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“All right. I’ll see you soon,” I said.
Hunter left, and Paula, along with a young boy, packed two bags on our scooter, one on each side and brought a container full of coconut buns.
“El favorito de Hunter,” she said.
“Gracias.”
“De nada.”
I sat on the scooter behind Hunter with my arms wrapped around him. As we pulled away, kids waved, running along to the village limits. He weaved between trees and bushes, ferns slapping at his arms, until he turned onto a path leading up the mountain.
“You’ve got a GPS in your head?” I called out.
“I do.” My body shook along with his laughter.
We passed ageless trees and ferns the size of two men. A family of monkeys followed our path for a while before retreating into the rainforest. About a half hour later, we reached what looked like a peak. He set the scooter by a tree and turned on his phone. Humidity hung thick in the air. Droplets clung to my skin. My heart drummed, waiting for the beep of technology as the phone caught a signal.
“Make yourself comfortable. It will be a while,” he said.
I sat at the edge of a cliff overlooking a valley. The white of a river’s rapids foamed at the bottom. Higher, the green landscape stretched out as far as I could see. The tree-topped horizon resembled military camouflage in all shades of green. The afternoon sun was sinking in the sky. A flock of macaws flew by. A pair broke off from the group and landed on a branch. They watched me watch them, and I just couldn’t stop smiling. I closed my eyes and listened to the ruffling leaves, chirping birds, and every so often, an animal noise I didn’t recognize. God, this was exactly what I needed.The soothing sounds forced the thoughts of heavy traffic, complaining clients, and constant sirens to the back my mind. And Hunter’s protective presence brought back the freedom I never knew I needed. It finally felt like I could breathe again.
“Grace?”
I jumped up and pressed my hand to my chest.
“Holy shit, you almost gave me a heart attack.” I took his offered hand and pulled myself up. “How did the call go?”
“Good. They questioned everyone from the party. Chad kept a low profile, and Cindy hadn’t introduced him to anyone.”
“I bet the court is a beehive of gossip. What else?”
“They have a lead on Chad, but that’s all I know. Either way, we’re staying here until he’s caught. We can go back once he’s behind bars.”
What would that look like once Chad was out of the picture—our lives? Would Hunter stay? Would he leave? Did I want him to? I didn’t know what life without Hunter would look like. Strike that—I did know because I’d spent the last five years without him. Despite my success, they were the most miserable years of my life, and I didn’t want to be alone any longer. Was this our chance?
“Can you dial Emma for me? I have to speak with Frankie, too.”
“Sorry, but I can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“Because there’s only one number I call from here, and it’s scrambled to stay off the grid.”
“You’re doing this on purpose.”
“I’m not, Grace. We can’t risk being traced.”
I pouted.
“If it makes you feel any better, my brother James followed up with Frankie about the salon, and everything’s going well. Now, come on—we need to make it home before the sun sets.”
He restarted the scooter, and I sat behind him. My limbs were aching, and the day’s heat was getting to my head. I held on tight and rested my head on his back. He stopped at a suspended bridge and turned around.
“I need you to close your eyes for this.”
“Wait—we’re going over that?” I pointed to the row of planks tied by rope.
“Yes.”
