Page 130 of Empire of Shadows

“I would have had at least six minutes to get to shore before the system overheated,” she insisted.

“Afteryou threw the explosive stuff onto the fire,” Adam filled in flatly.

“In a sealed tin!” Ellie protested, still working to keep her volume down. “I have calculated it would take at least four minutes at the standard ambient temperature of an idling steam boiler to melt.”

Adam leaned against the tent post tiredly.

“And why were you planning to blow up a boat, Princess?” he asked patiently.

“To create a distraction, of course! I needed to talk to you,” she replied.

“Well, here I am,” Adam said, spreading his arms.

Ellie eyed him skeptically.

“Howareyou here?” she demanded, and then brightened. “Did you overcome Mr. Dawson and tie him up in his tent?”

“I just asked,” Adam replied. “Jacobs didn’t tell anybody I couldn’t, so they let me in. Apparently, he doesn’t see the two of us talking to each other as any kind of threat. Probably because he’s got this camp surrounded by a dozen or so guys with guns, and all I’ve got is a match tin.”

Ellie narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.

“A match tin, did you say?” she prompted.

“No,” Adam countered flatly. “Don’t even think about it.”

He dropped down into the chair by the empty desk and rested his head in his hands.

“So what’d you want to talk about?” he asked.

Ellie’s stomach sank. She knew what she should be talking about.

“How did things go with Dawson?” she asked instead.

“He stood around and complained while I fixed his route,” Adam replied. “Presumably, they’ll want me to keep doing it until they find whatever’s at the end of that map.”

“Yes, I see,” Ellie said.

She sat down on the edge of the cot. Though only a few feet of packed earth separated them, it felt like miles.

“You should escape,” she declared.

Adam stiffened in his chair. He raised his head to glare at her.

“Excuse me?” he demanded angrily.

Ellie lifted her chin, refusing to flinch.

“You should slip away as soon as you have a chance. You can simply disappear. You’re entirely capable of it.”

“And what will you be doing while I’m disappearing?” Adam shot back darkly.

“I’ll figure something out,” Ellie asserted with a wave of her hand.

She had meant for it to sound confident. It didn’t.

“You really think I’d do that?” Adam retorted fiercely. “You really think I’d run off and leave you here with a guy who’s threatening to cut you to pieces?”

“No,” Ellie admitted glumly. “I don’t. But it would have been the reasonable thing to do.”

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