~*~
"Where do you think you're going?" he asked gruffly, watching her attempt to untangle her body and long hair from the sheet…and him.
"It's nearly dawn," she whispered. "Keep your voice down."
He chuckled softly. "Don't you mean the 'butt-crack' of dawn? And don't worry about my voice," he admonished her, pausing long enough for her to hear the bathroom door open and close. "It's safe to say they're all up and taking bets that you're up here."
"Damn you, Donovan," she huffed in mock anger.
"Hey, you came to me," he reminded her, grinning.
"Oh, ho. You aren't going to Lord that over me now, are you?"
"Never. So, the secret's out…why not crawl back in here and spend the day making love to me?" he suggested wickedly.
Quinn grinned as she crawled across the large bed on all fours until she reached his side. "Get me the hell out of this godforsaken place and back to civilization and I'll be your love slave for a week," she said, nipping his chin playfully.
"Only a week?" he asked, lifting a brow expectantly.
"Let's play it by ear, huh? We've got a lot of ground to cover." She gently placed her palms to his cheeks and kissed him softly. "And we'll do it together."
He nodded and hugged her tightly before allowing her to leave the bed again. He heard her whisper a good morning to whomever she bumped into in the hall. It was Sam. Donovan heard Sam say he was the only one awake and if she wanted to play it on the down low, she could stay in the bathroom for a few minutes before coming downstairs. He heard Quinn's grateful thank you followed by the bathroom door closing. Sam to the rescue. Donovan couldn't help but laugh as he buried his face in his pillow. He had to admit, the upside to it was that neither he nor Quinn would have to face the interrogation of his team. They could be ruthless when after information and even he sometimes had a hard time avoiding them.
~*~
"Where is everybody?" Donovan asked as he stepped through the screen door and onto the back porch.
"Jake and Alex," Cody said, pointing to his left, "went that way. Sam, Monica, and Quinn went that way," he finished pointing to his right.
Donovan shrugged and pulled up a chair next to Cody. "Why didn't you go?"
"Please…I'm just biding my time until we get out of humidity hell and back to the real world," he snapped sarcastically. "People actually vacation in this crap?"
Donovan laughed. "Some, yes. This isn't so bad…it can be worse."
"S'ok…I'd rather not experience it."
"Understandable," he responded as he leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes.
"Tired?" Cody asked suddenly.
"Not especially, why?"
"Just figured you would be…kinda noisy bed."
Donovan groaned and Cody was up and out of his chair, taking safe haven inside the cabin, before Donovan could even open his eyes.
~*~
"Gawd, Quinn, I can't believe you wanted to go exploring. Haven't we walked enough in the last couple days?" Sam complained.
"Just got a lot of pent up energy that I need to get rid of," Quinn explained. "Besides, you didn't have to come along. Monica and I would have been fine."
"Hey, you never know what's out here," he snapped.
"Yes, that's why we brought our little friends with us," Monica replied, tapping the Bowie knife at her hip.
"Okay, okay…you don't need a man," Sam teased. "It's just hot and I'm cranky."
"I'll say," Quinn teased. A booming noise shattered the quiet of the marshy area, but it was difficult to tell in which direction it came from. "What was that?"
"Don't know. Could be hunters," Sam answered concernedly. "We should check it out."
"Can't tell where it came from, but hunting isn't allowed in this area, if memory serves," Quinn responded quickly. "I'll head off toward the water. Monica, go straight ahead and Sam…" she trailed off when Sam took off without waiting for her to finish. "Monica, don't go too far…five, ten minutes and then head back to the cabin."
"Okay. Be careful," she called over her shoulder.
~*~
Monica trekked for nearly ten minutes but found nothing suspicious. As agreed she turned around and headed back to the cabin. As she neared, she noticed Sam had also returned. "Where's Quinn?" she called and all eyes turned in her direction.
"I thought she'd come back with you," Sam answered.
"Why did you split up," Donovan demanded harshly. Without waiting for an answer, he ran into the cabin, grabbed his knife and took off in the direction Monica had just come from.
By that time, Alex and Jake were returning to the sight of Donovan running off with Cody, Sam, and Monica trailing quickly behind him. "What's up?" Jake yelled as he and Alex caught up to them.
"Quinn's missing," Monica panted. "We separated when we went to investigate a noise we heard."
"We heard it too," Alex acknowledged. "Didn't find anything."
"We didn't either," Monica replied. "But Quinn didn't return." As they neared the area where the noise was first heard, Monica yelled, "Here! Quinn headed off toward the water."
Donovan nodded and turned in that direction without breaking stride. He couldn't explain it, but he knew something was wrong. And as he neared the water's edge, he realized his sixth sense had been dead on. Quinn's unconscious body was bound to a fallen log in the river; only her upper torso could be seen. "Quinn!" he called frantically.
Quinn groaned painfully as the sound of Donovan's anxious voice pierced through the veil of consciousness and brought her around. As she awakened, she realized she was completely immobile, her arms tied behind her back and her body fixed to a log with a thick rope. She struggled, kicking her legs and jerking her shoulders. "What…how…" She looked up to see Donovan and the entire group heading her way.
Donovan stopped dead in his tracks when he heard a small splash from across the river. His heart leapt into his throat at the sight of the ten-foot alligator that skimmed the surface of the water. "Quinn! Stop struggling!"
"Frank! Get me out of here," she demanded, still unaware of the danger headed her way.
"Oh Jesus, Donovan," Sam cried, stopping behind him. "We'll never get her free in time."
"Go, untie her!" He ordered and wasted no time diving into the water after the alligator.
Quinn gasped as she watched Donovan splash beneath the surface. It was then that she discovered the danger she was in. "No!" she screamed, realizing he was attempting to take on the reptile. She watched in horror as he came up alongside the dark green creature and wrapped an arm over the alligator's thick-skinned, bony-plated back. Quinn screamed when it struggled, whipping its long, rounded snout back at Frank. She released a small sigh when it failed to make contact, because the angle was inaccessible to it. Her relief was short-lived, however, when the 'gator executed a sudden roll, pulling Frank under the water with it.
"Someone help him!" Quinn screamed, as she listened to the others yelling Donovan's name. By that time, Cody and Sam had reached her and were beginning to cut away at the ropes that held her.
They watched on in continued horror as the 'gator rolled two more times, showing its light colored belly. Donovan gasped for air futilely each time he surfaced, but there was no time to take in much before he was pulled below again. Within moments the thrashing stopped and the water stilled, turning a deep crimson before their very eyes.
Quinn realized she was in a full-blown crying jag, watching the color spread across the water. He couldn't be gone; they had just found each other. She hated herself for being so selfish, but she couldn't bear to watch any longer. She closed her eyes as she hung her head, the tears still coming in violent sobs.
Donovan broke the surface quietly, just inches from her. He heard the collective sighs of relief and the soft crying from Alex and Monica. He wasn't sure, but a couple of the men might have been crying too. "Quinn," he whispered, cupping her chin with one hand as he treaded water. "I'm okay, beautiful."
She knew she had to be dreaming and therefore did not want to open her eyes. But the thumb that caressed her cheek and brushed her tears away felt so real she couldn't resist. Her eyes widened as she realized he was real. "You…you're okay?" She struggled against the bonds that continued to hold her; she needed to touch him so badly. "But…the blood…"
He smiled softly and reached behind her, slicing the ropes that bound her hands. "The 'gator's. After I stabbed him in the throat, he was only too happy to make a getaway."
Although still tied to the log, her hands were finally free and she wound them around his neck, hugging him fiercely. "I thought…I thought…"
"Shhhh…" He sheathed his knife quickly, and grabbed hold of the log with one hand and placed a steadying arm around Quinn's waist when Sam and Cody finally worked through the ropes that held her. "Come on, Quinn…help me get you to shore."
Quinn nodded, freeing her hold on him reluctantly. When they reached the bank, Alex and Jake helped them out of the water. It was Monica who spoke next. "Quinn, did you see who did this?"
Quinn shook her head. "No…I was walking, passed a tree, whoever it was must have been hiding behind it…" Her hand went to the back of her head and she flinched visibly when she touched a tender area. "Smacked me a good one."
Pushing aside her dripping wet hair, Donovan inspected the welt on the back Quinn's head. "Fan out in pairs, look for clues."
"Right," Jake answered, urging the group on.
"Are you sure you're okay," Quinn asked, pointing to the bloody welts on his forearms.
"I'm fine. Its skin was pretty brutal and I think I swallowed half that river, but more importantly, are you okay?" He cupped her face tenderly between his hands and brushed her lips softly with his.
"Yes," she gulped unsteadily, pushing at his chest in sudden anger. "You could have been killed!"
Donovan chuckled, realizing for the first time that she had been more worried about him than herself. It was the opposite in his case. "And you could have as well, Quinn."
Quinn's eyes widened. "Oh God, Donovan. Is this some weird funky full-circle thing?" Her arms went about his neck and she molded her wet body to his. "I had so much trouble believing you would have come back for me if it had been me left behind," she stammered, hugging him tightly and kissing his neck softly. "And here you throw yourself at an alligator to save my life."
"I love you," he assured her, pulling away enough to look into her eyes. "And I wish we were anywhere but here. I've got to get you back to the cabin. You need to rest and I need to contact DeWalt."
"I don't need to…DeWalt?" she asked as his words sank in. "What does he…" She rolled her eyes and laid her head on his shoulder. "This was all his idea, wasn't it?"
He untangled her arms from his neck and stood, bringing her with him. "It was and we'll talk more about that later. Right now, I want to keep a constant guard on you." With a nod, he acknowledged each of the team as each made their way back to him.
"I'm in no more danger than anyone else," Quinn insisted.
Donovan shook his head and took her by the arm. "We're heading back to the cabin and waiting for the team to discuss this further." He looked down at Quinn and favored her with a perplexed look. "First the snake through the window…now this? And you don't think you're a target?"
"But…"
"No, there will be no discussion," he insisted firmly. "We'll go over what the others found after we get back to the cabin and I contact DeWalt."
~*~
To be continued…