Page 106 of Risky Desires

A branch exploded behind us, and I ducked. Adrenaline roared in my ears, drowning out my pounding heart and the fucking beeping.

A flash of movement to my left made me stumble. As Tyler caught me before I headbutted a tree, an owl flew away. He pulled me behind a massive boulder, and our chests heaved in unison as we tried to catch our breaths. His blue eyes locked onto mine, a silent promise of determination and resolve passing between us.

“We can’t keep this up, Tyler.” My steady voice surprised me. “We need a plan.”

As he scanned our surroundings, the darkness pressed around me like a suffocating blanket. The beeping in Tyler’s pocket was like a fucking countdown.

A countdown to our murders.

“Are you sure you want to keep that thing?”

He nodded with deadly conviction, then clutched my cheeks and kissed my forehead. “Come on, I have a plan. Stay right on my ass.”

I smacked his butt, and he tried to flick my hand.

Shouts rang through the bushes, but they seemed further away, or maybe their voices were shrouded by the foliage. As I matched Tyler’s pace, I wondered how accurate that beeping device was. My GPS tracking device was only accurate to an area of twenty feet. Then again, water is denser than air, so that played a factor. And I’d bought the tracker secondhand. The one in Tyler’s pocket was probably the best money could buy.

Tyler changed direction, heading up the steep incline again. Tiny rocks crumbled beneath my feet, and my breaths came in short bursts.

Finally, we crested the incline, and it was like standing on the edge of the world. Below us was a small alcove, and beyond that was a steep cliff that crashed right into the ocean hundreds of feet below. The view beyond our little rocky island was spectacular, with moonlight shimmering on the black water like it was having a party.

The world seemed to stand still as I breathed in the open air. Tyler’s wavy black hair was plastered to his forehead and his eyes had darkened as if they were fighting a storm.

I bent over my knees to catch my breath.

He rested his hand on my lower back. “You okay?”

“I’m alive. For now.” The words tangled with the ragged gasps from my throat.

“Okay, this is good.”

My back creaked as I forced my body upright. “What is?”

“This is where we’ll set the trap.”

I squinted at the alcove below us that was flanked by two large boulders. The tiny cave was half concealed by a curtain of plants that draped down from the top. “How?”

“I’ll put the device down there.” He squatted down, trying to peer over the edge. “And when they go to get it, we’ll attack them.”

I blinked at him.

“We’ll attack.” Giggles rumbled up my throat like I was a fucking lunatic. “Are you crazy?”

“Nope. It’s the best shot we have.”

When I wiped sweat from my brow, my fingers brushed over the scar on my forehead. It was like my past reminding me to voice my opinion and prove why I thought he was wrong. I eyed the alcove; it was too exposed and too narrow.

I glared at him. “It won’t work.”

“We’ll find some big rocks to?—”

“Tyler. It won’t work. One of them will get the device. The other will stay up here.”

The muscles along his jaw ticked. “Trust me.”

Trust wasn’t something that came easy to me, not since my mother’s murderers ruined that feeble word.

Tyler was different. He would die for me. But I sure as shit didn’t need him proving it.

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