Too Young (The Jewel Project #1)

Chapter 15.1 - The challenge

Chapter Fifteen

The challenge

Sam studied Tom carefully. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Tom rolled his eyes and bounced on the spot. "I'm perfectly fine. If you keep me in this tent for another second I'll..."

"You'll what? You already did your worst," Sam mumbled, looking at Tom's still bandaged wrists.

"Come on, Sam, I haven't thrown up in over twelve hours. The pain's gone too. I'm a little numb, but other than that, it's like this whole thing never happened."

Sam bit his lip. It had taken Tom three days to come to where he was now, and Sam was still not sure if he had fully recovered. It had seemed so after the first day. But then his twin fainted and the burning pain returned.

For Sam, those three days of watching over Tom were more draining than all they'd been through so far. It showed him they weren't safe from harm. And he wasn't sure he wanted that knowledge just yet. He preferred to delude himself that if he wished it hard enough, nothing bad would happen. Well, whoop-tee-do! As if Carlos's death wasn't enough.

Tom raised his sunglasses to the top of his head to bat his eyelashes at Sam. "Pretty please with sugar on top? Jerry said it was okay."

Sam threw his hands in the air. "Fine! It's your funeral."

Tom let out a triumphant call, put his glasses on and rushed outside. Sam followed him. Jerry had pulled through marvelously. Sam couldn't stop thanking him for saving Tom's life. Not even after Jerry reminded him, in a very offended tone, that Tom was his brother as well. Sam had felt like pointing out that Kyle was his brother too, but he still wasn't talking to him even if they'd appeared to have communicated during the mayhem that led to Tom's state.

"Are you sure about that?" Tom's voice snapped Sam to his senses.

"About what?"

"Jimmy told me you don't want to leave the jungle." Tom stopped under a tree and looked up. He jumped, caught on to a lower branch and climbed on it. "But want the rest of us to leave."

Sam sighed. "Yes. I'm not risking another near-death. The only reason you're still here is because you weren't up for traveling." After all that happened, he still didn't want to leave. He'd made up his mind and he wasn't running away, no matter what. But that didn't mean he wanted to endanger everyone else.

He watched Tom as he climbed higher up the tree. "You should get down from there. You could faint or something."

"I will not faint. I'm fine. And do you really think we'll leave you by yourself? You wouldn't last a minute alone."

Yeah, right. Of course he would. "You almost died!"

"Almost being the operative word."

"Why am I talking to you about risks anyway? You're the rashest person I've ever met." Sam shook his head. "It's like talking to a tree."

"Good point, Sam. Why are you talking to a tree?"

Sam glanced over his shoulder. Angie stood behind him, her head tilted slightly. Sam turned back to the tree and tried to catch a glimpse of Tom, but he'd disappeared. Marvelous.

"I'm not talking to a tree. I was actually talking to—" Sam froze in midsentence. Tom had appeared out of nowhere behind Angie.

He lunged, wrapping his arms around her. Angie twitched so violently that, combined with the impulse of Tom's lunge, it sent them both to the ground and tumbling down a hill. They stopped against a tree, tangled up together. Sam half-expected Angie to tear Tom's guts out. Instead, Angie started laughing while Tom struggled to get out from under her.