sounded raspy and dry, her eyes dark fire against pallid skin.
“A place where we don’t have to worry about the bad guys finding us.” He reached down, picked up the hat that had fallen from Tori’s head during their struggle and handed it to her.
“For all I know, you’re one of the bad guys.”
“If I were, we wouldn’t be standing here talking.”
“I can’t know that.” She stared him down, the bruises on her cheek and jaw an ugly reminder of all she’d been through.
“And I don’t have time to prove it. The bus you were on made it to Mae Hong Son. The men who were following know you weren’t on it. Now they’re backtracking. It won’t take long for one of them to find us.” He grabbed her hand, tugging her farther away from the tourist stop.
She didn’t resist, though he had no doubt she wanted to. She’d probably weighed the odds of escape and decided not to waste the energy trying. Good. Her cooperation would make their journey less difficult.
Despite her obvious fatigue, she matched Noah’s stride, not giving in to the pain he’d seen in her eyes. Jaw set, hair a wild halo of curls around her face, the straw hat clutched in her hand, she looked both strong and vulnerable. An interesting combination and nothing like the hardened, experienced drug courier Noah had expected when he’d been asked to take this assignment.
She must have sensed his gaze. She turned to meet it, the fear and anger he’d seen minutes ago masked by a calm facade. “I know you want the box. I don’t have it. I sent it to the States.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. So maybe you should head that way yourself.”
“And leave you to wander around Mae Hong Son alone? I don’t think so.”
She laughed at that, the sound harsh. “Your concern is touching, but I can manage just fine on my own.”
He let his gaze linger on her bruises, then drop to the sleeves of her sweater where blood had tinged the white knit pink. “Doesn’t look like it to me.”
Tori couldn’t argue with that. She knew how she must look—tired, bruised, defeated. But her appearance wouldn’t hinder her intentions. And what she intended was escape. She slanted a glance in Noah’s direction, wondering if escape would even be possible. Black hair gleaming in the sun, a dark beard shadowing his jaw, he seemed strong and confident, a man used to making decisions and taking charge. She’d known plenty of men like him—men willing to say or do anything to get what they wanted. Luckily, Tori had learned her lesson hard and well. No way would she trust Noah. Not when so much was at stake.
An image of Melody flashed through her mind—fresh-faced, laughing, filled with the kind of spontaneous joy Tori had never been allowed. The thought of how easily that could change sent her pulse racing. She had to get to her daughter. Had to grab the box and run as far and as fast as she could.
“Don’t even think about it.” His voice held quiet authority, his expression not changing as he tugged her closer to his side.
“I wasn’t thinking about anything.”
“You were thinking about running. Save us both the time and energy—don’t bother.”
There was nothing to say to that, so she didn’t speak at all. Not that she had the energy to do more than keep up with Noah. He moved with a long, brisk stride, not slowing his pace as they stepped onto a narrow, paved road that led to the outskirts of Mae Hong Son. Rundown houses and faded buildings stood like weary sentinels to either side, their long shadows touching the road with darkness. In the distance, deep green mountains brushed the sky, shrouded in mist and mystery. A few people hurried along a cracked and broken sidewalk, too rushed to notice the strangers in their midst. Or maybe they noticed and chose not to show it. An odd thought, but one Tori couldn’t shake.
Nor could she shake the feeling that she and Noah were being watched, that every step they took was being monitored. She glanced around, tense with nerves, and was surprised by the warmth of Noah’s breath as he spoke close to her ear. “Relax. They’re friends. Of a sort.”
“Who?”
“The people watching us.”
So he felt it, too. Tori wasn’t sure if she should be relieved or even more worried. “Who are they?”
“No one we need to worry about. An acquaintance of mine owns some property around here. He likes to know who’s coming and going.”
“And that’s supposed to make me feel better?”
“It should. There’s no love lost between Hawke and Lao.”
“I don’t suppose you’re going to tell me who Hawke and Lao are?”
“Hawke is a man I’ve worked with a few times. Lao is a suspected member of the Wa, a militia group based across the border in Myanmar. Lao’s the one you took the box from.”
“I didn’t take the box. I bought it.”
“You have the box. He wants it back.”
“Why? It’s a box. Pretty. Expensive. But just a box.” She expected him to ignore her question. Instead he stopped short, pulling her around to face him.
His face was granite hard in the fading light, his eyes the blue-green of angry ocean waves. “I’d like to think you believe that.”
“I do.”
He watched her, his expression unreadable, then turned and started walking again.
“I’m telling the truth. I saw a rosewood trinket box at a tourist shop when I was visiting Wat Doi Kong Mu. It was broken, so the clerk brought one out from the back.” The words spilled out, and Tori bit her lip to keep from saying more.
“And was killed for his efforts.”
“What?”
“Story on the street is he was robbed and beaten to death. Truth is, Lao doesn’t take kindly to having his plans ruined. Especially not when the Wa is involved. You might want to keep that in mind.”
The words might be either threat or warning. Neither was necessary. Tori knew the danger she was in, the danger Melody would be in if she had the box and the people who’d abducted Tori found out about it.
Lao. The name was unfamiliar, the taste of it bitter against Tori’s tongue. She raked a hand through her hair, wincing as her fingers caught in tangled curls. Nothing made sense. The well-ordered life she’d been living was suddenly a bizarre dance whose steps she didn’t know. She’d have to learn them fast if she was going to survive. And the only way to learn was to ask questions, get answers and weed out the truth from the lies. “Where did you say we were going?”
“A safe place.”
“Safe from Lao.”
“That’s right.”
“And will I be safe from you?”
“Safe enough.”
“Are you always so talkative?”
He shot her a sideways look meant to still her words. “Are you?”
“No.”
“Now would be a good time to go back to your old habits.”
He picked up the pace, leading the way through a dim alley, then across several narrow streets. Jaw set, he turned into a dark, dank walkway between two buildings. “Stay close through here. You get lost and you might never find your way out.”
“Right.” The word rasped out, the deepening shadows and dingy grayness of the surrounding walls enough to convince Tori that she should do as told.
The air reeked of sewage and rot. Bags of garbage overflowed with spoiled food and decaying trash. The ground teemed