rush over her. How had she gotten
here? The answer to her question didn’t make her feel any better. She’d gotten
here by her own hand.
She
waited until everyone had vacated the camp before leaving the sanctity of her
tent. She couldn’t stay in those close confines any longer. She wandered toward
the now burned-out campfire and snagged a cup of coffee. It was luke -warm, but it was something to wrap in her idle hands.
Waiting around… hiding out… was miserable and terrifying.
~*M*~
Alex sat in his tent in a camp
chair with a bottle of water and a remote control. He fast-forwarded through
the sleeping camp revealed on the disk he was currently scanning. He was
looking at the feed from the third camera when he finally saw something that
caused him to pause the disk. He blinked several times
and pressed the play button once again. In the scene that played out, he
watched Roman Alcazar and a woman… a woman not his wife, leave the campsite
into the darkness beyond his camera range. The woman was the only other woman
on the team, Sara Daniels.
Alex
pressed the remote to his lips as he contemplated what he’d seen. It was
apparent Alcazar and the lovely, young Ms. Daniels had continued their affair.
What kind of arrangement did those people have? Did Devon know her husband was
stepping out? More importantly, did what he saw have anything to do with the
missing missiles? Finding no leads was beginning to take its toll on him. He’d
never gone this long in a case without any results.
Before
turning off his equipment, he checked the time on the disk and made a note for
himself. Tonight, he’d be on the lookout for these two. Alex rose from his seat
and as with every day, he prepared his backpack for his trek out into the
jungle. He stepped out of his tent and was zipping up his utility vest when he
realized Devon was out of her tent and seated next to the now non-existent
fire, a cup of something in her hand. He hesitated before making his way toward
her.
She
flinched when she became aware of his presence. Her eyes stayed locked on his
until he sat down in the seat next to her. Being this close to her, he could
now see the deep bruising under her eye and the swelling of her cheek and nose.
His gaze drifted down to her wrists and he wasn’t surprised to see
fingerprinted bruises there. Anger swelled in him. While he didn’t like some of
her actions, he never thought it was okay to manhandle a woman.
She
glanced away embarrassed when he allowed his gaze to wander back to her eyes.
Clearing his throat, he spoke, feeling odd using her first name for the first
time. It felt wrong in some way. “Devon…” he began.
Her
tongue darted out to moisten her suddenly dry lips. “Please don’t,” she begged.
“I was
just going to say…” he began again.
Rising
quickly to her feet, she wrapped her arms around herself, and turned to face
away from him. “…that I deserve what I got. I know
what you were going to say.”
Alex
sat back heavily in his seat stunned. He would never have thought that, much
less said it. He inhaled deeply before rising slowly from his chair. She
flinched away from his touch when he laid his hand on her arm. “No, I wasn’t
going to say that.”
“But it is what you think,” she said.
“I
don’t think any man has the right to raise a hand to a woman. Violence is never
the answer.”
She
trembled underneath his hand and drew in a breath sharply. With lips that
trembled along with her body, she said, “Well, it was my fault. I just need to
be more careful.”
He
swore sharply. “That’s bullshit!”
She
jumped at his harsh tone and swallowed hard to stay the stupid tears which
seemed to be ever present recently. “I need… I have to…” she fumbled.
Alex
watched her struggle to hold herself together. He found he didn’t like her
floundering and wanted to help restore some of her control. Without thinking it
through, he said quietly, “I can teach you
here? The answer to her question didn’t make her feel any better. She’d gotten
here by her own hand.
She
waited until everyone had vacated the camp before leaving the sanctity of her
tent. She couldn’t stay in those close confines any longer. She wandered toward
the now burned-out campfire and snagged a cup of coffee. It was luke -warm, but it was something to wrap in her idle hands.
Waiting around… hiding out… was miserable and terrifying.
~*M*~
Alex sat in his tent in a camp
chair with a bottle of water and a remote control. He fast-forwarded through
the sleeping camp revealed on the disk he was currently scanning. He was
looking at the feed from the third camera when he finally saw something that
caused him to pause the disk. He blinked several times
and pressed the play button once again. In the scene that played out, he
watched Roman Alcazar and a woman… a woman not his wife, leave the campsite
into the darkness beyond his camera range. The woman was the only other woman
on the team, Sara Daniels.
Alex
pressed the remote to his lips as he contemplated what he’d seen. It was
apparent Alcazar and the lovely, young Ms. Daniels had continued their affair.
What kind of arrangement did those people have? Did Devon know her husband was
stepping out? More importantly, did what he saw have anything to do with the
missing missiles? Finding no leads was beginning to take its toll on him. He’d
never gone this long in a case without any results.
Before
turning off his equipment, he checked the time on the disk and made a note for
himself. Tonight, he’d be on the lookout for these two. Alex rose from his seat
and as with every day, he prepared his backpack for his trek out into the
jungle. He stepped out of his tent and was zipping up his utility vest when he
realized Devon was out of her tent and seated next to the now non-existent
fire, a cup of something in her hand. He hesitated before making his way toward
her.
She
flinched when she became aware of his presence. Her eyes stayed locked on his
until he sat down in the seat next to her. Being this close to her, he could
now see the deep bruising under her eye and the swelling of her cheek and nose.
His gaze drifted down to her wrists and he wasn’t surprised to see
fingerprinted bruises there. Anger swelled in him. While he didn’t like some of
her actions, he never thought it was okay to manhandle a woman.
She
glanced away embarrassed when he allowed his gaze to wander back to her eyes.
Clearing his throat, he spoke, feeling odd using her first name for the first
time. It felt wrong in some way. “Devon…” he began.
Her
tongue darted out to moisten her suddenly dry lips. “Please don’t,” she begged.
“I was
just going to say…” he began again.
Rising
quickly to her feet, she wrapped her arms around herself, and turned to face
away from him. “…that I deserve what I got. I know
what you were going to say.”
Alex
sat back heavily in his seat stunned. He would never have thought that, much
less said it. He inhaled deeply before rising slowly from his chair. She
flinched away from his touch when he laid his hand on her arm. “No, I wasn’t
going to say that.”
“But it is what you think,” she said.
“I
don’t think any man has the right to raise a hand to a woman. Violence is never
the answer.”
She
trembled underneath his hand and drew in a breath sharply. With lips that
trembled along with her body, she said, “Well, it was my fault. I just need to
be more careful.”
He
swore sharply. “That’s bullshit!”
She
jumped at his harsh tone and swallowed hard to stay the stupid tears which
seemed to be ever present recently. “I need… I have to…” she fumbled.
Alex
watched her struggle to hold herself together. He found he didn’t like her
floundering and wanted to help restore some of her control. Without thinking it
through, he said quietly, “I can teach you
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