Dangerous Desires by Dee Davis Page B

to make a landing in the middle of a firefight.”
    “So why didn’t you just leave me?” she asked, her troubled gaze lifting to his.
    “Because we were charged with getting you out of here alive. And while I might not understand what the hell is so important about saving some drug lord’s mistress—”
    She flinched as if he’d hit her. “I’m sorry I’m not worth the sacrifice.”
    “I didn’t mean—”
    “The hell you didn’t.” She rounded on him. “And for your information, I have never been di Silva’s mistress. His whore, maybe—if you consider what I did for his organization—but
never
his mistress.” She stopped, eyes wide as she realized what she’d just said. “I didn’t… Ishouldn’t…” Tears welled in her eyes, and Drake wasn’t sure that he’d ever felt as much like an ass as he did standing here right now.
    “Look, Madeline, I was totally out of line. Your relationship with di Silva and his organization isn’t any of my business. You’ll have to tell the suits in Washington everything, but you sure as hell don’t owe me an explanation.”
    She blew out a breath, squaring her shoulders. “But you’re the one who got stuck with the short straw.”
    “Come again?” He frowned.
    “You had to risk your life to come and find me.”
    He shrugged, relieved to be back on familiar ground. “It was no big deal. I was the best suited for the situation.”
    “Retrieving me, you mean.” She was frowning now, too, their momentary détente evidently at an end.
    “If that’s what you call saving your life,” he snapped.
    “I already said thank you.”
    “Actually you didn’t,” he said, fighting his growing irritation. “You just admitted that you needed my help.”
    “It’s the same thing.”
    “Yeah, right,” he said, bending down to retrieve her bag, the vinyl carryall wedged between two rocks. “Anyway, now that you’re secure, the trick is going to be getting you out of the jungle alive. As I said, this place is going to be crawling with di Silva’s men.”
    She shivered, for a moment looking almost lost and a little vulnerable. “So you knew your friends were going to leave you?”
    “It seemed the most likely outcome.”
    “I see,” she said, chewing on her lower lip. “Can’t youcall them? I mean now that they’ve gotten away. Can’t they come back to get us?”
    “My com link isn’t working. We’re probably out of range.”
    “But weren’t you talking to someone earlier? At di Silva’s house?”
    “Yes, but Jason was using a relay. And he’s not here now. So that’s no longer possible.”
    “So what do we do?” she asked.
    “We get the hell out of here.” He handed her the bag. “Do you know where the pathway leads?”
    “To the pool by the falls. I don’t think it goes anywhere beyond that.”
    “Which direction did the guy who attacked you come from?”
    “From behind. So back toward the ruins. Maybe he came from there?”
    “Not possible.” Drake shook his head. “We had the entrance covered. There must be a way down from the cliffs to the north. A second path.”
    “So we just have to find it.” She made it sound so simple.
    “Yeah. And avoid di Silva’s men in the process.” He reached into his backpack and pulled out a laminated map, spreading it on the largest of the rocks, ignoring the smear of blood staining the granite. “We’re somewhere in this vicinity,” he said, pointing to an area to the south of the little river. “The ruins are here and the cliff path, assuming there is one, should branch off somewhere between the steps and the tree where you veered off-path.”
    She nodded. “So we backtrack and try to find it. I mean, it’s our only alternative, right?”
    “We could just work our way through the jungle. But I don’t like the idea of doing it without benefit of a detailed map. Worst case we could follow along the water.” He traced the squiggly line marking the stream. “It dumps out here, into the