Amazon Heat

Two years ago

Dr. Elizabeth DeMarco struggled to loosen the cord that bound her wrists. Overhead, the jungle canopy was too thick for moonlight to penetrate. Hot, damp darkness pressed down on her as she trekked deeper into the Amazon rainforest, away from camp, away from the other scientists and graduate students, away from help. Her eyes focused on the thin flashlight beams that illuminated the narrow trail.

"Move," one of her mercenary captors growled from behind her. He gave her a hard shove. She stumbled but managed to right herself before she face-planted on the muddy earth.

"My team will find me, you know. When I didn't return to camp, I'm sure they started a search and notified the police. Just let me go. Do you really want the attention my disappearance will bring to your boss's illegal logging enterprise?"

The man she'd labeled "pretty boy" just laughed. His dark, amused chuckle lifted the hair on Elizabeth's nape. "We do not fear the police, but it'd be quite inconvenient if they discovered our routes through the jungle."

She swallowed and tried a different tack. "Look, even if I did go to the police, which I wouldn't, you'd be long gone by the time anyone ever considered investigating. Think about it. I don't know your names. I can't produce any drugs. Kidnapping me is more trouble than it's worth."

He snorted. "Do not worry. The search for you will be short. Your body will be found quickly. Many bad things can happen to a woman alone in the jungle. There are predators everywhere."

Panic pounded in Elizabeth's chest as the threat hovered.

How the hell was she going to get out of this?

She shouldn't have wandered away from the expedition team. But, as usual, her excitement over the variety of plant species she'd collected had gotten the best of her good judgment. Maybe for the final time. Her chances weren't looking good.

Her gut clenched. She'd never see Logan again. And with the way they'd left things between them....

Regrets could wait. She studied her rugged band of captors. Thank God she'd sent her assistant back to unload the samples. If she hadn't, these mercenaries would have two hostages instead of one. Stumbling through the dark, she tugged at the knots binding her wrists. If only I could loosen the ropes.

She shook her face to dislodge a mosquito. How long had they been marching? From the thirst and the aches in her legs, it seemed like many hours. Elizabeth's eyes and ears strained, listening for the sound of help, searching for a chance to escape. Deep inside she knew she was on her own; well and truly trapped. Even if she managed to elude these mercenaries, she had no supplies, no navigational equipment. She'd never find her way back to the camp site. This deep in the Brazilian interior, she could wander the rainforest for days and never encounter another human being.

They entered a clearing. Moonlight burst through the trees, and the mercenaries stopped.

She felt the man behind her step forward, press against her. "We camp here for the night. After we set up camp we have some fun. Yes?"

"Never." Bravado aside, Elizabeth's insides turned icy. They both knew there wasn't much she could do to prevent the men from doing whatever they wanted to her. Eleven to one weren't good odds. "I'd rather die."