Chapter 8 Impatiently, Kevlar looked at his watch. It was eight in the morning, and none of the team had gotten much sleep. They'd arrived in Jamaica just before three a.m.-roughly thirteen hours after Flash had gone missing-and they'd been going nonstop ever since. Even though it was the middle of the night, they'd gone straight to the resort where Flash and both wedding parties had been staying and interviewed as many employees as they could. The resort had driven the two groups to the tubing place, but they hadn't been responsible for bringing them back to the hotel. That was the responsibility of the tubing company. They were let into Flash's room, which hadn't given them any leads. While Blink and Safe packed up his belongings, Kevlar and Preacher went to the missing woman's room. MacGyver and Smiley had continued casing the resort, talking to anyone who was up and about for any information they could get. Kelli Colbert's room, like Flash's, had been neat and tidy. There was a book on the nightstand, along with a half-empty water bottle...a set of clothes neatly placed in a drawer. She'd even folded her dirty clothes and placed them back in her suitcase. She was mostly packed, obviously ready to leave the day after the tubing trip. Kevlar had been relieved to find her passport tucked under the clothes in her suitcase. They'd packed up her few belongings as well, and left her and Flash's bags in the security chief's office for the time being. Now they had to wait for the tour company to open before they could talk to them, and none of the team was happy about the delay. Flash was out there, as was Kelli, and they wanted to find them as soon as possible. In the meantime, they contacted Tex, the former SEAL who'd dedicated his life to finding missing people...civilians, former military, other SEALs, Delta Force...anyone who went off the grid without a good reason. He supplied special forces teams with trackers that he could use to pinpoint the wearers' locations. But as they'd already discovered, Flash hadn't brought his tracker to Jamaica. So they were flying blind. Tex was doing his best to use his computer skills to track Flash, but Jamaica wasn't like the US or a lot of other countries. There weren't surveillance cameras literally everywhere, and so far, there weren't any suspicious transactions on either Flash or Kelli's credit cards. It was as if the two had disappeared into thin air. But Kevlar and the rest of the SEALs weren't going to lose hope. Flash was out there somewhere. They'd find him. After getting all the information they could from the resort-which wasn't much-the team headed for the White River tubing company in time to be there when they opened. They were led into a back room in the small building, where they met with the manager of the operations, who was flustered when confronted with six intense, large, pissed-off men. He told them what they already knew, that the party of ten had checked in the morning before, and they had to wait about twenty minutes to go into the river, until after a group from a cruise ship had gone first due to their rigid timetable. No, he didn't see them put in, as he was in his office doing paperwork, and he didn't see them leave because the river tour ended at a location downriver. Yes, he'd find the employees who helped them enter the river. Interviewing the men who'd helped the group choose tubes and get into the water didn't give Kevlar or the others any useful information. Just insistence that everyone looked happy. No one seemed concerned as they set off into the river's current. "What about the men who picked them up to drive them back to the resort? Can we talk to them?" Flash asked the harried-looking manager. So far, he'd answered all their questions without reservation. Hadn't seemed to be hiding any information, though he was getting a bit testy. But they had to keep pressing. They needed some sort of lead to know where to start looking. And at the moment, they had bupkis. Impatiently, the team waited while the manager left to find the drivers who'd been scheduled to take the group back to the resort. After twenty minutes, he returned with a nervous-looking young man who couldn't have been much older than eighteen. "This is Mark. He drove the first group," the manager said. "Give us a minute," Smiley told the manager, standing by the door and gesturing to it with his head. "Um...okay." Mark's eyes widened as his manager left him with the group of six angry-looking Americans without a second glance. Safe turned a chair around and motioned to it. "Sit," he told Mark. Nervously, the young man did as ordered. "Tell us everything about the group of men and women you drove back to their resort yesterday. Don't leave anything out," Kevlar said. "Um, I was waiting for the group at the pick-up point. They were all laughing. Seemed to be in good moods." "How many?" Safe asked. "Eight." "But you knew there were ten in the group, right?" Preacher asked. They were all standing around Mark, intimidating the hell out of him, but Kevlar didn't care. Neither did the others. They were purposely attempting to put the teenager at a disadvantage. "Of course. I asked one of the men where the other two were, and he didn't know." "So you left?" Safe asked in disbelief. "I suggested we wait, but no one wanted to. They were hungry and thirsty, and one of the women said they had some sort of going-away party that evening, and they wanted to get back to the resort so they could change and meet at the bar." Kevlar was disgusted but not really surprised. From everything he'd heard about the men and the women, except for maybe the bride- and groom-to-be, they'd had only one thing on their minds...sex. Okay, two things...sex and alcohol. "It wasn't a huge deal! Errol was there, and he stayed to take the other two back to the resort when they got off the river," Mark said hurriedly, as if realizing the men around him were one second away from losing their shit. "Errol?" Kevlar asked, standing up straighter. "Where is he?" Mark shook his head quickly. "I don't know. He was supposed to work today but hasn't shown up yet." "How long has he worked here?" Blink asked. Mark looked terrified. "He's new. A few weeks maybe?" "Do you know him?" "How old is he?" "What's his last name?" The questions were coming fast and furious, and it was obvious that Mark was shutting down in fear. Kevlar held up a hand, stopping his friends' questions. "Thank you, Mark. You've been very helpful. My friends and I are going to get your information from your boss-you know...address, family, things like that-so if we have further questions we can find you. Is there anything else you want to tell us? Anything you haven't already said? Anything that will help us find our missing friend?" "No," Mark said, shaking his head almost violently. It was obvious he got the message Kevlar wasn't too subtle in sending. That they could find him at any time, and if he'd lied about anything, it wouldn't go well for him. "You can go. But in the future, I'd advise you to make sure that all members of a tubing party are accounted for, and never leave anyone behind again." "Yes, I will do that. Of course. Good idea. Thank you! Yes. All right." He was tripping over his words, trying to appease his interrogators. "Leave," Smiley said, opening the door. Mark was out of his seat and out the door before anyone could blink. The manager was obviously waiting nearby, and Smiley gestured him into the office. "Errol. Who is he? Where can we find him?" Kevlar asked, the second the man stepped back into the room. "His last name is Brown. He was hired about a month ago, and he just got out of his probation period. I can give you his home address. He didn't show up for work today, which is why I didn't bring him in with Mark. I'll get you the info you want right away." Kevlar watched as the manager shuffled through some papers in a filing cabinet against the wall. It struck him this was the reason Tex couldn't find much information on the employees of the company, because they still kept paper files. But they were on the right track. He suddenly felt it in his gut. They just had to locate this Errol Brown and find out what happened after Mark had left for the resort with the others. They were getting answers, but every minute that went by was one more minute that his friend and teammate was in danger. It was possible both Flash and Kelli were already dead...but Kevlar didn't think so. Whoever had called in that ransom request was a coward. He suspected they'd stashed them somewhere, hoping they'd just die. That they could get their money, then disappear. His fists clenched as the manager gave Safe the information they needed on Errol Brown. They'd find Flash. The alternative was unacceptable. Flash had meant to open one of the cans as soon as they'd gotten the candle lit, hopefully get some food into Kelli...but somehow they'd fallen asleep instead. He had no idea what time it was. The darkness skewed his sense of time and, of course, neither of them were wearing a watch. To his huge relief, the candle was still flickering when he woke up. And he wasn't just relieved because they still had light; that flame still flickering also meant there was sufficient oxygen in the bus. He'd been a little worried about that when Kelli brought it up earlier but didn't want to admit it. There was air getting in somehow, which was one more thing he could cross off his "oh shit we're screwed" list. He was trying to stay as positive as he could, for his sake and Kelli's, but it was difficult. Looking down at the woman in his arms made Flash feel crazy protective. She'd done an amazing job of staying calm. Other than her one moment of weakness when she'd cried in his arms, she'd held up remarkably well. He could still picture the way her face flushed when she admitted that she had to pee before they'd fallen asleep. They'd decided the opposite corner of the bus would be the best place to relieve themselves, because the whole thing was just slightly tilted down in that direction, and their waste wouldn't flow toward where they sat now. It wasn't ideal, but Flash hoped they'd be out of here before the smell became an issue. They'd settled into the slight indentation where the bus driver's seat once sat. Flash was getting used to holding Kelli in his lap. She felt right there, fit against him as if she was made for him. Once she let down her guard, she'd immediately fallen into a deep sleep. The metal of the bus wasn't comfortable in the least, but Flash wasn't about to move. He'd act as Kelli's pillow, because keeping her comfortable and upbeat was vitally important. It struck him that this must be how his friends felt about their girlfriends and wives. He'd always been protective, but with this woman, those feelings were in overdrive. Kelli shifted in his arms, and Flash waited for her eyes to open. Her hair was tangled and matted in the back where her head wound had bled. She had dark circles under her eyes, and her face was filthy from whatever crud was down here in this damn bus, but honestly, he'd never seen anything as beautiful as her big brown eyes when they opened and immediately locked onto him. "I thought it was a dream. A bad one," she said softly. "What? Waking up in my arms?" Flash quipped. That earned him a smile. Each and every time he could get her to laugh or smile felt like a victory. "No. That's the best thing about this. Being with you. The candle's still lit," she said, changing subjects abruptly. "Yup. And one more thing to add to the positive pile. It's burning evenly and slowly. Heckle and Jeckle left us the perfect long-lasting candle. Idiots." The giggle that left her lips made Flash mentally put another tick mark in the "I made her smile" list he was compiling. "You need to use the facilities?" She frowned and shook her head. Flash didn't like that. Not peeing meant she was dehydrated. "Right. I don't know about you, but my stomach is eating itself. How about we check out those cans?" "With our luck it really will be dog food," Kelli murmured, but she shifted off his lap. Flash held her hand until she had her balance, then they both walked the few steps to where they'd left the box. He reached for the bottle of water and handed it to her. "Small sips," he warned. They'd already cracked the seal the day before-at least, by now, he assumed it was the day before-and they'd each taken one large swallow. It wasn't enough, but even with water dripping into the bus, he didn't want to take the chance of them running out. Besides, at least he knew the water in the bottle was clean; the last thing he wanted was either of them getting diarrhea after drinking from an unknown water source. He was also a little suspicious that there was water dripping inside the bus in the first place. Upon inspection, he guessed their kidnappers might have set it up somehow, to make sure they didn't die before they'd gotten their money. The water just looked too clean to be leakage of rain or some other naturally occurring source through the soil. If they were in the bus long enough, they'd have to drink the dripping water...but he wanted to put it off for as long as possible. The possibility that the water was tainted...some other way for their kidnappers to torture them...wasn't something he was going to bring up at the moment. He needed to be nothing but positive for Kelli. There was no use scaring her with scenarios that might not even happen. She nodded and closed her eyes as she took a single swig of the water. He accepted the bottle and took his own drink, before replacing the cap and putting the water aside. He urged Kelli to sit and made himself comfortable next to her. He said a little prayer that whatever was in the unknown cans was edible. He definitely hoped what they had wasn't dog food either, but he could eat it if it was. It would totally suck, but nutrients were nutrients. Both cans in the box had their labels stripped off, and he balanced them in his hands, trying to decide which to open first. "Eeny meeny miny moe?" Kelli asked with a smile. "How about you just pick a hand?" Flash countered. "Right." He waited. When she didn't say anything, he asked, "Are you gonna pick?" She chuckled-Flash ticked off another line on his mental chart-and said, "I just did." "Oh! I thought you were agreeing with me," Flash said, returning her smile. "Right it is." He put the cans down and reached for the spoon. "I think I told you yesterday that the lid's thinner than the actual can itself. So if you use the tip of the spoon to rub over and over in the same spot, making a groove, eventually you can break through the thinner tin." He demonstrated by gripping the spoon firmly, holding the can still, then carefully putting force on the spoon as he rubbed the tip over and over at the edge of the lid. Before too long, the spoon punctured the surface. "Voilà!" he exclaimed happily. "It worked! You did that fast!" she said. "I'll let you do the next one." "Oh, that's okay." "Nope, you need to learn how to do it too. Doesn't matter if you aren't as fast as I am. I've had more practice. Besides...what else do we have to do?" "True," she said. "What is it? What do we have?" "After you make the hole, use the spoon to cut all the way around the top. You can fold the top back when you get far enough around. But the lid is super sharp with the jagged edges, so you have to be careful not to touch it." "Yeah, yeah, yeah...what's in it?" Kelli asked, leaning forward eagerly. Flash carefully peeled the lid back, then picked up the candle and held it closer. "Is that...spinach?" Kelli asked. "If I had to guess, I'd say it's probably canned callaloo." Kelli looked at him with both brows furrowed. "What's that?" "A Jamaican vegetable that's rich in iron, calcium, and B2. It's in the spinach family." "So...it's spinach," Kelli said, licking her lips. "Can we eat it raw?" "Yes." Spinach wasn't Flash's favorite food, but right now, his mouth was watering and he couldn't think of anything more delicious than the leafy vegetable in the can. He dipped the spoon in and held it up to Kelli. Her gaze came up to his, then she leaned forward. Without taking her gaze away, she opened her mouth and let Flash feed her...then moaned as the vegetables hit her taste buds. The sound went straight to Flash's cock. He was embarrassed by his reaction. This was the absolute last time he should be thinking about anything other than survival. But this woman did something to him. Turned him inside out. In a good way. "Go on," she urged. "Try it." Flash did, and it was all he could do not to moan himself when he chewed. "We need to make this last," Kelli said, her gaze fixed on the can now. It was obvious how hungry she was, how badly she wanted to shovel the food into her mouth. But she knew they needed to prolong their meal. "How about we tell each other something about ourselves between each bite. Wait? Are we eating it all right now? Or should we save it?" Flash's first inclination was to hoard the food. He had no idea how long it would take Heckle and Jeckle to get a hold of someone back home with the ransom demand. And then how long it would take for whoever was contacted to believe the threat was real and not some joke. Then his team would have to be notified, probably Tex, and then they'd have to get approval to come to Jamaica⁠- He cut off his thoughts. They were most likely still days away from being rescued. "I'm thinking we should finish this. The last thing we want is to let it go bad," he told her. "Besides, it would be stupid to be rescued with uneaten food. There's a show I found on TV called Alone. It's a reality show, but not like most. Men and women are dropped into remote locations, and they have to be the last one of the group to call it quits...or to be taken out of the game for medical reasons. They have no contact with anyone else and they have to film themselves, so there's no fake drama or alcohol used to make things more, quote, 'interesting.'" He held up his hand, making quotation marks as he said that last word. "Anyway, this one guy, he caught a ton of fish. I think it was fish. Anyway, he had a ton of food that he smoked and was hoarding in his shelter. He lost a gazillion pounds but was more worried about having food for the future than eating it in the moment. He ended up being medically evacuated because he'd gotten too skinny. He had all that food, but still lost because he just didn't eat it." Kelli nodded. "I'll have to look up the show when we get home." "We'll watch it together," Flash said impulsively. "I'd like that," she told him with a shy smile. And just like that, Flash realized they'd decided to see each other again when they got back to California. He liked that too. A hell of a lot. "So...I think we should eat this entire can now." "I'm not going to disagree with you," Kelli said. "But we should still make it last." "Agreed. Okay...let's see...my favorite color is...black." "Why am I not surprised?" Kelli said with a grin. "Mine is pink." "Why am I not surprised?" Flash repeated. "I've always wanted to play the piano. It seems like such an elegant instrument. But I learned in elementary school that the recorder is about the extent of my musical abilities," Kelli told him. "I played the clarinet all throughout high school." "You did?" Kelli asked, sounding shocked. "Yup." "You don't seem like the band type." "Oh, I was a nerd through and through, and happy to be one. I was also in theater." "Me too!" Kelli exclaimed happily. They spoke about the plays they were in and some of the shows they wanted to see on Broadway. "Time for another bite," Flash told her, scooping out another spoonful of callaloo. "Seriously, this stuff is amazing," Kelli said, as Flash chewed his own bite. "I bet it's even better steamed, or cooked with some of the fish dishes the Jamaicans are known for." "Didn't we have some of this on the buffet at the resort?" Flash asked. At his question, Kelli's gaze dropped and her shoulders sagged. Mentally kicking himself for ruining the good mood, Flash reached out and put his hand on Kelli's shoulder. He didn't say anything; what could he say? He knew she was thinking how, just yesterday-was it yesterday?-they'd been stuffing their faces at the resort with no cares in the world. He felt her take a deep breath, then look back up at him. "Dogs or cats?" "Both," he said without hesitation. "I like all animals. Never been able to have one with my work schedule, but if I could, I'd like to go to the shelter and ask for the oldest animal they have. One that has very little chance of being adopted. Then spoil him or her rotten until the end of their life." "That's...that's awesome," Kelli said. Flash shrugged. "Beach or mountains?" "Beach. I think I know what you'd say to that question." Flash grinned. "You know how I feel about the beach." "Ebook or paperback?" "Audio," Flash said. They continued like that, asking questions back and forth, getting to know each other better as they took turns eating the callaloo. When there were no more leafy vegetables in the can, they slurped up the juices left over. "It's crazy how full I feel," Kelli said when they'd finished every drop they could get. Flash wanted to tell her it wouldn't last long. That when her body was finished sucking all the nutrients out of the food she'd just consumed, she'd likely feel even hungrier, even more desperate for more. But of course he didn't. He'd just distract her if and when that happened. "Oh, you know what? We should've put the uncooked pasta in the juice of the spinach stuff. It might've softened it up." She was right. They absolutely should've done that. "We'll do it with the next can." He just prayed whatever was in it would be edible and have some juice. "I have a confession to make," Kelli said out of the blue. "Yeah?" "Uh-huh...something I should've told you earlier." Flash frowned. He had no idea what deep dark secret she thought she should've shared...but suddenly she sounded almost nervous. "I told you that I've had a lot of jobs, basically because of what my dad told me right before he died. Well, the reason I'm able to jump from job to job is because there was a large settlement from his death-and I got the bulk of it, since I was a minor. "I've got money, Flash. Lots of it. I think that could've been why we were kidnapped. The men who took us must've somehow found out about it and decided to kidnap me. And you just got swept up in the whole thing. I'm so sorry." Flash was shocked. Not about the money. Surprised she was rich, yes...but shocked because she thought their kidnapping was because of her. "I don't think that's why we were taken." "You don't?" "No." It was Kelli's turn to frown. "Well, I mean...I guess it doesn't matter at this point. But I have no problem using my money to get us out of here. I'd pay anything if it meant saving us both. I'm not sure how that would work. Maybe if they come back to check on us, I can tell them that I'm rich and I'll pay the ransom?" "No one's gonna have to pay anyone any money if my team has their way." "I'm just saying-" she started. "And I heard you. But you'll get to keep your money, so you can continue to search for a career that you love." He was glad she had money. That she could be independent. But she wouldn't be giving a damn dime to the kidnappers. Not if he could help it. "Now...you want to check out that manhole?" Flash decided it would be a good idea to see if they could move it while they had some energy from the food. Later, they might be too weak. "Sure. Although it's pretty high off the ground. Not sure how we'll reach it." "You can stand on my shoulders," Flash told her. "That's probably not the best idea," she said, biting her lip. "I'm not exactly light." Flash gave her a look. "I thought we already talked about this. You're perfect, Kelli. I mean it." "I know, but⁠-" "No buts." "Okay, however, I don't think I'm strong enough to lift that manhole cover." Flash grinned at how she'd avoided using the word but. "Don't underestimate yourself. Even if you can't, I'll be under you, all you have to do is put your hands on it and lock your elbows. I'll push upward, and hopefully that will be enough to move it. All I need is just enough of a lip to get my hands out, and I can get it moved." "Then what?" Kelli asked. "We drove pretty far into the jungle. We have no idea where we are, or who are the good guys and who are the bad guys." "I've had extensive jungle survival training," Flash reassured her. "I can find us food, water, make a shelter, we can hang out in the rainforest until my team finds us. Being out there in the jungle is way better than being in here." "Yeah. You're right. Okay, let's do this," Kelli said, sounding more confident. Flash couldn't keep himself away from her if his life depended on it. After they stood, he stepped into her personal space and pulled her against him. Her hands landed on his chest, and she blinked in surprise. "Flash?" "I'm going to kiss you," he warned. "More than a brushing of our lips. Is that okay?" "Um...I'm not sure my breath is all that great," she admitted. He grinned. "Mine isn't either. But since we both smell like callaloo, I think we're okay." She stared up at him. Flash licked his lips as he stared back. "If you don't want this, it's alright. I just⁠-" She didn't let him finish his sentence. One of her hands moved up to tangle in his hair, and she pulled him down at the same time she went up on her tiptoes. Flash took over from there. As soon as he knew he had her consent, there was no way he could hold back. His lips covered hers, and he groaned as her tongue immediately found his. She wasn't shy about taking what she wanted, and the feel of her against him was like...coming home. Flash bent Kelli backward until he was holding her up as he devoured her. Their kiss went from a tentative exploration to a deep, carnal exchange of what was to come in the future. He would have this woman. In all ways. Not just physically. He wanted to know everything about her. Her hopes, fears, dreams. He'd make those hopes and dreams come true and slay all her demons. He lifted his head, but didn't bring her back up. "Flash?" she whispered, licking her lips. "When we get back to California, I want to see you again. I want to take you out. Bring you to my crappy apartment and make dinner for us both. We can watch all ten seasons of Alone and be all judgmental about the decisions they make. I want to be your boyfriend, Kelli. Exclusive boyfriend. I want to introduce you to my friends, pick you up from a girls' night out, help you find your dream career, and watch you shine from the inside out. Please say yes. Give me a chance. I swear I won't let you down." Kelli put her hand on his cheek and said, "I know you won't." Flash's arm was beginning to tire, so he stood them up straight, but he didn't let go of her. He realized how hard he was pushing. He'd come on way too strong. He had a gut feeling that was going to be an ongoing problem when it came to this woman. "And if we get out of here, yes, I'd like to see where things might go between us." That wasn't the firmest yes, but Flash would take it. "When we get out of here. It's a date then. Come on, let's check out that manhole cover." He took her hand in his and walked over to where they'd been dumped inside this tomb of a bus. He jumped, and could just barely touch the ceiling. Turning to Kelli, he said, "I think you'll be able to just sit on my shoulders." He squatted down and held out his hands. She looked skeptical, but bravely went behind him and took hold of his hands. She awkwardly climbed onto his shoulders, and Flash held her thighs tightly as he stood. Kelli was at the perfect height. She was practically nose to nose with the cover. She did her best to push the lid, with no luck. Then Flash crouched, Kelli straightened her arms, locked her elbows, and he used his leg strength to try to push the cover up and off, but again, it didn't even budge. Frustrated, he put Kelli back on her feet and began to pace. He'd been counting on being able to break out. But Heckle and Jeckle must have put something on top of the manhole cover to hold it down. "We're never getting out of here, are we?" Kelli asked, sounding despondent. That wouldn't do. Not at all. "We are. Think about it, if those assholes parked a car or something on top of us, that's like a huge beacon for my team. I mean, a car in the middle of the jungle? That'll stand out like a sore thumb. And anything else they might've done to make the cover heavy enough not to be moved will also stand out. We might not be able to break out, but my team will break in. I give you my word." Kelli took a deep breath, then nodded. Flash was overwhelmed with his feelings for this woman. She had every right to be freaking out, and yet she was putting her trust in him. In his team. It was humbling. "How about we check out that conch shell. See if we can break it? Make us some shanks in case Heckle and Jeckle come back." He needed to keep her busy. "Okay." "Great. Come on, let's have some more water before we start." It was Flash's responsibility to take care of her physical needs. He knew what could happen to the human body in survival situations. He'd make sure she conserved her strength and got what she needed to keep going. It wouldn't be long before Kevlar or one of the others stuck their head down that hole and asked what the hell he was doing down there. He hoped. Title: A Mother's Rewind Tomorrow In "A Mother's Rewind Tomorrow" by CrushReel, Flora Hayes's life takes a tragic turn after a fatal car accident. However, her final moments reveal a chilling glimpse of a future fraught with peril for her children two decades ahead. Exploring themes of resilience and sacrifice, this CEO drama intricately weaves elements of modernity and time travel into a compelling narrative set within the grandeur of a mansion and the intensity of an office environment. As Flora grapples with the aftermath of her premonition, the story delves deep into familial bonds and the weight of destiny. What sets "A Mother's Rewind Tomorrow" apart is its masterful blend of suspense and emotional depth, captivating readers with its intricate plot twists and nuanced character development. Discover the gripping saga at CrushReel, where this ongoing tale awaits those eager to embark on a journey through time and motherly love.