Dire Distraction by Dee Davis

preposterous as it seemed, she had come to mean a great deal to him in a very short period of time.
    She turned to face him, emotions chasing across her face that he wasn’t about to try to name. “I actually believe you’re serious.”
    “Of course I am.” For a minute they stood, the implication of their exchange not lost on either of them.
    Then with the tiniest of smiles, Sydney turned back to the jungle. “It’s not much farther,” she said, the formality of her tone sending a clear message that heart-to-heart time was over. Which was just as well, since there was no fucking way he was in a position to answer the question reflected in her eyes. Not while there was a chance that Evangeline was still alive.

Chapter 8
    S yd fought against the ripple of joy Avery’s words had instigated. Despite the heat of the moment, she knew better. He was married. And even if it turned out that Evangeline was truly dead, the man still wore her ring, for heaven’s sake.
    And besides, if she truly cared about the man, and God help her she did, then she had to hope that they found Evangeline alive. It was an unselfish thought, and she tried to talk herself into believing that all she wanted was Avery’s happiness. But in truth, she wasn’t a saint. Far from it. And so her brain insisted on trotting out other images, other possibilities.
    She sighed, pushing aside her errant thoughts. There was nothing to be gained in imagining a future that could never be. Even if he were available, there were a million reasons why it wouldn’t work. She was just caught up in the magnetism of the man.
    Behind her, Avery swore as he fought to free himself from a thorny vine, and Syd swallowed a smile. Maybe he was just a mortal after all.
    “You okay?” she called over her shoulder.
    “Fine,” he groused. “Just some minor scratches. Damn thing didn’t want to let go. So we’re close?”
    “Almost there,” she replied, looking down at the GPS reading on her watch. “The trees are already starting to thin a bit. There should be a lichen-covered rock next to a tree coming up on our right.”
    “So you were here?” Avery asked. “After Tim was killed?”
    “Not in the cavern itself. But I was part of the team that found his body. Or what was left of it.” She shuddered at the memory, the image branded forever in her brain. “They strung him up. As a warning, I suppose. Fortunately, they assure me, he was already dead. But still it wasn’t pretty.”
    “I wish there were something I could say that would make the memory easier, but there isn’t. Was there any effort at retaliation?”
    “No. My cover was still in place. And everyone felt it was better to keep it that way. It allowed for our continued efforts to monitor the drug trafficking in the area.” She tried to keep her voice matter-of-fact, but it was difficult, her mind swimming with memories.
    “But you didn’t agree with the decision.”
    “On a practical level, sure, I got it. Above all else, maintain the operation. But from a personal level, I felt like Tim deserved better.”
    “So how long ago was this?” Avery asked, as they slowed to move around another fallen tree.
    “Almost two months. So I guess it’s still pretty fresh.”
    “And has Shrum hassled you any further?”
    “Not that I can prove. But someone messed with the motor of my boat a few days ago. Nothing I couldn’t fix, but it did force me to land on the Myanmar side.”
    “But nothing happened?” They moved past the last of the tree and its foliage, correcting their course accordingly.
    “Actually, yeah, I had a run-in with a local, but he wasn’t really interested in trading information.” She consulted her watch again and cut sharply to the right. “One of my tourists got itchy feet while I was trying to repair the boat. He headed for an abandoned temple nearby, and by the time I caught up with him, the local guy had him at gunpoint.”
    “Kidnapping attempt.”
    “Considering that