BooksBarbecue
Back Point Last Seen
Chapters (86)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise
  3. Booklist
  4. Dedication
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. 59
  64. 60
  65. 61
  66. 62
  67. 63
  68. 64
  69. 65
  70. 66
  71. 67
  72. 68
  73. 69
  74. 70
  75. 71
  76. 72
  77. 73
  78. 74
  79. 75
  80. 76
  81. 77
  82. 78
  83. 79
  84. 80
  85. 81
  86. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

He inclined his head. “We were packed and ready to go when the CEO called. He wanted me to take Hammer with us. I said no, but the CEO was a good judge of character, and he assured me Hammer was a good man. As it turned out, the CEO was a wrestling fan and wanted to do Hammer a favor. My mistake for not delving deeper. Hammer was late for the rendezvous. The helicopter that was dropping us at the upstream site couldn’t get back before dark, so we had to delay a day. That night, the backpacks were...tampered with. In the book Hammer wrote—” Adam used air quotes “—he said he wanted to survive without all the modern conveniences.”

“He sabotaged your preparations.”

“Yes. I had used the pilot before. I believed him to be trustworthy. Now I speculate Hammer bribed him to unlock the helicopter where I had stored the backpacks.” Adam met Elle’s gaze; his eyes were a stormy wash of guilt and remembrance. “I should never have trusted anyone. I knew better. But a massive storm system was moving in. If we didn’t get off the ground, we would be stranded for a week waiting for the weather to clear. I rushed. I didn’t check every item in every backpack. Two people died.”

He took responsibility for those deaths. She would not be able to dissuade him, because he was the man he was. Because he was the man she admired.

“We rappelled out of the helicopter into the Upper Amazon. Baptiste walked behind me, Nevaeh behind him. Hammer brought up the rear. Before the end of the first day, we left the Andes foothills for the jungle. It was the dry season...but the front moved in, and it rained. A deluge, twenty-four hours a day, every day. The first casualty came when we were crossing a tributary to the Amazon River—a creek in a normal season—and Baptiste was swept away. I ran miles downstream and found him caught in the branches of an uprooted tree, floating toward the Amazon. He was conscious. I swam out to him and dragged him to the shore. He seemed fine, just weak with the struggle to stay above water. Breathless from his time underwater, I thought, but fine.”

“His backpack?”

“Was washed away.”

“I suppose that was inevitable.”