Free One Hot Desert Night by Kristi Gold Page B

purchased since the area is not conducive for development.”
    “I can understand that. Most people don’t care to live in the middle of nowhere.”
    “I am not most people.”
    That personal assessment wasn’t remotely up for debate. “Is that why you haven’t built your own palace?”
    “I have no need for a palace,” he said, his tone surprisingly serious. “I travel much of the time.”
    “I assume you have no need for a wife and kids, either.”
    “Not presently.”
    She would have sworn she heard a touch of wistfulness in his voice. “How much longer until we get where we’re going?”
    A split second after Sunny posed the query, Rayad took a sharp right turn and stopped the Mercedes in front of a fortress-like entrance, complete with barbed, ten-foot fencing. He then lifted the console, took out a remote control and pointed it at the heavy steel gate that opened wide to allow them entry.
    She felt as if she were entering a prison and that resurrected memories she was hard-pressed to ignore. “What is this place? Some kind of military compound or maybe a sheikh commune?”
    “You will see soon enough,” he said as he drove forward.
    If she wasn’t so darned inquisitive, she might have demanded a better explanation before she allowed him to proceed. But crazy as it seemed, she didn’t consider him threatening. “I’m looking forward to it.”
    They traveled down an afterthought dirt road that narrowed between two large stone formations. After threading the rocky needle, they finally reached a wider spot next to one of the behemoth boulders.
    Rayad put the Mercedes in Park, turned off the ignition and shifted to face her. “Before we enter, you must promise me you will never speak of this place to anyone.”
    Sunny did a quick visual search but found nothing that even remotely resembled a structure. “I don’t even see a
place
.”
    “Promise me.”
    Rayad’s stern tone said he meant business. “All right,” she conceded. “I promise to keep my mouth shut, like I do when I’m protecting an anonymous source. But if you want me to climb that wall, you should know I didn’t bring any spikes or rappelling equipment.”
    “No climbing will be involved at this juncture.” He opened the SUV door and told her, “Come with me.”
    When Rayad walked to the back of the Mercedes and retrieved what looked like a cooler, Sunny reached back to grab her own bag. She slid out of the seat and retraced his path, her mind caught in a web of confusion when he stopped in front of the mini-mountain. That confusion turned to blatant curiosity when he set the cooler down and opened a hidden panel set in the red-orange rock face, revealing a hi-tech keypad. While she looked on, he punched in a series of numbers, and just like that, the seemingly smooth stone parted. Definitely the stuff spy movies were made of. She wouldn’t be a bit surprised to find a houseman greeting them with a tray of martinis.
    After Rayad stepped aside, Sunny moved forward to find no servants, but she did discover another set of narrow stairs descending into darkness. Fortunately, this time she’d had enough sense to wear sneakers, not stilettos. Unfortunately, her heart began to beat at an accelerated clip when she noticed the narrow walls. “You seriously want me to go in there?”
    “I promise it is safe.”
    She shifted the bag’s strap to her shoulder. “No bats?”
    “No. Or asps.”
    She could use some oxygen after hearing the reference to reptiles. “Thank goodness for small favors.”
    Rayad put the cooler down again, picked up a torch leaning against the wall, retrieved a lighter from his pocket and transferred the flame to a pair of sconces on either side of the steps. Then he turned and pressed a button to his left, closing the door behind him. “Follow me, and take care with your footing.”
    He certainly didn’t have to worry about that. She’d take care all day long if necessary. While she followed behind him, Rayad