He pulled a map out of his shirt pocket and opened it on the desk. “This location here. If we were going through the jungle, it would be about twenty klicks.” He ran a finger along a curving line. “It looks like this road will get us there. It will take more like seventy klicks, but we can do it.”

She bent to examine the map, and the faint scent of lavender wafted up from her braided hair. “Yeah. It will get you there.” She looked up at him. “Tadeas has a truck we can use. I feel confident he’ll loan it.”

“A truck would be perfect.”

With a bright smile she said, “If you go by truck, you won’t need me. You’ll be there in a few hours, and then you’ll be on a helicopter taking you back to wherever you came from.”

He ran his tongue over his teeth, then leaned in closer and said very calmly, “Doctor Myers, I appreciate the advice. However, I have orders. You are now inclusive of my mission. I’m sure there’s a representative of the US government you can lodge a complaint to upon our arrival at the embassy.”

After closing the lid of her laptop with a little too much force, she snatched it up and stormed to the door. “I need ten minutes.”

“You have five.”

He could handle the brunt of her misdirected anger as long as she complied. With the sound of the door slamming behind her reverberating around the room, he walked over to Sanders’s bed. “Hey, man,” he said, looking into his friend’s dark eyes. “How’s things?”

“Just a scratch.” He looked over at Ozzy. “He’s got it rough. Moaning in his sleep last night.”

Rick walked over to the medic’s bed. “Hey, Doc. You feeling better?”

“Much. Antibiotics are kicking the infection back.”

“Good.” He looked from one to the other. “I’m afraid we have to move you.”

Sanders shook his head. “Don’t make me laugh. It will hurt too much.”

“Bad guys a-comin’. Give me five minutes and we’ll get you loaded up.”

“I can walk with crutches,” Ozzy said.

Rick snorted. “Yeah. Through the jungle? We’re getting a truck. You’re welcome to stay supine for the ride.”

He walked outside. Near the hut across the dirt road, Doctor Myers spoke to Tadeas. He glanced in Rick’s direction, nodded, then set off down the road at a jog.

Rick crossed over to her. She glanced at him but didn’t speak before she spun on her heel and vanished into the hut. He paused at the doorway and glanced inside. She had a backpack open and was shoving clothes into it.