Free Kiss On The Bridge by Mark Stewart Page B

made it to terra firma. Wade
untied the rope around their waists, coiling it in his hand. When
he came to the cut he looked at Anneli. He snorted, trying to sound
angry.
    “You almost cut the rope in two. The rope
couldn’t take much more. Only a few strands remain undamaged.
Saying that, I’m sure your plan would’ve worked.”
    “I’m happy you thought up a second plan,”
confessed Anneli.
    Wade slipped the rope through his belt.
Reaching out he gently took hold of Anneli’s hand to begin leading
the way back to the hut.
    “What now?” Anneli yelled over the roar of
the wind.
    Wade looked through the window to view the
condition of the hut. Already water covered the dirt floor making
it look like mud. “You’re right about waiting out the storm in the
hut.”
    “We can’t stay outside,” screamed Anneli. “To
me this storm might be forming into a massive cyclone.”
    Wade almost pulled Anneli off her feet,
sprinting towards the motorbike. She straddled the black seat,
ready for a fast ride. Wade picked up the long rigid canvas bag he
brought from the yacht and quickly tied it against the side of the
bike. “Hold on tight. I know a safe place.”
    “Of course,” she whispered.
    A loud clap of thunder directly overhead
drowned her words.
    Wade glanced over his shoulder. “I missed
what you said.”
    “Where are we going?” she asked.
    “You’ll see. Hang on tight.”
    Anneli didn’t need to be told twice. She
slipped her hands around Wade’s waist, locking her fingers
together. Through his soaking wet shirt she could feel his taught
stomach muscles tighten.
    Wade roared the motorbike over the top of the
hill, slipping and sliding on the soft water logged ground. Another
round of forked lightning lit the sky, highlighting the area.
Almost immediately thunder vibrated the ground.
    The narrow path they were travelling along
quickly formed into a creek from the monsoonal downpour. In minutes
the track will be useless to trace. The gale force wind and the
rain forced Anneli to close her eyes. Instead of asking again where
they were going, she decided to trust the man steering the
motorbike.
    Fifty feet directly in front, the two riders
came to a small narrow opening in the side of the hill. At speed,
Wade burst through the entrance. Twenty feet from the cave’s mouth
they stopped in the middle of a thirty foot wide cavity. Wade
killed the bike’s engine before looking over his shoulder at
Anneli. He knew from the moment they kissed on the bridge he’d
fallen in love. Looking at her now, it was a foregone
conclusion.”
    “I hope you’re not thinking I look a mess?”
questioned Anneli.
    “Never,” replied Wade. “If it’s your worst
look, you’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever had the privilege to
meet.”
    Anneli’s face flushed red at the
compliment.
    Wade climbed off the bike. His wet clothes
were almost transparent. Anneli’s eyebrows shot skywards at what
she saw. ‘You look and feel great yourself,’ she thought. “You
didn’t mention there’s a bunker close to the hut,” quizzed Anneli,
masking her erotic thoughts.
    “This place really isn’t a bunker,” explained
Wade. “It’s a disused mine. Back in the early nineteen hundreds a
man known only as Sea Dog started to dig. Legend has been recorded
he actually found gold. His biggest mistake happened to be bragging
about it to the wrong people. They robbed him of his life.”
    “What happened to the gold?”
    “No idea. I couldn’t unearth any more
details.”
    Anneli started to turn in slow circles.
Comparing it to the few caves she’d previously visited over the
years, the mine appeared to be exactly the same.
    “I placed a few provisions in here just in
case I happened to be caught unawares by the rain.”
    “Planning ahead for the unexpected is a good
thing,” advised Anneli, refocusing on the man standing directly in
front of her.
    Wade walked over to a knee high, Tasmanian
oak cabinet. He squatted. Using his