At the fifteen-mile mark, Tony told Grace to turn left and drive for seven more miles. “At that point, we’ll have to hide the car in the trees and hike to the cabin.”

“Swell,” she muttered, glancing at him. “How do you know how to get there?”

“Pablo told me,” he answered, shrugging. “I memorized it.”

“What if you’re wrong?”

He looked at her, smirking. “I’m not.”

She made a face meant to be rude, though she directed it out the front windshield. Tony wanted to laugh at her small moments of defiance. In normal circumstances, the woman would be stubborn and wouldn’t accept a man telling her what to do. Her pride was smarting, he was sure, because he was issuing orders like a drill sergeant, but not once had she argued or refused. She was smart, wouldn’t let pride take over, which would save her life. But she hated the submissive nature she’d had to adopt.

Watching her while pretending to look for their turn, he was continuously astonished by her bravery. She had gathered her strength when she could have succumbed to the panic attack he’d seen hovering in her eyes. She’d blinked a few times, breathed slowly, and when she’d looked at him, she was herself again. When he’d shot the men, her fear nearly won the battle, but she hadn’t let it. She was probably the bravest woman he’d ever met.

“I can’t focus on the road when you’re staring at me,” she said, startling him out of his thoughts.

“Wasn’t looking at you,” he replied gruffly. “I’m watching for our turn.”

“You can’t simply see it?” she asked, glancing at him.

“See the jungle ahead?” he asked, waiting for her nod. “This road disappears into the trees, and the road we’re taking is barely visible. Purposefully hidden to avoid detection, according to Pablo. We’ll have to slow our pace.”

“Hmph,” she mumbled, depressing the brake to slow the car further. “Well, we won’t have any trouble hiding the car, I guess.”

“No,” he agreed gruffly. He heard the brusqueness of his tone and wondered why he felt the need to be a dick to this woman. Clearing his throat, he complimented her. “You did a good job back there.”

Grace looked at him again and breathed out a short laugh. “Thanks.” Her answer sounded hollow.

“I do mean it, Grace,” he affirmed, looking hard at her even though she wasn’t looking at him. “Most women who have been through what you’ve been through this week would be curled up in the backseat making sounds like a lost kitten.”

“A lost kitten?” She laughed, her smile lifting his spirits. “How poetic. I’m surprised you would make a comparison like that.”

Tony, for the first time in a decade, felt a hint of embarrassment crawl up his neck. After he’d made the simile, he’d thought how ridiculous he sounded. And she’d called him on it, another rarity in his life. His size and battle-scarred face often prevented people from speaking their minds to him. Once again, he’d lost count of how many times his respect for her upped a notch. Before he could think better of it, he revealed his secret.

“You know, I’ve thought about being a writer when I’m done with this job,” he told her, watching her closely for her reaction.

“Really?” she asked, her eyes rounded with surprise when she glanced at him and quickly back at the road.

With a chuckle, he said, “I used to write in school. Wild stories. Haven’t written much in years, but I think I’ve got some good stuff up here.” He tapped his head with his forefinger.

“I bet you have a lot of interesting stories to tell,” she commented, her eyes staring into the jungle to their left for any signs of a road. “I was actually thinking about writing this story, though I’m not much of a writer. Trevor was the writer.” She smiled sadly and looked at him again. “Maybe we could collaborate on this story.”

“That’s a thought.”

“If we survive,” she said pointedly.

“We’ll survive.” He said it with such rigid belief that she looked at him. He nodded, and she gifted him with a smile that stunned him, though his face remained impassive.

“Yes, we will.”

The road was another mile up, and though Grace proceeded at a crawl, she nearly missed it. When she turned, the car bottomed out on the rough terrain, and as they continued, the condition worsened. She couldn’t avoid the deep divots, and after the seventh or eighth time of bottoming out, the car was making a strange puttering sound.

“We may have injured the car,” she joked humorlessly. “How far are we supposed to go on this road?”

“At least four more miles,” he answered, frowning deeply as a loud clunk was followed by a bounce that caused him to hit his head on the ceiling. He put his hand on the top of his head and growled, “Shit, that hurt.”

“Yeah, well, I think something large and important fell off the underside of the car,” she quipped, looking in the rearview mirror.

He didn’t bother to look, not knowing or caring whether she was joking. “I think the best bet is to go ahead and pull over, hide the car, and hike the rest of the way.”

“It’s getting dark,” she complained. “What types of animals live in this jungle?”

“Nothing a bullet can’t stop,” he replied drily, and she sneered at the windshield. “Can you hike for that long?”

“Four miles?” She tilted her head side to side. “I think I can manage. Trevor and I hiked nearly that when we were in Bosnia.”

“Bosnia?” Tony asked, surprised. “I was there.”

“Terrible place,” she said without elaborating, and he understood why. The horrors he’d witnessed, and that she probably photographed, had haunted him for months.

“Yes, it is.” He pointed to a small break in the trees. “Pull in there and drive until a tree stops you. There’s plenty of brush around to cover the car.”

Grace pulled the car in about twelve feet off the road, then they spent nearly thirty minutes covering the vehicle. Tony watched her out of the corner of his eye, fascinated by her simple movements and graceful body. The clothes, which belonged to the bitch guard, were too big, but her body was unmistakably well-formed and athletic under them. He remembered her nudity, and rather than focusing on what he should have been, he hardened painfully and stopped moving.

Grace noticed and looked over at him. She straightened, a confused expression on her face when she caught him staring. “Something wrong?”

He saw no hint of fear, only defensiveness in her face, her voice, and her body. He smiled a small smile. “I think the car is well hidden. Let’s get started before it’s fully dark.”

Her posture relaxed, and she returned the smile. When she turned away to return to the road, he grunted at himself under his breath as he watched her ass, barely visible in the large pants. The woman was affecting him more than any other had in his life, and rather than worry him, he was enjoying it. A poet indeed, he thought with a smirk as he followed her, the backpack of food, water, and ammo on his back.

Over her shoulder, she called, “Will we have time to rest at this cabin?”

“Not sure,” he answered. “Depends on the condition of the place. The cartel will figure out where we’re going eventually.”

“How’s that?” she asked, stopping to look at him.

He skirted past her so she could follow him down the trail that Pablo had claimed was a road. “There’s only one airport anywhere nearby. Unless de Velazquez has lost his mind completely, he or one of his men will figure that out soon enough.”

Grace groaned behind him. “I’m so tired…” Her voice wasn’t quite a whine.

“We’ll stay until sunrise if we can,” he told her, “as long as the cabin is in decent shape.”

* * *

The ‘cabin’ was actually a school bus that had been converted into a living space. When Tony opened the doors, several small creatures skittered into hiding spots inside the engine compartment. Grace jerked back from the door, appalled, almost wishing for her basement cell, where nothing had been alive but her. Tony grumbled under his breath as he stepped inside to inspect the space they would invade. Grace remained outside until he had disposed of any varmints.

“Is there poop?” she asked before stepping inside.

“All clear,” Tony announced with a sour expression, stepping down from the bus and gesturing for her to go inside. “Your new home.”

“Terrific.”

She climbed up the three steps into the bus. She had expected an odor to pervade the entire area, but apparently, the little creatures who wanted to make this bus their home had been stopped by an inner door that separated the driver’s area and door from the actual living quarters. She pushed the second door open and smiled in surprise at the interior of what she’d expected to be a hunter’s hideaway filled with animal skulls and blood stains on the floor.

Three lanterns hung from the ceiling, about five feet apart, lighted by Tony as he’d checked for animals. Next to the door was a miniature kitchen with a hotplate and a makeshift sink. No running water, as far as she could tell, but a prepared camper would have brought gallons with him. The numerous bench seats had been removed and replaced with two recliners with a table between them for eating. A small, modern couch was across from the table and recliners and could be moved closer to the table. At the back was a purple curtain hanging from a rod that she assumed separated a bed from the rest of the living quarters.

Glancing over her shoulder, she wondered if she’d get the bed. Wouldn’t mind sharing it, she thought with a snort. The man was gruff and seemed short on words for someone who wanted to be a writer, but she was monumentally attracted to him. She snorted again as she pushed the curtain back to reveal a double bed with a pretty quilt covering it. They could definitely both fit easily, and her need for sleep was banished by her need to get laid. Surprised by the directions of her thoughts, she frowned as she glanced at him as he turned off two of the lanterns.

“Why are you turning them off?” she asked as only the one closest to her remained lit. He dropped the backpack on the table and turned to her.

“Too bright. Could draw attention,” he commented.

“You think they’re still looking for us? I mean, you killed two of their men,” Grace said, watching his face. He hadn’t lied to her, nor had he been kind with his words, and she didn’t expect him to be now.

“Did it bother you that I killed those men?” he asked, watching her.

“Um,” she stammered, looking anywhere but at him. “I haven’t really thought about it. On one hand, I’m freaking out because you killed two people. On the other, I understand those men wanted to kill us.”

“Not kill us, Grace,” Tony corrected, staring hard at her. “They were going to take us to de Velazquez, who would have tortured me and made you watch until I died. The things he would have done to you…I don’t want to say out loud.”

Grace stared at him, her mind running wild with horrible thoughts. “Have you see what he’s done?”

“I’ve researched, seen pictures of the aftermath, if there was even a body to find. Heard rumors too,” he replied simply, shrugging. “The DEA and CIA have a lot of info on him. Details aren’t important, but you’d rather be dead that be taken to de Velazquez.”

“You’ll shoot me first, right?” she asked after a moment of thought. When he didn’t answer immediately, she reminded him. “You said you would.”

His face was unreadable when he lifted his eyes to hers. “I won’t let them take you alive.”

Grace wanted to feel a measure of comfort, but instead, her fear escalated. “I’d rather survive and make it back to the US.”

Tony laughed, a deep, loud laugh that made her feel better rather than as if she were being made fun of. “That is, of course, my first goal. Death is only if we’re caught.”

Smirking, she asked, “Do you have those capsules they give to spies in the movies? You know, filled with cyanide or whatever?”

“’fraid not,” he answered, shaking his head. “I’ll just have to shoot you. But don’t worry. I’ll hit you in a certain spot and you won’t even know what happened.”

“Oh,” she said, nodding her head with an expression of false thanks on her face. “Appreciate that. And will you kill yourself after?”

“Probably won’t have to,” he told her, explaining when she furrowed her brows at him. “They’ll kill me when they lose you. I’m not important.”

“Well, I think you’re important,” she said, smiling at him.

His eyes narrowed, but he didn’t respond. Grace felt embarrassment creep up her neck, but she didn’t speak either. Their eyes connected them, holding them frozen in a moment more important than either of them knew. Mutual lust and attraction was apparent, and the still air in the school bus crackled between them.

She cleared her throat and looked at the floor. “Have you ever seen that movie, Speed, with Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock?”

Obviously confused by her random subject change, he said, “Been a long time, but yes.”

She watched him as she spoke, hoping he understood her overture. She was too introverted to outright ask him to have sex. “At the end she says something about relationships based on intense experiences never last. Our current situation is definitely an intense experience.” She paused to let him think about that. “But I’m not actually looking for a relationship.”

Tony was expressionless as her words filtered through his brain, but the moment her meaning dawned on him, she knew it. His face didn’t change, but his eyes darkened and his body tensed. He tilted his head to look at her, his eyes never leaving hers. “Are you serious? Certain?”

“More than certain,” she whispered. “I’m positive I want you. No strings attached. Just tonight.”

Without a word, Tony rose and stalked to her. He grabbed her hands and jerked her to her feet, using the momentum to lift her so her crotch was against his. He held her ass, squeezing tightly as she wrapped her legs around his waist, her arms around his neck. She briefly wished he had hair so she could wrap her hands in it, but the prickly feel of his nearly bald head was more arousing than she could have imagined. The idea of that hair tickling her inner thighs as he licked her pussy caused a gush of warmth and wetness to flood her groin.

She groaned and dropped her lips to his, taking him in a powerful, fast, hot kiss filled with tongues dancing manically together. She wanted to devour him, and he was attempting to feel every inch of her ass with his fingertips. He walked towards the back of the school bus, and she was grateful she’d pushed the curtain back. He knelt as he held her, shocking her that he could hold her weight so easily as he squatted. He laid her on the bed, her legs hanging off the sides, and straightened to look down at her. With a movement that astonished her, he removed her shirt as if it were water, and because she wore no bra, he halted and stared.

“Beautiful,” he murmured as he bent at the waist to pull one of her nipples into his mouth. He suckled one as he kneaded the other, and Grace’s pussy throbbed with the same rhythm as his mouth on her tit. She wished he had removed her pants as well.

She whispered his name as she laid her hands on his head, holding him to her. “Tony, yes…”

As if her whisper created a flame in him, he sat up and unbuttoned her pants. His cock was rock hard under his, so she sat up as well and jerked on the fly of his pants, loosening them. He pushed her down to lay on her back, and she pushed her hips up so he could yank the pants off her body. The shoes were discarded as if they were attached to the pants, and she was naked to his gaze.

His lust-filled scrutiny touched her pussy, as did his thumb, which massaged her clit in fast little circles that caused an eruption of sensations. Her hands had been moving towards his zipper, but as he continued to buzz his thumb over her clit, her hands moved up her body to play with her nipples. She opened her eyes to look into his, smiling seductively and licking her lips.

“Oh, damn,” he mumbled, shaking his head, his eyes half closed in heated desire. “If you keep looking at me like that, I won’t have time to take my pants off.”

“No, I want you inside me,” she hissed, her hands moving to his chest and raking his shirt with her nails. “You better not finish before you’re inside me.”

He continued flicking her clit with his thumb, changing the rhythm and causing her eyes to widen with excitement and pleasure. She reached up and unbuttoned his shirt so she could feel his skin, but he wore an undershirt. Pouting, she looked up at him, and he ceased his movements long enough to remove both items. His thumb on her clit again, he bent and kissed her lips. She bit his bottom lip a little harder than she should have because the change in position created a different pressure. He growled and licked her neck, nipping her collar bone as his hand moved furiously.

His mouth wrapped around a nipple, and as she let out a groan to indicate her inbound orgasm, he slipped his hand away from her clit and thrust two fingers inside her, immediately hooking them up to hit her G-spot.

Grace’s body jerked hard and she nearly screamed as her body reacted to the sudden, beautiful intrusion. Three massages of his fingers later, and she did scream, her pussy clenching hard and squirting her juices onto his hand and arm. The orgasm, harder than any she’d experienced, was long and drawn out by his fingers, which had moved to her clit again.

And before it could end, he jerked his cock out of his pants and stroked it, using his pre-cum to wet the engorged tip. She lifted her head to look, but he pushed into her pussy as she clenched and her orgasm began again. She cried out and threw her head back, shaking her head furiously back and forth as he pistoned into her hard and fast. He held her hips in a death grip so she wouldn’t slide away from him. She threw her arms out to the side and gripped the quilt to hold herself in place.

As her second orgasm subsided, she focused on his actions. She propped herself up on her elbows so she could watch his cock move in and out of her pussy, entranced by the amount of her cum coating his cock. The thing was huge and filled her to the brim, explaining how she’d climaxed so quickly after the first one.

“You like to watch?” he asked roughly as he fucked her.

“Oh God, yes,” she breathed.

He reached for the back of her head and held her up so she could see, and Grace felt an imminent orgasm—her third—building as the visual image of his cock slamming into her pussy filled her mind. High on dopamine and desire, she grabbed his arms to hold herself up, using her strength to pump her hips up and meet him thrust for thrust. She couldn’t get the right friction, so she made him release her so she could lay back down.

Her feet on the edge of the bed for traction and her hands clenched around the quilt, she fucked him as hard as he fucked her, grunting with the effort to reach that third orgasm and bring him to his. “Fuck me! Fuck me, Tony!” she screamed, encouraging him.

“Ah fuck, ah fuck,” he yelled, his thrusts jackhammering into her. “I’m gonna come!”

“Me too! Me too,” she squealed. She reached up and grabbed his nipples, pinching slightly, and his eyes shot wide open.

“Oh fuck, yeah,” he moaned, his head falling back as he bellowed his release.

He didn’t stop thrusting as he came, and within a second, she screamed her release as well. Her hands fell to her sides to wrap in the quilt again as her pleasure exploded through her for a third time. Her brain mush as the orgasm subsided, she felt him fall onto the bed next to her, his panting matching hers. Smiling, she let her eyes close slowly while her body’s functions returned to normal.