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Feeling as if someone had slammed him in the chest, Nik’s arm tightened around her. “God… I’m so sorry, Kitten…,” and he leaned over, pressing a kiss to her hair, wanting somehow to take away the anguish and shame he saw in her face.
“That’s why I’m wearing this neckerchief. It hides my birthmark.”
“Good plan,” he said, relieved. He turned and smiled weakly at the children surrounding him, begging him in Quechua for sweets. “Listen, just stay here for a moment? I want to give the children their candy.” He saw her eyes grow tender and she nodded.
It gave Nik time to think as he dug into his cargo pants’ thigh pocket and drew out a handful of hard candy all wrapped in bright, colorful foil. He knew the children were deathly afraid of their team and with good reason. But these five boys and two little girls were braving the situation, their tiny hands held upward toward him, their faces smiling because he was the only one they trusted out of the team.
Daria stood back, collecting her orchids and putting them delicately into paper sacks. Picking up the tarp, she shook it out and carefully folded and packed it into her open ruck. After he gave the kids their candy, they ran to their respective huts, their treasures clenched in their tiny fists.
“Come,” he urged Daria, picking up her ruck and shouldering it for her. He slid his arm around her waist and brought her in step with him, heading in the opposite direction from the Russian team.
Daria moved out with him, her legs long and almost able to keep up with his stride. She saw the tension in Nik’s face, the worry deep in his eyes as they walked. “Listen, Kilmer and his men are here, around the village and in place, in case they can nab Korsak.”
“That’s good,” Nik said, taking in a ragged breath. “Do you know where?”
“Yes, near where the Russians stay. That end of the village. When I received the note you left at Flor last week with Señora Chavez, I called Kilmer’s team on the sat phone. They’ve been scouting out this village and the surrounding area since then. They need egress routes because, if they’re able to snatch Korsak, they’re gonna have to get the hell out of Dodge. I don’t know how Pavlovich will react. Or what his guards will do.”
Eyes hardening, Nik drew her to the left where a large thatched hut sat apart from the rest of the village. He slowed, releasing her. “Let’s get inside. Korsak isn’t going to expect me to introduce you immediately. We’ll talk quietly inside.”
They slipped into the airy hut. There were three large windows with their lids propped open to allow sluggish jungle breezes entry. Removing her black baseball cap, Daria saw that the interior of the rough structure consisted of three large rooms. The largest one had a rusted gurney in one corner. That was where Nik probably saw his patients.
“In here,” Nik murmured, motioning down the short hall to a room on the right. He pushed the door open, revealing a room where fresh leaves had been brought in, and a blanket thrown over them, to create a makeshift bed. He slipped in, dropping her ruck on one side of the doorway, and setting down his own right up against it.
Daria stood, looking around for egress points. The windows were large enough to slip out of, if necessary. She saw the grimness in Nik’s face. “I’m sure Mace Kilmer is probably stressing out over this FUBAR too.”
“More than likely,” he muttered. “What is their plan?”
“They’re going to wait to see which hut Korsak is in. If he goes out to do his business in the jungle, they’ll be waiting for him. They’re going to have to hope for a break, Nik.”
“With Pavlovich here, he’s a good distraction.” He rubbed his jaw, thinking. “It’s going to be dicey, Daria. No matter what happens.”
“What do you think Pavlovich and his men will do if Korsak suddenly disappears?”
“I don’t know. They know nothing of this area. They are unfamiliar with it.”
“Who’s second in command of the team? Brudin?”
Making a sour face, Nik nodded. “Yes. He’s a loose cannon. He doesn’t think clearly when things go wrong. He starts screaming and shouting.”
“That’s good for Mace and his team.”
“Precisely. Brudinisa distraction.”
“Do we need to go make introductions?” She saw his face go hard, his eyes flash with concern. Reaching out, she slid her fingers down his arm. He’d rolled up the sleeves of his dark-green shirt to just below his elbows. His lean forearms gleamed with the sweat that highlighted their ropy muscles, hinting at the strength he possessed.
“Yes, unfortunately.” He peered intently at her. Nik touched her cheek with his thumb. “Are you SURE you can handle meeting your relative?”
“I have to,” she said. “Let’s just get it over with? I want to get as far away from that sick bastard as I can.”
A slight smile tugged at one corner of his mouth. “Tonight, we are here, alone. With one another. That is the gift I am waiting for,moya kotya.”
She stepped up to Nik, framing his face with her hands, feeling the stubble of beard against her palms. She knew, when they were out in the jungle, men allowed their beards to grow out. On Nik, the short, prickly shadow made his face look even more rugged. She met his mouth, cherishing it with her lips, wanting to give something back to him, knowing the pressure he was under. She wanted to whisper, “I love you”, but the words stuck in her throat as she broke away from the kiss. His eyes had darkened and she sensed his urgent need for her. Fire ignited in her lower body and her breasts tightened beneath his intent inspection. There was a predatory look in his eyes, one that sent heated signals throughout her. She knew that look. Knew what it meant. And her lips parted.
Nik groaned. “Come, if we don’t leave soon, I am going to take you here and now…”
“Let’s go,” she urged softly, pushing him out the doorway, giving him a teasing look. Following Nik out of the hut, she settled her cap back onto her head. He caught her hand, keeping her close, cutting his stride as he took her down the center of the village.
When Daria had first arrived, it had been an active village with dogs, kids and mothers out and about. The men had been sitting by their huts, smoking or cleaning their hunting gear, readying themselves to go out into the jungle to hunt wild pig. Now, it was practically a ghost town. The cooking pots hung with no one in attendance. The dogs had disappeared along with the children and women. Her heart squeezed over the terror that this team had brought down upon these otherwise happy, hardworking people. They had welcomed her with open arms. Now, it was eerily quiet and she felt the palpable tension surround her.
