A Kiss of Adventure Read Online Free Page A

locket—and why did this man want it so badly?
    As the Land Rover rattled along the river road, a hundred thoughts raced through Tillie’s mind. Hannah. Where was she, and what would she do when Tillie didn’t show up at the house? Arthur. Would he really have shot and killed that Targui? The thought sickened her. And this . . . this ruffian driving her who knew where. She had no idea what kind of man he was or what he would do to get the amulet from her.
    She closed her eyes for a second, trying to calm her racing heart and thoughts. How could God let this happen?
    She looked at McLeod again. With his shaggy black hair and scruffy chin, the man looked the perfect pirate. His long, sunbaked nose might have made him handsome but for the obvious fact that it had been broken at least once. His strong white teeth could have lent him a dashing air, but the cynical tilt to his lips erased every trace of the debonair. His square jaw and firm chin were appealing, but his teeth were locked in a clench so tight the muscle in his cheek jumped. All the man needed was an eye patch, and he could have passed for a buccaneer.
    An American pirate in Mali? Well, why not? The desert attracted all kinds of adventurers. This renegade’s faded blue jeans and tan shirt clung to his tall frame, revealing a strength Tillie knew she should fear. But her outrage at the events of the afternoon overrode any wariness.
    She climbed into the empty front seat and shifted her focus to the passing houses. She had no idea where he was taking her. Obviously they were traveling away from the city’s center, but where were they going?
    “I hope you realize this is as much a kidnapping as when that Targui grabbed me,” she snapped. “You could spend a lot of time in jail, you know.”
    He turned to her, and for the first time she looked into his eyes. Deep blue-green, they were the color of the desert sky. One corner of his mouth turned up, softening the harsh line. “I prefer to think I rescued you. I guess you haven’t thought about where you’d be if I hadn’t come along when I did.”
    “I can take care of myself, McLeod. That Targui never would have gotten away with me.”
    “I did, didn’t I?”
    Tillie pursed her lips and looked away. They were leaving the city, and she began to worry in earnest. The houses grew farther apart. Dusty fields took their place. A glint of sunlight on the river caught her eye, and she tried to remember what Arthur had told her the night they met.
    Explorers had come to find the direction in which the Niger flowed. Mungo Park was the one who discovered that the river was shaped like a huge question mark. It began far to the southwest of Bamako and wound north toward the Sahara. Then it turned southward and spilled out into the Bight of Benin.
    Of course! The Niger flowed north from Bamako. Tillie scrutinized the muddy waters and saw that the Land Rover was traveling with the current. Graeme McLeod was taking her north.
    Toward the desert.
    Oh, Lord. Panic rising in her throat, she realized Arthur would have no idea where she was by now. The Targui must be miles behind. Who was this man—and what could he possibly want with the amulet? Her mind quickly ran through possible ways to escape.
    “I need a rest stop,” she announced. “A bathroom.”
    “Sure you do.” His mouth tipped into a slight smile. “We’ll stop when the sun goes down.”
    “Sunset!” Tillie glowered at him. “Hey, I’m expected back at my house already. People are waiting for me, and I have to go to work tomorrow. Look, McLeod, I told you I need to stop now. I mean it.”
    “We’ve got to get to the rapids before the sun sets.”
    Rapids! Tillie looked down at her cotton skirt and sandals. How was she ever going to escape this demon in the darkness, near rapids, and in these useless clothes? She rested an elbow on the door handle and tried to moisten her lips. It was useless. Her nostrils burned with the acrid scent of the air. The