Free East of Redemption (Love on the Edge #2) by Molly E. Lee Page A

all over it. I looked into his eyes, noting the hint of desperation and the extreme need for me to trust him. I suppose I should give him some credit. He could’ve easily lied to me about the permits.
    I gazed out past the red, tiny, triangular-shaped houses that served as hotel rooms and then to the mountainside that rested just beyond. From this angle it was as breathtaking as it was intimidating.
    “Okay, let me get this straight,” I said, holding out my fingers to tick off the facts. “You want us to, one, explore Israel’s mountainside without permission; two, excavate a cave in said mountainside with a high probability of containing King Solomon’s treasure—one of the most sought-after treasures of all time—without permission; and three, you want me film each step of our very illegal activity, all while you operate under the guise of surviving the environment in order to show your viewers what they should do if they ever found themselves stranded in this kind of terrain.”
    “Yes,” he said easily, like I’d asked if he wanted sugar in his coffee.
    “Not to mention the need of staying on this side of the cease-fire line, because if we accidentally cross the border into Syria, which hugs this entire mountain range, we’ll be taken prisoner . . . and that’d be the best-case scenario if caught on the wrong side of the line.”
    “Don’t forget staying out of sight of the numerous Israeli military patrols that line the border,” he added, and his nonchalant attitude dropped as his sharp, determined eyes tried to surmise if that fact was one too many. I could see his fear of me bailing written all over his face. He was mentally prepping himself for my departure. Guess he didn’t remember me as well as I’d thought. I never backed down from a challenge where the odds were stacked against me, and especially not when the prize was as sweet as entering the last place my father had been alive. I needed the closure on his death almost as desperately as I needed it for what had happened between Easton and I.
    “All right. How long is the hike?”
    Easton’s eyes popped, the shock I’d agreed to the dangerous endeavor evident in them. He quickly smoothed out his reaction. “It’s roughly twelve miles if we set a northeast course, but it’s more of a climb than a hike. We’ll have to stay sharp about footholds and be careful where to make camp.”
    “And do it invisibly.”
    “Precisely.”
    “Brilliant.” I gripped the straps of my pack, my eyes set on the mountain. “I’m ready when you are.”

Easton
    “SHIT,” I SAID, tugging gently on Rain’s pack, forcing her to duck behind a crop of trees. “We’ve got company.”
    From her crouched position, Rain scanned the area where I focused. “Son of a bitch,” she whispered.
    “You got the bitch part right.”
    “I should’ve put her on our growing list of obstacles we discussed in the parking lot.” Rain looked to me for a plan.
    That list had left a sour taste in my mouth. When Rain had pointed out the risks so blatantly as she had, it made me feel like an even bigger asshole for putting her in that kind of danger. I was confident that together we were capable of overcoming anything thrown our way, but it didn’t make me feel like less of a jerk for making this such a hard reunion. When I had allowed myself to fantasize about seeing Rain again, about making amends and starting over, this was not what I’d pictured at all.
    We’d only been on the journey an hour before I’d caught a faint whiff of vanilla, which had set my nerves on alert. Corrine and her crew kept a reasonable distance back, and if I hadn’t smelled her perfume, I may not have noticed they followed our tracks.
    “What’s the plan?” Rain whispered.
    I hung my head and clenched my fists, resisting the urge to punch the bark of the tree concealing me. I didn’t have time for this, but I couldn’t have Corrine’s team anywhere near Harrison’s cave,