Leo's POV

Hours later and I'd finally got Ella back to one of my camps. It was small and made up of only three or four tents strung up between the trees but it was hidden within the dense foliage of the forest and had a dozen or so of my men circling and patrolling. As we descended further into the night the constant chirp of crickets and occasional cries of distant birds and animals emerged but the air was still as thick and hot as ever.

Ella sat silently on a rock as I crouched below her tending to her wounds. There were bruises all over her body which I could do little about. Her lip was cut, her neck covered in Andrea's hickeys and her legs were all scratched and scraped from running through the jungle. Most notably, a nasty gash stretched across her knee.

I rinsed away the blood and cleaned the cut with antiseptic. It can't have been particularly comfortable but she didn't even wince. It was as if she was numb to pain. Every now and then, I would look up to her but she just stared straight ahead into the jungle. Either she was so far into her own thoughts that she didn't notice or she couldn't bear the thought of a conversation and chose to ignore me.

"Do you know why Luciano helped us?" I asked finally as I pressed a large band-aid onto her knee.

She looked down and met my eyes.

"Don't trust him," was all she said before she looked back up and continued to stare into vacant space.

"Why?" I asked. "Who's side is he on?"

She paused again, "His own."

There was silence for another few minutes. I remained crouched in front of her, completely lost for what to do. I had no idea how to comfort her.

I gently took my hands and pressed them against my lips, "It won't feel like this forever."

She nodded meekly.

"Are we safe here?" she asked looking around.

I hesitated, "Yes."

"Why do I feel like that isn't true?" she replied, seeing right through me.

"We leave this Godforsaken country at first light," I said, dodging the question. "Then we'll get home and everything will be alright."

"But he is still out there," she pointed out. "And he won't give up."

I nodded, "I know."

I then squeezed her hands again, "You should get some sleep."

Out of nowhere, a tear suddenly fell out of her eye and landed on my hand. She quickly wiped it away and turned away as if she didn't want me to see her cry.

"Ella," I said. "Look at me please."

She slowly turned back to me, her watery blue eyes beginning to flood.

"You're not alone anymore," I said. "I don't know what I can do to make you feel less pain but know that I would do anything."

"Just stay with me...please," she replied.

"Of course," I said, shuffling closer. "I'm not going anywhere."

A slight smile twitched at her lips before she slipped off the rock and into my lap.copy right hot novel pub