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A soft crash of waves comes up along my right side. We walk farther down the path, the salty ocean air mixing in with the scent of old, trapped water.
The moon is full and high, and it streams silvery light down in patches like weak spotlights. Patches he keeps us away from.
My legs start to ache as the terrain grows more and more uneven. We seem to be heading upward. I puff air, struggling against the burn, not that it seems to affect Jaxson at all. He walks as if we’re on a straight road.
I’ve yet to see the man naked, but I’ve felt his body, the hardness of his abs, the cut muscles, the thickness to his arms. Maybe bodybuilding is what he does when he’s not killing people or rescuing stupid girls.
He’s wild, deadly, strong, and there’s a beauty to him that I can’t explain. I don’t mean his face, but the brute strength of him. It’s there, in everything he does, right beneath the surface.
“Get down.”
Jaxson tumbles me to the ground under the plants and he presses himself into me, his hand over my mouth, his body holding mine still without resting his weight on me.
Primed for action.
“This way,” a voice mutters.
Footsteps pass us by, along with the leaping light from a flashlight.
We stay there, on the ground for minutes, hours. I lose track, barely breathing.
I’m a jumble of mixed emotions as I burrow into him. Aroused, scared, exhilarated. Finally, he rolls off me and jumps to his feet. He pulls me off the ground.
“I looked around out here earlier,” Jaxson says, his voice barely above a whisper. “The island’s not big, but there are houses and a marina down along this path. I only saw it from a distance, though.”
“So that’s good.”
He leads me forward, across the invisible path and into denser growth. We move deeper, the smell of stagnation increasing. But at the same time, salt hits the air from the ocean and the crash of waves grows louder. We’re close to something.
An escape?
God, I pray we’re almost away from this depraved place.
He grabs my arm, pulling me to a sudden stop. I glance down and swallow a gasp when I see the drop. It’s not too far down, but tumbling over it would definitely cause damage.
“Follow me.”
We move slow, in stops and starts.
“What about the other path?” I ask, pointing.
“High traffic for the area because it’s a quick way between the property and the port. This way is smarter.”
To the left of us, voices come and go, more of them, so I’m thinking it’s either the world’s worst search party, or we’re close to the other port.
The ground evens out and it starts to descend to a sandy, rocky opening.
He holds me close in the shadows of the trees. I can see a boat and a building. My heart jumps, hope flickering in my chest. Beyond that are other buildings where a group of people head.
“I’m guessing it’s a changeover in staff. Give it a few minutes.”
After a flurry of activity, things get quiet again. The air stills.
We wait another couple of minutes before we emerge from the cluster of trees. Once we get to the boat, he makes me wait right inside. I’ve got the feeling if they refuse to take us, he’ll just steal it.
A sound floats up from below deck. I spot a narrow staircase and take them one at a time, clutching the thin railing until I spot a cage. My God, the white tiger inside of it is the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen. But it’s sluggish, like it’s been drugged. And it sits in its own filth.
I cover my mouth to silence the cry that threatens to tear from my throat. It can’t go to those horrible people. It can’t.
