Free Dangerous Desires by Dee Davis Page A

but it was pretty damn close.
    She turned back to face him. “I didn’t set you up.” Something flickered in his eyes. “But you don’t really believe that, do you? You’re just angry, and lashing out at me is the easiest way to deal with it.”
    “Yeah, right.” His expression shuttered, but not before she had the chance to see that she’d hit a nerve, andthen he turned away, cupping a hand over his ear as he listened to someone on the other side of his earpiece. “Copy that.”
    “What?” Madeline asked, hands on hips. She’d left her earpiece in the temple. Damn thing hurt. “What did they say?”
    “Tyler’s managed to salvage some of her equipment. She’s jury-rigging the explosion now.”
    “So what’s with the face?” Madeline queried. “You look like you want to hit something. Clearly everything’s not all right.”
    “The original plan was to make our way to the rendezvous and blow the weapons cache remotely from there. That way we’d be out of the area before di Silva had the chance to mount any kind of response.”
    “And now?”
    “Tyler’s going to have to blow it from here.”
    “Which means if di Silva’s men are anywhere in the vicinity, he’ll know where we are.”
    “Yes.” He nodded, his expression grim. “Jason’s trying to arrange an evac from here—”
    “But he can’t contact your people in the States to change the plans.”
    “Exactly. Not the best of situations.” For a moment he looked almost human, but then his jaw tightened again, and his eyes flickered with resolve. “But everything’s going to be fine. We’ll get you out of here.”
    She nodded, biting back a retort. Sometimes it was better to stay silent.
    “You’ve told us everything, right?” He rounded on her, apparently intent on resuming hostilities. “The only way out of here is through the opening in the rocks?”
    She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, considering for a second telling him the truth about the other path—the one down to the pool. But she’d learned long ago that she was better off establishing her own back door. If necessary she’d come clean later. For now, she’d keep the information to herself.
    “Right,” she said. “There’s nothing else. Unless you can climb over those cliffs.” She nodded toward the stark walls of rock on the two flanking sides of the clearing.
    He stared at her a moment, his gaze intense, and she fought to keep from flinching. Then he shrugged. “We could do it if we had to. Believe me, we’ve climbed worse.”
    She had no doubt that he was telling the truth. Whatever else she might think of the man, he’d proved himself more than capable. “Did they say anything about how long—”
    “Sssh.” He shook his head, his voice a whisper, his attention centered on the trees at the mouth of the gap leading from the clearing to the jungle. “Stay here.” He started forward, leading with his gun, and she waited a second and then followed.
    “Madeline,” he hissed.
    “I’m coming with you,” she answered, careful to keep her voice as low as his. “You might need my help. And if not, I might need yours.” It was as close as she was going to get to admitting she was scared. “You took away my gun—remember?”
    “Fine. Just stay quiet.” His response was terse, his eyes still fixed on the trees. One of them shifted and the undergrowth beneath it quaked as something moved.
    Madeline sucked in a breath, her heart hammering in her ears.
    “We may have company,” Drake whispered into the mic attached to his earphone.
    In front of them trees moved again, this time a few feet closer. Drake lifted his gun, his eyes never moving from the undulating greenery.
    Madeline moved closer to him, hating herself for her fear.
    The bushes beneath the trees waved violently and then a black and silver monkey swung up into the tree, his wizened face turning toward them for a moment before he scrambled into the upper branches and disappeared into the