Free Camouflage Heart by Dana Marton

crossing more difficult. On the other hand, dangerous waters meant less river travel, less chance of somebody seeing them.
    â€œThis probably will be the most difficult part. Once we get to the other side, things will be easier.” He tried to give her something to look forward to.
    Crossing a river was risky under the best of circumstances. Walking into floodwaters was sheer insanity.
    They came around a bend in the trail and the water was in front of them, rolling slowly, brown with the mud it had washed down from the mountains. Hewatched drifting wood to gauge the river’s speed, looked for white water that would indicate rocks beneath the surface. He picked out a spot on the other side that looked like a good target for landing, considering the current and the thick jumble of plants that covered the bank.
    â€œI didn’t realize the river would be this wide,” she said behind him.
    â€œIt’s the rainy season.” He turned around and found her watching the water, her face reflecting her doubts. He didn’t blame her. Nobody with a smidgen of survival instinct would want to go anywhere near that river.
    He hunted around until he found a fallen branch, as thick as his wrist and about six feet long, then looked some more and picked up another, about the same. He stripped off side shoots with his knife, then dropped the two poles at Audrey’s feet.
    â€œShouldn’t we look for a better spot to cross?” She eyed the rolling water.
    If only they had that luxury.
    â€œCan’t afford to waste the time. And we might not find any.” He tossed her the rifle then picked a tree with a multitude of vines hanging from its branches and walked to it. “Better get to work,” he called back over his shoulder. “Keep your eyes open.”
    They were on a well-traveled game trail used byanimals to get to the river. A prime hunting location for predators. He wanted to be gone from the spot before nightfall. As rare as tigers were these days, it was always better to err on the side of caution.
    He climbed the tree, using the vines for leverage, and cut one thick stem after the other. They had to hurry, and not only so they wouldn’t become supper for the local wildlife. They had to cross the river while they still had full daylight to guide them. Waiting until morning was out of the question.
    Time was tight.
    They couldn’t afford to waste any of it if they were to save the hostages.

Chapter Five
    Sweat dripped from his eyebrows. Brian wiped his forehead with his shirtsleeve without missing a beat.
    Cutting the vines took serious effort, their woodsy fibers hard to sever with a simple knife. A good axe or a hatchet could have done the job in a third of the time. And the more he cut, the duller the blade got from the rough work. He sized up the pile Audrey had carefully uncoiled and stretched on the ground. Should be enough. He climbed down, careful where he stepped.
    â€œHang on to this.” He picked up a good length of vine and handed one end to her, pulled hard on the other to test it.
    Now was the time to make sure there were no rotted sections, or areas where insects and rodents might have weakened the plant. They did the same to the next and the next until they were done, having to throw aside only two.
    He sat by the pile and got to work. Audrey settled next to him, her thigh brushing against his when she leaned forward.
    Being around her was like swimming in a tank full of electric eels. She zapped his senses, shorted his concentration with every move.
    â€œCan I help?” Her luminous green eyes sparkled in the dappled light.
    Go someplace where I can’t see you, and take temptation with you.
    No, that wasn’t fair. It wasn’t her fault that he had a hard time keeping his mind and hands off her. He focused on the work in front of them, pushed back the tide of primal urges rising in his blood.
    â€œLike this.” He held the ends of two vines