She stared back out the window, wondering how she’d allowed their conversation to become so personal. Maybe it was simply having to adjust to the lack of contact with any other Americans over the past few months that had allowed her to let down her guard now. But just because she was lonely didn’t mean she was ready to open up her heart.
* * *
Ryan settled back in his chair as their pilot leveled out the small plane, leaving the city behind them. Despite her personal questions, he hadn’t failed to notice how guarded she seemed. Though he couldn’t really blame her. She’d been in hiding for the past three months, without being able to communicate with anyone she cared about.
As for himself, this was already probably the most amount of time he’d spent around a woman for, well...for a very long time. His father was constantly trying to nudge him back into the dating game, and if he didn’t know better, he could easily believe his dad had set up this entire scenario to get the two of them together. In fact, a part of him wasn’t sure why he hadn’t started dating again. Enough time had passed for the major wounds of his heart to begin to heal. But something had still continued to hold him back and keep him running.
Just like Ellie.
Except Ellie had been running from a legitimate threat. From a man who wanted her dead because of retaliation over what she’d seen. He, on the other hand, had been running from his own emotions and fears.
The thought struck him hard. The revelation would no doubt be one his father would be proud of. If he was to start dating again—which he had no plans whatsoever to do—and if he was honest with himself, from the short time he’d been around her, he knew Ellie was the kind of woman he’d like to spend time getting to know better. When they were kids, he’d enjoyed hanging out with her, and she’d always been a good sport no matter how much he’d teased her.
“Where’d you learn Portuguese?” he asked, figuring they could both do with a neutral subject.
“I love languages and ended up studying both Spanish and Portuguese in high school and college. Right after I graduated, I was given an incredible opportunity to work for two years in a studio based in São Paulo. I ended up fluent in the language and loved my time here. So when my father was murdered, it seemed like the perfect place to disappear. And it would have been if Arias’s arm didn’t stretch further than we thought. I never imagined he could find me here.”
He watched her smile fade into a frown. The underlying reason they were here had once again managed to rear its ugly head.
“Sorry. I promised myself I wouldn’t think about the reason we’re going during the flight,” she said, “but I can’t seem to get away from it.”
“It’s hard to ignore.”
“Have I thanked you for coming with me?” she asked.
He smiled. “Once or twice.”
“I know this plan probably seems crazy, and trust me, I typically tend to avoid crazy.”
“Like jumping off the roof into a swimming pool?” He nudged her with his elbow.
She laughed. “I guess sometimes you can’t avoid crazy.”
They spent the next couple of hours chatting off and on about what had happened since they’d last seen each other. But never—he noted—about anything too personal. Her job as a medical illustrator, places they’d traveled, his last diving stint, the last books they’d read... And if the conversation started veering toward something personal, she always changed the subject.
Ellie glanced out the window, then grabbed his arm. “Look down below us.”
“What is it?”
“About four or five miles from Manaus, two tributaries of the Amazon meet but don’t mix.”
“What?” he said as he leaned over her. But she was right. The two colors of the merging rivers were clearly distinct.
“The lighter-colored river is the Solimões,” she said. “The darker side of the water is the Rio Negro. Its black-tea color comes from decayed plant matter, and with barely any sediment, it’s actually considered one of the cleanest natural waterways on the planet.”
“Wow...that is amazing,” he said, staring out the window at the water below them. “Though I am curious why they don’t they mix.”
“Because of the extreme differences in water temperature, density and speed, they stay separate until they hit a strong wave of whitewater and become a part of the Lower Amazon River. I know you’ve traveled a lot for your job, but I’m guessing you’ve never visited the Amazon.”
“I’ve worked in Eastern Europe, Australia, South America and the Middle East...but never visited the Amazon.”
“Do you see yourself involved in saturation diving long-term?” she asked.
“Probably not.” He didn’t even have to think about his answer.
“Why not?”
“Other than the fact that it’s an extremely demanding job? I think about having a family one day and, despite the money, would prefer not to be away for weeks on end.”
She looked back down at the river as the pilot made an announcement through his headset that they would be landing in about fifteen minutes.
“Where exactly are we landing?” Ryan asked, feeling the plane begin to drop in altitude.
“There’s a small, isolated airstrip where a contact is supposed to meet us and take us to Dr. Reynolds.”
“Is the pilot waiting for us on the ground?”
“He’ll return in the morning. I didn’t know how long it would take with the doctor, so I thought it was better to stay the night. It will be rustic—”
“You’ve forgotten I’m pretty used to the simple life,” he said. “On the job—when I’m not working—I’m sleeping, eating and relaxing in a tiny pressurized chamber. Let’s just say it’s about as far from glamorous as you can get.”
At half past one, just as the pilot had announced, they were taxiing down the short runway in the middle of the dense tropical forest they’d been flying over the past few hours. Ryan waited for the pilot to open the side door, then stepped out of the plane behind Ellie, thankful they’d arrived. Because the sooner they could talk to the doctor, the sooner they could get out of here.
Ellie picked up her backpack, then turned to their pilot. “We’ll plan to meet at nine in the morning.”
The pilot tugged on the waist of his pants. “I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to return tomorrow.”
“Wait a minute... What do you mean? That’s what we agreed to.”
“Things have changed.” The man glanced toward the tree line behind them. “Turns out you weren’t my highest-paying customer today.”
Ryan turned around. Three armed men started toward them. Adrenaline surged as instinct kicked in, and Ryan’s mind quickly ran through their limited options. His job required him to be able to stay calm in order to cope with emergencies. But while his gut wanted to jump in and fight them off, he knew there was no way he’d win. One of the men quickly grabbed his arm, ensuring he didn’t question his decision.
“Ryan...”
Another man grabbed Ellie’s arm and told her to shut up. How had he not seen this coming?
The pilot took an envelope from their leader, then boarded the plane.
“Wait!” Ryan said, shouting at the pilot. “You can’t just leave us here.”
The man holding him back tightened his grip on Ryan’s arm, his protests lost in the roar of the engine.