Tempt (Take It Off)

by Hebert, Cambria

  I started to fight. To thrash around in the water.

  My knee connected with something soft and he tensed, his grip loosening. I slid away, my head breaking free of the surface. I gasped for much needed air and then called for Nash.

  He yanked me back under again.

  He placed his hands on my shoulders and shoved me under. I felt bubbles release from my mouth and nose. My lungs began to burn. It was beyond painful. I wanted to breathe. My body had the intense urge to suck in… but that would only fill my lungs with water.

  Something heavy plunged into the water behind me and a swell of waves rocked my body, pulling me from under Duke. But he grabbed me back, his fingers digging into my shoulders.

  My thinking started to grow dim, my brain fuzzy. There was a commotion in the water… probably one of those man-eating piranha’s come to make me its dinner.

  The heavy weight of the water was suddenly lifted. Oxygen teased my nose and I began to cough. Something was towing me through the water with purpose, with a strong grip.

  He lifted me up onto the rock, flinging back my body, and my limbs worked to scramble up, but they were weak. He cursed, a naughty four-letter word, and then I slid back in the water for a few long seconds while he sprang out and then towed me up.

  “Ava,” Nash said urgently. His hands tapped my face. “Wake up.”

  I coughed again, a little water trickling out of my mouth, and he sat me up, supporting my body with his weight.

  “What happened?”

  “He said he was hurt,” I whispered. “I was trying to help him.”

  Nash swore again. “We can’t stay here now. He knows where we are. We’re sitting ducks.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said pitifully.

  “Don’t be sorry. This isn’t your fault.” Underneath his soothing tone was a voice of steel. He was angry. Thankfully his anger was directed at Duke and not me.

  I coughed again, trying hard to muffle the sound. I was so confused. Part of me wondered if maybe Duke’s behavior was an accident. If maybe he was so injured he fell into the water and pulled me with him, unable to help either of us.

  But I’d felt his hands on my shoulders.

  I felt him holding me under.

  Why would he do that? I thought we were friends.

  I began to shake, cold seeping into my wet body. Nash pulled me closer, wrapping his arms around me.

  “Daylight can’t be long now. Feels like we’ve been in this cave forever,” he murmured, rubbing warmth up and down my arms. “I think we should wait it out ‘til light. Us leaving now would only put them at an advantage. It’s dark. I don’t know if he was alone. Daylight will allow us to at least see what we’re dealing with.”

  “Why would he do that?” I asked pathetically.

  “I don’t know, bella. I don’t know.”

  And so we sat there—wet, cold, and alert—wondering what the hell awaited us when the sun finally rose.

  21

  Gray-ish first light of day began to seep through the screen of water, chasing away the deepest of the darkness and bringing some semblance of comfort. I knew we were still in grave danger. I knew there were things going on here that we knew nothing about. Yet there was a sort of security in the daylight—even the palest of day—that made things seem just tiny bit more manageable.

  My body was stiff. My joints ached from sitting cold and tense the entire night. Nash had barely moved, keeping himself tucked around me like some professional bodyguard hell-bent on keeping his charge alive. And I knew that if it wasn’t for him, I would already be dead.

  I would have been dead three times over by now.

  I owed him my life.

  I wanted to give him my heart.

  “I think this was the longest night of my entire life,” he said gruffly, right next to my ear.

  “It must still be early,” I whispered.

  “I haven’t heard any movement outside. Have you?”

  “No.”

  He moved, sitting back a little, reaching behind us, and then a mango appeared under my nose. “Breakfast is served.”

  “I don’t think I can eat.”

  “Take it,” he said, pushing it toward me. “Don’t know when the next meal will be.”

  I took it and ate. He was right. A distant rumble had me looking up, toward the sky I couldn’t see. “Was that thunder?”

  He snorted. “It would rain right now.”

  “Maybe we should stay here.”

  “We need to move. I don’t know what Duke is planning. He could lead the pirates right to us.”

  “Why would he do that?”

  “That’s the million-dollar question.”

  “Where will we go?”

  “I’ve been thinking about that,” he said, picking up another mango and sinking his teeth into the flesh. “I think we should move toward the other side of the island.”

  “You want to go closer to the enemy?”

  He paused in chewing and looked at me, his eyes warming a little. “Look at you talking like we’re in a spy movie.”

  “This only happens to people in the movies.”

  He grinned. For a moment, things felt normal. They felt relaxed. Then reality came back. Rain broke through the sky with another clap of thunder, and heavy, insistent drops began pounding the water beyond the falls.

  They hit against the rocks overhead and plopped in the lagoon, setting the water to waving.

  The sound of the rain was so heavy that it almost drowned out the waterfall, and the thunder continued to roll. Maybe it was later than we thought; maybe the sky was just gray with the storm.

  “Anyway,” Nash said, ignoring the storm and throwing the pit of the mango into the water. “They won’t be expecting us to come closer. They will expect us to try and get away.”

  I nodded slowly, seeing the logic behind his words.

  “They will likely be scouring the island for us. Maybe there won’t be many of them left at their camp. I think if we want an opportunity to take their boat—or one of the other ones, now is the time to do it.”

  He was right, of course. The longer we waited, the weaker we became. Eventually those pirates were going to completely drive us away from this water source. We would grow weak from dehydration… We would grow tired from running, exhausted from lack of sleep. If we were going to escape, now was the time to do it.

  “Let’s do it,” I said.

  “We’re going to be very vulnerable in the water, trying to get to shore. Can you swim underwater, hold your breath?”

  I nodded.

  “I’m going to go first. I’ll wait on the shore for you. Swim as far as you can beneath the water, out of sight. When you reach the shore, I’ll pull you up. Be ready to run. We’ll go for cover and then stop to make sure we aren’t being followed.”

  “What about you?”

  “I’m going to do the same.” I watched him tuck the flare gun into a cargo pocket on his shorts.

  “Can that get wet?”

  “I hope the hell so. It should still work.”

  “What about the pistol?”

  He looked grim. “That can’t get wet. I’ll try to keep it dry.”

  “Be careful,” I whispered as he lowered himself in the water and reached for the pistol, holding it high over his head.

  We didn’t say anything else as he eased around the edge of the waterfall, trying to shield the gun from the worst of the water. I slid into the water and swam to just behind the falling drops, fastening my eyes on Nash. He swam out a little ways and then he chucked the gun.

  He literally threw it onto the shore.

  I listened for the sound of it blasting. I cringed at the thought of it giving us away. But it landed with a silent thud and didn’t go off.

  Nash slipped below the surface of the water and completely disappeared from sight. The rain made it impossible to see any ripples he might have made as he swam. It seemed like forever when I saw his head resurface as he pushed up on sho
re.

  I wasted no time, taking a deep breath and going under the water. I tried really hard not to be creeped out by the dark, cold water. I kept my eyes tightly shut, not wanting to see if there was anything swimming around in here with me.

  Just when I started to feel like I needed air, something reached into the water and pulled me up. My first thought was to fight, but I recognized that touch. I trusted it.

  Nash hauled me out of the water and we took off, into the coverage of trees, and ducked behind giant palm fronds dripping with rainwater.

  “I can’t believe that worked,” Nash said, a rueful smile playing on his lips.

  “You mean you thought we would get caught?”

  He shrugged his shoulders sheepishly.

  I rolled my eyes. Men.

  “Last time, we went sort of around the island, in an arc. This time let’s cut straight across,” he said, keeping his voice low.

  We waited for what felt like forever as we watched the surrounding area for signs of pirates. For signs of Duke. “Where do you think he went?” I whispered.

  “I hope the bastard drowned.”

  I glanced at him.

  “I hit him hard enough. I hope he blacked out and sank to the bottom of that lagoon. He’ll feed the fish for weeks.”

  I shuddered. I was almost fish food.

  Nash swore lightly and pulled me into his side. “Sorry. That was harsh.”

  “It’s okay.”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever been so pissed. Waking up and seeing that douche bag trying to drown you. I swear if he shows his face, I’m going to shoot his ass.”

  “I haven’t seen anyone, have you?”

  “No.” He took my hand. “Let’s go.”

  We moved through the island with a little more speed than a casual stroll. The heavy rain made the ground slippery, but I managed to stay sort of dry. The large leaves overhead acted like a makeshift umbrella, keeping the worst of the water at bay. If we weren’t on the run from people with nefarious and still unknown plans, the sound of the raindrops hitting the leaves would be lovely. It was the kind of sound, the kind of day, that normally would make me want to curl up with a book and a blanket.

  But there would be no reading today.

  Just running for our lives.

  We walked for several hours, stopping every so often to duck into dense foliage, to drink a little bit of rainwater that gathered around the plants.

  I began to wonder how much longer we had when voices carried through the rain. Nash tensed and pulled me into a bush where we had to lie on our bellies to be properly hidden.

  “You find them yet?” someone yelled.

  “No.”

  “Can’t believe he let her get away.”

  “He’ll pay for it.”

  Were they talking about Duke? What did he have to do with any of this? I really hadn’t wanted to believe that he was involved at all. He had been so nice… so lonely… cute even. Was all that just an act?

  I sucked in a breath when a pair of bare feet came close. So close that I could have reached out and touched them.

  I couldn’t help but notice that he desperately needed a pedicure. I mean, really, just because he’s some thief and killer didn’t mean he couldn’t worry about good hygiene.

  Right in front of us the feet stopped, turned in our direction.

  Everything fell silent.

  The world stopped turning.

  My heart stopped beating.

  Then gnarly-toed pirate grunted. He turned and walked away. “They ain’t over here. They’d be stupid to come to our side.”

  “She don’t have to be smart to give me what I’m after,” replied a voice from farther away.

  The men laughed.

  I gagged.

  Nash put his hand over my mouth and gave me a stern look.

  Eventually, their footsteps died away. Their voices grew too faint to hear. All that was left was the continuous sound of the rain and Nash’s and my erratic breathing.

  “That was way too fucking close,” he breathed out.

  “Did you see his toenails?” I shuddered. “Gross.”

  “They practically called you their new plaything and you’re worried about his toes?” He gaped at me.

  I shrugged. I would rather worry about the fungus growing beneath his raggedy nails (trust me, there had to be fungus) than think about being raped and tortured.

  “Come on,” he said, belly crawling out from under the bush and reaching in to help me.

  When he started to walk, I pulled him back. “I don’t think I’ve told you thank you.”

  His eyes met mine.

  “For everything you’ve done for me. For being strong, for never acting like we wouldn’t make it home. For keeping me warm, for protecting me, for being you.”

  He brushed the side of my face with his knuckles. “You didn’t thank me for the best sex of your life.”

  I giggled. “Thanks for that too.”

  Gently, he drew me closer, bringing my body right up against his. I loved the feel of his skin beneath my cheek. I hugged him tight, trying to tell him everything that no words could ever express.

  “I can’t imagine being stranded with anyone but you,” he whispered.

  A few minutes later, he pulled away. I wanted to pull him back, but I knew I couldn’t. “Come on,” he said quietly. “We need to keep moving.”

  We trudged on, the sound of the beach drawing closer. I breathed a sigh of relief. The other side of the island was near. For the first time all night and all day, I felt hope… Surely there was some sort of boat we could make work.

  Hell, at this point, I’d sail away in one with a hole in it. I’d take my chances at sinking before I took my chances with the people on this island.

  The foliage began to thin slightly and through it, I caught the sight of the distant sand and beach. I was just about to thank God for helping us get this far when something happened.

  Something that stole away all my hope.

  Nash, who was a few yards ahead of me, stepped unknowingly on some sort of booby trap. The minute his foot hit the ground, a net came up off the ground, palms and leaves raining off of it. It swung him up high, dangling from a tree, swaying just above me, sorely out of reach.

  “Nash!” I whisper-yelled.

  Our eyes connected. His mouth was set in a hard line. His green eyes were grim.

  “Run.”

  “What?” I said, not really comprehending.

  “You need to run.”

  “I can’t leave you!” I started searching around for a way to free him, desperately looking for something sharp.

  “Ava!” he snapped. “Get the hell out of here. Hide.”

  I stopped and looked up. I felt my lower lip wobble. I couldn’t leave him.

  Behind us, men were crashing through the woods, yelling and whooping about their catch.

  Fear unparalleled to anything else trampled me.

  Nash pulled the flare gun out of his shorts and worked it through the net, dropping it from the sky and into my hands. “Get to the beach, shoot this straight up into the sky. Hide. And don’t you come out until you hear a plane.”

  “But…”

  “Do it,” he growled.

  I hesitated again.

  “I’ll find you, Ava. I promise.”

  The men were much closer now. My heart started to pound. I looked over my shoulder and caught the first sight of them. I took off running, tearing through the woods and ripping out into the sand.

  One of the men yelled. I heard someone cheer. My steps faltered. How could I just leave him there? Literally dangling in the sky with no defense.

  He has a gun. Get help.

  The thought spurred me on. I took off running again, ignoring how hard it was to push through the sand. I had to get help. I couldn’t let him die.

  I ended up near the center of the pirate’s camp. I stopped. I lifted the gun straight up to the sky, pointing the muzzle toward the dark, c
hurning storm clouds.

  I pulled the trigger.

  The flare shot out with alarming speed. My arm recoiled a bit and I dropped the gun, watching as a trail of red blasted through the open sky. It lit up the dark clouds, everything glowing a bright burning red.

  Please, God, let someone see.

  Part of me was very afraid the storm would keep the rescuers away. Part of me whispered that this was it. We were going to die.

  I wouldn’t accept that.

  And I wasn’t going to hide.

  I ran toward the boat graveyard, hell-bent on finding some sort of weapon. But my need for a weapon was momentarily derailed when I saw my suitcase. The one with Kiki in it. A small cry of relief ripped from my throat and I changed course, running to it, refusing to leave her behind.

  I was so focused on getting to the object of my desire and getting something to help Nash that I didn’t hear him approach.

  He pounced on me from behind, tackling me in the sand, his weight pinning me down.

  I started to scream.

  22

  “Shut up,” he said as he flipped me over and pressed his hand over my mouth.

  I froze and stared up at Duke. He was pale. His long hair was wild and he was soaking wet.

  I bit his hand.

  He howled and released my mouth. I brought my fist down and connected with his fragile man parts. He rolled off me and I scrambled to my feet and took off.

  He caught me in seconds, spinning me back around.

  “Why are you doing this?” I spat, looking around for a weapon. There was nothing here. I needed to get to the boats.

  “Do you think I want to do this?” he asked. “I don’t. But I don’t have a choice.”

  “I’m pretty sure you have a choice.”

  “You’re right. I do… It’s life or death. Your death for my life.”

  I swallowed. Well, I didn’t care for those odds.

  My eyes wandered back to the woods and I thought about Nash.

  “He’s a dead man,” Duke growled.

  In hindsight, I realized that leaping at him to cause bodily harm was not the best idea I ever had. But even knowing how it was going to end, I still would have done it again. Anger bubbled up inside me and I clawed at his face and neck, desperate to inflict any kind of pain that I could.