Читать книгу No Place To Hide - Lisa Harris, Lisa Harris - Страница 16

FIVE

The camp the men led them to was nothing more than a couple of run-down buildings, where they’d apparently set up a temporary hideout in the jungle. Yuri had offered no information about the men who’d ambushed them or the man who’d gotten shot.

“I need your first-aid kit.” Yuri grabbed her backpack, unzipped it, then dumped the contents onto the ground in front of them.

“What are you doing?” Ellie asked.

“One of my men was shot—”

“Wait.” Ryan grabbed the man’s hand. “This man needs medical help, not just a first-aid kit. There’s got to be a clinic somewhere nearby.”

Yuri pulled away. “I don’t have a choice. The nearest clinic’s an hour and a half from here by boat. We’ve got to stop the bleeding.”

Ryan glanced at Ellie. “I’ve got some medical training. You’ve got to do this properly.”

Yuri hesitated. “What are you going to do?”

Ellie stopped beside Ryan and studied the man who was lying on a mat on the ground in the shade of a large tree. While it was hard to feel sorry for him, blood had soaked through his leg. Avoiding infection in an environment like this wasn’t going to be easy. Any bacteria from the bullet, the man’s skin or clothing, or anything else that might have touched the wound could end up killing him. And if they could help, maybe their captors would end up being more sympathetic.

“I can flush the wound and cover it, but then you’re going to have to get him to a doctor,” Ryan said. “He’s going to need antibiotics.”

Ryan held the man’s gaze while Yuri considered the offer.

“Okay, but don’t try anything stupid.”

“I can help,” Ellie said.

Ryan nodded. “Good, because I’m going to need you. What do you have in your bag?”

“Just the basics. Antiseptic wipes, antibacterial ointment, bandages, medical tape, pain medicine.”

“What about scissors?” he asked.

Ellie dug through the bag, then handed him a small pair.

The man groaned as Ryan cut away the clothing from the wound. “The good thing is that the bullet skimmed his thigh, leaving a narrow trench instead of a hole in his leg.”

Ryan worked to flush out the wound with only an occasional instruction while Yuri continued hovering and Ellie tried to get the man to calm down. Five minutes later, Ryan covered the wound with a butterfly bandage Ellie had in her backpack, then gave the man some pills for the pain.

“We could help you get him to the nearest clinic,” she said, catching Yuri’s gaze.

“Forget it. If you think what you just did is going to somehow buy your way out of here with your good deeds, it’s not happening. The two of you aren’t going anywhere.”

Ryan grabbed a bottle of hand sanitizer and squirted the gel in his palm before handing it to Ellie. “How much are you being paid to keep us here?”

“Enough to make sure you don’t escape again.”

Yuri motioned to Pedro, who grabbed some twine and proceeded to tie them to two wooden chairs side by side at the edge of the clearing.

Ellie winced as the rope bit into her wrist. “Careful.”

“I don’t want to have a repeat of what just happened in the jungle,” Yuri said, dumping their backpacks against the tree behind them. “We wouldn’t want you to get lost again. There are dangers out there, so unless you know this place like I do, chances are you wouldn’t make it out alive.”

“That’s so considerate of you,” Ryan said sarcastically as the man walked away to check on the patient.

Ellie glanced at Ryan and caught the tension radiating up his jaw. Apparently, Yuri wasn’t kidding as far as ensuring they didn’t get away. She tugged on the rope behind her back. Unless they could manage to untie their bindings, he’d just nixed any chance of their escape.

Pedro came up to them, flipped around a third chair, then sat down in front of them. “I’m never sure what brings people like you to the Amazon. There’s no cell-phone service, no hot showers, no internet connections. None of the comforts of the big city. Just sticky humidity and giant mosquitoes everywhere.”