8. Jasper

eight

Jasper

Throwing my arm out protectively in front of Evie, I rasped, "Don't move." An unfamiliar crossbones emblem flashed from the side of the large boat that didn't hint at it being the coast guard. A shirtless man with a peg leg roamed the deck in black and white ragged striped pants, and the sun gleamed off the blade of a large knife sheathed at his waist. I wasn't going to be a sitting duck while we watched that boat dock. They probably had men in the back loading a cannon as we spoke. Dying on this beach—while Evie bawled over my dead body—was not going to be my story .

"It's a boat, and there are people on there!" She pointed in excitement as she pushed on my arm, trying to get past me. "They might have food and can give us a ride."

Yesterday, I wouldn't have cared a lick about Evie. I'd shake and bake out of here, leaving her to figure it out on her own. I might even have felt relieved to have someone decoy them while I escaped. Today, my heart twisted, begging her to see the danger. We only had a minute window to get ahead of peg leg and his friends. I grabbed her wrist and yanked her back toward the brush. "It's more pirates. They might be more of the same, or a completely different group, but either way, we've got to run."

Catching her off-guard, she stumbled forward, but caught herself, and allowed me to pull her. Her eyes were wide, and she didn't utter a word as I propelled us back to take cover. I had a pretty good idea of the layout of this small island. There wasn't any place to hide, and nowhere to get off. The best plan was to keep moving, staying one step ahead of them until they gave up…or worst-case scenario caught up to us.

She pulled to the east, back toward the beach that led to the cave, and I growled, "No, we can't go back that way. We'd get surrounded." I tugged her arm, spinning her to the west, revealing uncharted muddy water nearly buried in mossy trees and thick grass. "This way."

She planted her feet, jerking her body to a stop. "It's a swamp." Her eyes begged for clarification.

I cut a glance back to the boat, finding it already anchored, and they were dropping a small dingy down into the water. I swallowed, gambling on any gators being a better choice. "We don't have time to talk this out. We must get ahead of them. We do that by going where they'd least expect first." I pulled her forward with even more urgency. "Move!"

"I'm not really that fond of cardio," she huffed out but stayed on my tail as I propelled her through the ankle-deep waters until they became knee high, and eventually waist level. At which point, I decided it was time to make our way to land. I turned in a circle, unsure of which shore would be safest. The north shore was barren and desert- like, with few places to hide. The south shore was thick with tropical trees and brush, which would provide plenty of places to hide, and likely some food for us, but I wasn't sure what else was hiding in the brush.

Likely there'd be spiders at the very least.

At the very worst…I swallow, not wanting to entertain that thought.

My eyes tracked from north to south, and I steered Evie to the south. My gut said we don't want to be sitting ducks in the desert. "Get your leg, and your peg and come on shore," I joked as I assisted Evie out of the water. We were both weighed down with heavy, wet clothes, shivering, starving, and exhausted. I scratched my head and studied the immediate area, completely overgrown without a fresh footprint in sight.

It appeared relatively safe.

We had trudged for hours, and if the pirates did what I assumed they would, and went in the opposite direction, we'd have a few hours to stop. As much as I hated to stop, I had to get real. We needed to stay hydrated and rested. "Let's clear some area behind this first row of trees. We'll be hidden but can keep our eyes on the water. It will give us time to dry off, take turns napping, and find something to eat before we go out on land."

Evie heaved an exhausted breath. "Sounds good to me."

"I know it's not comfortable but try to keep as much mud on you as you can to stay camouflaged."

While giving herself an officious once over, she scoffed. "I don't think that's going to be an issue."

We moved forward into the jungle. I pulled the lowest branches back carefully, so they didn't break, or shake the leaves off, as I didn't want to leave any clues where we'd been. While pointing to the ground, I cautioned, "Try not to step in the mud as it leaves prints. Step on the rocks, branches, and leaves."

"What do you think is back here?" Evie whispered, crouching her body as small as possible.

"I purposely tried not to think about that." I lifted another low branch for her to duck under, and then pointed behind a large tree trunk. "If we tuck up against this tree, the branch will camouflage us. Until I have a chance to explore a little, I'm not comfortable going any deeper in."

She plopped down, ungracefully, landing on her side, grunting out several heavy breaths as her eyelids became hooded. "Please don't tell me they don't have room service here, because I'm exhausted and starving."

My gaze traced her body. Aside from the fact she looked like she'd been rolling with the pigs, she'd gotten several large scratches on her arm. It didn't surprise me to see her so banged up, but other than her constant sarcastic coping remarks, she hadn't complained once. For an alleged spoiled movie star, she handled the near ambush well. She certainly was tenacious. "Since you're already laying down, why don't you take the first nap. I'll keep an eye out while trying to find some berries or something we can eat."

When she didn't reply, I assumed she was already nodding off, and took that as my cue to go bring home the bacon—literally. I can't even imagine the kinds of wild pigs that would live out here… We needed something smaller, hopefully already dead.

A squirrel or bird perhaps.

I stepped away from Evie while keeping my stance low to the ground. It was so eerily quiet, the hairs on the back of my neck rose, giving me the suspicion that I was being watched.

I froze.

Pivoting around at the slowest speed, I checked as far back as I could see in every direction. Trees, roots, vines, and tall grasses that didn't look like they'd ever been stepped on. I scanned high and low, and nothing caught my eye. I risked another step as my heart literally quaked inside my chest. Never in a million years would I have thought I'd be doing something like this, but with Evie counting on me, I didn't want to disappoint her. I had to keep her safe and taken care of.

I repeated my scan high and low, and still nothing, so I took another three steps, passing a huge tree that I felt compelled to duck behind. "Phew." I panted. It was muggy and hot, and now that we weren't in the water, the humidity hung heavy in my lungs. My eyelids grew heavier with exhaustion. Before I talked myself out of it, I found myself sliding down the tree trunk to sit.

I just need to rest for a few minutes to think.

A deep yawn spiraled from inside my lungs, pulling my mouth wide open, as I struggled to keep my eyes open so much they watered.

I'm exhausted.

My eyelids drooped even more. It was so amazing to give my eyes a break.

My breathing evened, and my shoulders relaxed as my head fell back against the thick tree stump, and I was drifting into a peaceful—

Zzzzzzz.