Page 67 of Fear No Evil

And yet, once envisioned, Maggie couldn’t stop imagining Jake and her sprawled on lounge chairs, sipping mai tais, while staring out at the aqua-blue Indian Ocean.

Marquez had told them to stay near thecasita, but once the swarm of mosquitos abated, Jake approached David for permission to take Lena for a little walk. His excuse to the squad leader was the need to exorcise their restlessness as they waited for Boris to get back. The truth was, he had something important to ask Lena before they went their separate ways.

David’s frown betrayed less suspicion than before.

“Por favor.”Jake used his most persuasive voice. “We will walk on thesenderofor five minutes and come right back.” Pitching his voice lower so Lena wouldn’t overhear, he added, “You know, my wife is a little crazy. She needs to get away from people.”

“Bueno.”David finally relented, but his eyes were full of thoughts as he gestured toward the path.“Pero cuidado por el jaguar.”

Jake didn’t wait for him to change his mind. Grabbing Maggie’s hand, he pulled her uphill in the direction of their old camp. It hadn’t rained since their march down to thecasita.The forest was cool and perfumed by the many-colored orchids growing in crevices and the forks of the trees‍—a virtual paradise.

“Quel jaguar?”Lena demanded once they were out of David’s hearing.

Jake gave his classic French hug. “David heard some snarling last night. He thinks there’s a jaguar around here somewhere.”

A tiny vertical line appeared between Lena’s eyebrows as she peered around them.

“But I’ve heard it’s good luck to run into a jaguar. How’s the hip?” She seemed to be limping a little.

“It’s fine.”

He put her answer to the test. “So, you want to run some uphill?” The mud on the trail had dried, making it feasible.

“No, that’s okay.”

“So, it’s worse.”

Her head swiveled in his direction. “Drop it. We’ll be back in civilization soon. I’ll get on some antibiotics, and I’ll be fine.”

Jake heaved a sigh and swallowed the obvious retort. What would happen if they couldn’t leave this wilderness any time soon? Peering into the lush vegetation, he hoped to spot the golden-orange berries of acordoncillotree. As he searched, he scrounged up the courage to talk about the future‍—their future.

“Listen, Lena, I was thinking…” He wished he could ask her this in English, but David could be following for all he knew. “When all of this is behind us, maybe we could see each other from time to time.”

Lena, clearly startled, stared hard at him. “What are you suggesting?”

“Just, you know, to see each other again.”

When she looked away, falling silent, Jake’s heart sank. Still, he persevered. “I’m up in Northern Virginia at least once a month. We could meet for dinner or something.” The thought of not seeing her every day, holding hands like they were rightthen, eroded his happiness. Even so, certain she would balk at the idea of dating him, he painted a deliberately casual picture.

Her step slowed and she faced him, causing Jake to hold his breath. He was conscious of the greenery surrounding them, the birdsong, the rustling of leaves that he hoped wasn’t a jaguar about to pounce.

“Jake,” she whispered in English, “please, don’t do this. People like us don’t do relationships. We’ve been over this before.”

Disappointment gutted him, and his thoughts flashed toCafé du Jour, right before the bomb detonated. “Right.” But her eyes hadn’t been filled with tears of remorse like they were now, shimmering like the precious emeralds for which Colombia was famous. “But there’s got to be a way, Lena. I like being with you.”Understatement of the year.

She blinked furiously, clearly battling her emotions. “I like being with you, too.” Her words sounded strangled. “But, Jake, we would never get to see each other.”

He forced a smile. “Look, I’m not asking for anything permanent. I just want to see you again.”

She dragged her lower lip between her teeth. “I’ll think about it.”

Relief buoyed his spirits. Not that she’d said “yes,” but “I’ll think about it” was a heck of a lot better than “no.”

Lifting his hands to her face, he ducked his head and lowered his lips to hers. Kissing her with all the pent-up hunger swirling through his body, he showed her exactly what she’d be missing if she didn’t at least try. He knew he was succeeding when she matched his kiss with equal ardor, fisting the material of his jacket and pressing the length of her body against him. Desire stormed his bloodstream, making his thoughts reckless.

Danger.

Jake tore himself away, breathing heavily as he surveyed their environment, half expecting to see the jaguar about to leap on them. Alarm shafted him as he spotted a man standing twenty feet away draped in shadows‍—but then he stepped forward with an awkward smile on his face.