4. Chase

We hadn't spokensince she basically told me to mind my own business. We stopped a few times to eat, and when it rained, I made a cup out of a leaf and refilled my water bottle. Other than saying thank you, no words were spoken. She didn't even look my way.

Maybe I was too pushy, but I couldn't stand the thought of having another person die on my watch. I liked Mercy. She was strong and resilient, and she didn't take any crap from anyone. But her attitude about her heart condition was something I didn't know how to deal with.

As her protection agent, I needed to ensure her safety in every way, but as a man who had already watched one woman die, I needed it for my own sanity. I wished she could see that and allow me to help her.

The trees cleared enough up ahead that I might be able to get some reception. I needed to get ahold of Patrick and find out if the team was still in the area. But one look at Mercy and I knew she needed a break.

"We're taking a break," I said, not bothering to ask if she needed one. "There's a clearing up ahead. I'm gonna check it out and see if I can contact my team. You stay here and?—"

"No, I'm going with you."

"There's no point. I'll be coming back here anyway."

"Why are you trying to leave me behind?"

"I'm not," I said in a calmer voice than I felt. "Look, you need a break. I'm not going far, and when I get back, we'll figure out if I'm skewering a wild boar or if we'll eat geckos for dinner."

Her lips twitched in amusement. "Are there geckos here?"

"There have to be some kind of lizards."

Her nose wrinkled in disgust. "I think I'll pass on that."

"Okay, then you watch for potential dinner prospects while I make the call. I won't be long."

"Fine, but if you shack up with some other sweaty, smelly woman on the way, I'm going to be insulted."

"My sweaty ball sack is only for you," I teased, then turned and took off for the clearing. I only glanced back at her when I was far enough away that she wouldn't see me. The moment I saw her resting, I took off for the clearing. She seemed to be holding up pretty well, but I had no idea how long that would last. It worried me that she hadn't taken her meds in so long. Maybe I was worrying about nothing. It could be that she was perfectly fine. Either way, I'd feel better when we were back in the United States.

Ten minutes later, I reached the clearing and pulled out my sat phone to call Patrick, relieved when it rang.

"It's about time you checked in, fucker."

"We got split up."

"Oh, is that what happened? I thought maybe elves carried you away."

I ignored his sarcasm and moved on. "When can you get back for a pick up?"

"Not until the morning. We had to come back and refuel, but the asshole we rented the chopper from decided he needed it for the night."

"Fuck," I swore. "Get another one."

"Can't. He was the only one within a hundred miles that had one. You know this. What's the problem? Not enjoying the scenery?"

"Mercy has a fucking heart condition."

He didn't say anything for a moment. "Mercy?"

"Yeah, the client."

"I know, but you called her Mercy."

The teasing was evident in his voice, but I ignored it. "Did you hear what I said?"

"Yes, I heard you. There's nothing I can do. There's no way to get to you."

I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to figure out what to do next. "What time can you pick up?"

"We can be there by eight."

"Eight?" I snapped. "Are you fucking insane?"

"No, I'm actually quite lucid. Where are you?"

"You have my tracker information."

"I know, and I'm looking at it. What I don't understand is why you're so fucking far out of the way. Where exactly were you headed?"

Right, now was the time to point out how lost I was. "It's not like my GPS was working. We're in the middle of the fucking jungle."

"Where's your compass?"

"In my other pants," I snapped.

"So, you're out in the middle of nowhere with Mercy," he chuckled. "I can imagine how your night is gonna go."

"Yeah, cold and hungry."

"You have body heat. Get undressed and warm yourselves up. You might even have some fun."

"I'm not out here to have fun," I argued. "This is a rescue mission."

"Yeah, I hate to point that out, but you kinda failed."

"We were being chased."

"I made it out with Elijah."

"There were men after her. Did you want me to stay behind and hold your hand?"

"I made it out with a man who whined the whole time."

"I don't know how many times I have to say this. There were men after us."

"Whining and squeezing my hand like a fucking girl. Seriously, you had the easier client. How exactly did you get lost?"

I rolled my eyes, knowing he wasn't going to stop. "What do you want me to say?"

"That you got lost and didn't stop to ask for directions."

"There was no one to ask," I snapped. "Jungle, remember?"

"Yes, I remember. I was there. And I made it to the extraction point. I think you secretly wanted to get lost."

"Why would I want that?"

"Because then you'd be forced to relax with your jungle woman."

"She's not a jungle woman."

"She was in the jungle. And she's a woman. Jungle woman."

"You're an asshole," I grumbled.

"That may be true, but doesn't change the fact that you got lost in the jungle."

"Would you just get me new coordinates and tell me where the fuck to go," I snapped.

"Geez, someone's a little testy. I strongly recommend a good blow job while you're whiling away the hours. Hell, why don't you go for the full monty and make yourself really happy," he laughed.

"Why don't you go?—"

"There's no need to be angry. I'm just giving you the same advice you're giving yourself."

I was gonna kill him so hard when I got back home. "Patrick, fuck off."

"What? Sorry, I can't hear you—static—out—there?" The line went dead, but only because he hung up on me. I redialed immediately. "Yellow. Happy Slayers at your service. You stab ‘em, we'll fry ‘em."

"You're an asshole."

"They tell me that all the time."

"Are you sending the coordinates or not?"

"Already did. Like I said, you're a grouchy?—"

I hung up before he could finish that sentence. The phone chimed with new coordinates. He was right, I was so fucking far away from the extraction point, but we weren't making that hike tonight. I'd wait until we got some sleep and head out early morning. Hopefully, now that we were in a clearer area, the sat phone would work and I wouldn't be wandering around aimlessly.

I shoved the phone back in my pocket and headed back to where I left Mercy. With any luck, she'd be feeling better and would rest easy tonight. Then tomorrow we'd head out and…and I'd probably never see her again. But at least I'd know she was safe.