Desert Secrets

“I know. I need you to hang in there.”

He sounded disoriented, and a check of his pulse confirmed that his heart was racing.

Colton removed the safety cap, then pushed the orange tip into Bret’s thigh, while Lexi pulled out the cold pack and squeezed the bag to activate it.

“Will you grab a couple of the pain medicines from the kit and give those to him?” he asked.

Colton pressed the cold pack against the sting and continued praying.

Bret started shaking. “I’m sorry for getting you involved in this, Colton.”

“Are you crazy?” he asked as Lexi helped him with the pain medicine. “You don’t have anything to be sorry for.”

“And you know what else? It’s cold out here,” Bret said with a fake laugh. “We’re in the middle of the Sahara, and I’m freezing.”

“It’s the effect of the adrenaline,” Colton said. “You’re going to be fine.”

Bret’s eyes rolled shut.

“Bret...” Colton grabbed his wrist to check his pulse. “His heart’s racing. His breathing’s rapid...”

“You’re right,” Lexi said, placing her arm on Colton’s. “It’s just the effect of the adrenaline.”

Colton nodded. “I need you to take some deep breaths, Bret, and try and calm down.”

Bret opened his eyes and nodded.

“Slow breaths, Bret. Slow breaths.”

“I feel so sleepy now. Maybe if I sleep, I won’t feel the pain anymore.”

“You can sleep now. We’re both going to be right here with you.”

Lexi pulled him back a few steps and glanced up at him. “What if the EpiPen’s not enough? I’m an engineer who can design a water system, but this—I don’t know what else to do for him.”

Colton caught the fear in her voice and wished he had the answer. “I don’t either.”

She pulled a second pen from the backpack. “If the first one doesn’t clear up the symptoms, we can give him another dose.”

“I agree, but I’m worried about him. His system’s already weak from everything he’s gone through. He needs proper medical attention.” He felt his chest constrict.

“Come morning, do you think we can find our way out of here?”

“We don’t have a choice anymore.”

A swirl of dust formed in the distance in the fading sunlight. Lexi grasped his hand as it swirled higher.

Someone—or something—was coming.

FIVE (#ulink_26352d4c-3e0b-5661-9a22-923549a68aaa)

Lexi’s heart pounded as a shadowy row of camels appeared over the moonlit ridge. She glanced at Colton as Bret’s words played over in her mind. Either they were about to be rescued or their captors had found them.

“Stay here with Bret,” Colton said, putting a protective arm in front of her. “I’ll go see who they are.”

She knelt back down beside Bret and started praying as she checked his pulse again. The redness from the sting had spread. He seemed restless and drowsy, and his heart was still racing.

Above them on the ridge, men in loose-fitting pants and long shirts climbed down from their camels. One of them started speaking loudly, his hands moving animatedly, but she couldn’t understand what he was saying. Her gaze shifted to the rest of the group, and her breath caught. At least two of the men carried rifles.

“Who are they?” Bret asked.

She glanced down at Colton’s brother-in-law. His face and neck were glistening with sweat. His breathing rapid...

“I don’t know. Just try to stay calm and let Colton handle things.”

But was that even possible? It seemed clear that whoever was after them wasn’t going to stop because of a confrontation with the Malian army. They’d tried to escape, one of them had shot down their plane and chances were they were still looking for them.

No. This wasn’t over yet.

What are we supposed to do, God? We’ve got people willing to kill us for what they want, not to mention Bret could die without medical attention...

“Lexi?”

Her heart pounded as Colton hurried down the hill toward them beside another man.

“Who are they?” she asked.

“Friends of mine. I want you to meet Issa.”

“A friend of yours?” Lexi’s gaze narrowed as she eyed the man standing next to Colton. He had a broad smile on his dark face, but she still wasn’t ready to let down her guard.

“And the guns?” she asked. Her gaze shifted back to the two men standing on the ridge with their rifles.

Issa took a step toward her. “You must understand that not everyone who lives in this desert is willing to work for what they need. They wouldn’t hesitate to take what we have by gunpoint. It is our only way to protect ourselves.”

“It’s okay, Lexi,” Colton said. “I met Issa a few months ago during a medical evacuation of his wife and newborn son. Since then, he’s become an invaluable resource for our team.”

“Then I’m sorry for the cold welcome.” A sigh of relief spread through her. “It’s just that it’s been a difficult day.”

“Colton just told me about the kidnappings and the plane crash. That was not the kind of welcome you deserved in my country. You have nothing to be sorry for,” Issa said. “I’m simply happy that we can help.”

“Issa received a message from my base,” Colton said. “They realized from the GPS tracker that after crossing into Mauritania we must have had to make an emergency landing. They were able to get through to Issa and asked him to come find us.”

“Then we’re all grateful,” Lexi said. She glanced over at Bret. “But we’ve got an even more serious problem right now.”

“It’s my brother-in-law. He was bitten by a scorpion,” Colton said.

“And he’s not getting any better.” Lexi bit the edge of her lip to stop herself from crying. “I wanted to wait a few more minutes to see if the medicine would take effect, but he’s going to need another shot, and after that...”