Dobby flashed him a thankful smile.“High praise.”
She raised her head from his chest and suddenly they were eye to eye only inches apart.
Her sharp intake of breath had nothing to do with fear.Neither did the tightening in his body.
The urge to kiss her was overwhelming.He leaned forward and the car braked, throwing him off balance.
He glanced at Joker.
“We’re here,” Joker said.“Get the supplies to Axle and I’ll ditch the car.”
The mission.He had to keep the mission in the forefront of his mind and not be distracted by his attraction to Mila.“I’ll go.You take Mila to camp.”Some distance might clear his head.
Mila opened the car door, but she touched his arm.“Be careful.”
Her concern warmed his insides.She was far too appealing.He nodded and gave the stretcher to Joker.
He scanned the road.No sign of the dog.Hopefully it had returned home.
Joker led Mila into the jungle and Dobby accelerated away.Now he needed to find somewhere to leave the car.Ideally he’d find a spot to hide it, but the road was narrow and the drop offs were steep.He was about three kilometres from camp when he spotted a gap in the trees.
The ground was sloped, but not on an angle that would cause the car to roll.He folded in the side mirrors with a touch of a button and drove in as far as he dared.Before getting out he checked they hadn’t left anything inside and then quietly closed the door.He walked back to the road to check how well it was hidden and then used his knife to cut a couple of fan palm leaves down and place them strategically over the back.It wasn’t pretty, but most people wouldn’t be taking their eyes off the road to notice it.
He made note of the coordinates and then jogged down the road back to camp.
Now he had to get them off this island.
Chapter 7
Mila’s heart continued to race as she followed Joker back to the camp, but she wasn’t sure whether it was because she’d been certain they were going to be swept up by the wave again, or because of the moment she’d shared with Damien.
The intensity in his eyes, the way he’d held her so tenderly, his soothing words when she’d been close to meltdown, replaying being sucked under the wave over and over in her head.
She placed a hand on her heart as Joker set down the stretcher next to Ethan who even in the dark looked pale.He smiled at her.“Hey, Angel.I thought I imagined you.”
Oh.He was still high on the drugs.She squeezed his hand to soothe herself as much as him.They were all safe.“I’m real.How are you feeling?”
“OK.It doesn’t hurt anymore.”
“Good.I’m glad.”The others were waiting to see to Ethan, so she returned to the spot where she’d been sleeping and focused on her breathing.
Radar and Joker gathered around Ethan and helped Axle.
Mila wrapped her arms around herself, despite the humid night.When she’d offered to go with Dobby, she hadn’t considered Agus’s men might be down there.
She frowned.
Why had they been down there?It was still dangerous, and it wasn’t as if there was anything of value to salvage.
Perhaps they’d heard the car and been sent to investigate.She hadn’t heard any other engines, so they’d probably been on foot with the dog.
Her chest tightened and she exhaled to ease the tension.
The dog had survived.Seeing it sucked under by the wave would have been horrific.
She shivered and wrapped her arms around her.
“Cold?”
