Finding Lily

35- Alex

When I came back out of the bathroom, Luke had put his shirt and boxers back on. His arms were crossed and he looked just as closed off as I did. The tension in the air had an entirely different feel, now. It wasn't sexual. It wasn't hungry. It was frustrated, angry.

"I'm glad we got that out of the way." I commented, wanting to ensure Luke didn't read into it.

"Yeah." He agreed halfheartedly.

We spent the rest of the night in strained silence. After sharing a meal that was delivered to us, I tied up my hair and mentally prepared myself for the mission. Luke decided to pout the whole time and I resented the feelings I had toward it. As high as my walls were now, I knew that lying dormant behind them was an urge to hold him. To kiss him. To lay with him.

I ignored all of them. There were more important things to worry about.

At half past midnight, we gathered up our stuff and checked out of the room. The man we met on the docks was middle-aged. He didn't waste time with pleasantries and ushered us on the small metal boat immediately after we handed him the agreed upon wad of cash. Luke and I sat together in the back, close but not touching, tensions still high. With every minute that passed, I grew more frustrated. Having sex was supposed to make us more focused, not less.

Obviously I was a dumbass who should have just kept her legs closed.

When the man stopped in the middle of the ocean, we couldn't even see the island in the distance. "It's that way." He said, pointing in the direction we had been heading.

"Can you get us a little closer?" Luke asked. "We can't see it."

"Nope. We're a mile away. Get out."

I didn't argue. I grabbed the two inflatable life jackets we had stored in the backpack and handed one to Luke. After blowing them up, we jumped into the ocean and started kicking.

Not too long after we started swimming, the dark outline of the mountain came into view. Relief flooded my system even though every kick was bringing me closer to danger.

"Do you see anything?" Luke asked when we got close enough to see individual trees. Dan warned of possible snipers, but I didn't think they had the technology to see us in the dark.

"No. I think we're clear."

We slowed our pace as we made our approach to the southwest part of the island, far from the huts. Luke scanned the left and I scanned the right, alert and cautious. Before surfing in with the breaking waves, we took one last look. Then we were standing at the edge of the forest, using trees for cover as we brushed the sand off of our quick-drying clothes.

The plan had been to find the mountain door before the sun rose. I gave Luke a nod and we started our quiet trek deeper into the woods. I took the lead while Luke watched my six.

We started at the west side of the mountain, though it was quickly ruled out. Besides the rocky cliffs on the water, this side had a gradual incline, making it more like a grassy hill. Towards the center is where it started to get steeper and rockier. I quickened my pace when I realized we were so close.

"Wait." Luke grabbed my arm to stop me right outside the cave I had originally stored my backpack in. "Do you see that flashing red light?" He pointed in the direction we had been headed, maybe fifteen feet away up in a tree. The light was faint but it was there.

"A camera." I stated. "How long has he had those?" I didn't see any the first time I came. Then again, I wasn't really looking.

"They must be new."

"Shit." I looked behind us, hoping we hadn't missed one and already alerted Ray of our presence.

"Let's keep going. Find out where they are." He suggested.

"What if he set traps, too?"

Luke hesitated. Those would be harder to spot in the darkness. Especially if he had gone so far as to plant mines or other lethal devices.

"Shit."

We had counted on the darkness being our ally. Ray's men never really did anything at night. It was the only chance we had to move around undetected.

"Let's go to the cave and figure out a new plan." I suggested. Reluctantly, Luke agreed. We crept back, keeping an eye out for cameras as we moved. If I had to guess, they would be situated around the perimeter of his camp.

We were greeted with a rancid smell as we got close. It wasn't until then I remembered the dead bodies we stored inside. "Good God, that's awful." I plugged my nose and quickly moved along the mountain, putting as much distance between me and the grave. Luke followed, looking way more nauseous than I was.

We found a spot next to our beach. Sitting on the sand next to the rock wall, I took a moment to appreciate the irony of being back here. With Luke.

"I think we should take Ray's guys out, one by one." I suggested.

"He'll catch on."

"Not if we do it quick." I said. "I'm talking less than 12 hours. We know their habits. They couldn't have changed much in the past three weeks."

"Most of their activity will be around the cameras."

"We'll disable them."

"And let them know we're here?"

I let out a frustrated sigh, my mind swimming with options. "We could capture Ray. Ask him where the girls are."

"He's always surrounded by bodyguards."

"We could take them."

Luke ran a hand through his hair. The cameras ruined our stealthy idea and we hadn't taken the time to come up with a plan B. I knew he was less inclined to just slit peoples' throats than I was, which made picking people off not as attractive an option to him as it was to me.

"We have 60 hours before Dan gets here. This isn't about survival anymore. Stealth didn't work for you the first time so we gotta go in hot." I told him. "We have to get our hands dirty."

"You're right." He said. His tone was determined but his demeanor wasn't. He was worried that going in guns blazing would endanger the innocent people on the island.

"We'll find the entrance of the cave and ambush them, making sure they don't pull any of the girls out in the process."

"Sounds risky."

"We don't have much of a choice. Unless you wanna split up."

"Nope. Not gonna happen."

I rolled my eyes. "You don't have to keep protecting me, Luke. I'm not injured anymore."

The charged silence made it feel like there was something he wanted to say but couldn't. He hesitated a bit before responding. "We'll ambush the cave. But I'm not letting you out of my sight."

The determined way he said it made me feel shy. Intimidated. We were equals now. His mission wasn't to protect me. Yet still, it seemed to be just as important to him as taking down Ray.

"Sounds like a plan."