CHAPTER SEVEN

 

Thomas

 

I'd been out of the military for six years, and I still usually slept like a soldier—easy to fall asleep and easy to wake, but I hadn't fallen asleep easily the night before. Her words had repeated in my mind. I will stick by him and we will face those problems together because that's what family does. Jesus. The woman was a fool. But damned if my heart hadn't softened because she was a sweet, loyal fool, and maybe that meant she wasn't a fool at all. Shit. I could not afford to feel sympathy—and a grudging respect—for Livvy Barton. That was the kind of thing that would have me second guessing my choices, and it was too late for that. Plus, it wasn't really about Livvy. None of this was about soft, sweet, foolhardy Livvy, and I had to remind myself of that.

I woke her, watching her face as those big blue eyes blinked up at me, watching as recognition came into her expression. She looked startled for a moment and then sat up quickly, smoothing her hair back. She didn't speak, didn't ask what time it was, she just got up and began rolling her sleeping bag up. Little soldier. I smiled to myself as I turned to find a private place to take a piss.

Truth was, she'd impressed the hell out of me the day before. I'd been stewing on things, kind of irritated and pissed that the look she'd given me when I'd taught her the take-down move had complicated things in my mind, and I hadn't considered her enough. Or maybe I'd almost wanted to cause her to feel discomfort. Maybe I'd kept up the breakneck pace because part of me wanted to punish her. Goddamn, was I really that much of a bastard?

But Livvy hadn't uttered a peep even though she’d been dripping with sweat, her face bright red, and her feet practically raw. There weren't many men who would have continued on without at least a complaint, or a few choice words slung in my direction.

When I came out of the woods, Livvy was zipping her backpack closed. Her hair was pulled back, and she'd put her sleeping bag completely away. She gave me a fleeting smile. "Can I use some of the water to brush my teeth?"

I nodded. "Yeah, but just a little. Those two bottles are all we have left until we get to the town a few hours in front of us."

Once we were both cleaned up, packed, and had eaten a power bar and drank a little water, we started walking again. This time, I adopted a slower pace though Livvy assured me several times her feet felt fine. Fine wasn't possible. I had plenty of firsthand knowledge about injuries—I'd experienced about everything from blisters to broken bones—and I knew how quickly things healed. Still, hopefully with the salve I'd applied and the thick bandages, they were only mildly uncomfortable.

Morning spilled through the jungle, tendrils of light meeting dew-heavy leaves. Shadows shifted and sparkled and the hush of night turned into the chorus of day: rustling leaves, chattering birds, croaking frogs, and a hundred other sounds that meant the forest had woken.

The air was so clean and sweet, I swore I could drink it if I tilted my head back and opened my mouth. The loamy scent of soil and the sweet smell of tropical plants and flowers met my nose as we walked.

"Colombia has the best coffee in the world and there's not a drop to drink," I heard Livvy mutter mournfully. "It's truly painful."

I chuckled. "Don't think about it and it won't hurt so bad."

"Don't you drink coffee?"

I shrugged. "If it's around. But I never know where I'm going to wake up or what's going to be available. Wouldn't be wise in my business to become dependent on anything."

She was quiet for a moment as she appeared to ponder that. "Not even people?"

"Especially not people."

She shot me a look filled with . . . what? Sympathy? Before I could discern exactly what was in her face, she turned away, looking in the opposite direction to where cotton fields rose in the distance.

I stopped and pulled out the canteen I'd poured the rest of the water into and took a swig, handing it to Livvy. She took it, drinking deeply and staring off into the vista before us. "Two months ago, I was sipping champagne as I watched my bridesmaids get their dresses altered, and now I'm drinking from a canteen in the middle of a jungle with . . . you."

My eyes met hers. Her expression was kind of wistful, kind of sad. "Where'd you expect to be right now?" I asked, regretting the words that had fallen from my lips. I didn't need to hear any more of Livvy's personal thoughts, none of her hopes or dreams.

She took a deep breath. "I should be in Hawaii with Alec right now, sipping a tropical drink on a sun-drenched beach."

Her honeymoon. He really was an idiot. "Life throws curveballs, huh?"

Her gaze lingered on mine. "I'd say," she murmured. She tilted her head. "How do you get used to it?"

"Used to what?"

"The constant change. Not waking up in the same place every day. Never knowing what's going to happen next."

"I like it that way."

She studied me another moment. "We're so different, aren't we?"

"Yeah. We are Livvy." I paused for a moment. "Anyway," I started walking and she did too, "I can't offer you a beach or a tropical drink, but I've got the sun-drenched part covered." I squinted up at the bright Colombian sun.

Behind me, I heard the soft sound of her laughter, and I liked it more than I wanted to. "Something's better than nothing."

Was it? I supposed it depended what that something was.

As we rounded a bend, I suddenly heard the very faint echo of . . . something ahead of us, moving closer. I turned to Livvy who had come to a halt when I had, and I put one finger to my lips. Quiet. Her brow furrowed, the smile she'd been wearing disappearing from her face. She obviously hadn't heard anything, but I had, and I trusted my ability to pick up sounds that didn't fit the environment. Taking Livvy's hand, I led her behind a grouping of trees and thick brush off the path and pulled her against me. 

I could feel the beating of her heart against my own—quickened like her breath—though her lips were parted so she was expelling the air in her lungs silently. Good girl. And I could smell her, that light, fresh fragrance she'd worn when I met her in that bar, but now there was the warm scent of feminine sweat underlying that. And it turned me on, sending a bolt of arousal through my blood, hardening my dick so it was pressing uncomfortably against the zipper of my pants. Fuck. A groan moved inside my chest.

I should've turned my head so I wasn't breathing her in so intensely. I should've. But I didn't. I leaned closer because I couldn't fucking help myself, inhaling more of her as we stood frozen together, waiting.

Twenty seconds later, voices became discernible. Men's voices, laughter, and the loud crunch of footsteps. Livvy froze against me. Instinctively, my left arm came around her, holding her more solidly to my chest, her warm breath against my T-shirt, her heart beating a staccato rhythm as we waited in silence for the men to pass. With my right hand, I held the gun at the small of my back, ready to draw it immediately should I need to. I was confident it wouldn't be necessary—the men were making no effort to be quiet, a band of disorganized delinquents at worst, and I had every reason to believe they'd walk right past us. Unless one of them decided to take a piss behind the exact tree we were concealed behind, which wasn't very likely.

I listened to what they were saying as their laughter grew louder, their voices clearer, chatting raucously in Spanish. My muscles tightened when I realized what they were talking about. Sick motherfuckers. For a moment, their voices were seemingly right next to us and I smelled tobacco smoke and the stink of unwashed bodies before they moved away, their noise fading as we continued to stand hidden by the brush, our bodies flush.

Livvy had begun shaking, and I pulled her even closer, the intense need to protect her almost overwhelming me. The men's voices faded, and after a minute their laughter was only a memory, but Livvy didn't let go of me. I didn't let go of her either, moving my focus back to the feel of her heat against me, the soft, delicate press of her body, her scent. She gripped my T-shirt and turned her face into my chest, continuing to shake. I didn't speak, didn't really know what to do to soothe her, but the unfamiliar need filled me and so I ran my hand over her hair, down her back, up, then down again. I wondered if her reaction was because of the men who had passed us, or if this was bigger. Had anyone held her since her fiancé disappeared? Who had comforted her when she realized the man she was going to marry had likely betrayed her? She was strong, I realized that now, but a person couldn't be strong all the time.

The birds tittered in the trees, a breeze ruffled the leaves, and Livvy's shaking eventually stopped, her heartrate calming as she sagged against me. Finally, her grip on my T-shirt loosened, and she peeked up at me, her gaze locking with mine. "Were you . . . petting me?" she whispered.

I froze and whatever appeared on my face caused her eyes to widen. "No," she said, placing her hand on my chest. "I . . . I liked it. It was nice. Thank you. I'm sorry, I—" She shook her head, wincing slightly.

"Don't be."

Livvy pulled away, stepping back, her eyes large in her face as she stared at me. God, she was beautiful. She really was. She was beautiful and soft and those high, round breasts were rising and falling with each slow breath. "Who were they?" she finally asked.

"Men up to no good. I'm not going to repeat what they were laughing about." I pressed my lips together as my gaze moved in the direction from which they'd come.

She opened her mouth as if to argue, but then closed it, apparently changing her mind. Good. There was no point in her knowing how that band of animals had victimized some girl and found it uproariously funny. There was no point in her knowing that the unknown girl had begged for mercy, and they'd shown her none. I hoped to God they'd been shit-talking and nothing more.

"Let's go," I said, my voice clipped with anger. She gave me a confused frown but didn't argue. She simply fell in behind me as I started walking.

I was mindful to walk at a reasonable pace—a reasonable pace for a civilian in moderate shape with blisters on her feet—stopping for water breaks more often than we had the day before.

The town I'd been heading toward came into view right around noon. From the information I'd been able to gather, this particular village had been hit by the earthquake, but had a good source of drinking water and enough local farms that water and food were available.

When we hit the paved portion of road, it was cracked and broken off in areas. Even when the main roads were repaired, the damage sustained to backroads that went into towns and villages was going to make it difficult to gain access except on foot. These people were in for months of hardship—no medicine, no fuel, limited food and water in areas, and buildings that were either completely flattened, or had suffered so much damage, they couldn't be considered safe. In most cases, it would be years before things were back to normal. Challenging enough circumstances in a wealthy area. Most of these people were dirt poor. Still, people were resilient. They'd re-build, they'd begin again because what other choice was there? Get up or lie down and die. Life was a constant reminder that only the strong survived.

We walked past the banana farms that led into town, the trees swaying in the light wind. Today was a little bit cooler, but I'd still insisted Livvy put on sunscreen when we'd stopped that morning for a break. Her skin was so fair, she'd have burned to a crisp in a couple of hours under the relentless Colombian sun. My own Colombian heritage insured I rarely burned, which was a nice convenience when working in the field. I could thank my mother for that, at least.

Were you petting me? she'd asked. Jesus. I had been, because it was all I remembered of affection. Of comfort. No wonder I made it a point to stay away from people. Other than fucking, I had no real need to have any contact with anyone at all.

There was an old man walking down the side of the road as we entered town, and I stopped him to ask if there was anywhere we could buy some food. He turned, pointing behind him. "Rosaria's is open, but the menu is limited. Are you with the men treating their daughter?"

I had no idea what he was talking about but I said no, thanked him, and led Livvy in the direction he'd pointed.

"This must have been a pretty little town before . . ." Livvy said, her words trailing off as she glanced around at the humble but brightly painted buildings, many with balconies above them and shops below. "Before disaster struck," she finished after a moment.

I glanced at her and then away. It did appear to have been a quaint town. But the damage here had been severe with many of the buildings either crumbled completely, toppling over, or featuring large cracks down the front. Groups of men were still clearing rubble months after the quake had struck. But as we walked by, they eyed us suspiciously, muttering to each other in words too soft to hear.

I spotted the sign for Rosaria's at the end of the street, and we walked toward it. It was a two-story, green building that looked to have escaped any major damage, at least that I could see. Livvy was looking around, her expression grim as she watched a sad-eyed little boy with no shoes bite into an over-ripe tomato. She moved closer to my side as we walked, looking around nervously, obviously sensing the strange atmosphere in this town.

The interior of Rosaria's appeared clean, the tables set, though I wasn't sure it was open for business. A few tables were occupied, but the people sitting at them didn't have food or empty plates in front of them. It looked as if they were using the space more for a cool place to rest than as a dining establishment.

When we entered, heads turned quickly, we were studied for only a moment before they went back to their conversations. A door near the back opened and a woman came through, her face set in a frown, her hands wringing a dish towel. When she spotted us, she looked momentarily surprised before offering a thin-lipped smile. "Hola. Are you here with the other doctor?"

Livvy sidled closer. I let my backpack slide down my arm, catching it with my hand. "No, my wife and I are here to eat."

She approached us. "Ah. We have only limited food. The roads are still not good and—"

"Whatever you have is fine with us."

The woman nodded. "I have arepas and vegetables. That is okay?"

"That's great," I said, as the door from the back opened again and a tall man with short brown hair wearing camo pants and a black T-shirt walked through.

The man spotted us, his brow furrowing for a moment before his face broke into a smile. I laughed. "You don't fucking say." I walked toward him and he met me, clapping me on the back before stepping back. "Josh Garner. Of all the gin joints in all the towns, in all the world. What the hell are you doing here?"

Josh laughed as Livvy took the few steps to stand beside me. Josh reached his hand out and shook Livvy's. "Please tell me you're not keeping company with this nutcase."

Livvy laughed, but it was sort of a nervous chuckle as she glanced at me. "You're going to scare her, man, and it's too late. She already married me." I raised my voice when I said the last line, but gave Josh a small raise of my brows right before looking at Livvy.

Josh gave me a miniscule lift of his chin in understanding. He looked at Livvy, stroking his chin. "Damn, I'm real sorry about that, ma'am."

Livvy laughed again, looking up at me. "It hasn't been terrible so far."

"Well I'll give you my information in case it takes a turn in the future." He winked at her and my muscles tensed, but I forced myself to relax, giving Josh a tight smile. Josh watched me for a beat and then grinned.

"So, um, how do you two know each other?" Livvy asked, her eyes moving back and forth between the two of us.

"We were in BUDs together," I answered.

Josh gestured to a table by one of the large open windows, and we followed him, all taking a seat. "Yeah," he said, throwing one arm over his chair and leaning back. "The stories I could tell. This guy is still a legend among our class." He shot me another grin and a wink. "And, you've made a name for yourself since then. I've heard stories."

"Don't believe everything you hear. Seriously, man, how'd you end up here? What's going on in this town?"

Josh blew out a breath, leaning forward, his expression sobering. He glanced quickly at Livvy before he started speaking. I understood the information he’d provide while she was in earshot was limited. "I was here in Colombia with another guy working a job. We were on our way back when we were stopped by this hysterical woman, crying and screaming and saying her thirteen-year-old daughter needed medical help. We had detained someone so my partner took our prisoner and left, and I stayed behind to take a look at the woman's daughter."

I looked at Livvy. "Josh is a medic." I returned my gaze to Josh. "What condition was she in?"

"Is. This happened just this morning. She was raped." He blew out a breath. "They brutalized her." He shook his head. "She'll survive, physically, but doubtful she'll ever have kids of her own."

I flinched, rubbing a hand down my face. "Jesus."

"Do they know who did it?" Livvy asked, her expression stricken.

"Small gang of men who've been terrorizing towns in this area ever since the quake. Local law enforcement is too slammed to deal with them and women are easy targets, considering all their men are off clearing wreckage and beginning re-building efforts so their families don't starve." He shook his head. "As if these people don't have it hard enough. This town lost thirty-two children. They were buried alive in their school. There's a brand new cemetery full of tiny graves just outside town."

Livvy put her hand over her mouth, her eyes large and pained in her face.

My muscles felt tense as both anger and sadness blossomed in my blood. "The girl who was raped, is her name Graciela?" I saw in my peripheral vision when Livvy's gaze shot to me.

"Yeah," Josh said. "How'd you know?"

"The men who attacked her passed right by us earlier. Bragging about it." A sound of angry frustration made its way up my throat.

"Sick fuckers," Josh said tightly.

"Damn it. I should have done something when I had the chance. I only caught a few pieces of their conversation but . . . fuck, it should have been enough."

"Don't beat yourself up, man. You had no way of knowing if they were a group of punks talking trash or what. Plus, they're armed. It would have been plain stupid to confront them unprepared, and you know it." His gaze moved to Livvy and back to me. "Not to mention, responsibilities of your own."

"Yeah," I breathed, still angry at myself. They'd raped a girl who was still practically a child, and I'd allowed them to pass as I'd been lusting after Livvy behind a tree not three feet away.

The woman we'd talked to earlier came out carrying a tray containing a steaming plate of vegetables and a towel-covered plate that must be the arepas. She placed them on the table along with two glasses of water. "Gracias," I said, and she gave us a wobbly smile before walking away. The woman had obviously been crying. Graciela's mother?

Josh shook his head once she was out of earshot. "I'd have gone after those motherfuckers earlier myself if I wasn't needed here," he gritted out, his jaw tight.

I moved the food toward Livvy who started dishing vegetables onto her plate as I looked back at Josh. "There are two of us here now. And we know which direction they went." I gave him a meaningful look. "How long are you planning to be here?"

His pause was brief. "Gotta leave by tonight to catch up with my partner in Bogota."

I considered the situation.

"Uh oh," Josh laughed. "If I recall correctly, that's your I'm about to go renegade look. You really want to do this?"

"You treated her, not me. What's your take?"

His expression sobered immediately, and I knew the minute hardening of his eyes meant it was bad. Real bad. "Yeah," he said. "They need to be dealt with."

Dealt with was a nice way of putting it, and I was glad for his discretion in front of Livvy. I nodded my head toward her and narrowed my eyes at him. "Will you look out for her until I'm back?"

Livvy gasped. "Until you're back? Those men passed us two hours ago. You'll never be able to catch up to them."

Josh lifted his eyebrows as he looked at her and then at me. I kept my eyes on Josh who just smiled. "Better get going. If I had to guess, I'd say they're headed toward the farming town north of here. Let me get a map, and we'll look at it real quick." I nodded as Josh stood and walked back through the door he'd come from, where his gear must be stored.

Livvy's head swiveled between me and where Josh had disappeared, confused, obviously unsure about exactly what to clarify. Good. I needed to leave before she thought of which questions she wanted to ask. I grabbed an arepa, scooped some vegetables into it and took one big bite, chewing and swallowing quickly. "I wouldn't consider leaving you here if I didn't trust Josh with my own life. But those men we passed brutalized a little girl, and if they're not stopped, they'll do it again and again. Trust me, I'm very familiar with men like them."

She shook her head, her eyes wide and pained. "But . . . how can you stop them? What will you do?"

For a moment we just stared at each other, understanding dawning in her eyes. She clenched her lids shut for a second and then opened them. "Oh."

"I'll be back later this afternoon. If I'm not, Josh will take you back to Bogota with him."

"If you're not?"

I blew out a breath. "I expect to be back, but there should always be a contingency plan."

She opened her mouth to speak but then closed it again, simply nodding. She chewed at that pretty bottom lip and for a brief, crazy moment I considered kissing her before I left. She'd probably let me, imagining I was going off to battle—which wasn't completely inaccurate, though I didn't consider taking care of three or four disorganized punks a real fight. But I didn't want her to kiss me back because she felt she had to. And I didn't want to kiss her and walk away. Aw, fuck, I shouldn't be thinking about kissing her at all.

I kept watching her chew on that lip until after another moment, she took a deep breath, met my eyes and said simply, "Go."