He smiled back. “Maybe.”
And then before I knew what was happening, he leaned in and gave me a kiss. “Thanks for ‘getting’ me.”
Dumbfounded, I stood there, staring into his green eyes. He’d just kissed me.
“Um.” He took a step back. “I—I can’t believe I just kissed you.” He let out a shaky laugh. “Oh, boy.”
He’d just kissed me.
“Oh, boy. Are you okay?”
I gave my head a little shake and managed a wobbly smile. “Yes.” And then I did something totally unexpected. I told him my real name. “My name’s Kelly.”
“Kelly,” he said my name. “I’m Randy.”
We both smiled.
He held out his hands. “Okay.” And with a nod, Quirk/Randy walked right past me back toward the village.
I turned and watched him walk away, and David popped into my mind. Oh, my God. What would he think?
Quirk/Randy had kissed me. He’d really kissed me. I touched my fingers to my lips, and my stomach butterflied. His lips had felt soft and warm. David’s lips were soft and warm, too . . . yet different. What did the kiss mean exactly? It had felt nice. Different. And Randy was right. I did “get” him. Just like he got me.
Should I tell David? My great
boyfriend
?
Yes, I probably should. I couldn’t keep something like that from him. He’d tell me if some other girl had kissed him, right?
“Hannah,” Jonathan yelled, interrupting my thoughts. “Let’s go.”
Suddenly, the urgency to get home doubled. I longed to see David.
IT took us three days
to horseback our way from the jungle and hop a couple of different planes from the country of Rutina back to America. A canceled flight, an extended layover in Dallas, and finally we arrived back in San Belden, California. Home. Guillermo had stayed in South America, and Randy had gone his own way in Dallas.
It was 1:00 in the morning when we arrived at the ranch. I couldn’t wait to fall in the bed and sleep for eternity.
Jonathan nodded to the elevator. “TL wants to see us.”
Parrot and I exchanged a tired glance.
With a yawn, I stepped onto the elevator. The door closed and we began descending. Four floors down we stepped off and followed Jonathan to the conference room, where TL stood waiting. He gave us a both a hug as we entered, and I sighed. I was home.
Parrot and I sat right beside each other, our chairs touching, our bodies as close as possible. We’d bonded in a way deeper than I’d connected with any of my other team members. Maybe it was because it had been just Parrot and me out there on the ledge, mere inches away from falling to our death. I’d been in dangerous situations before, but I’d always known TL or David or someone was nearby. Not this time, though. I’d truly believed that Jonathan was dead and that Parrot and I were on our own.
Parrot had almost died.
With that thought, a chill went through my body, and I reached under the table and clasped his hand. He grabbed on to mine tight as if he’d been thinking and feeling the same things.
Closing the door, TL came to sit in his seat at the table’s head. For a few seconds all he did was survey our faces, taking in our bruises and cuts.
“I know the shaman of the Huworo tribe doctored you up, but I want both of you to see Dr. Gretchen first thing in the morning. I’ve instructed her to give you a complete physcial.”
“Yes, sir,” we responded.
“I want both of you to know how very proud I am of the job you’ve done. You’ve each far exceeded my expectations.” TL turned to Parrot, his expression softening a bit. “I have news on your mother.”
Parrot straightened in his chair.
“The address information Talon gave you was inaccurate. No surprise there. But her slave name, Sparrow, was correct. We confiscated the personal files of Talon’s partner, the Southern Mexican chief. Using the information we found there, we were able to locate your mother. She will be here in the States in a few days.”
Parrot let out a breath, like he couldn’t quite believe what TL had just said. “Is she okay?”
“She’s extremely malnourished. So when you see her, you need to be prepared. It’s been ten years. A lot changes in a person in that time.”
Nodding, Parrot dropped his gaze, trying to hide the tears welling in his eyes. Under the table I squeezed his hand again, so pleased for him.
TL turned to me. “How’s your side?”
I put my hand over the gash that had been stitched and bandaged. “Fine.” I wanted to ask him when David was due back, but figured this wasn’t the appropriate time.
“Get some rest.” TL gave us both a small smile. “You both need it.” He glanced over his shoulder at Jonathan, who still stood at the door. “If you don’t mind staying for a few minutes . . .”
Jonathan nodded.
Parrot and I made our way back up to the ranch level and split apart when we got to our rooms. Quietly, I opened the door to the girl’s dormitory room and tiptoed in. Cat, Beaker, and Bruiser were fast asleep. I dropped my stuff on the floor next to my bed, changed clothes, did my thing in the bathroom, and dropped onto my mattress. I lay there for a few minutes with my eyes closed, listening . . . to the
quiet.
No bug noises. No frogs. No night crawlers. It was amazing how loud the jungle really was . . . and how quiet the nonjungle really was . . . and how, believe it or not, I’d gotten so used to the jungle noises. I sort of missed them.
Maybe I’d download a few of those nature songs to listen to at night. With a content smile and sigh, I felt my whole body relax and fell right to sleep. . . .
“GiGi.”
Somewhere far away in the jungle my name echoed. A big bug fluttered past my arm, and I brushed it away.
“GiGi.”
I grumbled. “I don’t want to bathe.”
“GiGi.”
“Whaaat?”
Something closed over my mouth, and my eyes shot open at the same time I executed a wonka-jonk, Bruiser’s term for her version of the karate chop.
The person above me blocked my wonka-jonk and quietly pinned me to the hammock—er, um, bed. That’s right, I was in a bed. In my home. Back at the ranch.
Through the dark I blinked my eyes real hard and focused in on the face above me . . . David!
His eyes crinkled when he realized
I
realized who he was.
“Oo ot pose to bee een ere,” I mumbled into his hand.
David uncovered my mouth.
“You’re not supposed to be in here,” I whispered. He could get in major trouble if TL found him in here after curfew. But . . . who cared. David was here!
Putting his finger over his lips, he threw my covers back, took my hand, and led me from the room. Together we tiptoed down the dimly lit hall, past TL’s door, through the cafeteria, and into the kitchen. With each step we took my heart banged harder and harder. Where were we going?
We crossed the kitchen, and David pulled open the door to the pantry. He led me inside and shut the door, plummeting us into darkness. This was the first place we’d ever kissed. And with that thought, I felt him move close.
“I heard a leech ate your butt.” I could hear the humor in his voice, and I laughed.
He flicked a switch, and dim light illuminated the area. Like TL had done, David’s gaze touched each of my bruises and cuts. I followed his eyes as they roamed over my cheeks, forehead, and chin. He reached out and carefully touched the spot on my side where’d I’d been knifed. And leaning forward, he gently pressed his lips to each mark on my face.
I closed my eyes and melted into his warmth, his strength, his familiarity.
He took a small step away, and from behind his back he brought out a lollipop. “Will this make things better?” he asked softly.
I smiled. “Always.”
“Turn around,” he said.
“What?”
He twirled his finger. “You heard me. Turn around.”
With a quizzical look, I turned my back to him. I heard a slight rustling, and then David brought a necklace down in front of me and fastened it around my neck.
“What did you do?” I held out the silver emblem etched with odd writing.
He turned me back around. “It’s a cartouche from Egypt. It’s your name.”
“David!” I hugged him. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.”
He smiled. “You’re very welcome. It’s your graduation gift.”
“My what?”
“TL told me you graduated college. Congratulations.”
“Oh. Thanks. Truthfully, I didn’t graduate. I tested out of the last semester.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Don’t know.” I shrugged. “No big deal, really. Just another test.”
“No big deal?” David raised his brows. “You’re sixteen, and you graduated college.”
“Almost seventeen.”
“And you graduated college.”
“Yeah? So?”
He stared at me with a perplexed look while I stared back.
Shaking his head, he chuckled and closed the minuscule space between us. “My God, I missed you.” He backed me up against the door and covered my body with his. He started kissing me, and kissing me, and kissing me . . .
. . . I’m so glad I’m wearing my cute pajamas . . .
. . . and kissing me . . .
. . . Thank God I brushed my teeth . . .
. . . and kissing me . . .
. . . and I’m not even thinking about Quirk/Randy . . .
“You’re thinking,” he grumbled, leaving my mouth to nibble my neck.
He pressed soft kisses all over my face and neck and then picked up my hands and did them and my arms.
“How many kisses was that?” he asked.
“Hmmm . . . ?”
“You’re supposed to be counting kisses, remember?”
How in the world did he expect me to remember that when I highly doubted I could conjure up the SAQ code right now? Oh, wait. I focused. No, I probably could.
“My bad. I made you think.” He went straight for that part of my neck again, and my whole world spun.