Desert Secrets

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There was nothing else she could do.

“I will take you to the Kasbah where I live,” Issa said, signaling to his men. “There is a woman there. A healer. She will know what to do.”

Lexi glanced up the ridge at the row of camels. Above them, the Milky Way dangled beneath a black sky.

She’d seen photos of a Kasbah. Fortresses, often built on hilltops in order to be more easily defended, with high walls and no windows. At least she’d feel safer there than out here in the open in the middle of the desert.

Issa turned back to Colton. “There is an airstrip—not more than three hours farther—where your team can land and pick you up in the morning.”

Colton nodded. “Thank you.”

“You are welcome, but if we are going to help him, we need to hurry.”

Any romantic ideas of riding a camel across the desert had been stripped away in the first twenty minutes of the trip. Each one of the camels was tethered to the tail of the one in front of them by some kind of halter, and together they moved at a slow but steady gait across the desert sands. If an hour on a horse could make her sore, she didn’t even want to imagine what she was going to feel like come morning. And on top of that, the stench of the camels was only outdone by their constant spitting.

They’d put Bret on a makeshift stretcher behind her on one of the camels. Not that there was really anything she could do. Which was what had her worried. Because while she was trying to acclimate to the bumpy camel ride, Bret was getting worse.

She glanced up at the stars and forced herself to draw in a deep breath as she studied the expanse. A shooting star fled across the horizon, the distant red flicker of Mars, the Big Dipper and the expansive Milky Way hovering above them, so close it made her want to reach out and hold on to all of it.

And yet her entire experience in Africa so far had turned out to be one of letting go. Letting go of her own expectations in order to see not only those around her, but to discover what God wanted her to get out of her time here. Every morning when she woke up, she begged God not only to use her, but to give her strength to be able to handle what she would see that day. In a place where most people lived below the international poverty line, and where limited access to clean water meant higher rates of waterborne illnesses and child mortality, the pain she encountered was often devastating. And like tonight, she often felt too small and alone.

“How are you doing?” Colton’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

He was walking beside her on the sand, keeping up with the steady gait of the camels.

A wave of emotion shot through her. The man she’d struggled to get out of her dreams had become her hero today. “I’m thinking you were the smart one, deciding to walk instead of ride one of these animals.”

He grinned up at her in the moonlight. “I learned from experience. Tried it once and was sore for days afterward. I decided then if I was given the choice between walking and riding a camel, I’d been happy to walk.”

Surrounded by endless sands drenched in moonlight and stardust, she couldn’t help but smile. But as much as she might want to get to know the man who’d unexpectedly been thrust back into her life, this wasn’t exactly the romantic scenario she’d dreamed about. The stakes were far too high.

She glanced back down at Colton, hesitating before voicing the question she’d been asking herself ever since the plane went down. Because she wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer. “Do you think they’re still out there looking for us?”

“Honestly? I don’t think we can ignore the possibility or assume they cannot reach this far. But I trust Issa. If anyone can get us to safety, he can.”

She hoped he was right. Prayed he was right. Prayed even more that they wouldn’t have to find out.

“What about Bret?”

Colton let out a sharp sigh. “The second dose of adrenaline seems to be helping, but not much. He’s still struggling to breathe.”

“I don’t know what else to do except pray.”

“I just finished speaking with Issa. He told me we’re less than an hour from the Kasbah.”

She just hoped that an hour wouldn’t be too long for Bret to hold on.

“Colton?”

Lexi glanced down the long row of camels that were merely shadows beneath the night sky. Issa was running toward them.

“I need the three of you to come with me now. Quickly. My scouts have discovered men up ahead coming toward us. Until we can identify who they are, we need to hide you. There’s a ridge just south of here. Between that and the cover of darkness you should be safe.”

Lexi’s heart pounded. The men who had kidnapped her had weapons that could knock a plane out of the sky and would be no match for the rifles Issa and his team carried. If they found them here...

“Hurry. We’ll get your brother, but we don’t have much time.”

She used the saddle handles to push herself up, then swung her leg over the hump to one side. Colton took her hands to keep her steady while she found her balance. Then without hesitating, he laced their fingers together and ushered her toward the ridge into the darkness.

* * *

Colton could see the armed men from where he lay on the crest of the sand between Lexi and Bret. He wasn’t sure that the description of the small rogue band of work-for-hire fighters the Malian army had given him was accurate either. They had to have a network reaching across the desert and across borders.

He needed to get both Bret and Lexi to a place where they could catch flights back to the States. But for the moment, that wasn’t an option. They were miles away from any transport—other than camels—and just as far away from the medical help they needed.

He squeezed Lexi’s hand as they watched the men who’d just arrived slowly walk down the long, tethered line of camels. Each one carried a weapon across his shoulder, and there was no doubt in his mind what they were looking for. Some of their men had been killed by the army; they’d just lost out on two million dollars, and that didn’t include the money they wanted from Lexi’s brother.

Knowing how scared she must be, Colton rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb, hoping to reassure her. But she wasn’t the only one whose nerves were on edge. He’d calculated the risks when he’d agreed on the army’s plan. Knew that his decision could cost him everything, including the life of his brother-in-law. And he’d decided it was a risk he couldn’t afford not to take.

But Lexi’s involvement in this situation had been far from voluntary. She’d come to Mali to make a difference in people’s lives. And instead, she’d been taken hostage by a band of rogue militants. Not that life was always fair or just. He hadn’t been kidding about being in a worse situation when he mentioned the ambush by the insurgents in Iraq. He’d been prepared to die that day.

He glanced down at her in the darkness, just able to see the outline of her profile, unable to shake the strong desire to protect her and keep her safe. They needed to get out of here without getting caught.

Five minutes later, the men disappeared into the darkness. Issa made his way up the ridge to where they were.

“They found the crash site,” Issa said.

Colton glanced at Lexi. “Then they know we’re alive.”

“Yes, but they are gone for now. I told them we heard of three Americans who were heading east.”

“Which is the wrong direction.” Colton glanced out into the darkness, then helped Lexi up. “Do you think they believed you?”

“I think so, but we need to hurry to the Kasbah. And make sure one of them does not follow us in the meantime.”

“Do you want to ride again?” Colton asked, turning to Lexi.

“I’m fine. I’ll walk for now.”

The men settled Bret back into the makeshift stretcher, and the long line of camels were on their way again. This time, though, Colton’s senses were on full alert. Every movement, every shadow in the distance could potentially be one of the men who’d come after them.

“I don’t think you have told me the entire story, my friend,” Issa said, stepping up beside them. “You said some men might be after your brother, and that he was kidnapped, but what exactly happened?”

“I was hoping you wouldn’t have to get involved in this,” Colton said.

“I already am involved. And as I said before, I want to help. You saved the life of my son, which means I owe you mine.”

“Tell him, Colton,” Lexi said, keeping up beside them. “We can’t do this on our own.”

Colton frowned. He hadn’t expected this unsanctioned mission to be easy. In fact, quite the opposite. He’d played out the scenario of rescuing Bret from every possible angle. And yet today had thrown two more potentially deadly scenarios at him. A plane crash. A scorpion bite. Neither had he imagined there would be more than one hostage to free. And now he had involved Issa and his men in the escape from a band of ruthless men.