Page 57 of Depths of Destruction
My blood boils. I growl, "You think I hurt her?"
"You call it keeping her safe?"
"Stop!" Naomi cries out.
"We were in the jungle doing what we had to in order to survive."
"Funny. I don't see any scars on your body."
"Darien!" Naomi reprimands.
I step closer. "What exactly are you insinuating?"
He doesn't back up. "She has blood marks."
"And I've been beating myself up for not following the river. But it wasn't intentional. I would never hurt her."
"You—"
"Stop it," Naomi screams and steps between us.
The silence is deafening. Darien and I scowl at each other.
She turns to Darien. "Andre is going to lose his job over this. He didn't deliver me to the U.S., which he was ordered to do. Everything he's worked for is at stake. He didn't hurt me and wouldn't."
"What about your career?" He raises his eyebrows.
"What do you mean?"
"Your job. If you leave Belize, what happens to it?"
"I... I don't know. But I can't do anything about my career right now."
He snottily says, "But it's the most important thing to you, isn't it?"
Hurt crosses Naomi's face.
He closes his eyes, rubs his face, then opens them. "I'm sorry."
She quietly says, "It's fine. I deserved that."
"No, you didn't." He goes to the window and gazes out at the ocean.
What's that all about?
"You don't need to go to Omoa. I can get you passports," he says.
"You can?" I ask.
He turns. "Yeah. I know a guy. Let me make a visit and see how long it'll take."
"Thank you."
He nods then scans Naomi. "Put a list together of what you need. I'll go to town and get it."
"Thanks, Darien."
"Don't thank me. You'd do the same for me, right?"
