THE PALMS THAT HELD US

Chapter 7: The Hidden Camp

They found the hidden camp at dusk. Daniel led them there, his steps sure and purposeful, as if he had known exactly where to go all along. Susan noticed the change in him, the way his hesitation had vanished, replaced by a cold determination that made her skin crawl.

The camp was tucked into a narrow valley between two steep cliffs, invisible from above and hidden by a thick curtain of vines. Inside, there were tents and supplies and a fire pit that was still warm. Someone had been here recently. Someone was still here.

Daniel walked to the largest tent and pulled open the flap. Inside was a cot, a table, and a map covered with markings that Susan did not recognize. She stepped closer, her heart pounding.

"Look," she said, pointing at the map. "There's a symbol here. A red circle. What does it mean?"

Daniel's face went pale. He grabbed the map from her hands and folded it quickly, shoving it into his pocket.

"It's nothing," he said. "Just a marker."

But Susan had seen the look in his eyes. Panic. Fear. He was hiding something, and now she knew it for certain.

Esmeralda pushed past him and entered the tent. Her eyes swept the space, cataloging every detail with military precision. She stopped at the cot and lifted the pillow. Beneath it was a photograph.

It was a picture of a woman. Dark hair, sharp eyes, a confident smile. She was holding a badge that Susan did not recognize.

"Who is this?" Esmeralda demanded.

Daniel's voice was flat. "No one."

"Liar." Chen stepped forward, her swimmer's body coiled with tension. "I know that face. I've seen it before. She was on the Aurora. I saw her in the private lounge."

Daniel's mask cracked. His face twisted with something that might have been grief or rage or both. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"I know exactly what I'm talking about," Chen said coldly. "She was with you. She was your partner. And now she's gone, isn't she? That's why you're here alone."

Daniel lunged at her. He moved fast, faster than a man his age should be able to move, but Chen was faster. She sidestepped his attack and swept his legs out from under him. He crashed to the ground, gasping.

Priya was on him in an instant. She pinned his arms behind his back, her knee pressing into his spine.

"Talk," she said. "Who was she? What were you doing on that ship?"

Daniel's breath came in ragged gasps. "Her name was Sarah. Sarah Chang. We were intelligence officers. The Aurora was a mission. A cover. We were tracking someone."

"Who?" Esmeralda demanded.

"An arms dealer." Daniel's voice cracked. "He was supposed to be on board. We were supposed to extract him. But something went wrong. The ship sank. She died. And I've been running ever since."

---

The group fell silent. The weight of his words hung in the air, heavy and suffocating. Susan looked at Daniel, at the grief etched into his face, and felt a flicker of sympathy for the man who had lost everything.

Then she remembered the footprints. The fresh footprints that led away from the rescue point.

"Daniel," she said slowly. "Who was in the camp? Who left those footprints?"

Daniel's eyes went wide. He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out.

Then they heard it. A twig snapping in the jungle. A footstep. A breath.

Someone was watching them.

Esmeralda moved instantly. She shoved Susan behind her, her sharpened stick raised, her body tense and ready. Priya released Daniel and drew a knife from her belt.

"Show yourself," Esmeralda commanded.

The jungle was silent. Then the vines parted and a figure stepped into the clearing.

It was a woman. Tall and lean, her dark hair streaked with gray, her eyes sharp and calculating. She was wearing a military uniform that was torn and stained, and she was holding a gun.

"Lower your weapons," she said. Her voice was calm, controlled. "I'm not here to hurt you."

Priya's breath caught. "Sarah Chang. You're alive."

The woman nodded. "I am. And I have a lot to tell you."

---

That night, they sat around the fire and listened to Sarah's story. She told them about the mission, about the arms dealer, about the chaos that had consumed the Aurora before it sank. She told them about Daniel, about their partnership, about the secrets they had been keeping from each other.

"I didn't know he was still alive," she said. "I thought I was the only one."

"And you've been living here?" Susan asked. "Alone?"

Sarah nodded. "I've been hiding. The arms dealer is still out there. He survived the sinking. He's on this island too."

Daniel's face went pale. "He's here?"

"He's been here all along." Sarah's voice was grim. "He's been watching you. Watching all of you. He knows you're here. And he's not going to let you leave."

---

Esmeralda pulled Susan into the shadows behind a tent. Her hands were shaking, her face pale.

"I need you," she whispered. "I need to feel something other than this fear."

Susan kissed her, hard and deep. "I'm here. I'm always here."

Ez pushed her against the wall of the tent, her mouth hot on Susan's neck, her hands gripping her hips. "I love you," she breathed. "I love you so much it terrifies me."

"I love you too," Susan whispered. "Now show me."

Ez dropped to her knees. She pulled Susan's shorts down and pressed her mouth between her thighs. Susan gasped, her head falling back, her hands fisting in Ez's short hair.

Ez's tongue found her c**t and circled it slowly, deliberately. She licked and sucked and teased until Susan was trembling, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

"Please," Susan begged. "Please, Ez, I need more."

Ez slipped two fingers inside her, curling them against that perfect spot. Susan cried out, her body arching, her release crashing over her in wave after wave.

"Look at me," Ez commanded. "Look at me while you come."

Susan's eyes met hers, dark with pleasure, and she shattered.

---

Ez stood and kissed her, tasting herself on Susan's lips. "My turn," she whispered.

Susan dropped to her knees and pulled Ez's shorts down. She pressed her mouth between Ez's thighs and laved her with slow, flat strokes.

Ez's breath caught, her hands fisting in Susan's hair. "Yes. Just like that. Don't stop."

Susan didn't stop. She licked and sucked and pushed her fingers inside Ez, curling them until Ez cried out.

"I love you," Ez gasped. "I love you, I love you, I love you."

She came with a cry that echoed through the camp, her body trembling, her hands gripping Susan's shoulders.

When they collapsed together, tangled in each other, Susan pressed her forehead to Ez's.

"We're going to survive this," she said. "We're going to find a way off this island. And we're going to have a life together. I promise."

Ez kissed her. "I believe you."