her feet felt like bloody stubs. If she didn't have an infection from a deep cut on her left heel, she would have soon. Infection in the jungle was a death sentence—at this rate, it could do her in before her captors made up their minds to kill her.
She inhaled deeply. If she was going to die, she'd just as soon do it with an empty bladder. For her mother's sake, she wished for clean underwear. And thinking of her mother, who never let her leave the house wearing anything but clean undies— what if you're in an accident and end up in the emergency room? What would the doctors think? —brought tears to her eyes even as she smiled.
Her mom must be so worried. And Daddy.
Oh God. Daddy.
She bit her lower lip to keep from crying. Then she dug deep and squared her shoulders.
She wouldn't give the bastards the satisfaction of knowing she'd had a bad moment. And she told herself the moment was over. And then she made it be over.
She studied the guard who paced slowly back and forth in front of them. Not far away, huddled around a low-burning fire, the other cell members were knotted in a tight little clew, like the worms they were. Whether they stuck tight for defensive reasons or because each simply didn't trust the others out of his sight she didn't know.
Rahimulla no longer stood watch over her. The new kid on the block must have ordered him away. In fact, Rahimulla hadn't spoken to her all day. Worse, he would no longer look her in the eye. Not good signs.
But she didn't want to think about that now. She wanted to pee.
Careful not to disturb Amy, Darcy got the guard's attention.
"Sir," she said softly, as she had been ordered to address her guards, even though this one was another boy. Lito, she thought. Or maybe not. She didn't want to know their names.
Since the only time Darcy spoke was when she had to relieve herself, there was no need for further communication. They all knew the drill by now.
The boy glared but finally nodded, which was her signal for permission to stand. Not making eye contact with him, she stood, submissive, and waited, giving him the sense of power he seemed to need. At long last, he made a gesture with the nose of his assault weapon indicating that she could walk to the edge of the clearing.
He followed as she limped to the fringe of the encampment, then stood within three feet of her. Beyond modesty at this point, she reached for the snap on her shorts. It took some fumbling with her bound wrists, which were raw and weeping from the hemp rope, but she eventually managed the zipper. It was only because her guard was young and apparently embarrassed that he turned his back and left her to her business.
She hadn't any more than squatted down in the midst of some leafy ferns when all the hairs on her arms stood at attention. She froze, still as a tree, while her heart bounced around inside her chest like a pinball.
All of her muscles tightened. She felt instantly overwhelmed by awareness. Of what, she didn't know. But something—something was about to happen. She was certain of it.
She made quick work of her business and dropped to her knees so she could pull up her shorts.
She glanced back at her guard. His young profile was limned in night shadows cast through the foliage from the small fire burning in the middle of the encampment. He seemed relaxed. As if the world hadn't just rocked beneath his feet as it had beneath hers.
Hyperaware of the very air that she breathed, she snapped her head back front. And just as she did, something fell past her field of vision and dropped to the ground a few inches in front of her. She heard it more than saw it.
A minute whir of sound.
A minuscule flash of color that startled her.
She caught a cry of surprise before she gave anything away. Her fingers trembling from excitement as much as from fatigue, she felt around on the ground in front of her, silently
She inhaled deeply. If she was going to die, she'd just as soon do it with an empty bladder. For her mother's sake, she wished for clean underwear. And thinking of her mother, who never let her leave the house wearing anything but clean undies— what if you're in an accident and end up in the emergency room? What would the doctors think? —brought tears to her eyes even as she smiled.
Her mom must be so worried. And Daddy.
Oh God. Daddy.
She bit her lower lip to keep from crying. Then she dug deep and squared her shoulders.
She wouldn't give the bastards the satisfaction of knowing she'd had a bad moment. And she told herself the moment was over. And then she made it be over.
She studied the guard who paced slowly back and forth in front of them. Not far away, huddled around a low-burning fire, the other cell members were knotted in a tight little clew, like the worms they were. Whether they stuck tight for defensive reasons or because each simply didn't trust the others out of his sight she didn't know.
Rahimulla no longer stood watch over her. The new kid on the block must have ordered him away. In fact, Rahimulla hadn't spoken to her all day. Worse, he would no longer look her in the eye. Not good signs.
But she didn't want to think about that now. She wanted to pee.
Careful not to disturb Amy, Darcy got the guard's attention.
"Sir," she said softly, as she had been ordered to address her guards, even though this one was another boy. Lito, she thought. Or maybe not. She didn't want to know their names.
Since the only time Darcy spoke was when she had to relieve herself, there was no need for further communication. They all knew the drill by now.
The boy glared but finally nodded, which was her signal for permission to stand. Not making eye contact with him, she stood, submissive, and waited, giving him the sense of power he seemed to need. At long last, he made a gesture with the nose of his assault weapon indicating that she could walk to the edge of the clearing.
He followed as she limped to the fringe of the encampment, then stood within three feet of her. Beyond modesty at this point, she reached for the snap on her shorts. It took some fumbling with her bound wrists, which were raw and weeping from the hemp rope, but she eventually managed the zipper. It was only because her guard was young and apparently embarrassed that he turned his back and left her to her business.
She hadn't any more than squatted down in the midst of some leafy ferns when all the hairs on her arms stood at attention. She froze, still as a tree, while her heart bounced around inside her chest like a pinball.
All of her muscles tightened. She felt instantly overwhelmed by awareness. Of what, she didn't know. But something—something was about to happen. She was certain of it.
She made quick work of her business and dropped to her knees so she could pull up her shorts.
She glanced back at her guard. His young profile was limned in night shadows cast through the foliage from the small fire burning in the middle of the encampment. He seemed relaxed. As if the world hadn't just rocked beneath his feet as it had beneath hers.
Hyperaware of the very air that she breathed, she snapped her head back front. And just as she did, something fell past her field of vision and dropped to the ground a few inches in front of her. She heard it more than saw it.
A minute whir of sound.
A minuscule flash of color that startled her.
She caught a cry of surprise before she gave anything away. Her fingers trembling from excitement as much as from fatigue, she felt around on the ground in front of her, silently
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