Page 53 of Final Approach

“Good morning, Captain,” he whispered with a cheeky grin. He popped open a tin of mints with slightly shaking hands and took one before handing the tin to me. “It’s not a toothbrush, but it’s something.”

Gratefully, I accepted it, rolling the fresh flavor all around the inside of my fuzzy mouth and savoring its cooling effect. Brooks had taught us that the chunga palm leaves could be used as a natural tooth brush, but I had no desire to forage for any in the dark.

I glanced at my friend who was always quick with a smile and a light joke. Heavy circles hung beneath his eyes. His flawless skin was slightly sallow in the dim glow. He always made sure everyone else was settled, but who was taking care of him? I’d keep a better eye on him come morning.

The darkness beyond seemed softer tonight after the heavy rain. Cicadas chirped and leaves rustled, but not with the same crispness of the dried brush the evening before. I wrapped my arms around my knees and stared into it, immediately clearing my mind for the task ahead of us.

There were more jaguars out there, and snakes and creatures I probably couldn’t name but would be just as terrifying. Nikki’s presence beside me was an immense relief. We’d encountered a jaguar only twenty-four hours ago, and the darkness reminded me of the terror all over again.

“What did you want to talk to me about yesterday?” I asked in a low tone, determined to hold the realistic fear at bay. It was a safe topic, one where we didn’t have to address the previous cuddle situation and admittedly large penis poking.

Nikki pulled something out of his pocket—a hunk of plastic in the shape of a foot. A shoe. I was looking at a shoe.

“Found this upriver,” he whispered, “and a few old food wrappers. They probably washed down from well beyond where we are, but there's definitely evidence of people here before us. Traffickers, I’d bet.”

So much for keeping the fear under control. My heart seized in my chest, thinking of the small child who’d worn that shoe at one point. And their parents taking their chances through the jungle for hopes of a better life.

The Colombian cartels capitalized on the misery of so many, offering them passage through the Darién Gap for a hefty price, but then they would abandon them at the Panama border halfway through the territory. People had died making the passage. Children had been stolen, women raped. Rumors had it that trafficking was now the cartel's biggest source of income, half a million dollars per day off the backs of people who’d do anything for a brighter future.

Desperate people did desperate things. The truly evil sold their desperation back to them, repackaged as hope.

The Darién Gap was a sizable stretch of territory, and this river could run the entire stretch of it for all we knew, but evidence of someone else here wasn’t a comfort, it was a screaming red flag. The cartels of Colombia were not in the business of saving people—certainly not people who hadn’t paid their fee.

I took the small shoe in my hand and turned it over in my palm. The only children in my life were a few families in my building that occasionally waved hello. I couldn’t even guess the age of the child who had worn it, only that they were a tiny human I could only hope was still alive on the other side of the border.

It was tragic and a demonstration of everything wrong with humanity, but a very unlikely problem we’d have to deal with, unlike the actual threat of dehydration and infection. And snakes.

And it certainly wasn’t a concern if we were being rescued in the next two days.

“Thanks for showing me,” I finally managed to say as I turned the shoe over and over in my hands like a fidget toy. “But I really don’t think we need to worry about this. Aileron will have us rescued long before we encounter anyone out here. They transport hundreds of people through the jungle a day—we’d have plenty of notice if we heard a herd of humans through the woods.”

Nikki didn’t look convinced, but he said nothing.

I blew out a long breath into the void beyond the light of our fire. “I’ve got to get back to the plane tomorrow,” I announced abruptly in a harsh whisper. “Don’t try to talk me out of it. I need to try and find Jamie.”

“And we need to throw away the cocaine,” Nikki added, turning his head toward mine, gaze serious and imploring. “If Aileron shows up tomorrow, we can’t be implicated, Marl. We’ll be facing drug enforcement as soon as we land back home. We just need to ditch it and pretend like it never happened.”

Acid singed the insides of my stomach like I’d swallowed a lit match. “Evidence tampering is also a crime, Nik.”

“And what’s the penalty for that? Do you know it? I’d wager it’s less for that than for transcontinental drug smuggling.” His one clear eye through his cracked glasses stared at me so keenly, I had to look away.

As much as I hated to admit it, he was right. Fighting to prove our innocence would be a hell of a lot harder with a missing pilot and an entire cargo hold of cocaine. I swallowed the mint whole to extinguish the heat in my gut.

“There’s another thing.” Nikki drew out the words, extending every syllable. “Madman still has the gun.”

My head snapped up so fast I pulled a muscle. He still had the …

“We need it back,” I declared as I anxiously fiddled with the hem of my shorts.

In every interaction, Madman had proven himself far less of a loose cannon than I’d have expected, but the only incarcerated criminal of our group having the sole operational weapon felt pretty damn irresponsible.

“Agreed,” Niki muttered solemnly. “I have an idea, but you might not like it.”

He glanced toward the group behind us before continuing. “Take him with you tomorrow, and I’ll stay back and monitor things here. Diaz tolerates me at least, and someone should stay back who knows first-aid for Ambrose and Danny. While he’s with you, try to get it from him.”

Sputtering, I blinked as if clearing my eyes would clarify that statement. “And how do you suggest I do that?” I hissed into the humid night air.

His brows wriggled suggestively. “Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed he fancies you. Use that feminine charm. Seduce it out of him if you have to. I don’t think it would be that hard to be honest.” His tongue darted out to lick his bottom lip, voice lowering to a seductive sigh in that sexy British accent. “It would work on me.”