“You look fine to me.” Mighty fine.
He laughed and Di practically had to wipe the drool off of her chin.
AJ took a few more steps towards her, not stopping until they were standing toe-to-toe.
“You need to stop looking at me like that.”
Chapter Thirteen
The woman was going to kill him.
AJ had survived fifteen years on a prison island. He’d survived torture, beatings, hell, he’d even survived a drought during his first year on the island.
But this woman who had been here less than twenty-four hours was going to kill him.
“Why was this supposed brother of mine looking for me?”
She obviously wasn’t expecting him to continue with that conversation.
He hadn’t known he was going to continue the conversation either. But it was either that or fuck her up against the nearest tree.
She took another deep breath. The top of her shirt separated, showing off even more of her creamy skin when she shrugged.
“I don’t know.”
That wasn’t really the answer he wasn’t expecting.
“So what were you doing with him?”
“I’m a tracker. Or at least I was a tracker.”
AJ moved around, gathering the things they brought to the watering hole. With one last quick look around to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything they took off down the path.
He couldn’t have been more surprised. Trackers were tough and scary. Di was anything but.
“So, you’re the one who found me?”
“Well, not exactly,” she said. “Cal, that’s your brother’s name, Cal. He already knew where you were. Well I mean on the island anyway.”
“So, you were supposed to find me once you got to the island?”
He couldn’t keep the smirk off of his face as the memory of her passed out on the beach flashed through his mind.
She smiled at him much too sweetly.
“I found you, didn’t I?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Something like that.”
They plodded along the path in silence. Once again when the one real building on the island came into view, Di stopped.
“And you have no idea why he was looking for me?”
Di shook her head but changed the subject.
“When you passed out before,” before they had sex were the unspoken words, “has that ever happened to you before?”
“I don’t know.”
Her head snapped around so that she could look at him.
“What do you mean, you don’t know?”
AJ started walking again. In only a few steps they were over a hill and the big grey building was behind them.
“Living on an island that’s designed as a prison isn’t the fun and games you may believe it is from the brief time you’ve been here. If I have passed out before, there’s been no one around to tell me.”
He knew his voice was harsher than he’d intended, but he couldn’t really help himself.
Not wanting to hear any pity, he took off at a much faster pace. He made sure that she could still hear him. She was practically running to catch up. He didn’t slow down until he was in the clearing in front of his shelter.
“What in the hell is wrong with you?”
That wasn’t what he was expecting.
“What?”
“Well, I thought we were trying to have a conversation but then you ran off like some scared child.”
AJ turned on her.
“I did not run off like a scared child. I ran off because I didn’t want your pity.”
Di scoffed.
“Well, who in the hell was going to pity you?”
AJ could only blink at her.
“Huh?”
“I assume you did something to get sent here. I’m not going to feel sorry for you. But I did want to get a better look at the building back there.”
“Why?”
“Because from what I understand and with my years of tracking experience I think that’s where Cal is being held.”
Call it a gut instinct, women’s intuition, whatever. Di had no doubts that Cal was being held in the barracks.
She was smart enough to know that she didn’t want to be left alone on the island so she followed behind him as best she could. It wasn’t easy traipsing though the woods with no shoes or pants.
“You weren’t going feel bad for me being tortured?”
She simply glared at him as she walked past and into the small shelter. Apparently he didn’t need anyone to feel sorry for him. He was doing enough of that on his own.
But the fact was that she needed to find Cal. He was the only one who knew how they were going to get off the island.
She walked over and plopped onto the end of the bed.
“So, how do we find out who got off that boat yesterday?”
AJ walked to the small stump, the only other place to sit in the room. He looked like he was going to sit down, but then began to pace.
“There is one man. He spends a lot of time down by the docks. He’s become a kind of snitch for both sides. It’s a risk and he’ll definitely want something in return but if anyone knows anything, he’s going to be the one.”
“Well, let’s go find him.”
Di jumped from the bed and dashed to the door. She practically knocked AJ over on her way there.
“Hold on,” AJ said holding her back. “Don’t you remember what happened last time some of the islanders saw you?”
She laughed.
“You can’t actually think that I’m going to stay here while you question him, do you?”
His sigh was loud.
“No, I don’t figure you’d go for that.”
“Good,” she said.
“But don’t think for a second that you can go like this.” He indicated her attire, what there was of it. “We’ll go first thing tomorrow morning,” he said.
“Fine,” she murmured
AJ walked towards her and grasped her shoulders turning her to face him.
“Di, this is really important,” he said. “You can’t leave once it gets dark. As dangerous as the island is during the day, you can’t go outside at night. There’s a kind of truce during the day but all of that goes out the window at night.”
Well, that was enough to scare her.
“But we’ll be safe here, right?”
He didn’t say anything but he nodded. Pain was shadowed in his eyes.
“I’ve made sure of it,” he finally said.
She desperately wanted to ask him how but sensed that it wasn’t a good idea.
There was darkness in his eyes and for the first time since she landed on the island, she was scared.
Was Cal making a good decision bringing his brother back to the mainland?
“So,” AJ was trying hard to ease the tension that had invaded the small shelter. “You said that you used to be a tracker. What do you do now?”
Di walked back to the bed and plopped down again.
“I guess you could say that I’m unemployed.”
The questions were clear in his eyes and she answered before he had a chance to ask them.
“I used to run a female nightclub.”
She couldn’t miss the momentarily flash of heat in his eyes. She was coming to understand it as a typical male response.
“Why used to?”
“It was targeted. Burned to the ground.”
It hurt so much to say. As much as she tried to keep the memories at baby, once the door was opened slightly, the rest of the memories came flooding into her mind.
Her eyes filled with tears. Pain stabbed through her heart and a small gasp escaped.
AJ rushed to her side, stopping just shy of the bed.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she insisted. “I’m just going to go to bed, if you don’t mind.”
She lay down on the bed pulling the scratchy blanket up over herself. She closed her eyes
, not so much so she could go to sleep but to keep the tears from falling.
She tried to concentrate on AJ puttering around the small room, but all too soon, he stopped and she felt the edge of the bed bow.
His hand was warm on her side.
“It’s okay,” he said. “I know you miss my brother. I promise I’ll help you find him and get off this island. With or without me.”
Another one of those strangled sobs escaped before she could stop it.
AJ couldn’t think of many things worse than a crying woman. Not that he’d had much experience with them. And the experience he did have with them, he’d had the bad fortune of making them cry.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“I don’t know what to do about it,” he admitted.
She sat up and pulled her knees up to her chest.
“I had a best friend who died when my nightclub burned.”
AJ didn’t know what to say so he simply remained quiet.
“It’s just the first time I’ve had an opportunity to process it, you know.”
Once again, AJ just nodded. He knew how she felt. Hell, he’d been on the island for years and he still tried not to process things entirely.
“You should get some sleep,” he said not wanting to head down the slippery slope of emotion. “We’ll get an early start tomorrow.”
Di wiped her face of the last vestige of tears. Then she rolled over and, if she didn’t actually fall asleep, pretended to.
****
The next morning dawned much too early for AJ. Especially, since he was up most of the night thinking. He learned after being on the island for a matter of days that thinking too much was not a good idea.
And hell with being allowed to wake up naturally, Nope, AJ was being shaken awake.
“What in the hell are you doing?” He asked, his eyes still closed.
“Come one, we need to go talk to your contact down by the docks.”
AJ tried to roll over, his eyes still closed. He even grabbed the lumpy pillow and put it over his head, hoping Di would get the hint.
But no. Di wasn’t about to leave him alone.
He peeked open his eyes.
“What in the hell are you wearing?”
It looked to be everything he owned.
“Well, after the debacle from yesterday I figured I’d need a disguise. What do you think?”
She stood back and modeled for him.
She was definitely padded with several layers, the top layer being a long hooded cloak. She had her black hair tied back and the hood pulled up over her head. Dirt smudges crisscrossed her face.
“You look ridiculous.”
“I know, but do I look like a woman?”
“Well,” he hedged, wiping the sleep out of his eyes and then stretching. “You certainly don’t look like an attractive woman.”
She took a swing at him but AJ was awake enough to dodge the blow. He got up and crossed the room to find the one pair of clothes he owned that Di wasn’t wearing.
He quickly shed the old clothes and shrugged into the clean ones, a pair of green pants and black shirt. Standard prison garb.
“Ready?” She asked.
“Do you think we can eat something first?”
It wasn’t a request. AJ wasn’t about to go anywhere until he got some food in him.
“I want to go down there and get this info as soon as possible. Nothing personal and I mean, I know this has been your home for…a while, but I don’t want to spend any more time here than necessary.”
AJ couldn’t really fault her logic.
“Okay,” he said. “I’ll grab some nuts and berries on the way. Let’s go.”
Di jumped up and down like he’d imagined a little girl would do. She clapped her hands, grabbed his wrist and pulled him out of the shelter.
He was powerless to resist her.
Once outside they paused long enough for him to take the lead. He walked a few yards into the forest along a path he knew well. When he stopped, she plowed right into the back of him.
“You need to slow down a bit,” he said.
She muttered a sorry under her breath.
“We’ll be on our way as soon as I set my burglar alarm.”
Di didn’t ask any questions which surprised him so he went to work. All he had to do, he kept it sent most all the time, was string a thin piece of twine across the path. If anyone came this way, they’d trip the line and a few hours later wake up with a very nasty headache.
“All ready,” he said when the trap was set to his liking.
He turned around to see Di staring at him, a big smile on her face.
“Ingenious.”
AJ could feel himself coloring.
“Thanks.”
He grabbed her by the hand this time and they set off towards the docks once again.
As they neared the docks, the more populated part of the island, Di found herself getting nervous. She didn’t really have anything more than snatches of memory after she and Cal were drugged on the boat. But she remembered enough to know that she didn’t like it here.
Beside her, AJ whispered.
“Remember to keep your head down. This part of the island is pretty nasty and I really don’t want to get in a fight today.”
She wasn’t an idiot but before she was able to open her mouth and tell him that, he shushed her.
So, she did as he said and kept her mouth shut. But she couldn’t quite manage to keep her gaze on the ground.
Filth surrounded her. The island was a far cry from the sterilized cleanliness of the city. Dirt and other stuff she didn’t even want to guess about littered the streets. If one could even call them streets.
There were no real buildings. Only make shift shelters made out of second rate materials. Di no longer wondered why AJ lived out where he did.
“What’s that?”
She paused in the middle of the street staring at a gathering of men.
AJ grabbed her and pulled her along. He leaned close and whispered in her ear.
“It’s a slave auction.”
“Slaves? But I thought you were all prisoners. What do you need slaves for?”
She started back at the gathering as a man—barely even more than a boy really, was paraded up on the dais.
“They’re sex slaves,” he said. “Now keep your head down.”
Di was suddenly glad that she hadn’t eaten many of the nuts and berries AJ had offered or she had no doubt they’d be making a return appearance.
“This is it,” he said when the stopped in front of a small lean-to.
It was directly across form the docks, leaning against a small hill.
“Harry, open the door, we’re coming in.”
AJ pulled the cloth door aside and stepped in, Di directly behind him.
It was dark and smelled like trash. She could hear noises but couldn’t actually see anyone. Then, her eyes were drawn to movement on the far side of the room.
“Is he sick? Does he need help?”
Moans increased, echoing through the room.
“I don’t think he needs help,” AJ said.
He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the wall, seemingly content to wait.
As Di leaned back against the wall next to AJ, she slowly began to make out shapes in the room. And the man, or should she say men, on the other side of the room.
One of them sat back on a stump and leaned against the back wall. The other man was on his knees in front of the sitting man, sucking his cock.
“Harry is the one getting blown,” AJ supplied.
“Shouldn’t we wait outside or something?”
She tried to aver her eyes but it was just about impossible.
Harry’s head fell backwards, his eyes closed, his fists clenched on the other mans shoulders.
“No,” AJ said as the moans increased. “I think he’ll be finished soon.”
The man on his knees began sucking harder. His head bo
bbed up and down, his cheeks sucked in. Di was only able to get quick glimpses of Harry’s cock and he had to say it was nothing impressive.
“Faster,” Harry ordered. “Harder.”
Di jumped at the unexpected noise.
The other man listened, increasing his tempo and using his hands.
Harry howled, sounding like an animal. His hips pumped against the other man’s mouth. Soon Harry pushed the man away. Di was mesmerized by the stringy white come spurting from his cock. It shot across the short distance and landed on the other mans face.
Then, silence descended through the room.
“What can I do for you, AJ?”
The man’s cock hung limply in a nest of graying curls. But AJ proceeded like they hadn’t just watched the man get a blowjob.
“I need some information.”
Chapter Fourteen
Di couldn’t really figure out how AJ was able to have a conversation with a naked man.
“About who came in on the boat the other day?”
AJ nodded. “Yes.”
“And what are you going to do for me?”
For the first time since they walked in the door, AJ looked uncomfortable.
Harry stood up and Di realized that his name was apt. He crossed the room, stopping directly in front of her.
“Who’s your friend?”
Di bowed her head trying to hide her face. Now she knew exactly what she was hiding from.
AJ stepped forward protecting her. Normally, she’d be annoyed by a man thinking she needed protection, but she couldn’t deny that AJ’s presence was a comfort.
“Just keep away,” AJ warned.
Harry stepped back, a scary smile on his face.
“So, I guess you don’t really want my help then.”
Nope. No way.
So what if he had the opportunity to find a brother he never knew he had. Who cared if he might have the opportunity to get off this damn island? No way would he risk Di.
“I guess we don’t need your help,” AJ agreed.
He turned to leave but Di stopped him.
“Wait…”
Of course she’d want the info, do whatever she had to for it. He mentally kicked himself. She wanted the other guy–his brother–back. She’d obviously wanted her boyfriend back.
AJ was just a temporary diversion.
Di continued.
Double Jeopardy Page 11
