Carmen felt better when she woke up. The sun was shining, she was sitting by a refreshing little stream and she had enough food in her pack to get her somewhere safe. She still regretting having to leave Harmony and Godfry, but they would never have understood her fears or gone quietly. Godfry would have insisted on getting Cody’s help or waiting until morning, but she knew what she risked losing if she stayed any longer. Now she knew it was for the best. She gave her face a splash with the cool stream water, ate a plain roll that Cody had snuck into her backpack for breakfast and then stood up to have a good look at her surroundings. She wasn’t sure which direction to go. If she kept going in the direction she was headed, she might end up crossing paths with Cody and his men, but if she went back, it was even more of a sure thing. She couldn’t go right because that led into the thickest part of the jungle she could see, but going left meant going downhill and it looked to be pretty steep from where she stood. She wasn’t sure it was a good idea, she could twist her ankle, break her neck or anything.
Carmen heard the approaching voices too late to do anything about it. They were coming out of the trees behind her. She decided to stand her ground; she would rather face Cody defiantly, out in the open, than be dragged by the hair out of the bushes like she was a coward. Too late did she realise that neither of the two voices she heard belonged to Cody. Three men, dirty and scruffy, emerged from the trees, laughing together. They went quiet when they saw Carmen, grinned at each other in curiosity as they suddenly fanned out and went in different directions. Carmen realised that she was their new entertainment and she’d be damned if she let it happen. She backed over to the tree behind her, feeling safer knowing that there was one less direction for them to approach her from. “Well…lookey lookey what we got here.” One of them flashed a set of black, rotten teeth at her as he stepped to her side, trying to come around behind her. Carmen backed away from him, only to find herself backing into a second of the three. “You’re awful pretty for being out here…alone…” He gloated, letting out a rasping laugh that she noticed amused his two friends.
She was racking her brain trying to think of what she might use as a weapon, or how she might escape as a disgustingly dirty, groping hand reached out from behind and grasped her shoulder. Out of instinct, she stepped back, managing to trample on her attackers foot, causing him to shout out. His two friends laughed at him and told him to shut up, another hand reaching out in front of her, towards the neckline of her top. Before Carmen could swat his hand away, more voiced radiated towards her from the trees. She almost cursed out loud, believing they were friends of the three disgusting men surrounding her, when she saw the look of anger flash across their faced. “Fan out, we’re not giving her up without a fight.” One of them insisted, giving her a spark of hope that she might get away from them after all. She was the most scared she had ever been in her life, but when she heard someone swearing from behind the trees, she smiled to herself and let out a sigh of relief. Cody was coming for her.
Darick emerged from the trees first, hiding a smile of satisfaction that Carmen had got the better of Cody; that smile fell when he saw her surrounded by three strangers. She looked terrified and he was about to do something about it, when Cody appeared behind him and he saw Carmen’s gaze flitting across to his boss and a smile reaching her lips. “I didn’t think you’d get very far.” He smiled to himself the minute he saw her. He barely registered the three men surrounding her, he was so relieved to finally have her back with him. He signalled to Darick, who dutifully stepped forward and bound Carmen’s hands at her waist with a length of rope. He was a little surprised at how well she took it. “You won’t be running away again any time soon.” He decided he wasn’t going to let her out of his sight again, until he was absolutely sure that she would never voluntarily run off again.
“Where are Harmony and Godfry?” Carmen only just managed to keep the relief and joy from her voice as Darick pushed her closer to Cody, a little more roughly than she would have liked. It seemed Cody wasn’t the only one mad at her. But for all that he had saved her, again, she wouldn’t let on to Cody that he had done it.
“They’re being kept at my camp until they’ve packed up and moved on. They’re being watched over by an armed guard and won’t be released until you and I have had a little discussion.” Carmen was surprised to hear that his men were armed, as she had never even caught a glimpse of a weapon on them before. Now, she was more than a little worried about what she had let Harmony and Godfry in for. “They know nothing other than that you took a late night walk and didn’t come back. I’ve told them you got lost and that when we found you I’d contact them by radio to let them know you were safe. Don’t make me a liar.” Cody bit the words out, unable to fight back the rising anger in his guy that said she had run away from him, rather than anything else. He grabbed her elbow the minute she was close enough to him, and was going to keep hold of her until they had reached their next camp. But he was surprised when the leader of the three men who had attacked her stepped forward, making himself known to Cody for the first time.
“Now fellas, we found the little princess first…and we’re willing to fight for her.” He claimed, making Cody look at Carmen accusingly. He hadn’t even noticed the three men before and now that he heard the threat, he realised just how much trouble she had got herself into. He had never known a girl like her before, to get herself so quickly into trouble. Was he always going to have to rescue her? With a disapproving sigh, he scanned the three men and targeted the one who was distractedly rubbing his foot. Knowing Carmen as he did, he pulled the gun from the back of his jeans and shot him in the forehead. Carmen reacted with a gasp while his two companions looked at each other and then scampered off back into the trees. But for all that Carmen hated murder and needless killing, she was so relieved at the threat being removed from her, that she glanced at Cody with thankful eyes.
“Cody, you can take the binds off…I’ll go with you to keep Harmony and Godfry safe…” She offered up her wrists and they both knew that she was silently thanking him for protecting her. She knew as well as Cody that he had chosen the one man who had hurt her and killed him for it. As strange as the realisation was, she was grateful that he had done so. Not that the man had died, but that he cared so much about her that the very thought of someone hurting her, made him furious. And because he knew it, and he knew that she finally understood, Cody gave Darick the nod to undo her binds, putting his gun back into his waistband and taking Carmen’s hand, leading her off, not back to where he had come from, but straight ahead.
After half a day’s trek, they reached the next camp sight, and Carmen was surprised to see that this time, there were tents already laid out, and three guards sitting by a fire. Cody ignored them and stalked towards a tent on the furthest end of the camp, practically throwing her inside with the force in which he released her hand. He dropped his backpack to the floor and knelt down beside it, angrily unpacking and throwing things into their rightful place. “You might as well tell me now how those bastards interfered with you before I got there. As plainly as possible if you don’t mind…since I did just shoot one of them.” Cody grumbled to himself, not relishing the conversation but knowing that for both their sakes it needed said. He had had all morning to think of the awful things that might have happened to her, what she might have suffered at their hands, and he needed to know the truth.
“No-one ‘interfered’ with me. They just got the idea that I was alone and…nothing happened.” Carmen realised that her protest was useless, of course they had planned to ‘interfere’ with her. They had planned a lot of things, from the looks in their eyes. A lot of things that might have broken her completely had they gone through with them. So she shut up and told him the one thing he wanted to know, that she was safe and unharmed. Thanks to him.
“You’re lucky, you know. If I had been a few minutes late, or not come at all, do you have any idea what they would have done to you? How they would have hurt you? Then, once they were finished, they would have dragged you off and sold you to someone or left you for dead. They didn’t care what happened to you…but I do.” He spoke the words with so much anger and emotion that Carmen felt like crying in shame. He really did love her. He really did care about what happened to her and he would probably have killed every last one them, if he had found her in any other manner than what he had. And it would have been her fault for wandering off. She had turned him into a killer. For all that her rational mind said that he didn’t have to shoot that man, she knew that he had done it to prove to her that he would always protect her, no matter what. That he would never let anyone hurt her. “Get some sleep…we’ll be taking the last hike tomorrow.” He warned her gently, staying on his knees for a moment as he thought of everything that had gone on that day. How terrified he had been of losing her. It wasn’t worth thinking about now, and he watched silently as Carmen moved across to the sleeping bag he had unpacked, smoothing it out before laying down inside it.
She knew that he was trying to win her over, that he wanted her to sleep and forget about that morning. She knew that he was trying to protect her and although it was still only late in the afternoon, she did as he asked and closed her eyes to sleep. Her eyes flickered open again instantly, in surprise, as the sleeping bag moved. Cody climbed in beside her and lay down. “What are you doing?” She asked in surprise, knowing fine well that he had never ventured that close to her before and that he was only doing it now, to punish her for running away. She understood that he had worried about her and that he was angry, but sharing her sleeping bag was a little too much thanks, in her opinion.
“You’re my prisoner Carmen. Just because I’m not tying you up, doesn’t mean I’m going to trust you not to run again. I’m going to lie here right beside you, so close I can feel every move you make, so that if you try anything stupid, I’ll be too close for you to get very far. And if you do, somehow, make it outside the tent, there’s an armed guard waiting to remind you that you’ve got nowhere to run.” The words were so seriously spoke, so genuine in sentiment that for a full minute Carmen stared at Cody, trying to figure out if they might have another meaning. But they didn’t. He stared right back at her, unremorseful, unconcerned about her objections. Carmen reluctantly gave in, lying on her back, afraid to move in case Cody took it for some silent invitation to get closer. She knew how easily he could force her into submission now that he had Harmony and Godfry held at gunpoint, and she was more than a little relieved to see that he loved her too much to push his authority over her that far.
*****
Carmen woke up with a smile, feeling warm and safe and loved after a night of pleasant dreams. She was surprised to find that although she had gone to sleep at what must have been around four o’clock in the afternoon, she had slept right through the evening and the night undisturbed. She was so full of that early morning contentedness that she didn’t even notice she was snuggled into Cody, or that she was enjoying the warmth his body offered as she lay her head on his arm, practically curled around him. There was the lightest, sweetest touch on her cheek and it made her smile and nudge her head just that little bit further into the warmth surrounding her. It was only when she opened her eyes and truly woke from that pleasant feeling, that she saw Cody smiling down at her, his finger brushing against her cheek. “What are you doing?” Carmen asked in shock, trying to pull away from him to sit up, but Cody had prepared himself for such a rejection. He caught hold of her thigh, draped casually over his leg, and held onto it, to keep her in place while he explained a few home truths to her.
“I should be asking you that question. Here I am, innocent as a button, keeping my hands to myself all night and I wake up to find that I’m the only one capable of such restraint.” Cody mocked her teasingly, finding her much too amusing in the morning. He would have liked nothing more than to have explored that happy feeling she had woken up with, more fully, but he could see she wasn’t ready for that yet. Something, he didn’t know what, was holding her back and he hated it, but he had enough patience to wait. Miracles did happen occasionally. “You know, things would go so much better for you if you didn’t fight me. I’ve been a complete gentleman to you out here…I’ve talked to you and shown you I’m not a bad guy…I haven’t hurt you or your friends…I’ve done everything you asked of me. Next time, I won’t be so nice.” Carmen was speechless. The threat was obvious enough, but for all that she knew it, logically, her heart still screamed at her that Cody was what she wanted and needed. Cold logic and hot emotion fought each other silently, as he caressed her face. Even when he kissed her, a little more passionately than he ever had before, she found it hard to resist him. It was the first time he had ever done anything more than press his lips against her and finding him so passionate, so consuming and so enthralling was a bit of a shock to her system.
Cody knew that he could easily have pressed his advantage at that moment and she wouldn’t have resisted him, but he didn’t want blind submission. He wanted something more along the lines of active participation, a deliberate mental and physical decision to fall for him. A sharing of mind, spirit and body…not for her to be so caught up in passion that later, when she realised what had happened in the cold light of day, she regretted every moment. So when he parted from their first, real kiss together, he couldn’t even force a smile to acknowledge her equally enthusiastic response to his kiss. “You’ve got ten minutes to freshen up before we leave.” He sighed, leaving her once again speechless, and this time, a little breathless, as he got to his feet and changed without any hint of there having just been anything remotely intimate going on between them. Carmen lay there, silent and confused as he left the tent immediately after changing. It took a good five minutes for her to realise that she had kissed him back and given him exactly what he wanted. She had been the pathetic, submissive female he wanted and she hated herself for it. Something about him made her weak at the knees and she was only then realising how dangerous that could prove to be for her.
Carmen didn’t risk taking the whole ten minutes to get ready in case Cody decided to get the idea of rushing her along. He would enjoy it too much. And for the rest of the day, she kept her distance from him, emotionally and conversationally, since she couldn’t do so physically. He held her hand all day, making sure to keep her close by, and when he did let go, it was only to let Fritz walk with her instead. Cody was more frustrated by her refusal to talk to him, than with the obvious distance she was trying to put between them, and because he hated the silence, he decided to see if she would talk to Fritz, and at least let him hear her voice from a distance. But that didn’t happen either, ten minutes after leaving them alone, Cody was surprised that Fritz joined him, claiming that Carmen was ‘in a mood’. He figured that was his nineteen year old way of saying that she wasn’t talking to him either, so he kept Fritz company and tried to let him know it wasn’t his fault.
It wasn’t until the second break came at three o’clock, that Cody noticed how far Carmen was lagging behind, muttering to herself the whole time. She had flat out refused to be polite to anyone, and since the boys refused to sit down and eat until she had caught up to them, Cody went back to walk with her, hoping to hurry her up. It was only when he was walking towards her, just a few feet away that he noticed she was limping. “Are you okay?” He asked concerned that she had hurt herself and would hold up their progress.
“I’m fine.” She snapped, looking up at him just long enough to dart him a look of hatred before refocusing on her slow, struggling steps. “Why wouldn’t I be?” Just because she couldn’t keep up with him… Her ankle may be hurting like hell, but she wasn’t going to let that stop her from keeping up.
“I can see you’re still in a bad mood.” He complained, putting his arm around her shoulder as he helped her hobble over to the side of the track. He sat her down on a boulder and straightened up again. A second later he whistled up to Darick, giving him the signal that they had stopped and everyone could eat without them. “What’s up with you?” He asked as he crouched down in front of her.
“Why do you assume something’s wrong just because I can’t keep up with you?” She asked angrily. But one look at Cody’s worried frown and the way he looked over her legs, not in an approving manner but searching for a sign of weakness, made her give in and tell him the truth. “My ankle’s killing me and I just can’t keep up.” She sighed. Without saying anything in case she was making it up just to make him worry or show her leniency, Cody took a look at her ankle, lifting her foot to rest on his knee before frowning up at her. It looked like a bite of some sort, but the only bite he could think of that would hurt, would be a snake bite and that wasn’t a good thing.
“Why didn’t you say something before?” He asked furiously, frightening her, but before she could answer he went on. “How long has it been hurting?”
“I don’t know,” She shrugged, worried at his behaviour. “Maybe since the lunch break.” She suggested.
“Jesus…” He swore, running his hand through his hair. Who knows how long that bite had been there before it had started to hurt. It could have been hours, maybe only minutes but either way he would have to get her to the camp to see the doctor. When he saw the alarm in her eyes, he decided to play it cool and not let on in case he was wrong about the whole thing. But he didn’t think he was. Cody ignored answering her question and took a few minutes to think about it rationally. She wouldn’t be able to continue the journey without some help. So he covered her ankle back up, flattering her jean leg against it to keep it protected and out of sight from the others, making sure no-one could see the angry red marks that were slowly turning blue. “Come on, on your feet.” He sighed, trying to ignore the slight note of concern in his voice, that Carmen didn’t seem to notice, as she struggled to her feet. He barely waited for her to stand, slightly hunched over, trying to keep the weight off her ankle, before Cody swept her up into his arms. She didn’t even complain. And that worried him.
“I’m going to have to carry you…it might make things worse if you walk in the state you’re in. We shouldn’t be too far from the house.” He tried to give her as much information as he could, at that moment, hoping that by talking to her, she would stay awake. He still had his backpack on his shoulder but he abandoned Carmen’s backpack where it was and carried her back over to the group, surprising those who had spent the most time with her, Darick and Fritz, into standing up and asking what was going on. “Someone needs to go back and get Carmen’s bag. You’ll have to take mine. And get Malcolm to call ahead and make sure the doctor’s at the house for when we arrive.” He explained as calmly as he could, giving Darick a glare that said he should do as he was told, whether or not he understood what was happening.
He was giving him a good enough glare back to start a real fight over Carmen, but Cody wasn’t in the mood, and after a few seconds, Darick’s frown faded and he turned to dish out the orders, while Fritz ran ahead to collect Carmen’s bag. Cody explained that he was going to start walking ahead, smiling when Fritz swore he would go with him, while the others took their well earned rest. They needed to get to the house as soon as possible, and get a doctor to Carmen, but the very fact that she didn’t ask what was happening, convinced Cody that she was in serious trouble.