Bash stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry about all that. There’s no way for us to hide the stolen truck, so they’ll know we’ve been here. You won’t need the armor either, so there’s no need to carry it.”
“What about the water?” Sean asked, as Bash set off to the north, following the pipes from the shed. Sean hurried to catch up with him. “Won’t we need it? Even walking at night, we’ll get very thirsty. Bash? Bash! Are you listening to me? How far do you think we’ll get in the desert without water?”
Bash stopped and turned to face Sean again, his features dark and hidden in the faint moonlight. “Three kilometers,” he said.
Sean stopped as well, staring at Bash in confusion. “Three kilometers?”
Bash grinned, a flash of white teeth in the darkness. “Unless you want to go farther. But there was a landline in the shed with the fridge, so I called for a ride. Or did I forget to mention that?”
Sean was so stunned, he couldn’t speak, and then he wasn’t certain whether he wanted to smack Bash or kiss him — perhaps a bit of both. “You know damned well you didn’t!”
Bash seemed wickedly amused. “Sorry about that.”
Sean was too relieved at knowing their ordeal was almost over to be truly angry at Bash’s teasing, but he couldn’t let it go completely. “I’m starting to wonder if I’ve stepped out of the frying pan and into the fire. Are you always like this?”
Bash chuckled as he set off again. “Not always. Call it my peculiar sense of humor. Or maybe I wanted to find out if you’d really follow me into the desert. If you trusted me enough to take a chance.”
Sean had the feeling there was something more going on, that it had been some kind of odd test, but he couldn’t figure out why Bash thought it necessary. Yet all that really mattered was soon they’d both be safe, and Sean couldn’t help but be relieved it wouldn’t require a kilometers-long hike through barren wastes.
Thirty minutes later, he was once again walking beside Bash, heading off into the dark desert. They’d managed a quick meal of bread and cheese courtesy of the stores Bash had found, and Sean had been grateful for the bathroom. While they’d eaten, Bash had explained they had to walk away from the facility to meet their ride so any external cameras wouldn’t pick up on who or what had come to get them. King Faisal certainly wasn’t going to thank whoever had helped Sean escape, so their short walk would help keep their rescuers safe.
“Who will be coming to get us?” Sean asked as they walked. “I assume someone from your employer?”
“It should be. They’ll send whoever is close and has the means to get to us. I was given a recognition code, but that’s mostly a precaution.” Bash chuckled. “Protocol becomes a way of life, I suppose, because unless we get really unlucky, there should only be one vehicle waiting for us at the rendezvous.”
“I still don’t know who you work for,” Sean pointed out. “Don’t I even get a hint?”
“Better you don’t know unless you must.” Bash said, giving Sean a sidelong glance. “Let’s just say I’m one of the good guys, and leave it at that for the moment, all right? I’ll explain as soon as I get permission to do so.”
“I suppose. You’re the proverbial enigma wrapped in a conundrum, you know. And it’s part of my nature, the need to figure things out. My own occupational hazard.”
Not to mention that he wanted to learn more about Bash, especially given the attraction he felt.
“Patience is a virtue,” Bash replied, his tone so syrupy that Sean couldn’t help but laugh.
He was still chuckling when Bash put a hand on his arm and pulled him down into a crouch. “Car ahead.”
Sean blinked in surprise, then scanned the direction Bash seemed to be looking in, but he saw nothing. “How can you tell? And isn’t it our contact?”
“It should be, but I’ve been accused of rampant paranoia before,” Bash said, lowering his voice. “I caught a flash of light. Possibly whoever it is checked his watch or a cell phone. I would have thought we’d reach the rendezvous first, but maybe my employer already had someone in the country. That would be a surprise, but not a complete shock.”
Frowning, Sean stared ahead, but he couldn’t see what Bash had seen. “All right… so what do we do?”
“I’ll go first. You stay behind me. Keep me in sight, but don’t follow too closely. If anything happens to me, run. You probably won’t get far, but it’s better than giving up without a fight.”
Sean didn’t know why Bash was acting so cautious, but he wasn’t going to argue. “Be careful.”
“Always.” Bash offered a smile that Sean could see now that his vision had adapted completely to the dark. “Let me get a few steps ahead, then follow.”
“Got it.” Sean nodded, and then gasped, as Bash moved toward him. Bash’s lips pressed against his own, the contact warm and firm and unhurried. It lasted just long enough for Sean’s surprise to give way to rising hunger, for warmth to spread through him and for his toes to curl in his boots. Just long enough to leave him breathless and wanting more.
“For luck,” Bash murmured. “And to remind you of what I promised you.” Then he was on his feet and walking toward the light that only he had seen.
Sean gathered his wits, standing as well and following quickly. The main question on his mind was how soon they would get to safety and he would have an opportunity to kiss Bash back — among other things.
As they drew closer, Sean could finally see the outline of a vehicle, blocky and indistinct against the dunes around it. When Bash was no more than five meters away, the driver’s side door opened, and a large man stepped out, backlit by the interior lights.
“Identify!” Bash called out, keeping his distance as he moved in an arc around the vehicle, apparently not wanting to present an easy target in case they happened upon someone hostile.
