Page 103 of Risky Desires

Bullets shredded a palm tree four feet away.

“Run!” I dragged her into the green-black shadows.

My scuba booties slipped on the smooth leaves beneath us, and we stumbled into the vegetation and fell in a tangle of limbs. Grit bit my waterlogged skin, and the taste of salt and fear was thick on my tongue as I dragged Indiana to her feet.

“Come on! Move!” Gripping her hand, I pulled her deeper into the bushes.

The trees became a blur, and the ground was a treacherous obstacle course that threatened to betray us with every step.

Leaves brushed my bare chest. Twigs snapped beneath my boots. My thumping heart matched the thundering rhythm of gunfire.

“Keep going, Indy!” I reached back, finding her hand, and her fingers crushed mine.

We crashed into a dense cluster of trees.

My world narrowed down to two things: the beeping in my pocket and the thumping chopper. Leaves slapped against my face, stinging my water-soaked skin. I didn’t let up. Every instinct screamed that stopping meant death.

Her ragged breaths panted behind me, but she didn’t slow down either.

Bullets chased us like a metallic swarm, attacking the plants behind us with brutal repetition.

We scrambled up a rock wall, and at the top, I pulled her behind the trunk of a massive gum tree.

“Get down.” I yanked her to the ground. Our gasps filled the air, and my heart hammered against my ribs like it was trying to break free.

The gunfire seemed to fade as if confused by our sudden disappearance.

“Shhh,” I breathed.

Pressing my hand against the rough bark, I pulled Indiana close and peered around the tree. The moon was a sliver of light in the ink-black sky, pinpointing the chopper. The helicopter’s spotlight sliced through the night like an accusation as it hovered over the beach.

The bushes around us were still like they were holding their breath, waiting to see who made the next fucking move.

“What’re they doing?” Indiana peered over my shoulder, and her hot breath brushed against my neck.

The chopper’s side door opened.

Indiana gripped my arm.

The beeping in my pocket seemed to get louder, like a ticking bomb about to explode.

Two figures dressed in black stood in the chopper’s open doorway, and a steel cable tumbled out.

A man clipped onto the cable and jumped from the helicopter.

As his feet hit the sand, the second man jumped.

“Oh fuck!” My heart launched to my throat. “Run.”

CHAPTER 21

Indiana

The second man who had jumped from the chopper, landed on the beach and cut himself free. They took off, sprinting across the sand toward us with rifles clutched to their chests.

The thumping helicopter blades slashed through the humid air as the machine tilted sideways, and when it disappeared around the island, the fucking beeping hard drive in Tyler’s pocket dominated all sounds.

“Run!” Tyler yanked me behind him.

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