Page 40 of Uncharted Desires

“Isn’t cocaine combustible?”

“That’s meth.” He watched the workers, searching for something.

“What are you looking at?”

He pointed to the second largest wooden structure in the distance and said, “There is an office in there. There must be a phone or some way to communicate with someone. We just have to figure out a way to get in there without getting caught.”

Kat looked down at the long stretch of ground that separated them from the office building, scanning the area for any sign of guards or surveillance. Her brows furrowed in frustration as she realized how slim their chance of making it without being noticed was.

“Maybe you could create some kind of distraction, set their field on fire or something, and then I’ll run in and search for a satellite phone. They have to have something.” He was talking animatedly with his hands, and Kat couldn’t help but get wrapped up in his plan. But it was a fool’s mission. She knew it.

Grabbing his hands, she brought them into her chest, as they crouched behind a rock.

“That sounds like a first-rate plan CIA man, but remember, you’re just thinking about playing one in the movies. We at least need the cover of darkness, and I think we can add to your idea.”

He glanced down at their intertwined hands then back at her. “And what is that?”

“First, if you could stop leaving me behind, that would be terrific. I like the setting their field on fire idea, but we both need to do it. Then we need to see if there is a satellite radio somewhere.”

He released her hands and tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear, an intimate gesture that made her want to melt into a puddle on the ground. His hand was now cradling her jaw, and Kat felt her heart leaving her body and heading straight to him. A fact she didn’t want to think about at the moment. “Kat, I’m not trying to leave you behind. I just want you to be safe. But you’re right, we can come back under the cover of darkness and see what we can find.”

He dropped his hand, and they crawled through the tall grass back to the cliff’s edge.

“Shit,” West whispered under his breath.

“What’s wrong?”

“Look.” West pointed down the cliffside where two guards now stood. “Get back,” he whispered, pulling her back into the long grass before the guards had a chance to glance up and see her.

“Can we take a different way down?”

West shook his head. “With your arm, this is the easiest path I know of. I think we should wait here. Maybe they’ll move on.”

After what felt like hours of waiting, Kat plopped down next to him, her frustration evident. “So now what? I don’t know how long it’s been, but they haven’t gone anywhere.”

West reached out, his hand running down one of her braids, a smile on his face. “I can think of a way to pass the time.”

“Nice try,” she laughed, her face betraying her with a blush. West felt the tension between them, and wasn’t sure he could fight it anymore.

“Then what are we supposed to do? Talk?”

Kat glanced over her shoulder, the sun setting behind her. “Yes, West, that’s what people do. They talk. Why don’t you tell me something real about you, something the rest of the world doesn’t know or wasn’t made up by the tabloids?

“Fine, but only if you do too.”

“I’ve been an open book.”

“So? I want to know everything about you.”

He heard her breath hitch, and he wanted to lay her bare then and there, but he’d promised to tell her something, and he truly did want to know everything about her.

He pulled away, giving himself some space or he wouldn’t be able to tell his story.

He took a deep breath and looked out at the ocean in front of him. The view from the top of the island was unparalleled, and he would have appreciated it more if their situation hadn’t been so dire.

“I didn’t retire from music, the label, well . . . they dropped me.”

He heard her sharp intake of breath, but she said nothing, allowing him to continue.

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