“Should we try the camp?” Xander asked when she joined him outside. “I understand if you wouldn’t want to stay there, but it seems like a better place to lay low than in a city where we’re more likely to be seen.”
“True.” Leila sighed, then glanced over the pamphlets. “This doesn’t seem like the greatest time to get a hotel room last minute, does it?”
“Maybe if we were in Antarctica.” Xander flipped through the collection of hotel brochures again, then shook his head and pocketed them. “So, we can either try the camp or look in town again. We passed a hotel that looked a little run-down, but it would do for a night or two.”
“If they have any vacancies,” Leila muttered as she scanned the fourth scuba diving school pamphlet. “Well, like I said—” she stopped, unsure she had read that correctly. Her stomach fluttered. “Here it is. I knew it. Turquoise Bay Diving School. It’s here in town.”
Xander peered over her shoulder. “Seriously?”
“Let’s go there first.” Leila turned to him. “Drake has to be there.”
“And if she’s not?”
“Then I guess we’re out of luck.”
“Sounds like a great plan.”
Leila crossed her arms. “To be honest, I’d rather just stand here and scream. I’m just taking this one step at a time.”
“I know.” Xander brushed past her and headed down the sidewalk, toward the beach.
They fell silent as they walked, eventually leaving the busy city center and entering the quieter resort area. The rugged brown cliffs rose on Leila’s left and the turquoise waters of the Red Sea kissed the shoreline to her right.
The sidewalk came to an end. Just beyond the houses, a wide, sandy beach welcomed them. Leila resisted the temptation to head to the beach, take off her shoes, and let the sand and waves massage her feet.
Xander stopped and Leila tore her gaze from the beach. The stuccoed house they stood in front of overlooked the sea, two SUVs parked in the dirt driveway. The house itself looked well cared for, the smooth brown walls clean and new looking with the words Turquoise Bay Diving School painted across the center in a bright shade of blue. The flower beds in front were neatly kept with bright pink and yellow blooms.
They followed a pointed wooden sign that stated ‘Reception’ in English and Arabic. Around the corner, a screen door led into an office.
A sign hung on the door. Closed.
It figures. Leila ran her fingers through her hair. Now what?
Xander pulled the door open and walked inside.
With a shrug, Leila followed him. He was right. Who cared about manners right now?
A fan whirled overhead, but no one sat behind the desk. A shelf full of brochures of local attractions filled one wall. Xander glanced over the pamphlets, but he didn’t pick up any.
Leila lingered near the desk, crossing her arms. The worst that could happen was the owner found them and asked them to leave.
Xander shook his head, exasperated. “This is all turning out to be rather pointless. We should just go to the airport—”
“Let’s give it another day,” Leila said, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt. “We still have time.”
“I was wondering if you’d turn up,” a deep voice said behind her.
Leila spun around. Drake stood in the doorway, feet spread, and gun raised.
CHAPTER 14
Xander heard the scrape of footsteps before he saw the person. On instinct, his hand flew to the Beretta in his waistband, and he drew it in a flash.
It took a moment for the woman in the doorway to notice, but when she did, she laughed and lowered her weapon. “You should see your faces.”
Leila groaned, her hand resting on her collarbone. “That’s not funny. Do you have any idea what we’ve been through today?”
Xander kept his aim steady on the heart. The woman’s hair was different, but he knew that face and that voice. They had met before, about six months ago, for a nighttime meeting on a bridge in Cairo. That rendezvous did not end well.
“Uh, Xander,” Leila said quietly. “You can put the gun down.”
“We’ve already met, haven’t we?” Xander growled, flexing his fingers over the gun handle.
The woman eyed the weapon, then lifted her steely eyes to his. “We have.”
“I spent two days in the hospital.”
The woman’s mouth twitched, as if she was trying not to smile. “Sorry about that.”
Leila’s hand came to rest on his arm and pushed down. He resisted.
“You kidnapped Leila and left her to die,” he spat. “Why shouldn’t I shoot you now?”
“Xander,” Leila murmured. “It wasn’t quite like that.”
He threw her a disbelieving look. “You’re defending this rotter?”
“No. What she did was awful.” Leila’s tone was firm, her mouth pressed into a flat line. “But none of that matters right now.”
