Page 10 of Keeping Amanda
“I’m sorry I ran off,” she said a little desperately. “It was irresponsible and stupid. I realize that. But when Michael said James was missing, I panicked. I couldn’t leave any of the kids behind. I justcouldn’t. I should’ve checked myself. Counted heads beforerunning off into the trees. You’re here because of my asinine decision. I’m sorry. I’msosorry.”
“It was brave,” the man said without hesitation. “Maybe impulsive, but extremely unselfish. That’s pretty rare these days.”
Amanda stared at him. “I’m still sorry,” she told him.
“Me too. I wish you weren’t in this situation. Wish things had gone a little smoother in the extraction. But they are what they are, and we have to deal with the hand we’ve been given. I could use some intel about the camp, and if you’re willing to tell me what you can, that should be enough for me to be able to get in and out without detection.”
“It would be easier if I could point things out in person,” she argued. Again, she didn’t want to go back to camp, to the men who were planning on doing horrible things to not only her, but the kids as well, but the fear of being left alone was stronger than her fear of sneaking back to the edge of her makeshift prison.
“I’m Nash. Nash Chaney. My flight name is Buck.”
Amanda blinked. She hadn’t expected introductions in the middle of this intense conversation. They were both lying on the jungle floor, covered in dirt, and it felt like the oddest time to be exchanging names. But she went with it. “Amanda Rush. People call me Mandy.”
“It’s good to meet you in person. For the record, so you don’t find out later and get upset…I know a lot about you already, from reading the file we were given when we came down for the rescue.”
“There’s a file on me?”
“Yes.”
Amanda wasn’t sure how to feel about that. But ultimately, she decided she didn’t care. If the people sent to rescue her needed to know every minute detail about her life in order to do so, what did it matter? She had nothing to hide. “Okay.”
“Just okay?”
She shrugged as best she could from her position on the ground. “The kids are safe, that’s all that matters. Not whatever’s written about me in some random file. I haven’t done anything illegal or that I’m ashamed of in my life. It’s like surveillance cameras. I don’t mind them because I’m not doing anything wrong. If they want to film me driving, walking through a parking lot, down the street, or through the aisles of a store, I don’t care. If I was doing nefarious stuff, maybe I’d give a damn. But I’m not, so I don’t.”
Nash chuckled softly. “Nefarious stuff?”
“Yeah. Shoplifting, speeding, running innocent people off the roads…that kind of thing.”
“Right.”
“So…about coming with you to camp…I promise not to do anything else on impulse. I’ll do everything you say, as soon as you say it. I’m not stupid, I don’t want to get caught. I just want to help. I put us in this situation, and I want to help get us out of it.”
“You didn’t put us here. The assholes who kidnapped you and those kids did.”
“Yeah, but I was the one who ranawayfrom the helicopter instead oftowardit,” Amanda argued.
“All right. But I’m going to hold you to your promise to do everything I say. Even if you don’t understand why. I’ve had training, Mandy. I can handle things if they go wrong. But Ican’thandle you falling back into their hands. Got it?”
“Got it,” she agreed immediately. “I think the other guys who arrived were here to take the girls away. As wives. Or slaves.” She shuddered. “Thank you for risking your life to come get them.”
“And you. We came for you too,” Nash said.
Mandy shook her head. “The kids are what are important. Not me.”
“Don’t sell yourself short. You’re the reason we were sent onthis mission. Because an American was kidnapped. If you weren’t with those kids…” He let the explanation trail off.
Amanda was glad she was the excuse her government needed to rescue the children.
“All right. It’ll be light before we know it. If we’re going to do this, we need to get going,” Nash said.
Amanda nodded. Her stomach immediately rolled, thinking about what was to come. But he was right, they needed supplies if they were going to walk back to Guyana. And the best place to get them was at the camp she’d just escaped.
Nash cocked his head, as if that would help him hear if anyone was close. All Amanda heard was crickets and birds. And the sound of water dripping from the leaves overhead after a break in the constant rain.
“Follow me,” Nash ordered, slowly getting to his feet.
Relieved they weren’t going to have to crawl all the way back to camp, Amanda got to her feet—and almost faceplanted right back down to the ground. Would’ve done just that if Nash hadn’t grabbed her arm, keeping her upright.
