by Emily Duvall
Only a few minutes passed and Melanie stood at the sight of Luke emerging from the mine for the second time. This time he spared no conversation with his brother. Luke’s eyes darted to Melanie and he pointed beyond her shoulder. “Go. Now.”
Everything happened all at once. Andry fled out of the mine and started to walk away from the entrance without consulting anyone. Melanie followed and felt the commotion of Luke and Brent walking swiftly behind her. A swirl of anxiousness rotated around them. Nobody spoke. Their pants chaffed together from moving so fast. Their backpacks jostled. Their lips pursed to the point of being white.
Something was very wrong. Luke grabbed her elbow and picked up his pace, practically dragging her next to him. His fingers dug into her skin. They wound back down the way they’d come, past the curves of the river. The half-naked people swishing their baskets in the muddy river stared them down. All eyes were upon them. She snuck a peak at Luke’s profile. A muscle jumped on his neck. He was looking ahead, but his mind was clearly somewhere else. She kept up. Her legs took on a superpower, charged by the morbid thoughts pushing her to move fast. The rapid beating of her heart and the worry expanding in her stomach helped to keep her moving. Like walking in a parking lot at night with no one else around and you know you shouldn’t be there in the first place.
The view of the shallow valley and riverbed came into sight. They hiked down the ravine, away from the local miners. They swam back through the river. Even with her clothes wet and heavy, her shoes slippery. Each passing minute was like a hammer chiseling away at her stamina.
Luke let go of her elbow. “Run,” he said.
Everyone followed his command. Melanie kept her focus on the back of Andry’s head. Sweat drizzled down his back and got soaked up in his shirt. They sounded like a pack of dogs running and moving without stopping. Sweat streaked down her face. She thought her heart would explode from the palpitations. She didn’t understand why they had left so suddenly. A heart-stopping noise exploded from somewhere nearby. The bang, like a bolt of lightning, unsettled every bone in Melanie’s body. She craned her neck to the sky and then she looked to Luke.
“Gunshots,” he said and put his hands on Melanie’s shoulders. His gaze traveled to every member of the group. “We have to keep moving.”
Melanie took off too fast and tripped on a rock. The front of her toe snagged on a low branch and sent her skidding down a short hill on her rear. The backpack bumped up and down her back. A sharp thorn ripped through her jeans and broke through her skin. The cloud of dust mushroomed around her as she came to a halt at the base with the backs of her arms scratched to blood. “Not again,” she mumbled under breath.
“No time to stop.” Luke helped up Melanie and then he kept going.
“Keep moving,” Brent said without asking. A second round of gunshots rang out, nearer to them. “We’ve got to get as far away from the mine. We’re open game.”
“The guards are coming back for the blue garnet,” Luke explained through a choppy breath. He gripped Melanie’s hand.
“So you didn’t buy it?”
“Oh, we bought it. I just think he wants it back, plus our money. Andry overheard Bruno saying something to the guard inside the mine, something he wasn’t supposed to overhear. Bruno will wait for the next buyer and pull the same stunt.”
The group stayed close to the mountainside and used the trees and brush for a natural camouflage. “Get down!” Andry yelled.
Melanie threw her body on the ground and waited while the sound of a car engine charged by them. The pause in movement led her hands to shake as she waited until Luke stood up and rolled his arm for everyone to follow.
The way they took back looked like a different path then the one they’d traveled in the morning, at least to Melanie. The surrounding vegetation all held the same shapes. The grass and the long, dry leaves made their walk feel like one big giant circle without end or beginning. She longed for a moment to feel safe, or to at least carry the illusion of being safe. Nobody was ever really safe from anything.
Calm took over Luke and he chose a campsite protected by rocks forming a natural roof, nature’s version of five-star accommodations. To either side of the rocks small, shallow cave openings gave off an ominous allure and Melanie’s instinct told her to stay away.
Luke tossed Melanie the water bottle. “We’re running low and we need to conserve our resources for the long hike back tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow,” Melanie echoed, and absentmindedly pulled a thorn out of her leg. Another night out here in the wide open. She took a couple of sips of water and wanted to drink an entire lake. The shallow breaths returned to regular and the streaks of sweat dried on her face. “Where are the others?”
Luke wiped off his forehead with the back of his hand. “They’re checking around. Andry thinks there might be a stream nearby and he’s confident Bruno’s men won’t track us to the caves. These caves are too far off the path. We’ll have to leave at first light to be sure. Bruno will be desperate come the morning. His guards can’t look for us much longer with the sun setting soon. We should be okay for tonight.”
A sudden grin spread across his face. He reached inside his pocket and pulled out a chunk of gray-brown rock. “Come, take a look,” Luke said to his brother.
Brent walked over to his brother and took out the loupe from his pant pocket. Luke held up the rock to the sunlight and used the handheld lens to have a closer look. He closed one eye and looked through the loupe. He turned the rock at a different angle, at the sun, away from the sun. He said nothing and passed the rock over to Brent. They spoke a wordless exchange and Brent also took a look at the rock with the lens.
“Perfect,” Luke said.
“Well done,” Andry commented, and leaned in to look at their prize.
Melanie handed the canteen to Luke. She caught sight of the ordinary rock and frowned. “I know they look different by the time they reach the stores, but I don’t even see any color. Is there a stone even in there?”
“She’s in there.” Luke squeezed his hand around the rock. “This baby is at least nine or ten carats. She’s more valuable, more stunning than anything you’ll ever see.”
“Bruno wants her back,” Melanie pointed out, bemused.
“My darling, half the thrill of the job is running away with the treasure.” Luke removed the bag around his neck and emptied the single content. “You didn’t think we’d walk up to the mine, sit down at a conference table, and shake hands, did you?”
“I didn’t think I’d be running as much.” She looked more closely at the rock. Close to the size of a ping pong ball with rough edges and uneven grooves sat in his hand. She swiped a bit of dirt off the exterior.
“This is worth the risk.”
With an armful of twigs, Andry returned with a grim expression before Melanie could respond to his statement. “I heard a car engine,” Andry said, watching everything around him. “Wait on a fire until closer to sunset.”
“Are we safe?” Luke said and dropped the garnet back in the bag.
“We should be. We can’t stay here for more than a few hours. We’ll sleep and be up before sunrise.”
The sunshine dipped behind the mountains, sending an orange glow over the plains, reflecting the kind of warmth a hundred-degree evening can bring. The temperature plummeted fast. The fire in their camp flared after Brent got it started using his fire starter. The sound of animals pattering over the dirt and scattering around the rocks soon became a constant noise. A little bit of food and some water went a long way and Melanie found herself too tired to remain awake much longer. She wanted to be alone with Luke. She wanted him to stay close to her and keep her protected. One glance in his direction and she saw him cup his hands around his mouth and breathe into them. He looked rough and hot. The glow of the fire drew out his face from the rest of his body and she decided to go to bed with this image of him in her head.
Inside the tent, Melanie stretched out and used the back pa
ck for her pillow. The conversation outside carried on about their day. Brent got Luke caught up on his recent excursions to Turkey with fondness in his voice. Bruised, sore, and cold, Melanie drifted to sleep on the floor of the Earth.
The wind blew in through the tent and kept waking up Melanie throughout the night. Shivers ran through her body and she hugged the blanket for warmth. Then she felt his fingers and the warmth of his body touching hers and heating away her chills. His arm draped over hers and her body stilled. “Thank you,” she said.
Luke responded by finding her hand and placed an object in her hand. The serrated edges and slough of mineral filled her palm and he closed her hand around the rock. “Keep this on you,” he spoke warm and gentle, like a fire reducing to coals. His skin felt hot and smooth against hers. “You’ll be the last person Bruno’s men will think to look at when they come find us.”
“You think they’ll find us?” Melanie scooted closed to him.
“I know they will.” Luke pulled her closer. “They’ll look to Brent and me first, then Andry, and then you. Don’t give them the stone, no matter what.”
She gasped. “Luke, I can’t.”
“You don’t have a choice.” One of the logs on the fire fell and the sound of crackling embers filled the tent.
The rock felt heavy in her hands and she set the stone down under her back pack. “I wished I’d done this with you, before. When we were together.” She took his hands and ran hers over his. “I get why you love doing this. I saw how alive you looked when you exited the mine.”
“I liked seeing you on the other side.” Luke moved his hand over her thighs. He angled her face to his and his mouth found hers.
She didn’t fight him. She breathed in Luke’s sweaty rawness. She drew in her breath and closed her lips on his. Melanie’s tongue twisted around his; her parched lips parted and slanted over his. Luke’s tenacious, scorching kiss set off a trail of heat throughout her middle and down her legs. Luke’s tongue moved around hers. His rough hands blazed a path down her front; his fingertips plowed into her pants. She shifted underneath him. Luke’s lips clung to hers and he cursed in between breaths. His stubble scratched at her face. He didn’t take his time. He wasn’t gentle. His hands moved with commanding pace and firmness over each part of her body. Melanie’s desire matched Luke’s. She didn’t want him to take his time. She wanted him inside her. His finger went right to the spot she needed him to go. All the blood in her body rushed to this one spot, to the center of her pleasure.
Luke unbuttoned her jeans and pushed them down. His hand slid down and his finger worked over the place ready to explode with need. His finger swirled among the folds and her dampness and shots fired up her middle and loaded her breasts with desire. Every corner, every inch of her body swirled in a needy frenzy to experience release from this man. His lips roved over hers and his kiss demanded much, much more. “Make love to me,” he ordered in a strained whisper.
Melanie gasped at the lash of pleasure crippling her thighs. She tightened her grip on the back pack, relaxed her legs, and breathed to take in the pleasure building between her legs. She bit her lip and tasted blood. Luke’s fingers worked fast. They circled her nub and slipped around her and inside her.
A loud crack outside caused them both to jump. “What was that?” she said with a rapid heartbeat.
“I don’t know.” Luke’s hand came up from her underwear. “Let me check.”
The tent door opened and he looked outside. “I don’t see anyone. There’s probably an animal out there getting too close.”
Instinctively, she reached for the rock under her back pack. Next, she pulled up her pants. The intimate mood faded and gave way to a seriousness she sensed without ever seeing his expression. This wasn’t the time for them to make love. It was time for them to stay alert and to stay alive.
He lay down next to her with his uneven breath and put his arms around her again, but did not kiss her or touch her. He turned his back on her and said nothing more. Melanie kept her eyes open and waited for sleep. But it never came.
Chapter 14
The cool air surrounded them inside the tent. Luke woke up with a scowl. Irritable, dehydrated, and worn, he rolled over and found himself staring at Melanie’s back. The evidence of their laying together all night, touching and holding each other close made him swollen and hard at the thought of waking her up and taking her to bed. He switched his thoughts to the garnet and to the day ahead, until he could walk out of the tent without a hard-on. The garnet would be safe with her, he told himself. The blanket locked around her body so that he could see the roundness of her bottom, the rectangular line of her shoulders, and her toes peeking out of the blanket. His gaze roamed back up her frame pausing at the thick paleness of her hair from days without taking a shower. Pride and fear swept through him. She could protect the stone, but could he protect her?
Early on in his life, he’d learned not to expect much from other people. Love came with conditions and expectations. If he said the wrong thing, his father started drinking; the drinking had turned into violence. Love was nothing more than a destroyed bridge that unconnected their family. His mother had loved him so long as he didn’t piss off his father; his father had adored alcohol more than any of his children. His parents couldn’t protect Luke or his brothers from their own selfishness.
Luke bowed his head and closed his eyes. The disappointment he’d felt from his parents. The disappointment he felt in other people. He’d sent his lawyer to break up with her because he’d expected her to choose her brother. He dumped her and made the decision easy for her. He’d been giving her a way out of their relationship and she hadn’t come back to show him otherwise. Luke lifted his head and watched her sleep. What if he’d been wrong? What if, given the chance, she would have picked him? He extinguished those questions on the spot. The past was the past.
“Time to get up,” he said and pulled the blanket off of her shoulders. He couldn’t look at her without wanting to be inside her. “We have to get moving.”
Melanie turned on her back and stared up at him. “I’m well aware. I didn’t sleep at all.”
He expected her to start moving. Instead, she reached out her hand. Her fingers brushed under his chin and she brought her mouth to his. Tender, warm lips brushed against his. The slow, winding tease of her tongue wrapped around his. Luke’s hands cradled her face and he took his time, exploring her mouth, all-too aware of her hard nipples rubbing against his chest. Heat soared through his muscles and his arousal bulged with longing to bring them both satisfaction. She pulled back with eyes full of warmth and beauty.
“You’re finally coming around to my line of thinking.”
“Shut up, Luke.”
He touched her face and kissed her again. He unhooked his mouth from hers. She’d undid the calmness of his body, including his now tender member. “There’s going to be little time to rest today, just so you know.”
“I know.”
Andry and Brent began to move around the campfire. They spoke low and made just enough noise for Luke to know they had to get moving. Another sound shot Luke to his feet and he hit the tent’s ceiling. Melanie sat up fast. “Car engine,” they both said and exchanged fearful glances.
“Get up.” Luke held out his hand with urgency. “Where’s the garnet?”
“I have your treasure.”
Luke and Melanie fled the tent and the campsite with Andry and Brent. Their group scattered away in a mad fury. Their belongings served as evidence of their existence, along with the gray smoke of the freshly extinguished fire.
“Stay close to the hills,” Andry ordered. “The rocks will protect us and they’ll go crazy thinking they keep seeing someone.”
They trekked the way they’d come yesterday while staying close to the line of the mountains. Luke took the lead with Melanie behind him, and Brent and Andry stayed a few feet back. They kept their eyes open and ears strained for the slightest sound of footsteps or voices. The
y carried on like this for a solid hour before stopping, drinking a few sips of water, and moving on at hasty pace.
Luke’s feet couldn’t move fast enough. He didn’t trust the lack of gunshots or car engine noises. Bruno’s men knew the landscape. They’d probably been sleeping close by and they would continue to get closer. Relief wasn’t an emotion he would feel until they’d gotten back to the airport and to the safety of the city.
“How much water do we have left?” Melanie asked.
“Brent has one more bottle, and then we’re done. We need to stay alert and push through. I know how tired and thirsty you must be.” He could see the exhaustion all over Melanie’s face and in the way she tried to move fast, but in general, walked with a bit of sluggishness and hunched shoulders.
“We’re still heading north,” Brent called out over his shoulder and held up the compass.
The survival skills Luke had honed over the years were not lost on him, even with being back in the office. Basic human survival was one of the first rules of becoming a gem hunter. The best stones tended to be hidden in the most volatile climates and locations. The outside world was the true maker of a man. Sleeping on the ground, freezing at night, boiling water, up until this trip, Luke had forgotten his body had limitations. He stole a glance at Melanie. The moving picture of a woman transformed physically by the dirt on her hair and in her face. Pride beamed through him at how well she’d managed to keep up and at how strong she really could be when the situation demanded all of her effort.
Luke stopped for a brief moment at a familiar juncture and with one glance at Brent, read his brother’s mind. Andry too nodded and they continued walking. He didn’t want to alarm Melanie with the details of their new problem.
“I don’t think there’s much to smile about,” she quipped at him. “We’re thirsty, starving, and we’re the hunted ones.”
“Out here, everyone’s hunted,” Andry said, smiling. “Man, woman, animal, everyone has a predator out on my land.”