Free Spy Hard by Dana Marton Page A

toward the fire. “It’s pretty much the only thing I’m good at.”
    Something flashed across her gaze. He couldn’t tell by the low light of the flames whether it was regret or disappointment. For a second he wished he could tell her the truth about himself. Too risky. She’d be out of his hair in a few days, anyway. They’d likely never see each other again. What she thought of his moral turpitude didn’t matter.
    He was pretty sure he could hand her off without having to break his cover. That was the plan, anyway.
    He would trek right by the research station, announcing to her that they had to go around it carefully. Then let her slip away from him and take Mochi with her, as she would no doubt try the first chance she got. She would escape to safety, and he could turn around and go back to camp to finish his work.
    Minutes ticked on. Their clothes were slowly drying, the night a little more comfortable as they warmed up.
    He gave the boy another ten minutes to sleep, then touched the kid’s shoulder to wake him. He was prepared to carry Mochi if he had to. But the boy’s eyes snapped open and he immediately went for the dog. Then he began marching down the trail, carrying the puppy in his arms, despite the leash. He knew the forest well enough to know that snakes were a danger to a little puppy who would just love to stray off the trail if given too much slack.
    “Let me know if you see or hear anything out there,” he told the boy in Spanish.
    Mochi gave a smile. He seemed to be doing well. And he trusted Jase.
    Melanie didn’t trust him, though. Jase noticed that she kept a close, wary eye on him.
    They kept going on the narrow trail and were soon soaked to the skin again, even though it wasn’t raining. They brushed up against wet leaves constantly, and moisture dripped from above, too. Along with all kinds of bugs. He had his jungle hat, Melanie had her scarf. Mochi’s head was shaved, so whatever fell on it slid right off. He didn’t seem to be bothered by the bugs anyway. He was a pretty easygoing, happy little kid.
    He’d seen the boy sad from time to time in the past day or so, probably thinking about his family, but his spirits were up for the most part. Mochi had accepted the loss and lived very much in the present, probably used to staggering losses, living as he did in a very dangerous corner of the jungle.
    Life expectancy couldn’t be more than thirty, maybe forty years among the natives. The boy had already learned that special attitude of the tribes to take the bad with the good and live every moment as if it was a gift.
    Back in the U.S., harried business executives paid thousands of dollars for special retreats to teach them the same thing, Jase thought with some irony.
    He kept track of the time, and in another half hour stopped for another break. Again, Mochi was quickly asleep. Jase made another fire, although he wouldn’t have bothered if he’d traveled by himself.
    Melanie kept watching him. Probably trying to figure out why he’d broken her out of camp. If he wasn’t careful, she might figure out that he wasn’t who he said he was.
    “I expect to be paid for this,” he told her.
    She glanced at his backpack where he’d stashed her pistol. “Pedro doesn’t let me keep money.”
    He wondered if she’d offer kisses again, and prayed he had the strength to turn them down if she did. Bad enough he’d let that happen once.
    But she didn’t try anything like that. She didn’t say a word, just looked uncomfortable and worried.
    “You’re an American. There’s always a reward.” He shrugged, playing the mercenary.
    “There is!” She grabbed on to that immediately, obviously lying through her teeth. She didn’t have much of a poker face. “My father will be very grateful.”
    There was a good chance she didn’t even have a father. But he gave her points for quick thinking. If he truly was a mercenary, that was exactly what he would have wanted to hear. “Well.” He