A Kiss of Adventure Read Online Free

hair whipped at the corners of his grin as he glanced at her. “Grab that hand strap over the window, and don’t let go.”
    “Take me to the United States Embassy!” Tillie demanded above the roar of the engine. She clutched the strap he had indicated as the Land Rover hurtled down a hill toward the Niger River. Anger boiled through her, but she knew enough to be afraid, too. Maybe this had something to do with Arthur’s investigation of the manuscript thievery ring in Timbuktu. Or maybe it had to do with her work for PAAC.
    Either way, it was far more adventure than she had bargained for, and she wanted out.

TWO

    “Listen, I work for the Pan-African Agriculture Committee,” Tillie yelled over the rattle of the Land Rover’s engine. “I want to talk to the authorities. Take me to the embassy.”
    “The embassy?” The driver uttered a muffled curse. “You don’t know what’s going on here, do you?”
    “I know I just about got kidnapped by a Targui.”
    “Do you plant trees at the PAAC compound?”
    That question again. “Yes, I plant trees. Why? What’s going on?”
    The man glanced back at her, his eyes narrowing. “Did the Targui give you anything? A piece of paper?”
    “Paper?” Tillie suddenly recalled the child’s odd action— her focus darted to the palm-size amulet that swung from her neck. The hand-wrought silver locket had been threaded onto an intricate hand-beaten silver chain. Strange symbols were engraved on the tarnished metal, and they surrounded a bead of yellow amber embedded in the front. The ancient amulet was encrusted with dirt and grime and looked as though it would crack if she tried to open it. She glanced up again.
    “Hey!” she exclaimed when she looked out the window.
    “Where are you taking me? This isn’t the way to the embassy!” She tried to pull herself upright as the Land Rover bounced along a crowded street that led to the river. She shot the driver a wary look. “Who are you? Are you in cahoots with that Targui?”
    “I work alone.”
    Frowning at the terse reply, she shielded her actions from him as she dropped the necklace down her blouse and buttoned the top button. The locket was meant to be hers. After all, the ragged boy had given it to her . . . the tree-planting woman.
    Hanging on to the strap, Tillie ventured another peek behind. The Targui was nowhere in sight, his dromedary no match for the Land Rover. And yet this maniacal driver continued his headlong race through Bamako.
    “I asked you a question!” he hollered. “The Targui—did he give you anything?”
    Tillie scowled. “And I asked you a question! Two of them, in fact. Neither of which you have deigned to answer, so I’ll repeat them. Who are you, and where are you taking me?”
    His eyes sparked. “I’m Graeme McLeod. Now, how about handing over that paper?”
    The Land Rover barreled onto the road that ran along the brown Niger River. Tillie tightened her grip on the leather strap. “I don’t have any paper.”
    “Look, lady, you don’t know this, but your life is in danger. I’m trying to protect you, okay?” His eyes flashed with irritation. “And you’re sure not making it easy. Didn’t you get that Targui’s message? He and his pals are after you. You’re the tree-planting woman. Now give that piece of paper to me, and this will all be over. I’ll take you straight to the embassy.”
    “Take me there right now. I’m under the protection of the United States government. If someone is after me, they can handle it.”
    Graeme clenched his jaw. “Ten months . . . ,” he muttered. “Ten months of searching, and I have to run into this. Okay. If you won’t give me the paper, you’ll just have to come along for the ride.”
    Glaring at him, her heart in her throat, Tillie debated giving the man the amulet and being done with the whole ugly mess. She was crazy not to. But the boy had given it to her, to the tree-planting woman. She had to know why. What was in the