Page 72 of Fear No Evil

“Only two people on the bridge at a time.” Gallo turned at the head of the line to issue instructions. He pointed at Jake. “You go last.”

Oh? Why was that?

Lena glanced at him sharply, her expression taut. He sent her a wink.I got this.

The worry that creased her forehead testified to her feelings for him, though she’d yet to accept his suggestion that they continue seeing each other when life went back to normal. She had to say, yes. Jake clung to his optimism. Despite her silence last night when he told her he loved her, he could tell she loved him back. The magic they’d discovered in each other as young adults was just as powerful, if not more so, as it had been twelve years ago.

Inclining his mouth to her ear, he offered her advice. “Hold the railings on both sides and walk across quickly. Try not to leave the bridge shaking.” The oscillations would get worse with every person crossing. That had to be why Gallo wanted him to go last‍—he was obviously the strongest.

Themondosent David and his three underlings across first. The squad made it look easy, striding casually across the flimsy bridge like they did it every day. Charles and Bellini were sent across next. Heavier set than Charles, Bellini caused the bridge to ripple under his weight, but the planks held, suggesting the rest of them would have no issues.

It was up to Boris to coax Esme across the rickety suspension. She went before him, wailing with every step and racing the last twenty yards to arrive on solid ground.

The two older rebels who’d come back fromKi-kirr-zikiswith Gallo went next. Only Lena, Gallo, and Jake remained.

His intuition for trouble niggled. “Let Lena go before you,” he demanded, watching themondo’s reaction carefully.

That man gave a careless shrug.“Siga, usted,”he said to Lena, using the formal imperative to show respect.Go ahead.

To Jake’s delight, she went on tiptoe first and pressed a fervent kiss against his lips. The worry in her emerald eyes was unmistakable.

“Hey.” He gripped her arms firmly. “I’ll be right behind you.”

As Gallo urged her to hurry, she backed away from Jake, drew a deep breath, and stepped bravely onto the slightly undulating bridge. With his chest tight, Jake watched her power her way across. As a result of her caloric deprivation, she’d lost some of her athleticism‍—not to mention her infected incision left her with a slight limp. Would she even have the strength to get across?God, please. If anything happened, Jake would be hard-pressed to help.

When she was two-thirds of the way across, Gallo proceeded to go next. With suspicion tightening his forehead, Jake watched themondo’s every move. But he followed Lena without incident, and soon, she stood on the opposite shore waving back at him.

What a relief! Now it was Jake’s turn.

He stepped out cautiously, still wary of a trap. If Gallo thought he was going to shake Jake off this bridge, he had another thing coming. Jake had traversed obstacle courses far more challenging than this, without incident.

The bridge oscillated gently, a consequence of those who’d crossed before him. Jake sought to absorb the bridge’s energy rather than fight it. Dividing his attention between his immediate environment and Gallo, who approached the opposite shore, he saw themondopause and look back. The man rested both of his hands on a post as he did so. His fingers curled over the knob at the top, pulling a piece of rope over it before he proceeded forward and stepped ashore.

A shudder whipped along the length of the bridge, catching Jake off guard. The rope under his right hand went suddenlyslack. He released it, groping for the left railing, while the slats beneath his feet began to tilt. The rubber of Jake’s boots squealed as he slipped.

Mallacht air!Clinging to the left railing, he kept himself from plummeting into the boiling water. Anyone else would have dropped straight in.

Lena’s bloodcurdling scream reached his ears. Over the rushing river below him, Jake could hear his teammates shouting in consternation. A glimpse in their direction showed Charles fighting with all his might to keep Lena from clawing her way onto the distressed bridge to help him. Only once before had Jake seen that look of pure terror on her face.She does love me.

Still in shock, he encountered Gallo’s gloating stare and knew. The man was dumping him intentionally. He should have heeded his dream and taken Lena away fromEl Castillowhile he’d had the chance.

Gathering his wits, Jake assessed his options. He would slide his hands along this one railing and make his way to shore. With his powerful grip, he stood a good chance of making it. Eyes focused on Lena, he relaxed his right hand just enough to slide it a foot in her direction, then repeated the movement with his left hand.

Seeing Gallo head back in his direction, presumably to rescue him, dismayed him. “Get back,” he yelled in Spanish, but the determined glint in themondo’s eyes made it evident he intended to finish Jake off.

And now that Jake was closer, he could see the apparatus like the one Gallo had already dismantled. The left post, just like the right, had a knob of wood at the top, with rope looped under it. If Gallo slipped the loop over the knot, the railing Jake still clung to would go slack, just as the other one had. In hindsight, this bridge was obviously designed to dump enemy forces, like the JUNGLA, into the river.

Gallo, extending one hand to Jake, made it look like he was helping, but, in fact, he was prying the loop over the knob with his other hand.

Jake made a quick decision. Before the railing could give way, he released it, dropping onto his stomach atop the wobbling planks while wrapping his arms and thighs around them. A wet mist coated him as the bridge swayed, like those trick ladders at amusement parks designed to challenge nimble children. He shifted his objective toward survival.

What were the odds he would live if he fell into the river?

Another glance toward shore showed the peacekeepers looking on in helpless horror. Lena squirmed and wriggled and shrieked in her determination to get to Jake, but Charles‍—bless the man‍—kept her from joining Jake in peril.

Mondo Gallo, on the other hand, grinned with malice, telling Jake that even if he could save himself, themondowould probably shoot him out of sheer frustration. The man was convinced Jacques and Madeleine were a threat to the FARC, which meant Lena was his next target.

Not if I can help it.

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