13. Thirteen
At first, it was one raindrop, and then another, just as rain tends to do, and then it was as if someone who was holding a bucket of water had decided to dump it over Kat and West’s heads.
“Watch your step,” West yelled over sound of the rain as they slowly made their way down the side of the mountain, each step slicker than the one before.
Kat couldn’t see as rain pelted her, hair whipping around her face. “Stupid guards, we could have been down here before this tsunami.”
“I’m not going to complain.”
She attempted to give West a sardonic look but was too scared of falling off the side of the cliff, so she went back to staring at her feet.
West descended and she sighed in relief. Now she only had to focus on her footing, but as she went to step, her foot gave way and she groped for support. Plunging downward, she braced for impact, but in a flash, she was caught by sturdy, embracing arms. “You should pay attention to where you’re going,” he said, smiling down at her.
“I was. It’s just soaked,” she said, pushing off him to stand up.
“It’s not the only thing.” He grinned.
She felt her face heat up, which seemed impossible considering how much cold water was pouring down on her. But thoughts of what he had just done to her body raced through her mind.
“Are you going to speak in sexual innuendos for the rest of the evening?” she asked, trying to ignore the heat growing in her core.
He leaned down, his arms still around her. “I don’t plan on using any innuendos, I plan on finishing what we started if we can just get out of this rain.”
Her body felt his words as they wrapped themselves around her, a promise for more, and as much as she would regret it later, she couldn’t deny herself today.
The rain pelted down on them, and then Kat heard it, the sound she had been dreading. The sloshing of incoming boots and shouts couldn’t be drowned out, even in the rain.
“Hey! Stop!” the voice rang out.
“It’s them!” another voice called out.
“Fuck,” West said at her side.
“Run.” Kat took off at a sprint, West’s large hand wrapped around her wrist to keep them together.
They dodged raindrops, trees, and brush as they heard the guards running after them, their voices yelling at each other to split up and cut them off.
“They’re not shooting at us,” Kat noticed.
“They must not have their guns with them.”
“What were they still doing down here then?” Kat wondered aloud.
West pulled on her as she slowed down. “It doesn’t matter right now. We need to get to safety first.”
“We need to split up.”
That made West stop dead in his tracks. “No.”
“Look, they can get one of us or both of us. At least if it’s just one, the other can do some kind of rescue attempt. Let me distract them while you get away, then you can save me.”
The muscle in his jaw jumped. “No, Kat, that is the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard.”
They heard voices, and he grabbed her wrist as they took off running again, but Kat pulled free. “Go! I’m going to run this way and get their attention. You go hide. I’ll be fine. This is the best way, or we’re going to be running all night. Go, West, I’ll be fine. And who knows, maybe I’ll get away and meet you at the cave.”
She jumped into his arms, kissing him with more confidence than she felt, but she knew if she didn’t do this, they were both guaranteed to be caught and then where would they be? This way, they at least had a shot.
Before West could protest further, she twisted from his grip and ran toward the guards.
“Here we go,” she whispered to herself, then more loudly said, “Yo, assholes! You looking for me?”
Two twin flashlight beams turned on her and she took off running. West would probably be mad for a while; she’d deal with it if she actually survived this.
Each breath was a struggle, she could feel the oxygen rushing through her veins as she pushed herself forward. Her arm throbbed with pain, but she couldn’t stop now. She crouched behind a cluster of rocks, her heart pounding in her chest. In the distance, she could see the beams of flashlights sweeping back and forth. They were getting closer.
Sitting very still, Kat held her breath, hoping that if she just sat there in the dark, silent and still, they would walk right by her. The lights moved past her, and she sagged slightly, relief filling her system. She might find her way back to West and the cave after all. She sat without moving, waiting for the light and voices to completely disappear, and then she waited even longer.
After a time, she felt the coast was clear and came up and around the rock, trying to get her bearings. The rain had finally stopped, and the moon was out, lighting the rainforest floor. Kat wasn’t entirely sure where the cave would be from where she’d been hiding, but she had a vague idea of which way to head.
She walked in the general direction of the cave, hoping she would see West soon, but just as she was beginning to feel she was going to be okay, a powerful hand grabbed her, hauling her into their body.
“Gotcha,” a male voice sneered.
She screamed, “Let me go!”
“No one’s gonna hear you,” the man said. “I thought you were still around here.”
Kat cursed herself for being so stupid. He had probably just turned his light off and waited for her to reveal herself. She had played right into his hand.
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
“The boss is going to be happy to have at least one of you,” the man continued as he hauled her toward his Jeep parked a few feet away.
“Although, he’d rather have both of you. Can’t have anyone knowing about what goes on here,” the man said.
“You mean your little drug operation?”
The man laughed. “This ain’t no little operation, darling. Brings in millions of dollars a month. They can’t have you and your boyfriend messing it up.”
“He’s not my boyfriend,” she grumbled, more to herself. Her arm screamed in pain as he tied her hands and feet, before throwing her into the back of the Jeep.
“Well, I got one of ya. Maybe the boss’ll give me an extra day off.”
“To do what? Sit on this island some more?” Kat spat at him. But truly, what did a drug lord do on a day off on drug island?
“No, but there’s something to be said about a day to read and drink a good rum.”
Kat laughed. “Yeah. Bet you and Hemingway are great friends.”
The man smiled as he jumped in the front seat. “Nah, I’m really into Kafka right now, but maybe I’ll try him next.”
Kat rolled her eyes as the Jeep took off to drive her back up the mountain. She sure hoped West was back at the cave.
West was furious at Kat. The cave was empty, and she was nowhere in sight. She wasn’t supposed to be the one to sacrifice herself for him. He dug into the backpack, taking a quick drink of what was left of the rum. The familiar burn warmed his body, which was chilled from the rain. He pushed his wet hair out of his face as he sank to the cave floor, contemplating his next move.
He was going to kill her. That was his next move. First, he was going to save her, and then he was going to kill her. What crazy nonsense made her think she needed to sacrifice herself to save him? He felt an odd pang go through his body as he contemplated what the men might be doing to her right now. They wouldn’t have killed her already, he hoped. But there was no guarantee of that.
Kat had sacrificed herself for him to get away and West couldn’t grapple with what that meant—for him, for them. Did she care about him? Because he was wishing the idea had come to him first; he would have sacrificed himself for her in a heartbeat.
On this island, she had come into her own, and yet she was still very much the same Kat, and West was kicking himself for never really noticing just how great she had always been. But now she was showing her confidence, showing her strength, and showing who she really was, and West wanted more.
He wanted to strip her bare in literally every sense of the word. To find out everything that made her tick. To know what would make her truly happy. His mind roamed to thoughts of her coming apart on his mouth, the throaty sounds of her moans as he’d made her come. He’d wanted nothing more than to push himself inside her, but the rain had ruined that, and now who knew if he would ever have the chance to truly feel that connection with her? One he no doubt knew would be unforgettable.
West took another drink, shaking the memories of earlier out of his head. He needed a plan. It wasn’t too late. She was alive, and he was going to go save her or die trying.