Rilie Joy – Haha. Thank you. I'm absolutely loving that you review each chapter! Tackle hugs back And yeah! Run Travis, ruuuun!! XD

snowbunny3 – Here you go! Updated. Thanks for reviewing! Enjoy Chapter 14!!

Shlee Verde – Thank you!! XD XD Your reviews always make me happy! Haha. Yup, I'm sure Beck will get to beat a few people up! But I'm sure he'll still get to annoy Travis too. XD Hahah!

Not All Tears Are An Evil – Yeah, Travis will definitely need to watch his back. This guy is nasty! Haha. I hope you like the next chapter! Thanks for reviewing! XD

Chapter 14 – Heart of the Fire

Beck

"Who's there?"

The breath stuck in my body. I heard the two guys from RECOL creep closer. I could almost hear Travis' heartbeat. He was frozen.

I bent my neck so my mouth was millimetres from his ear and whispered so softly I was worried he would miss what I was saying.

"On my left. Count of three."

Another twig snapped under one of the guy's weight.

"Three!!" Travis and I yelled and we spun left. My fist connected with a face and then I heard a gunshot.

"Travis!" I yelled and threw another punch into the man's stomach. He groaned and dropped to his knees.

"He missed me!" I heard Travis yell. Through the darkness I could see Travis fly-kick the other man and take him down hard. I ripped the gun from my guy's hands and smacked him over the head with it. He fell to the ground unconscious. I made my over to where Travis was and watched him straddle the guy, punching at his head. The gun had been thrown away beside them.

"Answer me!" Travis yelled.

The guy groaned when a fist pummelled into his cheek.

"Tell me if MacCain really killed Rebecca! Tell me if he's found the Mão Dourada!"

"What….? How do you know about the Dourada…?" He asked feebly, clearly having a hard time focusing after the attacks from Travis.

The kid dropped his raised fist and pulled the English guy's upper body up to the same level as him.

"I want to know right now."

"Travis…." I said gently.

"Wait……..Hey, are you Walker?" The guy blinked recalling Travis' face from pictures MacCain had shown his men. Blood was pouring down from the man's nose and a cut on his head. "You are!" He started laughing. He laughed maniacally. His white teeth rimmed in blood shone through the darkness.

"You're finished, sunshine. You can kill me, but that isn't going to be half as bad as what MacCain is going to do to you."

"Just tell if he really killed Rebecca."

"Aww, do you miss her, sweetheart?" The guy crowed.

Travis punched him again and then jumped to his feet and kicked him in the ribs over and over.

"You sonofabitch!" He roared. "She didn't deserve to die."

I pulled Travis away and pushed him slightly over to the right where I could keep an eye on him. He turned his back and held his hands over his face.

I dropped down on my knees and grabbed the guy's shirt.

"What is he going to do with Travis?" I asked menacingly and dangerously quiet. I didn't want him overhearing.

"MacCain tracked down the Gatu Du Diabo."

Travis turned around quickly, eyes wide with surprise. He knelt down on the other side of the guy.

"Where? Where?!!"

"Somewhere in Russia I think."

"What about Travis?!" I hissed. The guy stared at me.

"MacCain discovered it was Walker who found the Devil's Cat and then realised you were the guy who slept with his wife. Coincidence?" He laughed again and then groaned and clutched his ribs.

"And he wants the Mão Dourada now?" Travis asked with a hint of urgency to his voice.

"Yeah, but more than anything…….He wants you."

Travis licked his lips.

"He wants you in case he can't find this artefact. You've made a name for yourself after your little fiasco last year."

"I'd never lead him to it."

"Then he'll keep you alive longer and kid, you don't want that. Maybe if you take him to the Mão Dourada then he'll just shoot you rather than do all those things he told us about."

"What things?!"

The guy just grinned. I punched him in the head and he blacked out. Travis looked at me outraged.

"What did you do that for? He was going to speak!"

"And you really wanted to hear what he was going to say?! Come on, we need to get out of here." I stood up and grabbed Travis's arm hauling him to his feet.

"I'm going to see MacCain."

My mouth fell open.

"Sorry, what?"

"Look, I know I only knew Rebecca for a day, but she was a good person. MacCain treated her like shit. She was lonely and she had no family to talk to. No one would have missed her when he murdered her. No one. I have to do something. He can't get away with that."

"Travis, he's too dangerous. You can't risk it!"

"I have to try!" He yelled.

"Why?! You're not responsible. It wasn't your fault."

"It was! I slept with her! I got her killed!"

"You didn't know what you were doing, you're just a kid."

Travis shot me an incredulous look and then his face contorted into complete anger. He threw a punch at me before I had time to blink. My eye exploded in pain.

"You bastard!"

I clutched my swelling eye and stared at him.

"You don't know anything about it!" He spat.

"I do!" I hollered back. "I know you lived a sad and lonely childhood. You had no friends and no girlfriends. You didn't have a mum and you're dad hit you every day. I know that she was probably the first person to give a damn about you and you don't want to admit she's gone, but she is Travis!"

"Stop it! Stop it!" He wailed.

"You're not that little boy anymore. You have a family now. You have a life. You have a responsibility to stay safe. I can't let you go. I can't let you die for a woman you hardly knew."

He made a move to punch me again, but I caught his wrists and pinned them to my chest. I looked into his tear filled eyes.

"Let me go." He sobbed.

"Travis…."

"Let me go, Beck."

Travis

Beck released my wrists and I stepped back from him, stumbling. Bending to the ground I picked up what I had tripped over.

"What are you going to do?" He asked me, looking at the two unconscious men from RECOL.

"This is more than just about the artefact. A good person died. She died because of me."

I had to go. I had to go and face MacCain. I'd make him pay.

"I'm not going to let you go." Beck stated. I shook my head sadly.

"I know. Which is why I have to do this." I swung the branch I clutched behind my back and hit it across Beck's head. A look of shock flashed across his face before he collapsed to the ground.

I dropped the branch and fell to my knees beside him.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." I cried bitterly into his shoulder. I checked his pulse. It was normal. He was breathing. He'd wake up soon.

I dragged him behind the cover of another bush in case more guys came back for the RECOL guys we had knocked out. I reached for the mobile in Beck's pocket.

I didn't trust my voice to speak so I text Marianna.

"Beck's had an accident. Nothing serious. We're east of the river just past the north road into El Dorado. You can get here in a couple of hours if you ask Roberto's son to take you in his helicopter. Don't worry. We'll be okay till you come."

I chewed my lip waiting as the message sent through the faintest of signals.

"Marianna will come and get you." I smiled sadly. I stood up and tears collected in my eyes as I looked back down at Beck. I had done that. I had knocked him out.

"I'm sorry."

I bent down and picked the up the gun the English guy had and then made my way to the RECOL camp. Into the heart of the fire.