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“I don’t tell you near enough.” He almost got choked up. “But I love you.”
“I love you too.” The surprise was evident in Hays’s voice. Jagger actually wondered if he’d ever told his friend, or anyone besides his parents and Bee, that he loved them. He’d learned to tell Mercedes he loved her because she sweetly demanded it of him, and he did love her like the sister he’d never had. He’d gotten in trouble about that with Bee. He almost smiled, but he was too agitated.
“Pray for us,” Jagger said, shocking even himself. But he’d had premonitions like the one today when he was in the military, and it had saved him or his teammates. Would his premonition to come this way save Belinda and Paul? He might have to humble himself and pray.
“I already am. Chat soon.”
“Thanks.” Jagger hung up, turned off the ringer, and slid the phone into a pocket. He’d feel it buzz, but it wouldn’t ring and give him away.
He upped his pace to a near sprint, slipping and sliding and maybe even praying.
Bee. She was all that mattered.
He had to keep her safe.
Chapter
Twelve
Paul and Belinda planted some different leads first thing in the morning, but by nine they were climbing up the first steep mile and then they trudged through mile after mile of the eleven-mile hike along the Na Pali Coastline toward their destination of the Kalalau Beach Campground.
She hoped he was right and this would be the way to avoid getting tagged by Jagger or Hays today. If the men somehow discovered where they’d gone and found them before six p.m., they’d lose their lives today, and even if Jagger or Hays had to wait until nine to leave the Kalalau campsite and follow them, she wasn’t fast enough to keep away from a highly trained SEAL captain or lieutenant. They’d have them caught tomorrow, too. Then they’d only have one more day to earn her money.
It was definitely a risk, but so far it seemed to be working out. Belinda appreciated this idea because it had a high chance of success, but also because she was avoiding Jagger. If Jagger and Hays didn’t find them in time, she and Paul could call Shawn on the satellite phone, hike out of here in the morning, win her money, and she could fly home.
She was chomping at the bit to talk to her parents and muddle out the story of Jagger claiming he’d come to see her. There were details Jagger shouldn’t know and she couldn’t imagine the Jagger she knew lying to her. She also couldn’t say the words liar and Dad in the same sentence. It wasn’t possible her parents could keep something like that from her. Her dad and mom were her rocks and her shining lights.
She focused on the epic scenery—vivid green, tropical flowers, towering mountains, and the roaring ocean far below. A light rain had started falling mid-morning. Blinking the rain out of her eyes dampened some of her enthusiasm for the stunning views.
Earlier, they’d met up with some young ladies who were turning around because of the rain. Buying their backpacks and supplies off them had been a good move, especially when one of them contained a nice-fitting visor to keep her eyes clear. They transferred anything they wanted from their smaller backpacks and she noticed Paul move a gun and a knife.
The backpacks were getting heavier with every step, but when they made it to the remote campground, Paul promised they could wash off in a small waterfall and sleep in a dry tent. Belinda would even have a change of dry clothes. Paul might at least have some dry socks, if they fit over those big feet of his.
She and Paul had chatted as they walked and hiked and slid. She sometimes fell on her rear and he helped her up. He was a very nice guy. At mile seven, they sat to eat lunch. He turned off the cameras and turned off the ringer on the phone so Hays couldn’t keep trying to get through and pry details out of them. Then Paul asked about the story of her and Jagger. He mostly just listened as she tried to share everything without getting overly excited, but that wasn’t really her personality and she got much too intense several times during the tale.
He stood as they finished lunch. “I have to turn the cameras back on and we need to keep moving, but could we talk in code to continue discussing this?”
“I guess. But truly, there isn’t much to discuss. I think he’s a big, fat liar.” She punched her fists into the air.
“Do you?” Paul eyed her analytically.
“I do.” Belinda jutted out her chin. Her parents would never lie to her or hurt her. Maybe they hadn’t been Jagger’s number one fans, but they wanted her to be happy. They would’ve supported Belinda with Jagger, if he hadn’t given up on her.
“Okay.” He shrugged. “I guess we don’t need to come up with a code, then. There’s nothing more to discuss if you can’t trust Jagger.”
She let out a heavy sigh. “I did trust Jagger. Until he broke my heart.”
“I understand. But you know what my dad always says?”
“What’s that?”
“There are three sides to the truth—my side, your side, and the truth.”
She thought about that. Her truth. Jagger’s truth. The real truth?
“We all view things differently, and most people slant the story to benefit them or at least make themselves look a little better, right?”
She nodded.
