this kid’s semiautomatic, five children and my woman to protect. I scrub a hand down my face and turn to deliver the news to Ava.
CHAPTER TWENTY
AVA
“You what?”
The look on Rafe’s face is grim. “I told them I’d go into their village, help them get rid of the mercenaries, and when it’s safe, we’ll call for you.” He hefts the gun we got from the boat. “Should be a lot easier with this baby.”
I just stare at him like he’s crazy. “Rafe, you’re falling apart. You’re in no condition to go raiding a village.” Wasn’t it just yesterday that I cauterized a stab wound and rebandaged his eye for him? The eye he can’t see out of?
“We don’t have a lot of choices,” Rafe tells me. He tilts his head, gesturing at the armed boys behind us. “They’re our best option. And if we can get into that village, we can get a real place to sleep for the night, and safety. And we can make it back to civilization in the morning.”
All of those things sound wonderful. More than wonderful. But the fact of the matter is that I’m scared. Rafe’s not in peak condition at the moment. Hell, I’m not, either. I’m so tired and icky feeling that I could fall over and go to sleep for an entire day. Maybe two. I can’t imagine what he feels like.
And he wants to go raid a village?
“I should be the one going,” I tell him.
He stares at me, incredulous. “I’m the mercenary.”
“You’re also the one with the stab wound in your back.”
His mouth twitches as if he’s trying to hide amusement. “I’m also dressed.”
I cross my arms, refusing to feel weird about being in my bra and panties. “I was swimming a river, thank you very much. And you didn’t mind how I looked five minutes ago. I saw you checking me out.”
“Five minutes ago, I didn’t feel weird about having an erection. In front of child mercenaries I do.”
Good point. “I still don’t think you should go in.”
Rafe holds the gun out to me. “Do you know how to use this?”
“You just pull the trigger, right?”
His eyebrows go up. “And if it jams? Or you need to reload?”
He’s got a point. About the only thing I’d be good with, weapon-wise, is the paddle in the boat. “Okay, fine. If you have to go in, you have to go in. But I’m going with you.”
“No, you’re staying here.”
“Rafe, goddamn it, I am not—”
“Ava, if I have to worry about your safety, I’m not going to be able to do what needs to be done.”
“How do you think I feel?” I exclaim. “I’m going to be worried sick over you!”
His expression softens and I catch him gazing at my mouth. “Are you?”
That husky note that returns to his voice makes my nipples prick with awareness. They’re all, Oh, hello Ava, not so tired now are we? I cross my arms over my chest to hide them. “So I’m supposed to just sit out here in the jungle with my thumb up my ass?”
“No, you’re going to sit out here and wait for the all clear. And if it doesn’t come, you get the hell outta Dodge. You understand?”
“Can I just point out how much I hate this plan?”
“You can, but it doesn’t mean we have a better one.”
Hell.