Around the World in 80 Men Boxed Set 31-35 (31 page)

One
hour later, Finlay's legs shook as he stepped out of the vehicle. The
sun beat down on the top of his dark head and he realized why the
driver and John were both covered. “Now can ye tell me where we
are?” Finlay pulled a tee shirt from his bag and wrapped it
around his head like a full bandana. John smacked the sand from his
jeans then stood and took a long drink from the water that the driver
provided.

“
Here...,”
John took another drink, “is where we say goodbye.”
Finlay shook his head and laughed, knowing damn well he wouldn't
leave John's side until he had the answers he was looking for.
Finlay sat sideways on the back of the buggy and reached to the back
seat, helping himself to a water. “I'm getting on one of
those,” John pointed to the side of a large tent, where a dozen
camels were haltered and available to ride, “and you're getting
back in the buggy where the driver will take you back to the hotel.”
John walked off, done with the conversation, and Finlay laughed
before emptying the entire bottle.

A
few moments later, John was paying for his new ride and asked all
four men in the tent if they had seen a blonde woman recently. Finlay
stood hidden on the opposite side of the group, listening for
anything that would help him. “They're heading to Remlia Well.
It's a two hour ride from here.” The only English speaking man
in the group explained that he had assisted Mustafa with the camels,
and was scheduled to meet the couple at the end of the week. Of
course, the information came at a price that John was willing to pay.
Then again, it was Sean's money that actually covered the bill.

John
had learned that Morgan's camp from the night before was not a half a
mile from where he stood. He also learned, for a price, what their
agenda was for the rest of the week. He thanked the man for the
information, and smiled to himself when he heard the buggy leave the
area. Finally, he was rid of Finlay and ready to do the job he was
hired for....to watch Morgan and keep her safe.

John
was loaded on a small, yet fast camel, and was on his way to get
Morgan within sight. It was nearly thirty minutes later that the
hairs on the back of his neck warned of an unwanted guest.

“
Your
wee beast may be faster, but mine is stronger.” John spun
around to see Finlay not ten feet behind.

“
What
the fuck? Why are you following me?” John stopped moving and
waited for Finlay to join him. Finlay kept going, actually passing
John in the process. “Answer me!” Finlay ignored the man,
and John quickly began moving and caught up with him. “What is
wrong with you?” Finlay, still ignoring him just smiled. John
took a deep breath and forced his camel to run, leaving Finlay is his
wake.

“
Fookin'
camel! Run!”

*****

Morgan
took several photos of the orange rocks peeking out from under the
moving sand. It was like nothing she had ever seen before, and she
captured every magical image that she could. “Oh, this is so
going into my scrapbook!” Mustafa laughed and pointed up ahead
and to their left.

“
Then
you'll love what you're about to see, Morgan.” He guided them
to the opening and waited for Morgan to make it out. Her head raised
as her eyes scanned as far as she could see.

“
Is
this? Wait..how far does this go? Oh my god! It's incredible!”
The dry ancient river basin looked as if they had stepped back in
time, to a primitive world. “And... that,” she pointed
behind the last dune close to the basin, at the blanket and basket of
food that was obviously left for them, “this is amazing!”
Mustafa was off of Clyde and helping Morgan down before she could
even ask another question.

The
bank of the dried river held a meal that both of them were looking
forward to. Two hours of riding into the sun had left them starving
and in need of rest. Most importantly, Morgan was in need of food.

She
was going through the basket and placing the contents on the blanket
as Mustafa was making noise behind her. “I don't know what
you're doing, but if you don't get over here, I'm eating all of
this.” She laughed as she peeked inside one of the clay pots.
The noise that Mustafa was making behind her turned out to be the
erection of a large umbrella to offer them shade during lunch. When
the dark veil covered Morgan, she looked behind her and let out a
long sigh of relief. “Thank you!”

“
You're
welcome.” He smiled and took a seat across from Morgan on the
blanket. Once everything was spread out between them, Morgan could
finally see what was on the menu. Olives, figs, dates, almonds, flat
bread, and an array of fresh fruit were placed at her knees as
Mustafa waited for her to choose what she wanted. “Ladies
first.”

*****

John
and Finlay passed one another several times until they finally fell
into step at the same pace. Finlay thought of how he would get John
to confess his reasons for following Morgan, and he smiled at knowing
he always had a last resort.
I'll beat it out of the wee bastard.

John
still had no idea why Finlay was following him, but he had to come to
terms with the fact that he'd somehow made a mistake and let the Scot
know that he knew Morgan. Even with the fact that Finlay had been
very drunk, he still couldn't find a reason for the Campbell to
follow him. Finlay was no longer drunk, and no longer talking about
his personal life, so John knew he wouldn't get any information out
of him.
Unless... yes.... unless you're drunk. Again.
John
smiled as his plan for operation-get-the-Scot-drunk-later came
together, and the last of the journey was spent quietly. Both of the
men had conjured a plan, and the race to who would get what they want
first had officially began.

*****

“
That
was so good, thank you again.” Morgan put her hands behind her
body and leaned back, enjoying the view before her under a perfect
shade. The meal wasn't burgers or pizza, and there wasn't a beer in
sight, but it was absolutely perfect. She was living as a local, and
each moment etched into her mind for a life time of memories. “Please
tell me that we can stay here for a little while longer.” She
closed her eyes as a cool breeze swirled between them. Mustafa nodded
and enjoyed the small relief from the heat as well.

“
I
planned for a day of walking the basin, so we can stay here as long
as you'd like.”
Morgan liked the sound of that, and
stretched her legs out in front of her so she was lying flat on her
back. “I've never heard anything like this.”

Mustafa
ate his last piece of fruit and stretched out beside Morgan. “Like
what?”

“
Nothing.”
She turned her head to Mustafa and smiled. “The sound
of...nothing.” Morgan couldn't remember a time in her life
where everything was so quiet. There was no sound of birds, water,
wind, people, nor traffic. “It's peaceful.”

Mustafa
watched Morgan as she took in the world around her. “I've never
noticed.”

“
Noticed
what?” Morgan sat up, and took a drink of water.

“
I've
never actually noticed how quiet it is. I think most of us take it
for granted. We live too quickly, and don't stop to appreciate the
beauty of the world around us. You do, Morgan.”

“
The
world
is
beautiful.” She took another drink and smiled
when Mustafa laughed. “I think you can find beauty in nearly
anything.” She took a third drink and twisted the lid back on
her bottle, before standing. “And speaking of beauty, I need
more pictures! I don't think I'll be standing in the middle of an
ancient river basin in the middle of the desert again anytime soon.”
Before Mustafa could even sit up, Morgan was walking away from the
blanket to find the next thing to capture on camera for her book of
memories.

“
She's
taking pictures of rocks.” Mustafa spoke under his breath, and
laughed again and shook his head back and forth. Her genuine
appreciation for nature made him smile, and it was a rare quality to
find in a person. Mustafa gathered their things, as Morgan walked
from one side of the basin to the other, looking for the next target
for her camera. Once all their things were back on the camels, he
grabbed both of their tethers and caught up to Morgan. “Let's
go down the bend a bit, I think we might find something you like.”

*****

John
knew he was less than half an hour from the camp Morgan would be for
the night, but he also knew he couldn't press forward without getting
rid of Finlay first. It was time to change things up. He slowed his
camel to a halt, and let out a long sigh of exhaustion. That part was
genuine. With zero sleep in over twenty-four hours, he felt as if he
could fall asleep on the sand blanket in seconds. The intense sun and
slight hangover also didn't help him feel any better.

“
What
are ye doing?” Finlay slowed down when he realized John had
fell behind him.

“
My
ass is numb and I'm exhausted. Feel free to go on ahead without me,
though.” John jumped off of his camel and motioned for Finlay
to continue, knowing he wouldn't.

“
I'm
not leaving your side.” Finlay hopped off his camel as well and
grabbed a bottle of water out of his bag. He'd managed to snag a few
from the tent before hitching a ride on Salazar.

“
Are
you ready to tell me why?” John took a tee shirt out of his bag
and wiped his face and arms, then grabbed a bottle of water of his
own.

“
No.”
Finlay took a seat on the soft ground, just as a gust of wind blew a
wall of sand into his face and mouth. “Fookin' sand!”

John
laughed and shook his head as he too sat down. He, taking a lesson
from Finlay, wrapped his tee shirt around his head, covering his nose
and mouth. “Drink?” He held out a flask for Finlay,
thankful he'd decided to bring it, and even more thankful Finlay
quickly obliged.

“
Whiskey.”
Finlay sighed after he took his first drink, then took another large
swig. Nothing helped a hangover like drinking more.

This
is going to be easy
, John
decided. Finlay took the bait, and in no time, the Scot would be
drunk and John could find out what he needed to know, then leave him
behind. Of course, he would send help back for Fin, but he would also
be free to catch up to Morgan alone.

Chapter
Five

“
Is
it just me, or has the wind picked up?” Morgan shielded her
eyes as a swirl of sand lifted from the ground with a strong gust of
wind. “In fact, I don't remember any wind at all back there.”
Morgan pointed her thumb behind her, referring to their lunch spot
half a mile behind them.

“
No,
I think you're right.” Mustafa brought his shirt over his mouth
as another gust blew toward his face. “Hopefully, it passes
soon.”

Morgan's
brows came together, hearing the concern in her client's voice.
This
bitch ain't getting caught in no mothafuckin' sandstorm.
Her
concern though, was gone the moment she looked at Mustafa. There he
was, sitting on top of his camel like nothing she had ever seen
before. The way the sun reflected off of his caramel skin made him
nearly glow. His dreads bounced against his wide shoulders, and
Morgan was lost in her own world as she watched each muscle flex in
his arm as he held onto the reigns. His goatee and slight growth had
become a beard across his strong jaw, and his golden eyes popped in
contrast against his black hair, dark skin and thick brows. “I
hope so too,” she finally spoke, realizing she must have been
silent for several minutes. “Where are we going, anyway?”

“
Right...”
The camel took another few steps and he stopped, “here.”
Mustafa jumped off his camel, then helped Morgan off of hers. “This
wind might actually be an advantage right now.”

“
What
do you mean?” Morgan looked up at the sky, it was still as blue
as the ocean in Sydney, but the air felt different. Almost...
feels
like a storm.
Not just a
sandstorm, but a
real
storm. “Does it rain here?”

Mustafa
let out a small chuckle. “Not often. Hence the dry river.”
He winked at Morgan and took her hand, leading her across the basin
and to a small tree, surrounded by several boulders. “When I
came here, years ago, I found a few...
surprises...
around
this very spot.”