Page 69 of Stains of Desire

"Okay."

We walk for a few hours. No one except us seems to be in the jungle. We get to a small open area. The sky becomes darker. Night is closing in, but I'm certain it's going to rain.

I put my arm around her and steer her down the path. "Let's see where this leads us."

We walk further between the trees.

"What is this place?" she asks.

"I think someone uses it as their camp." If we weren't walking, we might miss it. A short driveway, surrounded by trees, leads to a small, circular opening. There is a bonfire pit made of stone. A picnic table is in front of it, along with a stack of wood. A large, silver metal pole barn has a cheap lock securing the door.

Since there isn't any smoke coming out of the pit, I assume no one has been here for a while, so I examine the lock, then dig in my bag to find my small toolkit.

"What are you going to do?" Penelope asks.

"Pick the lock."

An amused expression crosses her face. "Do you have a criminal history I should be aware of?"

"Nope. But I can open almost any lock, hotwire any type of vehicle, and even pickpocket you if needed."

She gapes. "How do you know how to do all those things?"

I chuckle. "Let's just say I had lots of downtime in the military when I was overseas and we were waiting to get our orders."

She arches an eyebrow. "And this is what they taught you?"

"Nope. Some of the guys I was with knew how to do these things. They would teach us, and we would have contests to see who could do things the quickest."

"Wow. I guess we should be glad we can put your skills to use."

I find the tool I need out of the box and pick the lock. It pops.

Penelope claps. "Bravo! Well done." She stands on her tiptoes and kisses me.

I pat her ass. "Let's see what's in here."

As soon as I open the door, thunder crashes and lightning blazes through the sky.

Penelope jumps, and rain pours down.

I guide her inside, holding the box and tool. "There's a flashlight in my bag. Can you grab it?"

"Yep." She retrieves it and turns it on. "Wow."

The garage is a makeshift cabin. Shelves line the walls. The top has blankets, pillows, and towels. Camping-type cooking utensils, canned goods, and water bottles fill the row under it. Tarps, a porta potty, and several red tanks full of gasoline are on the bottom. Two couches, an armchair, and ottoman create a living space with a brightly colored rug underneath it. Propane lamps sit on tables. Next to that area is a double bed.

"What's behind that?" Penelope points to the bright-blue shower curtains hanging across the length of the building.

"Let's find out."

The thunder cracks in the sky again, and Penelope drops the flashlight. I pick it up. "Stay here." I go and tug the plastic back. "Score!"

"What is it?"

I open the curtain farther and shine the light on a 4-person ATV. "Looks like we have a ride tomorrow."

"Nice!"