He laid his hands on her shoulders and appealed to her earnestly. “Kerry, the kids are hungry and we have no more food. Our clean water is running out, and I’m not sure where we’ll find more. I don’t know how in hell to get across that river without risking all our lives. The truck is almost out of gas and there are no Exxon stations in the jungle.
“Even if we do make it to the rendezvous point, how do you know for certain that this Hendren fellow will be there to pick us up and whisk us away into the wild blue yonder like some Sky King?”
He saw her eyes darken and hastened to add, “Look, this was a noble idea. I admire you; I really do. But it wasn’t a very practical plan, not very well thought out. Now you’ll have to admit that.” He smiled at her engagingly. “What do you say?”
Kerry drew a deep breath, though she never released him from her gaze. When she spoke, her voice was level and calm. “I say that unless you want my knee rammed into your crotch, you’d better take your hands off my shoulders.”
His smile collapsed. His face went comically blank. His hands fell quickly to his sides.
She pivoted stiffly and marched away. But she got only a few steps away from him before he lunged, shoved his hand into the waistband of her pants and yanked her to a teeth-jarring halt. “Just a damn minute,” he shouted. He spun her around. “Didn’t anything I said to you register?”
She tried to wiggle free, but this time his hold on her was inescapable. “I heard every patronizing, condescending, chickenhearted word.”
“You’re determined to go on?”
“Yes! Once we cross the river, it’s only a few more miles to the border.”
“It might just as well be a thousand.”
“I promised these children that I would get them to the families waiting for them in the United States, and that’s what I’m going to do. With or without you, Mr. O’Neal.” She pointed her index finger at the end of his nose. “And if you desert us now, you’ll never see a penny of your precious money.”
“I care more for my life than I do the money.”
“Well, you’ve got a better chance of keeping both by getting us to that airplane instead of turning yourself over to a band of guerrillas. What happened to all your warnings about getting shot and gang raped? Do you really think that I’d ask a favor from any of these troops?”
“Most of them, whichever side they fight for, come from Catholic backgrounds. Your profession would protect you.”
“It hasn’t protected me from you!”
His face turned stony. Before Kerry had time to regret her words, he yanked her high and hard against him. He snarled, “Wanna bet?”
Fleetingly she recalled the many times he could have taken advantage of her and hadn’t. Unable to meet that fierce, masculine glare, which was as hard and unyielding as the lower part of his body, she moved her gaze down to his throat where she spotted his pulse beating as rapidly as her own.
“I’m sorry,” she said breathlessly. “I shouldn’t have said that.”
“You sure as hell shouldn’t have.” He shoved her away, but she got the impression that it was to spare himself embarrassment and not out of any kind feelings toward her. His strong fingers were still curled around her shoulders.
“Don’t be deceived,” he said in a voice that throbbed with passion. “Just because I haven’t touched you, doesn’t mean that I haven’t thought about it. A lot. You’re not concealed by a habit yet. When you go flashing that dynamite body of yours around a man, you had better be willing to accept the consequences. Some might have even fewer scruples than me.”
Her head came up slowly, until her eyes again met his. “Then why would you even suggest that I turn myself and these children over to the soldiers?”
He released her. Each of his ten fingers let go separately, as though being individually pried away. “I had to see how tough you really are.”
She looked at him aghast. “You mean...this was all...you didn’t really mean—”
“That’s right. This was a test of your mettle. I had to know if you’ve got guts.”
She backed away from him. Her hands were balled into fists as though prepared to hit him. Dark blue eyes narrowed to threatening slits. “You son of a bitch.”
Linc’s lips quirked. Then he threw back his head and laughed. It was a loud and wholesome laugh, so loud that it disturbed the birds and small monkeys in the branches overhead. They squawked and chattered in protest. “Damned right, Sister Kerry. I’m a son of a bitch. And I’m gonna get worse. If we make it through this alive, you’re gonna hate me before we’re through. Now, round up the kids while I get everything ready.”
Before she could tell him just how loathsome she thought his tricky tactics were, he was stalking back toward the truck. She had no choice but to do as she was told. The orphans were hot, hungry, thirsty and exhausted, so she tolerated their querulousness. She answered their whining questions as best she could, but her attention was really on Linc. He was busy securing the end of a rope, which had been in the back of the pickup when she stole it, to the trunk of a tree. Tying the other end around his waist, he waded into the swift current.
“What are you doing?” she called, surging to her feet in alarm.
“Just keep everybody back.”
The children fell silent. All stood in tense silence as Linc made unsteady progress across the muddy river. When he reached the middle where it was too deep to stand up, he began swimming. Numerous times the swift current sucked him under. And each time, Kerry clasped her hands together, holding her breath, until she saw his head break the surface again.