Out of the Fire (Perilous Connections) Read Free Page B

so close that the slight swirl of her hem is brushing the front of his trousers. He looks like a scumbag, with the swagger that comes when you think you’re about to score big.
    She walks quickly ahead of him, head bowed, little fists clenched, I smile at that, she is leading him in the direction of the pier several yards away, docked with multicolored jet skies. The man’s gaze is fixed on the subtle sway of those slender hips and I find myself staring too, the sweet taste of her mouth comes back.
    I snap myself to attention, this is my queue, the one I’ve been waiting for, for two utterly boring and unproductive weeks.
    I duck, scan my surroundings, then move as soundlessly as I can across the smooth grass into the protective coverage of a midsection high bush giving off a sweetly bitter scent, its downy petals gives my cheek a wanton caress.
    I eye the barred entrance which sports a single long, thick strip of wood and iron lowered across its width, a petite guardhouse sits to its right.
    I zero in on the guard, partaking of a late afternoon meal, the scent of chicken with rice and beans hit me, my stomach grumbles, I dart a glance back at the pier, she is returning and behind her is the randy bastard.
    The eating guard looks out the window, I duck , taking down a soft branch of the bitter smelling flowers with me, I curse even as I tense for footsteps hurrying towards me, I screw up my nose at the scent of the broken branch, its bitter sap stinks, I switch to breathing through my mouth.
    I wait several heartbeats but there is nothing, but I know if she is unsuccessful and fails to stop the other guard from following her to the gate I will be caught. I switch my body into that perfectly still mode I’d learned over the years and just listen.
    A single pair of footfalls draws closer and I breathed a sigh of relief even as I peek between the slender branches and pick out the dainty calves, worn shoes and the hem of her uniform which falls just below her knees.
    How innocent and utterly seductive.
    Again the taste of her mouth assails me. My heart thunders as I wonder if she will truly keep our bargain despite my offer. She had not wanted to and I knew that there had been something else, something painful but necessary which had forced her acquiescence.
    I can hear her voice, soft and firm conversing in that melodious accent and I risk a glance. Sure enough she is positioned directly in front of the guard’s window just as we’d planned.
    I stop breathing and shift into motion. S oundless, quick steps, my back hunched over, mitigating my height as much as possible.
    In three seconds I am free!
    Out on the road I sprint the last several paces to get away from the gaudy sign proclaiming Sunset Cove Resort .
    I run the five yards down the single lane road towards the bus stop sign. If anyone were to see me now they would think of me merely as a tourist who had visited Sunset Cove for the day and was now waiting to be picked up to return to my temporary address, certainly not an illegal immigrant.
    My mouth stretches into a grim smile at the thought.
    Almos t there.
    I had pulled this trick off one too many times. The corners of my mouth abruptly turn down. At some point my luck would truly run out.
    I stuff my hands into my shorts, give the area a thorough scan, and then I wait for her to appear.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Five
     
    Daphne
     
    I come out and immediately I see him several yards down the road.
    Why is he still here?
    Apprehension grips me but I try to brazen it out and start towards the bus stop which sits halfway between us.
    H e starts to come towards me, I stop, back up, urgent alarm bells go off.
    Why had I agreed to this?
    I sternly tell myself that he may have an honorable bone in his body and simply wants to pay me, but then again I can’t say that I’ve actually earned fiver thousand dollars, more like