Page 74 of Russian Roulette
“Maybe I wanted to be alone with you without Kit or Seven running interference. Is that a crime?”
“Yes, when you kidnap someone for the second time without asking,” she snaps. “You don’t even like me.”
I frown at her. “What? Where did you get that crazy idea?”
She shrugs and doesn’t answer.
“You’re wrong,” I say, glancing at her shoes. “I’m glad Seven told you to dress appropriately and you’re wearing sneakers. I hope you’re up for a long ass hike.”
“Do I have a choice?” She slowly turns around to gaze at the deep canyon spread out for miles. “Actually, I’m totally up for a hike. I’ve been caged up indoors forever. It’ll be a pleasant change to be outside.”
“Great! Stay right behind me and don’t go too close to the edge of the cliffs.”
“I won’t,” she says, quickly following into step behind me. “This reminds of something from a reality television show,” she continues. “Any moment now, I’m expecting men with cameras to pop out from behind a rock and ask me to discuss my feelings. Or for you to dump me abruptly before flying away and leaving me here alone.” She holds up the bottle of champagne. “At least I have this to drown my sorrows with if you do, and hopefully there’s food in the basket.”
“Me too, because I didn’t bring any food. Seven has excellent taste, so I’m sure the food he packed for us will be yummy and prepared by an excellent private chef.”
“You mean the food packed for him and me?” she reminds me. “How mad will he be at you?”
“Absolutely fucking furious, but he’ll get over it. We fight like brothers all the time. It doesn’t change our relationship and keeps things interesting. We forgive and forget.”
“When we were taking off at the airport, he motioned for me to call him,” she says. “Do you mind if I do? After all, he was the one who planned all this.”
“Sure, call him,” I tell her, knowing she won’t be able to get a cellular signal out here. “Tell the fucker I said hello.”
She stops and pulls her phone out, then frowns. “There’s no service here.”
“Hmmm…too bad,” I reply. “Guess that means you won’t be calling the calvary to come save you. Unless you can fly a helicopter, you can’t escape from me here. You’re trapped until I decide to take you back to civilization. I’m warming up to the idea of not taking you back.”
“I was afraid of that,” she says with a sigh. “Where are we hiking to? We’re standing on top of a massive rock and I’m not a mountain goat. I can’t shimmy up and down the side of steep cliffs.”
“Well…the first thing we should do is hunt for a shady spot to spread out the picnic blanket. It might be chilly now, but it will be scorching hot in another half-hour when the sun rises over the ridge. Then you’ll be glad for shade. Thisisthe Mojave Desert, after all. Inexperienced hikers are frequently caught off guard by extreme changes in temperature here.”
“Okay, I trust you, lead the way,” she says in an agreeable tone. “As long as you promise not to let me trip and fall off the cliff. And don’t get any bright ideas about taking a cool selfie while standing on the edge either. I would hate to be a witness to a tragic news story.”
A thought occurs to me. “Are you afraid of heights or have any breathing issues? Because if you are, I’ve fucked up big time. The elevation here is almost a thousand feet.”
“No, I’m not,” she says with a good-natured laugh. “Give me some credit. I’m tougher than I appear to be.” She shoulders me out of the way and takes the lead on the trail. “Move aside, Vulcan. You’re slowing me down.”
“That’s the spirit.” I fall into place behind her on the narrow trail. “I don’t mind bringing up the rear. Not when I can watch your sexy ass wiggle in those tight jeans. Have I told you lately how you have the most gorgeous ass in the world? Your ass cheeks are the perfect size to fit into my hands.”
She lets out an annoyed sigh, and I smile behind her back. We hike non-stop for a solid thirty minutes. At several points, the trail narrows to a tight, single file with barely enough space to step. Jade doesn’t complain once, even when she needs me to hold the champagne bottle while she climbs over a large boulder to keep going. When we reach another pile of rocks blocking the path, she abruptly stops walking and turns around to face me.
“Do you have any idea where we’re going?” she asks. “Or are we just wandering around for no good reason?”
I shrug. “No clue where we’re going. I’ve never come up here on this cliff before in my life.”
“What? Never? Why didn’t you tell me that? Are we hiking to the ends of the earth? Or are we walking until we fall off the edge?”
“We’re hunting for shade,” I remind her. “Also, for a good place to gaze at the view and for me to give you a few lessons.”
“What kind of lessons?” Her eyes narrow suspiciously at me. “What are you up to?”
“You’ll find out when we get there,” I reply. “You’re too impatient.”
“The only plants I’ve noticed growing are scraggly scrub bushes,” she says. “Trees can’t grow at this altitude. How do you propose we find shade? In case you haven’t noticed, the sun is up over the ridge now and the temperature is rising fast. Are there any water bottles in the picnic basket?”
I dig through the basket and hand her a chilled water bottle. She uncaps it and guzzles several chugs. “If you get too hot, you can always take off your shirt,” I suggest, giving her a wink.