That night, Daniel made slow, tender love to her.
“I don’t care how long it takes to find her,” Daniel stated on the fifth night. “We didn’t come this far to walk away empty-handed.”
He’d put word out among his network, which Clara realized was vast.
No news had come back in yet.
Clara had no choice but to be patient. Doing something besides trying to rattle chains state-side was a welcomed change. This was forward movement. This was doing something. This was making progress.
She splayed the satellite map out on the dining table in the suite and started marking off the islands that had been accounted for. Something hummed inside her and it was a good feeling despite the circumstances. It was the feeling that said they were getting close.
Another feeling was present too. That one felt far more dangerous because she was beginning to fall hard for Daniel.
There were no promises, no guarantees between them when this was over and everything inside her said it wouldn’t be long. It was that gut-level instinctual intuition that woke only when she stopped trying to overthink things.
Daniel came up from behind and wrapped his muscled arms around her waist. There was so much that felt right about the world when his body was next to her, skin-to-skin. He nestled his face in her hair at the base of her neck. His warm breath sent sensual skitters of awareness across her skin.
She breathed in and relaxed into the masculine piney scent that was all spicy and everything that was Daniel.
Another day would dawn soon and with it maybe a couple more false alarms. There’d been three already. But this is what progress felt like, exhaustion and exhilaration wrapped up together. One step forward, two steps back. This is what it felt like to know with every part of her being that Ashlyn was the closest she’d been.
Clara let her finger trail along the outline of Javel’s face in the sketchbook. He’d grown up on this island. He knew the area like the back of his hand.
A little voice reminded her that he would also know how to get home but she immediately quashed the negative thought. During times like these, she knew better than anyone to keep a positive attitude and cling to hope.
“We’re getting close,” she said to Daniel. She loved the feel of his solid walled chest against her back.
“I know,” he said. Those two words sent another round of chills down her back. He brought her in closer to him, hugged her tighter.
The next morning, Clara woke with a start.
She sat straight up in bed. Daniel was already up with a coffee mug in his hand. He’d been poring over the maps.
“Did you have a bad dream?” he asked.
“No. I thought I heard something,” she said.
He held up his cell. “Sorry. This just buzzed.”
He checked the screen as he walked over to her. His glorious bare chest showing, his fluid muscles flexing and releasing as he moved toward her wearing only his boxers.
The expression on his face changed and her stomach dropped to the floor.
“There’s an island five miles from the southern tip of the coastline.” The mattress dipped under his weight as he sat on the bed. “They found a body.”
Clara gasped.
“Male,” he said, studying the screen, “his bone structure looks to put him around the age of fourteen-to-fifteen. He fits the age of Javel. ID is hard because the body is decayed. He’s most likely been deceased for weeks. He’s wearing a red striped shirt like the one his mother described to me.”
“No,” came out as barely a whisper. Clara was to her feet and throwing clothes on before he could finish the rest of his sentence. Her heart ached for Javel and for his family. He was so young, too young. Based on what they’d learned so far, he was a good kid who didn’t deserve to have his life cut short over a mistake. Because he wanted to spread his wings and test the boundaries, taking off on an adventure with a pretty girl who wanted to do the same. Had they used bad judgment? Absolutely.
But who didn’t make mistakes growing up? Who didn’t put themselves in a dangerous situation at some point? No one deserved to die because of it.
She splashed cold water on her face, washing off tears that couldn’t seem to stop dropping and brushed her teeth in record time as Daniel dressed and gathered up their supplies.
“Ashlyn has to be on the island,” she said.
“A three-man crew is canvasing the area,” he said. “They might find her before we join the search.”
She appreciated Daniel for not telling her that thinking Ashlyn had somehow survived was wishful. It might be, but hope was all she had at this point. She couldn’t deny the overwhelming feeling that she would know somewhere deep in her heart if Ashlyn was dead. But that could just be her mind’s defense mechanisms.
Within the hour, Clara set foot on the rocky island. She’d been told on the boat ride over that the island was four miles wide and two miles long. It was heavy with rocks and palm trees, making it difficult to traverse.
Daniel had given her a protein bar to eat to keep up her strength and she’d barely managed to get it down. The skies were gorgeous blue and the water crystal clear but her heart thumped so loudly in her chest it rang in her ears and all she could think about was finding Ashlyn.
The island was just as described and Clara had a difficult time getting off the small boat and onto the rocky incline.
“Take my hand.” Daniel stood on the island, anchored in between two large rocks.
She did and he pulled her onto the rocky coastline. She stumbled a few steps before his strong arms righted her.
Daniel pulled out a massive-looking knife and started
