AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He kept moving, but he was definitely stiff. She wanted to ask about his mama, why he’d retired early when he obviously didn’t want to, but cameras were rolling and he probably didn’t want his private life splayed everywhere for Mercedes’ film teams to exploit.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” she said.
He only nodded and kept knocking through the steeply inclined forest. She appreciated the noise of him breaking and cutting trees down, birds twittering and small animals scurrying away; the silence between them would’ve been oppressive otherwise.
Studying his back, she appreciated each muscle revealed as he worked. He was tough. She’d give him that. Sadly, they didn’t seem to be making much progress up this steep, impenetrable wall of nature.
“It could take us a year to get through this island,” she said, hating to sound discouraged.
“It feels like that, but we’ve only been going half an hour and I bet we’re a hundred feet up the side of the falls. Once we have a trail, we’ll be able to use it all week.”
She appreciated his positive attitude, but would they really come up this ‘trail’ again? She calculated. It was afternoon on day one, and they had six more days. If the rest of the island was as thick as this, how would they ever find the treasure? She wanted to think positive. The treasure would be at the top of this waterfall. That was why they’d chosen this route first, because it seemed the most difficult. She could pray they’d find the treasure today. It would be a disappointment to not spend more time with the intriguing Cash, but she wasn’t here for arelationship. If she even dared think a man like him could be interested in her. She wouldn’t say she was low on confidence, but men weren’t drawn to redheads. Cash was a nice guy, and currently she was the only option to chat and tease with.
“Would it be faster to climb the edge of the waterfall? Not the rock face, but wouldn’t all those … roots and growth on the side … give us something to climb up, like a nature ladder?” she asked and then wished she hadn’t. They were going steeply uphill right now, but not at the insane incline of that waterfall face. She’d be holding on for dear life.
He glanced back at her. “Maybe. But you said you hate heights.”
“Heights are definitely not my friend,” she said in her ‘prim and proper’ voice, “but maybe we just don’t have enough shared experiences to gain each other’s respect and allegiance.”
He chuckled at that. “We can try ascending along the edge. It would definitely be faster than plowing through this.”
She took a deep breath and said a prayer. A million dollars could change the lives of hundreds of at-risk refugees. Thousands, maybe. She dipped into her bag of accents and grabbed a brave one. Her hero Scarlett Johannson as Natalia Romanoff. “Just like Budapest all over again.”
Cash laughed. He laughed loud. It made her smile that she could make this serious and tough man laugh like that. “You and I remember Budapest very differently,” he returned.
“Yes!” She punched a fist in the air. They shared a look, and she felt her stomach turn to a mosh pit. Unless she was reading him wrong, there was appreciation for her humor and attraction to her in his dark eyes.
So often, her sense of humor put men off and ended any chances of a second date. At times, she was wary of being herself, and right now she was glad this tropical setting and being pushed up against a wall had forced her true self to come out,because it seemed she had found someone who appreciated her quirkiness. She could really, really like this guy. Could he really like her?
“Okay,” she managed a little shakily. “’Let’s do crazy, shall we?’”
“Let’s do it.” He pumped his eyebrows and then turned. His broad back and arm muscles were beautiful to watch as he used the machete to carve straight to the edge of the waterfall. She tried to focus on him and not nature’s terrifying scenery.
She made the mistake of peeking through the thick trees and could see Cash had been right. They’d made great progress and were already high above the pool. Her stomach pitched. The fear of falling negated the success of how far they’d come.
“Here’s the plan,” he said, strapping the machete onto his back. “I’m going to have you go first. If you get stuck, I’ll coach you on what to grab and where to place your hands and feet. I’ll push you from behind if needed.”
“All right.” Palms sweating, she grasped the branches, said a prayer in her head, and focused on moving and not freezing. She started scrambling up the incline. The very, very steep incline.
Cash was right behind her. Sometimes he gave her instructions. Sometimes he pushed her rear or grasped one of her legs and moved it to a better spot. His touch distracted her from her future death sentence and his steadiness encouraged her. They were making great progress.
Positivity filled her. They’d find that treasure. Today.
Then she made the mistake of looking over her shoulder.
The world spun and her grip loosened. She couldn’t move. If she so much as breathed right now, it might blow her off the edge.
“Brylee, hold on.” Cash’s command was sharp and exactly what she needed.
She grabbed on to the tree roots, her breath coming in fast pants.
“Us against the world,” he said, his voice softer now. “One step at a time.”
“How far up do you think we are?” she asked, her voice trembling.
“Look at your feet.”
Brylee did so, and saw short, mossy grass under one foot and a solid gray rock under the other. Instantly, some of the swimming in her head dissipated.
