Desert Secrets

“What about me?” Lexi asked.

“I’ll need help sorting through the emergency rations.”

“Of course.”

“But first...” He walked to the hold on the side of the plane where the emergency rations were stored, thankful nothing looked damaged, and pulled out a small suitcase from the side of the plane. “I brought a couple changes of clothes for Bret, figuring he’d probably lost some weight. And while they might not fit perfectly...”

He handed her the chocolate-brown cargo pants and a black V-neck T-shirt.

Lexi looked down at her own bloodstained pants. “Anything is better than what I’m wearing now. Thank you.”

Colton nodded, then undid the top button of his shirt, while she walked around to the other side of the plane to change. But he couldn’t shake the uneasiness that had settled over him. Because he hadn’t told either of them the entire truth. Their emergency landing had taken them way off course, which meant even with his maps, finding the nearest village in this barren terrain wasn’t going to be easy. And on top of that, every hour they were stuck here was another hour for the insurgents to find them.

* * *

Lexi finished changing into the cargo pants Colton had just given her, pulling the drawstring as tight as she could. They were too long and even cinched tightly they were still too big, but she didn’t care. She was just glad she didn’t have to wear the bloodstained clothes any longer. And grateful to be alive—though the thought of being stranded in the middle of the Sahara terrified her almost as much as being kidnapped had.

She shoved away thoughts of dehydration, heat stroke and scorpions as she came back around to where Colton was already working.

“Cute outfit,” he said, looking up from the pile of supplies he’d pulled out of the plane.

“Funny,” she said, returning his grin. “How long will these supplies last?”

“Several days, but my mission will find us before then,” he said, grabbing the last jug of water.

“At least you’re prepared,” she said, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt.

“Our entire fleet carries survival kits appropriate to the region,” he said. “First aid, food rations, water, blankets... “

“Sounds as if you’ve been through this before.”

“Two tours in Afghanistan taught me a thing or two about survival.”

“I’d like to hear some of your stories.”

If they got out of here.

She pushed aside the negative thought. Of course they’d find a way out. They had to.

“How cold does it get out here at night?” she asked.

“It’s possible to drop below zero after the sun sets, though thankfully it’s not that bad this time of year. It’s the heat we have to worry about right now. Dehydration can set in quickly.”

He pulled out a narrow box filled with packaged ready-to-eat meals—and set them next to the blankets. At least they wouldn’t go hungry.

“We need to pull out everything we’ll need from now until morning,” he told her. “Primarily sleeping bags, food and water.”

She worked beside Colton, remembering details from the first time she’d met him. It had been a quick introduction made by mutual friends at a local restaurant. They’d spent a couple minutes chatting before going their separate ways.

She’d dreamed of the sandy-haired pilot that night, but at the time she’d ignored the attraction. She thought she’d ever see him again, and figured that the chances of them running into each other were slim on this vast continent. And besides that, any feelings of attraction she might feel toward him were completely unwanted. Long-distance relationships didn’t work. She’d discovered that firsthand after falling for the last guy she dated.

At first she thought the six-foot three hunk she met through a mutual friend was perfect. Evan was funny and smart and could always make her laugh no matter what her mood. But after they’d been dating for eight months, Evan took a job in London working as an internal communications manager for a US bank, and it quickly became clear that his communication skills—at least when it came to a relationship—were severely limited. In the end all he’d managed to do was break her heart.

That had been at least part of her motivation to take a year away from her job as an environmental engineer and spend it in Mali. It had taken her family a while to embrace her decision. Her stepfather in particular was convinced she’d left for the ends of the earth. And in a way she had. But in her mind that wasn’t a bad thing. Living here had given her time to catch her breath, refocus her goals and start to figure out what she wanted out of life. And beyond that grassroots desire to make a difference, it had helped her with another thing she’d been looking for.

Closure over her mother’s death.

Today’s events, though, had quickly overshadowed any progress she’d made in figuring out her next step in life.

“Lexi.”

She felt his hand against her arm and took in a deep breath.

“You sure you’re okay.”

“Sorry.” She blinked back the unwanted tears. “A couple hours ago, I was trying to wrap my mind around the possibility of spending the next few months in some insurgent camp, and now this...”

“Help is on its way. Even if Bret can’t get the radio fixed, there’s still the GPS tracker.”

“So what happens until then?” she asked, forcing herself to push the past back where it belonged. “We spend the night here, then head to the nearest village first thing in the morning?”

Colton hesitated as he pulled out the last Kelvalite blanket.

“Colton...what is it?” She saw the worry in his eyes. There was something he hadn’t told her.

He hesitated a moment longer, then caught her gaze. “While what I said is true, I think you need to know that getting out of here might not be that simple.”

Lexi was scared. He could see it in her eyes. But at the moment there was nothing he could to do change it. He hadn’t seen any villages from the air. The only thing he had seen as they made their rocky landing was mile after mile of endless sand.

“What do you mean getting out of here might not be that simple?” she asked.

He handed her the last blanket, debating how much he should tell her. “Our emergency landing took us off course.”

She sucked in a lungful of air, then blew it out slowly. “How far off course?”

“I’m not sure.” He turned to face her, catching her gaze. “But if my team isn’t able to track us...we’re going to be on our own.”

“On our own?” she repeated.

“If they can’t track us.”

He took a swig of cold water from his insulated thermos, hoping it would help counteract the fatigue setting in from the unrelenting heat and the headache that had started. At least the temperature would start dropping soon, and they had enough emergency rations for a couple of days. But beyond that, it was going to be a race against the clock to find their way out of here. And the odds, unfortunately, were far from being in their favor.

Bret stepped out of the plane. The determined set of his jaw told Colton he hadn’t been successful.

Colton handed him a bottle of water. “Bad news?”

“I can’t get any reception at all. Something must have shorted out, and I’m not sure it can be fixed.”