The Gambit (23 page)

“Owen, wake up. Wake up.”

Rachel’s voice pulled me from my sleep.

“Mhmm…” I mumbled incoherently.

“Wake up. It’s been two hours. Let’s go.”

Two hours
.

I opened my eyes and rubbed them. Rachel was staring, just waiting for me to come to my senses.

“You awake now? Come on, get up.”

She grabbed my hand and helped drag me upright.

“All right, all right. I’m up.”

“So, where to, Mr. Criminal Mastermind?”

I pointed to the left.

“South.”

We meandered our way to the exit of the woods and trudged through unkempt grass. I was still lethargic. Our nap had passed in an instant. It was one of those black, dreamless sleeps. Rachel and I didn’t talk, we just forged our path farther south. Minutes felt like hours. The land was flat and vast. It looked the same in all directions. There were palm trees that lined every wooded area. I wasn’t the best at geography…but as far as we had gone since the boat, we had to have been in Florida.

“We still could have been sleeping, you know.”

I didn’t even turn to look at her. I was so exhausted.

“I know. It isn’t safe to stay put.”

“I disagree. Look how out in the open we are. If anyone was looking, they’d find us.”

“We will be fine. Don’t worry.”

“I’m not worrying,” she said. “I’m a realist.”

“Are you suggesting I’m not?”

“No, we are both tired. I’m just saying we could have
really
rested. I shouldn’t have woken you up.”

“Well, that opportunity has passed. Look, all I’m saying is the CIA and FBI are going to be all over the area where we crashed. The farther we are away from them, the better.”

“True.”

More time passed. The land became even vaster with little to no trees around. Just flatlands surrounded us. I had seen a house tucked behind some woods a few minutes back. Hopefully, if anyone was home, they weren’t keeping a close eye on their property.

“Do you hear that?” Rachel asked. She grabbed my arm.

My senses heightened as I stood still to listen. It didn’t sound too far off, whatever it was. The ground beneath me was vibrating slightly. The sound was rhythmic. It churned and pulsed, yet was mechanical and deep.

“It sounds like a train,” I said.

“I wonder how far away it is.”

“Come on, let’s go. Run!”

I began to run in the direction of the sound.

“What? Wait up!” Rachel called from behind me.

“Hurry!”

She made it to my side and we both ran across the flatlands. I was breathing heavy, but the sound was growing louder. We were close.

“Why are you running?” she asked, her voice bouncy and struggling to speak. “If it’s a passenger train it’s pointless.”

“It sounds too slow to be a passenger train.”

We kept running, and then I saw it. It was a black freight train…and it was going
south
. I sped up, and as I neared the track, I looked to the right and saw the last railcar come into view.

“Rachel! Sprint!”

I pumped my arms and used every last bit of energy I had to keep up with the train. It was sliding past me, railcar after railcar. Suddenly, the caboose passed my side. The thought of losing the train pumped adrenaline through my veins, and with one final surge of energy I launched myself into the air. I grasped onto the metal rungs of a ladder and turned around to see Rachel just feet behind me.

“Come on!”

She strained and pushed herself harder, trying her best to speed up.

“I can’t!”

I held the rung with one hand and made sure my feet were on the ladder firmly. I extended my left hand as far as I possibly could. My arms were stretched out to the full length of my wingspan.

“Rachel, you can do this! Give it all you got and grab my hand!”

Her face was beet-red and she pumped her arms up and down in a final sprint. She neared my hand, and I knew it was now or never.

“Jump!”

She leaped into the air and wrapped her hands around my forearm. I clutched her and swung her up into a half-hug. She panted in exhaustion. Her breath was hot against my neck. I glanced down at our feet, and they were squished together on the thin, metal rung. I hoped it would hold our weight.

“Grab the ladder!” I yelled over the raucous sound of the train.

She used one hand to latch on first, then released her grasp from my neck with the other. Once she was secure, I began to study my surroundings. To my right, there was an iron door.

I clasped the door handle with my four fingers. Once I gripped it with my other hand, I planted my feet on the body of the train and used my strength to tug at the door. It was unbelievably heavy. I continued to pull, and suddenly it swung open. It threw me backward and my legs swung like noodles as I held onto the door handle with all my strength. My struggle was far from over. Now wide open, I had to find a way inside without closing the door.

I rocked back and forth and pushed the door closer to the closed position. I swung my left leg around the underside of the door and straddled it like a monkey would a tree limb. I rocked harder, to the point where my head was slamming against the iron frame. All I needed was for—

My butt cheek caught the surface of the floor, and that was it—solid ground. I used my left hand to keep my balance, dropped my right leg beneath the door, and pulled it inside. I had made it.

I quickly stood up and opened the door, peering up to my right to see Rachel still clung to the ladder. Her hair whipped wildly around her face.

“Rachel!” I called to her.

She turned and looked at me.

“Do what I did! Climb down and jump!”

She nodded. I caught fear in her expression.

When her feet hit the last rung, she looked down at the track moving fast below us. She was hesitant.

“You got this! You’ve made it this far!”

“Jump!”

“Ahh!” she screamed and stretched her arms skyward. I lunged for her and grabbed her wrist. My abs quivered from trying to keep balance. It took all my strength not to fall forward with her weight.

“Don’t let go! Please!” she cried.

I felt vibration through her arms. The tips of her shoes were dragging across the tracks. My eyes widened at the thought of what kind of pain she might have been in.

“It hurts,” she winced. “Pull me up, please!”

“When I pulled her up, I would slip closer to the edge. She was literally
in my hands
. Our weight was linked and I couldn’t adjust my position.

“I need you to push! Push with one foot! I will pull you in!”

“They are numb…” She cried. “The pain…”

“I need you to
push,
Rachel! Now!”

I felt the motion of her moving up a few feet. I used the momentum and threw myself backward into the caboose, slinging her in by the wrist. I collapsed onto my calves, and my body folded onto itself like a lawn chair. Rachel lay on top of me, crying and panting.

“Thank you,” she sighed. “Thank you…”

She was on top of me. We were chest to chest. Our breath was in sync, and although I was in pain from halving my feet wedged underneath my body—it felt nice. I didn’t want her to move.

“We made it,” I said. My voice was shaky. I was still catching my breath.

“Your heart,” she blurted, with her head atop my chest.

“What about it?”

“It hasn’t slowed down a bit. It’s still beating just as fast.”

It sped up even more as she said that.

“It’s going faster,” she added.

I smirked and tried not to laugh.

“What is your diagnosis, Dr. Flores?”

She chuckled. “I think you have a case of the butterflies.”

I craned my neck up and looked at her.

“You really do wear a lot of hats in life.”

She shook her head at me.

“When was the last time you had a woman on top of you?”

“Two weeks ago.”

“You dog!” she scolded.

“She wasn’t nearly as beautiful as you, though.”

I felt affection as her eyes met mine. I had hit a soft spot.

“I have to admit,” she began. “You are mighty charming if I do say so myself.”

“Oh really? I thought I was a douchebag that needed to grow up.”

“I don’t know who that Owen was. It definitely wasn’t the same guy I’m with now.”

“I’ll give you that…”

“You’re actually not half bad to be around,” she teased. “You act no different than you do in all your interviews.”

“I strived to be an honest politician. I had nothing to hide.”

“What an oxymoron,” she laughed. “Honest politician.”

“No joke.”

“It showed, though, those times I saw you on TV. Everyone knew you were genuine. It is something this country has lacked for a long time.”

“Thank you,” I said. “Funny how the media can turn on me so quickly. One day I’m a hero, and the next day I’m a villain.”

“Now
that’s
what I am here for.”

“To expose the truth,” I repeated her words from earlier today.

“Of course. A truth will erase any well-executed lie. Especially if the evidence is tangible, and from a credible source, that will make a story irrefutable. That is what I aim to do.”

I admired her intellect. It was so mesmerizing.

“Rachel, that plan sounds just as good as it did this morning…but, my legs are numb. Do you mind?”

She slid off of me and I strained to slide my legs out from underneath of me. They were deadweight. Once separated, everything was different. I could feel other sensations besides the warmth of our bodies together. The air was temperate and humid, but there was a slight chill in the caboose. She sat a few feet away and stared at me silently.

“So, two weeks huh?”

My heart jumped at her words.
Yes!

“Yup,” I answered smugly.

“You know, I don’t blame those women at all. Your personality reflects your looks. They are both great.”

She is really coming on to me right now
…

“I can say the same thing about you.”

The sexual tension only heightened.

“Oh really?” she chuckled and tossed her hair behind her shoulder.

“
Really
,”
I replied, emphasizing the word. She moved closer to me. I knew she wanted me to make the first move.

“It is chilly in here…why don’t we keep ourselves warm?”

I propped myself up with my elbow and stared into her eyes, just inches away from her face. It was almost pitch black, with the exception of some moonlight that slipped through the hatch in the roof. She didn’t answer me, and I went in for the kiss. Our lips touched, and I started off delicate. Her lips were amazing, they were soft and plump. She would pull back for a second, teasing me, and I gently sucked on her bottom lip. She rolled over on top of me and her long hair dangled around my face.

We continued with more passion than before. I ran my fingers through her hair, massaging her scalp. Our kissing was deep and in sync. She sucked my bottom lip so hard I could feel it enlarge. She tossed her hair back and moved to my neck, kissing my face and chin as she went down. I could feel the tingling sensation of the skin being filled with blood just below the surface.

I moaned in pleasure. Hickeys were my favorite, and I was hard as a rock. She noticed, and tickled my stomach and slid her hand down to my crotch. She rubbed me through my pants, and I took my free hand and slid my two middle fingers down her pants like you would hold a bowling ball.

She let out a moan. We played with each other for a few minutes, and we continued making out with more intensity as time passed. I removed my hand from her pants and began to reach for my waistline. I felt a firm hand on top of mine. She pulled away from our kiss.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she asked in a sexy whisper.

“Getting naked.”

“There’s no need,” she replied.

“What? Why not?” I questioned. Confused, I began to pull at her clothes to assist her in undressing.

“Do you really think I fuck on a first date?”

“Wha—? I mean—”

“Shh,” she said, kissing me more and then pulled back.

“What kind of girl do you think I am? Do I come off as easy?”

“No. Sex is a stress reliever, and after the kind of day we’ve had, anything would help.”

“Sorry to disappoint you, but we met less than twelve hours ago. I’m not going to give it up that quickly.”

She dry-humped me through my pants. I could barely contain myself.