Page 30 of Last Destination

We both watched the handsome, ragged survivor speak with furrowed brows before turning away to slide the hatchet into his belt loop at the back of his pants. When his head snapped up, his gaze landed on the two of us. He stood tall, folded his arms across his chest, and raised a single brow as if to say, “Yes?” Then, in a completely uncharacteristic move that rivaled Nikki’s cheekiness, he winked, thick black eyelashes folding over his hooded eye in a seductive invitation.

Fuck me, Ambrose was hot when he wasn’t a meathead.

“I did not wake up wanting.” The soft skin of Nikki’s lips brushed over my earlobe, numbing my heartache a little more. “Our tech boy is proving to be a very enthusiastic bi boy. I can’t wait to break him in. Although it would seem he’s breaking me in.” He hesitated, then breathed out the next words like a confession. “I think I might like him quite a bit, actually.”

Nikki nipped the top of my ear, but his words caused the electric zing down my spine more than the bite. “But I was wanting in the first place because of you, baby girl. Next time, you can invite me to play, too.”

He released me and the ache in my lower belly joined the ache in my chest.

Maybe Nikki really was the asshole.

“Nikki, how many bullets do you have left in your gun?” Madman’s question quickly brought me back to our very sober reality.

“One sleeve of ammunition, one left in the chamber,” Nikki’s voice no longer held a sexy edge, but it was equally dangerous. “You?”

“One bullet. I would like to switch. I am better suited to protect you.”

Madman held up the small pistol Diaz had smuggled against his ankle. The memory of his last moments brought a fitful shudder through every bone. We’d already survived so much.

Nikki didn’t hesitate. He pulled the weapon and cartridge out of his pocket and handed them over to Madman with a solemn nod. “Agreed, mate. Let’s hope we don’t have to use it.”

The piercing blue eyes of Maddox Torres surveyed the five of us with clinical austerity. Tessa and Ambrose stood to attention and Jamie sat idly against a tree in his previously owned corpse clothes, having been mostly silent since daybreak.

“Women are likely to get raped along the passage — there are very few who will protect them and sacrifice their place in line. It is most likely the need will arise to protect them.”

Thump.

Tessa dropped her water bottle to the ground at the statement, but it could have been the sound of my heart falling out of my chest, now too heavy to carry.

I’d never experienced rape. I was one of the lucky few who, despite having enough psychological damage to fill a yacht, had never had to endure the pain of sexual assault. Could Tessa say the same?

“I have the hatchet, and I’ll use it if I have to,” Ambrose stated with a rugged confidence that belied a rich man who’d previously lived with many comforts.

Madman pulled the pocketknife from his pocket — the one he’d torn from Diaz’s body — and wordlessly handed it to Jamie. The Aussie’s eyebrows met his hairline as he looked up at Madman in complete confusion.

“If they fight back, they will be killed. It will be up to us. Do not make me regret trusting you.”

Tessa’s eyes were already on mine when I searched for her. The softer blue was filled with sadness, fear, and a determination so steely, she rivaled Charlie. I dipped my head, expressing solidarity.

We would get through this together. No one, man, beast or otherwise, would touch this woman who’d already lost so much. Which brought on another question.

“Tessa, can you speak Portuguese or Spanish?”

The brunette shook her head from side to side. “Not well — basic words and phrases. We were mostly using a translation app.”

My stomach dropped. Native English speakers were very unlikely migrants. She could be a dead giveaway we didn’t belong.

“Okay.” I forced a quick puff of air through my lips, considering her handicap. “Maybe don’t speak unless it’s absolutely necessary. That’s probably a good idea for all of us, actually.”

“Why does it matter? Didn’t you say there are hundreds of people coming through each day? Why would they even care about us?” The hardness of her determined stare dissolved into a perplexed frown.

“The drugs on the plane were worth over a million dollars. Two, for the right buyer. Rumors are rampant among thieves. People will be looking for the plane. If they think we can lead them to it, we are targets.” Madman’s words were sharpened razors cutting to the crux of our problem.

No one cared about us, just the payday that could come along with our lives. They’d have a hell of a time tracking down the cocaine dust now completely mixed into the soil beneath the river.

“We do nothing to make them twitchy,” Madman commanded, turning his head in a circle to speak to all of us. “We mean nothing to them if we are migrants, and they think they already have their money from us by our bracelets. We mean too much to them if we can lead them to the drugs. It is best to stay as silent as possible.”

“What if I can’t get a bracelet?” Jamie’s defeated tone mirrored his body language as he stared numbly at his hands.