Escape

by M. K. Elliott

  This would be very easy to get used to, she thought.

  But she didn’t belong here. In a matter of days she was due to fly home. The thought drove daggers into her heart and she squeezed her eyes tight shut, trying to suppress the tears building behind her lids.

  Chapter Eleven

  From the depths of sleep, Lucy felt Rudy’s arm wrap around her waist and pull her close. She was smiling before she even opened her eyes, relishing the feel of skin on skin, of knowing he was there, waiting for her, when she decided to open her eyes.

  The howling of the wind had subsided. The only sound was the gentle rustling of the palm fronds surrounding the house. To Lucy, their movement sounded like the ocean.

  We could be underwater, she thought, still half-asleep. Trapped in this little house together, deep under the ocean.

  Then Rudy kissed the spot just behind her ear, sending a little thrill of excitement through her body, pulling her out of her dream-like state.

  “I have to get up,” he whispered against her ear, and she turned to him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

  “Why? Can’t we just stay here?”

  He kissed her on the mouth, firm but definite. “I can’t. I have to get back to the resort. There’s going to be so much to organize, and we have to find someone to take one of the trucks and go out and find your bag. If we don’t do it soon, someone will steal your stuff.”

  “I don’t care,” she said, sliding closer to him, but then she remembered her Jimmy Choo sandals were in the case, along with all her underwear and her mobile phone. Reluctantly, she sat up.

  “There’s still no electricity,” Rudy said, “so there’s no running water either because the water runs off a pump from a well. Hopefully, the backup generators are working at the resort, so we can get ourselves sorted there. I’ll get you your old room back.”

  “Thanks,” she said, hoping she wouldn’t have to spend too much time in the room. Even with no electricity, she would much rather be here, with Rudy.

  She watched as he climbed out of bed, stretching and flexing the muscles in his back. She could hardly believe only a few hours ago her fingers had been tracing those muscles, touching that skin. Even though she still lay in his bed, she felt as if those things had happened to another person.

  They dressed and left the house. Rudy went over to the small shed he’d put his bike in for shelter. He pulled off the tarpaulin and dragged the Yamaha out. The bike hadn’t suffered any damage over the night. The house, also, looked like it had withheld the worst of the storm. Other than a broken gate and a missing aerial, the building was still in one piece.

  Lucy climbed on the back of the bike behind him, her arms wrapped around his waist, her face pressed against the solid mass of his back. She wished she could stay like this all day. There was something insanely sexy about having the machine between her thighs and her arms wrapped around Rudy’s hard abs.

  As the bike ate the miles down to the resort, Lucy watched the scenery go by. The island was a mess. Palm fronds had been ripped from the trees and a red dust covered everything. The few small local’s homes they passed had their owners outside, either hammering back boards or standing, surveying the damage. She wondered what the resort would be like. If the place was unliveable, maybe Rudy would be forced to take her back with him.

  Not that she wanted to force him into anything. This whole thing was hard enough.

  At the thought, her heart sank. What was she supposed to do? Her life was back in England, but she knew she was falling for him, falling hard. He had his life here and the longer they spent together, the harder it was going to be to say goodbye. She only had a few days left and her heart was already breaking at the thought of leaving him.

  One thing she was certain of, she wouldn’t be getting the next available boat out of here. However fickle and immature that made her, she didn’t care. Her parents would be fine for another few days and then when she got back, she would go and stay with them. She couldn’t go back to live with Max at their old flat.

  She had barely thought about Max and her stomach turned in an uncomfortable flip. She had cheated on him and he deserved better. It wouldn’t do him any good to know the truth. If they had no future together, telling him what she had done would only cause unnecessary pain.

  Riding the bike downhill meant they made quicker progress, despite the debris. Within fifteen minutes they mounted the hill leading down to Turtle View bay.

  Even from a distance, Lucy could see the resort was a wreck.

  She felt Rudy tense and he drew in a sharp breath of shock. He pushed the bike, increasing their speed, desperate to get there.

  They pulled up in front of the reception. Rudy climbed off and pulled his helmet off. For a moment he stood stock still, but then he put one hand on his head and turned in a slow circle. His mouth hung open in shock.

  Lucy climbed off to join him. She put a hand on his arm, but he shook it off.

  Where the hell was the owner? She thought. What on earth would they think when they saw this? They’d better have good insurance.

  The roof was almost totally missing from the restaurant and bar, except a few pieces of bamboo hanging on in places. Tables and chairs had blown over, broken, crashed upon one another in a tumble of legs. Big pools of sea and rain water flooded the whole resort. One of the Thai boys half-heartedly swept the water down the steps that had previously led down to the beach, washing the water back where it had come from.

  The beach was gone. High water lapped at the walls of the resort, but the waves had subsided.

  The water in the pool looked like swamp water, black with debris, and pool chairs had blown into it and water flooded the surrounding area. It was more like the pool of a long abandoned hotel, than one people had been diving in only a few days before.

  Luckily, the hut housing all the diving equipment sat slightly higher up and, apart from a little surface water, looked unharmed.

  People stood around in confused groups, unsure of where to go or what to do. Luckily, as Rudy predicted, because the rooms had been built into the cliff, they hadn’t suffered more than getting rain water under the doors, though a few of the roofs had lost boards and leaked.

  At least everyone was safe.

  Lucy said this to Rudy and he sighed, “Yeah, I guess you are right, but there is a ridiculous amount of work ahead before this place is even marginally liveable.”

  “It’s going to be a lot of work, but at least you don’t have to pick up the bill!” she said, trying to lighten the tense atmosphere.

  He looked at her as if confused, as though he suddenly didn’t recognize her. The look made her stomach sink.

  “It’s not always about the money, Lucy,” he said. “Some things are more important.”

  His words stung. “I know. I was just...saying.”

  She slunk back, confused at his reaction. He was obviously attached to the place and from the way people treated him he was well-liked and respected, but he was still just a dive instructor. It didn’t make sense for him to have to deal with everything.

  Then Rachel arrived; wide-eyed and stunning.

  “Oh my God, Rudy,” she gasped. “Are you alright? Look at the state of this place. What can I do to help?”

  That should have been my reaction, thought Lucy. Why did she never say the right thing?

  But what was the right thing? Why was all this sympathy falling on Rudy?

  “We’re going to need to cancel all our bookings for the next month,” he told Rachel. “And try to get the word around the other islands that we’re not taking on any new business for a while.” He ran a hand over his shorn head. “God knows what this is going to do for our reputation. We rely so much on word of mouth, if no one is able to come here the resort is bound to suffer.”

  Rachel put a hand on his arm and smiled at him reassuringly. “Everything will be fine, Rudy. We’ll make sure word gets around that we’re rebuilding the place better than ever. People will be dy
ing to get here and see the bigger and better Turtle View.”

  He managed to smile back at Rachel and Lucy wanted to claw the other woman’s eyes out.

  Then he remembered something, “But what about all the people who are already on their way? What do we do about them? If they’re already in transit, we won’t be able to get hold of them.”

  “We’ll explain to people what the resort is like and if they want to stay they can, but if not I’ll make some calls to some of the other hotels and see if there are some spaces.”

  “You’re an angel, Rachel. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” He seemed to remember Lucy. “I’ll send a car out to find your bag, Lucy. Just go up to your room. The generators are working so you can take a shower, read, whatever else you need to do.”

  Lucy saw Rachel’s eyes flick to her. She didn’t miss the look of malicious satisfaction she was given, but she wasn’t going to be beaten that easily.

  “I’d rather stay and do whatever I can to help,” she said, giving Rudy her most sympathetic smile. “I’m not totally useless.”

  “No, no,” he said dismissively. “It’s better if you stay out of the way.”

  She had never felt so small.

  “Well, how long do you think you’ll be?” she asked. “Maybe we could do something later? Get a drink or something to eat?”

  He frowned and shook his head, distracted. “I have no idea. I don’t exactly have time to hang out. I’m not on holiday, remember?”

  Annoyance crept over her. Who was he to think he could pick her up and then drop her again? Was her worst fear coming true—that he had taken what he wanted and now he was just blowing her off?

  She was conscious of Rachel standing by, watching the act unfold. Lucy wished she wasn’t there and had to stop herself turning round and telling the blonde to get lost.

  “What about lunch then?” she said. “You have to eat lunch.”

  “I’m sorry, Lucy, I don’t have time for this.”

  “But I only asked...”

  “Well don’t. I’ve got bigger things to think about right now.”

  She opened her mouth to reply and then shut it again. She was better than this. If he couldn’t even be bothered to arrange to see her again, she certainly wasn’t going to beg. Already he had turned away from her, calling over to the Thai boy who was sweeping down the stairs.

  “Can you get Lucy her room key from behind reception?” he asked him. “Room twenty-nine.”

  He marched across the resort to where some of the employees stood in a little group, looking lost. Rachel had the nerve to shoot Lucy a smile before she chased after him.

  Bitch.

  Lucy gritted her teeth and followed the Thai boy to the reception. She got her room key and climbed the steps back up to her room. Anger bubbled up inside her, but beneath the anger, a thread of fear wound its way into her heart. She didn’t want Rudy to ignore her and she was furious that he’d acted as if she meant nothing to him. But she didn’t want to lose him, not now.

  Lucy didn’t understand why he had suddenly distanced himself from her, why he had shut her out. It didn’t make sense. One minute he’d been adoring and loving, the next he acted as if she was in the way and he didn’t want her around anymore. She understood the state of the resort upset him, but his reaction seemed out of proportion. He was just a dive instructor, after all.

  Maybe he was worried about his job. They wouldn’t be able to uphold many of the bookings until the resort had been repaired. Yet his reaction seemed like something more. Lucy felt as if she was blind; as if she was missing something right in front of her eyes.

  Lucy opened the door to her room and sighed. She thought she’d said goodbye to this room and it felt weird being back. Rudy had suggested she take a shower or read a book, but he’d forgotten all of her stuff still sat on the side of the road somewhere. Even if he did get someone to fetch her bag, everything inside would probably be ruined. There were still towels in the room belonging to the resort, along with the mini toiletries provided, so at least she could have a shower, even if she had to get back into dirty clothing.

  Unable to find the energy, she flung herself on the bed. Thoughts of Rudy consumed her. She thought back to the night they had shared together; how his mouth had felt upon her skin. Just the thought sent heat rushing up between her thighs and she hugged the sensations close to herself, trying to capture the memory.

  But that little niggle of uncertainty still worried her. First thing this morning, she would have said she’d met the love of her life. Now she worried that she didn’t know him at all. Of course, she couldn’t ever really know someone after only a few days, but she still felt as if there was something major she was missing out on.

  What the hell was going on with him? It was as if he had a dual personality. Or maybe she was the one over-reacting? He obviously took his job seriously.

  But maybe, she thought, just a little too seriously.

  She was trying to get away from a life where everything revolved around work. Back home, her entire life revolved around the hospital. When she wasn’t working, she socialized with other doctors. Hell, she even lived with one, and she had hoped there was more to life.

  Lost in thought, the sound of the knock at the door made her jump. Her heart lurched in hope. Maybe he had come back to see her, to tell her he was sorry and he couldn’t stand not to have her by his side for a moment longer.

  She got up and opened the door, to find Yang standing in front of her, her sodden and battered suitcase at his feet.

  “Rudy tells me to tell you sorry.”

  Her heart leapt. He’s sorry he ignored you!

  “I have to tell you sorry for taking you to port.”

  He wasn’t apologizing on Rudy’s behalf. He’d just been told off for abandoning her at the port. Finding her bag and apologizing was his punishment.

  Lucy shrugged, “Don’t worry about it.” She reached out and took her bag. The case was about twice as heavy as before, and water-logged. “I think I’ll leave it out here for the moment,” she said. “The sunshine might help my stuff dry.”

  Yang gave her an awkward smile and turned and headed back down the steps, probably happy to be let off the hook so easily.

  Lucy turned her attention to her sodden suitcase. Though the two sides of the suitcase were a hard resin, the zip was only material so water had gotten in. One side of the suitcase was cracked, but it hadn’t split right through.

  With a heavy heart, Lucy cautiously undid the zip, spilling her wet things out onto the small balcony. Her clothes were damp, but otherwise unharmed, and Lucy set about hanging them out on her balcony chair and table to dry. Her few books were sodden and swollen to twice their normal size, and totally unreadable.

  Lucy sighed and dropped them to the ground. They were good for nothing but the bin, or possibly a couple of doorstops.

  She came across her mobile phone. It didn’t look damaged. Lucy pressed the button to switch the phone on. The screen lit up and it beeped at her twice before dying again.

  “Great,” she said out loud. Despite not wanting to switch the phone on earlier that week, the last thing she wanted was for it to not work altogether. She hoped she would be able to get all her phone numbers off the SIM card.

  Hoping it might have a new lease on life once it had dried out, she placed the phone on the wall of the balcony.

  Luckily, all her travel documents were tucked safely in a plastic Ziploc bag in the inside pocket of her case. At least her passport had gone undamaged. She couldn’t imagine the nightmare she would have trying to get that one sorted out.

  The thought of her passport reminded her that she was due to leave in less than a week. Despite Rudy’s irritating behavior, she wanted to spend more time with him. Even though the storm had effectively brought them together, it was now tearing them apart. Rudy was clearly preoccupied and would be swamped with the workload he now had to shoulder. There would be little chance for romantic rendezv
ous and long, sexy nights.

  Suddenly sad and exhausted, Lucy went and lay down on the narrow bed. After all the excitement of the past few nights, she needed rest more than ever. So, with thoughts of Rudy still at the forefront of her mind, she drifted into sleep.

  Chapter Twelve

  Rudy could barely even bring himself to think about where to start. There was simply too much to do and the sheer enormity of the situation overwhelmed him. Overnight, he had seen everything he’d worked for over the past six years destroyed. The amount of time, work and money needed to bring the resort up to scratch again would be immense, and in the meantime, the resort wouldn’t be bringing in much money because they wouldn’t be able to take in the tourists.

  On top of everything, he had to think about Lucy. He desperately wanted to spend time with her but that was going to be impossible for the next couple of days. At least he knew she would understand. She was an intelligent woman who had a career and she’d be fine entertaining herself for a couple of days.

  He would have to figure out some time to go and see her though. He didn’t want her to think he didn’t care.

  Later, he promised himself, I’ll go later.

  But the day flew past, and as they headed toward the late afternoon, he received a call from the port. Boats were going to start bringing people over from the mainland first thing in the morning. Rudy had no idea what he was going to do with more tourists. Though the rooms were liveable, he still had a back log of people staying because no one had been able to leave the island for the past few days. Although they would get rid of one boat load of people first thing, there were still more who should have left by now.

  The kitchen was being cleaned up and they should have it working by that evening, so at least he was able to feed people, but the bar area still looked a mess, and much of the furniture had been smashed up and dragged out to sea by the power of the waves.