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herself. But if she shot Jase now, the sound of gunfire might draw some of Don Pedro’s men to them.
    She’d have plenty of opportunity to shoot the guy later. First, she might as well let him lead them a safe distance from the camp. But then she was taking control.
    She drew a long breath and lowered the weapon.
    “I was about to recommend that,” Jase said without turning around, his tone mild. “That old thing has about the same chance of hitting me as blowing up in your hands.”

Chapter Five
    Jase scanned the forest in front of them. Not that he could see worth a damn. Couldn’t hear too much, either; the usual jungle noises drowned out pretty much everything. Moisture dripped from leaves, a startled bird cried here and there. The bugs just plain never shut up. As far as they were concerned, the jungle was theirs.
    He also paid attention to what was going on behind him. Melanie had backed down with the whole gun thing. Good. He wasn’t sure exactly how he would have tackled a pregnant woman.
    He’d been pretty sure she wouldn’t shoot him. He was a fair judge of character. But even if she did pull the trigger, chances were she would have missed in the dark. In any case, his most important organs were protected by the back wall of the backpack that he’d lined with Kevlar before he’d headed off to find Don Pedro almost a year ago.
    That she’d considered taking a shot gave him hope. It meant she had enough courage and grit, which boded well for her chances of making it to the research station.
    Jase picked up the pace, calling over his shoulder, “Let me know when you need a break.”
    “How long, do you think, before they realize that we’re gone?”
    “They’ll figure out in about ten minutes that the enemy isn’t here yet and the explosion had nothing to do with Cristobal. Then they’ll search the camp for an explanation. They’ll be slowed by the darkness. A couple of hours might pass before they find Jorge’s body and the hole in the fence. Then they’ll have to figure out who is missing. I think they’ll wait until morning to track us, but by then the enemy will be here, so they’ll have bigger problems.”
    “We shouldn’t stop anyway, for a while. Just in case,” she said. “I’d rather be a safe distance from camp.”
    “Nothing’s safe about cutting through the jungle at night.” The trek was downright suicidal, in fact, yet still better than remaining at camp and awaiting battle.
    He almost missed the faint animal trail in the dark. He slowed and looked again, then pulled his trusty, worn compass from his pocket and flicked on his flashlight. They’d exited the camp on the west side, but he turned north now, following the trail that seemed to lead that way.
    Cristobal and his men would come from the east. Better avoid that bunch, if possible.
    They plodded forward in silence for a while, his flashlight illuminating a narrow path in front of them. They were far enough from camp now that the light should be safe. It did draw a host of insects, however, that seemed to be eating them alive. Still, a little blood loss was nothing compared to stepping on a pit viper.
    He glanced back after a while. “You two okay?”
    “Fine.” A light scarf protected Melanie’s face and neck. She swatted at the bugs.
    The insects didn’t seem to bother the boy. He was used to running through the jungle in nothing but a loincloth. He had more covering now than he’d ever seen in his life. He proudly wore the linen shirt and shorts Consuela had made him, going to great pains to keep them clean. Not an easy task in the jungle.
    The dog bite on his arm would have to be checked in the morning, when there was more light, Jake thought. He kept the pace manageable, holding back for the sake of the other two. On his own he could have made the trek to the research station in a day. But as things stood…Mochi was used to the jungle terrain, but his legs were too short to walk too fast. And Melanie would