Authors: Monette Michaels
Cold Day in Hell (25 page)
“Mad dash?” She chanced a glance and saw Risto wasn’t making a joke. “What’s the problem with the last part of the trip you haven’t told me about?”
“Nothing you didn’t already know.” He angled her to a small seating area for a walk-up restaurant. “Between here and the sea is the most-travelled part of the river. That means drug smugglers, Colombian military, guerillas and all sorts of other bad asses. Teo is getting us a motor for the
piragua
. A motor will give us a fighting chance if we encounter trouble.”
Callie sat in the seat he held for her. She looked around at the people crowding the plaza. It looked like every other small farming town she’d ever visited in her travels around the world. Some had been more primitive than others, but all in all the feel and the sounds were similar: people laughing, talking, bartering and just living. The scene of common people doing everyday things eased the tension in her shoulders. Risto, the man who thought he was too rough for her, had sensed what she needed and produced it. For that alone, she loved him.
Risto leaned over and kissed her lightly on the lips. “What do you want to eat? The food is good. The owners are relatives of Teo so I can vouch for the cleanliness of the food and drink.”
She was parched and her sickness earlier in the day had added to her dehydration.
Her body needed more fluids than she’d been giving it. The iodine-laced water had left a bad taste in her mouth. Her stomach gurgled, telling her the trail bar she’d eaten after the anaconda incident had long since been burned up. “Fruit juice of some sort. Bottled water if they have it. Any sort of empanada or tamale is fine.”
“They have ice, so I can guarantee you’ll love the
champús
.”
“
Champús
?” She scrunched her nose. “Never had that, what is it?”
“It has a corn syrup base with lemon and other fruits. Very sweet but refreshing, sort of like lemonade with a twist.”
She smiled. “Sounds good.” She stretched and looked around. “Think I can take my hat off? I’m so hot.” She couldn’t remove her shirt since she had her gun holstered under it. The knife sheath on her leg wasn’t as much of a problem since it seemed as if everyone sported some sort of knife.
“Leave it on.” Risto scanned the plaza then angled his head toward a brightly colored, two-story building caddy-cornered from the church. “On the roof of the hotel.” Moving slowly, she idly perused Ungaía’s central plaza. She spotted two armed men on the roof of the hotel and then three others strolling the area with their guns cradled in their arms. All of the men were scrutinizing the crowds.
“Who are they? Do we need to get the food to go?” Fear tightened her throat so much she had to force the words out.
“They aren’t looking for us.” Risto hunkered down next to her seat and put a comforting arm around her waist. “Teo said the FARC unit in the area is looking for Colombian military operatives chasing
narcotraficantes
. Just business as usual in Ungaía.
We’ll be fine for the short period we’re here, but if anyone does start shooting just get under cover and let me handle it.”
“Okay.” She stroked his beard-rough cheek. “Go. I’ll be fine. The sooner we eat, the sooner we leave.” He looked into her eyes and must have seen what he needed to see because he nodded and stood. She watched him stride to the counter and sighed. The man looked good coming and going. Obviously she’d recovered from her battle with the anaconda, because her pussy dampened at the memory of the power of those lean hips.
A feminine voice speaking in Spanish commented on Risto’s manly attributes. Callie turned and caught the woman eyeing Risto’s tight buns also. Callie smiled. “
Sí, mi
marido es todo hombre.”
She kept the fiction going that Risto was her husband, her
marido
, so the locals wouldn’t think of them as a single woman and single man travelling together, just in case someone asked questions later.
The woman, who could’ve been anywhere from thirty to fifty years of age, it was hard to tell since her skin was wrinkled from too much exposure to the sun, smiled and nodded. “
Todo hombre
.”
Risto strolled up to their table and smiled at the other woman as he handed Callie her drink. “What’s up?” He whispered the words next to her ear under the pretense of kissing her neck.
“She likes your ass.” Callie patted the body part and smoothed her hand over it. “So do I.”
“What did I warn you about teasing me?” She inhaled sharply and swiped her lips with her tongue. Risto’s eyes heated. He nipped her earlobe. “You’re playing with fire, sweetheart. I know the owner of the hotel and he rents rooms by the hour.”
“Sounds good to me.” She smiled at the flare in his nostrils. His cheek bones flushed red over his tan. She fluttered her eyelashes and trailed a single finger down his arm.
“What are we eating?”
It took Risto a second or two to answer. He seemed to be distracted by her lips. She laughed silently.
“Um, some meat pies with a mix of beef, corn, peppers and potatoes in them. I’ve had them before and they’re more than a meal. Then Teo’s aunt makes delicious fruit pasties. Today’s are banana and papaya. Sound good?”
“My mouth is watering. You marines sure know how to treat a girl right.”
“Oh, baby, you are tempting me again.”
She grinned and took a sip of the cold lemony drink then sighed. “That is just to die for. I wonder if I could make this at home.”
“I’ll get the recipe from the owner. She’ll be flattered.” He leaned over and kissed her. “Don’t look, but the guerillas on the hotel roof are watching us. If anyone asks, we’re married and eco-tourists. They’re used to that here.”
She kissed him back. “I already confirmed to the lady next to us that you’re my manly husband.”
He barked out a laugh and buried his nose against her neck. The whisper of his breath across the sensitive area had her nipples perking and her vaginal muscles clenching. She wondered if he’d been serious about renting them a room at the hourly rate. The more involved they became sexually, the harder it would be for Risto to walk away.
The woman working the counter called out their order and Risto rose to get it. Callie noted the soldiers watching him, then they shrugged and began to scan the midday crowds once more. She let out a sigh of relief.
* * * *
Teo’s assurances that no one had been asking after a tall, blonde
norteamericana
woman had taken a lot of the pressure off. Cruz was most likely looking in all the wrong places. He smiled as he imagined the man and his minions scurrying to chase them down in the main cities and toward the Ecuadoran border, the safest crossing out of the country other than by plane. By the time Cruz figured out he’d taken Callie out by the more dangerous route, she’d be in Chicago and he’d be on his next assignment for SSI.
Risto laughed silently. Cruz would be beside himself losing Callie—the embarrassment alone should turn his attention to easier female prey.
“I’m done.” Callie pulled a wet wipe from her seemingly bottomless tote. “You said I could get a shower some place?”
“Yeah, the hotel has public showers. Just like the rooms, they rent by the hour.” He stood up and collected their trash.
“That sounds wonderful. I still feel that snake all over me.” Callie followed him to the trash receptacles.
Risto noted that while she stayed close enough to touch him, she stayed away from his gun arm and was highly alert. He smiled. She was sharp and had good instincts. Like Ren’s wife Keely, Callie could more than handle herself when needed. So what if she couldn’t street fight as Keely did, she hadn’t hesitated to shoot to kill the mercs at Conn’s house, and her response to the anaconda despite her intense aversion was more than many soldiers could’ve done. He’d seen hardened warriors turn pale and puke at the thought of touching a snake that large.
“Let’s go, sweetheart.” He took hold of her arm and kept her close. He led her through the crowds in a slow, but steady pace so as not to call any more attention to them than was necessary. He nodded to a local man he knew from a previous trip, a farmer he’d helped escape from a drug smuggler who wanted to use the man’s small holding for drug storage. The man nodded in return.
He guided her through the dark, open doorway of the hotel. The place was clean, but basic. He wouldn’t trust the cleanliness of the beds for Callie and had been teasing about renting one for an hour. He’d seen the flash of arousal in Callie’s eyes and his cock had hardened at the idea of some afternoon delight. If they were in one of the larger cities with a more modern hotel, he’d be tempted to stay the night to give them both a break and Callie more rest. But they weren’t, so Callie would just have to settle for a nice shower. The shower facilities, he knew, were cleaned regularly and worth the few pesos to give her some privacy and the chance to get the rest of the snake blood off her and change into some cleaner clothing. He knew it bothered her that she hadn’t been able to clean her body as well as she would’ve liked. Hell, it bothered him.
“
Hola
!” The clerk smiled at them. “Welcome back! Do you need a room this trip, Señor Smith?”
“No, we just need to use the
baños.
” He handed over the correct amount of money plus some extra.
The clerk handed over two keys and gestured toward the doors. “Please. They are unoccupied. If you require anything, please ask.”
Callie touched his arm. “What does he mean by that?”
“They have some shampoo and the like. You need anything like that?” It was then he noted the intense interest of the majority of the men in the adjacent bar area. They weren’t looking at him. He stiffened. Callie might not be safe with just a cheap lock on the door. “I’ve decided I’ll share your shower, baby.” He leaned in and whispered against her ear. “I don’t like the way some of the men in the bar are looking at you.” Callie inhaled sharply and nodded. “I have my own bottle of shampoo and shower gel. I’ll share.”
Risto handed the clerk one of the keys. “We’ve decided to share. Keep the extra money.”
The clerk smiled, his avid gaze travelling Callie’s long legs and picking out the blonde hair escaping her hat. “Is probably a good idea, Señor Smith. Your woman is a temptation,
sí
?”
Risto nodded then turned to guide Callie to the shower room for which they had the key. He glowered at the men whose stares followed them.
“You’re growling.” She laughed, the first time he’d heard her laugh since the anaconda incident. It made him happy—and even hornier. “Men are the same everywhere. They’re just looking.” She kissed him on the jaw.
“Well, they can just stop. Colombia is playing Brazil in soccer on the television.
They can watch that, not you.”
She laughed and patted him on the butt. “Maybe they play for the other team?” Risto snorted. “In the wilds of Colombia? Odds of that happening are slim to none.
They are definitely hetero and they definitely are looking at your butt.” He placed a hand on her bottom as he unlocked the door. “And this butt is mine.” She turned to eye him as she entered the room. She licked her lips then sucked provocatively on the lower one. “Definitely yours.”
*
Risto urged her inside then shut and locked the door. Before she could say a word, he picked her up. She dropped her tote and grabbed onto his shoulders for balance.
“Put your legs around my waist.” She must not have moved fast enough for him because he pulled one leg up then the other. “Keep them there.” He moved so her back was supported by the rough wood door. She swore she could feel each seam of the poorly constructed door along her spine.
“Risto?” She stroked the back of his neck, finding the muscles tense. “What’s wrong?”
“That was one lip licking and teething too many, Callie. I need you … now.” He took her mouth with a deep thrust of his tongue before she could answer. His hips shoved against her in the same rhythm. His hard-on rubbed the juncture of her thighs in almost the right spot.
She groaned, excited by his need for her. She twined one of her arms around his neck, holding him close. Her other hand snaked between their bodies and fumbled with the opening to his jeans. Unable to open them one-handed, she rubbed her hand up and down his length from the outside. Risto broke off the kiss and groaned. “Callie, no.
Honey, you’ve been sick … we can’t … just needed to kiss you.” Her answer was to nip his chin. “Put me down.”
“God, baby, I’m so sorry.” He gently set her down.
“Don’t be. I’m not.” She dropped to her knees, her back sliding down the rough wood door with its peeling paint. Thank God she had on Risto’s shirt. She undid the snap to his jeans and had him unzipped and her hand and mouth on his erect cock before he could stop her. She hummed in the back of her throat as she fisted him with one hand and licked his length. She licked him like an all-day sucker, relishing the feel of him against her tongue. Her other hand fondled his balls, getting the feel for their size and weight.