El Corazon (8/10)
El Corazon (8/10)
Author: Amy
Pairing: Orlibean
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Never happened. This has been adapted from the movie Romancing the Stone - it does not belong to me no harm is meant and no money is being made.
Beta: The lovely giselleslash all remaining mistakes are mine.
Summary: Romance writer Orlando Bloom travels to Colombia to save his sister who has been kidnapped.
Note: This is for the orlibean Summer Movie Challenge. The movie I chose was Romancing the Stone. There are still plenty of movies to choose from so if you're interested in participating please follow the link above and join the fun.
Note #2: The Next part will be Posted on Sunday 9/02.
Previous Parts
Thanks to cammissbloom for my lovely banner and icon!
Santa Maria was a lot bigger than it looked on the map.
Dominic had realized this, much to his dismay, shortly after he’d arrived in town and set himself up in what he hoped was the most logical place for a traveler to come after a long journey across the country. That being the nicest hotel the town held. But the truth of the matter was that there were numerous other places Bloom could come to stay and clean up and Dominic had no idea what his money situation might be. The hope he’d held of being able to find them was fading quickly.
With a sigh he crossed the small square and headed for the pay phone nearest the hotel. He had to face the inevitable that he’d lost them and that he’d have to inform Colin of what had happened. That was really the last thing he wanted to do, Colin would be furious to say the least. He plunked in the right amount of change into the phone and patiently waited for the connection to be made and for Colin to get around to picking up the phone on the other end.
“Well?” Colin’s voice was a bark of pure irritation, it caused Dominic’s hackles to rise up and bite back.
“Hello to you too,” he snapped back.
“Well?” Colin snapped again as if he hadn’t even heard the snappish comment. “Where the hell are you?”
“We have a bit of a problem,” Dominic hedged slightly.
“Now what?” Colin said with a put upon sigh.
“More of the same really,” Dominic said while thinking he should be the one using that sigh. “I’ve lost him.”
“You idiot,” Colin said sharply. “I give you one task, one measly little task and you can’t even get that right. How on earth can I trust you with more responsibility if you can’t even keep track of one person?”
“I’ve never asked for any responsibility!” Dom growled in irritation. “The only reason I’m even still in Colombia is because you keep threatening me and my family!”
“I am doing nothing of the sort, Dominic,” Colin breathed dangerously. “If you go telling those lies to people then…well...you might just regret it.”
Dominic’s breathing came in short angry bursts. He wanted to hang up the phone. He wanted to scream and shout he wanted to do and say a lot of things, but he couldn’t. He regretted the day he ever looked up to Colin and the day he didn’t listen to his brother when he tried to warn him away from the idolization. Unable to do anything he half listened as Colin started yet another diatribe on his incompetence. He kicked a rock and watched it roll across the street from the phone towards the largest hotel in the town.
As he glanced away from the hotel he caught sight of a familiar figure coming down the street towards it. Bloom looked a mess even from a distance and he was walking very close to a man that Dominic had not seen before and assumed must be the helper that he’d heard the police going on about. He breathed a sigh of relief that he’d found them again.
“He’s here,” he said interrupting Colin in the middle of his rant but he got no satisfaction from it.
“Then do something right and make sure he gets here!” Colin barked. “Get him pointed in the right direction…force him if you have to but get him here! I’m tired of babysitting his sister and I want…my…map…”
The dial tone in his hear told Dominic that he’d been hung up on before he’d had a chance to respond. He growled as he slammed the phone down and turned his attention towards the two men who were entering the hotel.
He hurried quickly across the street, cursing everyone and everything as he went.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Sean thanked the man behind the desk and crossed over to where Orlando was sitting in one of the lobby chairs looking about ready to fall asleep. His eyes opened wearily as Sean approached. Sean felt relieved that he had good news to tell him, they’d both been concerned when they’d gotten to town and seen that there was a festival of some sort being held that evening.
“We’re in luck,” he said with a grin. “Got the last available room and it’s a double…”
“Something finally went right at least,” Orlando murmured tiredly.
“It doesn’t end there,” Sean said with a tired grin. “There’s a bus that leaves for Cartagena in the morning so you should be able to retrieve your sister by tomorrow night.
Orlando’s eyes slipped shut in relief and Sean was struck for the first time how young he must be. Sean sighed, trying to push any thoughts he’d had for the evening out of his head.
“Why don’t you head up,” he said handing over the room key. “Take a shower, get some room service. There’s a phone up there if you want to try to get a hold of your agent, if you don’t mind footing the bill for an international collect call…”
“A shower…” Orlando said with a sigh. “Oh that sounds wonderful. And yeah, I better get a hold of Elijah as soon as possible he’s probably freaking out, he tends to do that.”
“Well then,” Sean said holding out a hand towards Orlando almost without thinking about it. Orlando hesitated a moment and then grasped the offered hand. The skin was warm and soft. Most of the smooth surfaces were torn up from their recent adventure in playing Tarzan. Sean rubbed his finger gently against the marks causing Orlando to wince a little bit. “Better put something on those.”
“What about you,” Orlando said in a dazed sounding voice as he pulled his hand away from Sean’s. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to see if I can get us some fresh clothing to wear,” Sean said mildly. “Then I’ll probably catch a shower and get some food as well.”
“Do you need some…” Orlando’s forehead crinkled slightly as he paused. “Some of...your money?”
Sean laughed slightly and shook his head. “Nah, I should be okay until we get to Cartagena…besides most of the vendors prefer to barter and I have stuff for that in my pack. You’d be amazed what you can get for an N’Sync CD down here…”
He then reached out and snagged an arm through Orlando’s and pulled him across the room. Orlando allowed himself to be led towards the stairs that led up to the second floor and their room for the evening. When Sean was sure that Orlando was headed up he rounded the corner back to the desk. His heart was thudding slightly in his chest with each step he took.
“Do you have a copy machine?” he asked in a hushed voice.
“Si, si,” the man said in an overexcited tone. “Do you need something copied?”
“Not…yet,” Sean said with slight hesitation. “But I will.”
Then he turned and hurried back out into the sunlight, desperately in search of something to distract him from the thoughts warring in his head.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Orlando picked listlessly at his salad as he waited for the call to connect through to his apartment in New York. He was feeling much better physically. The shower had helped him feel almost human again after almost 24 hours of tramping through the jungle and being chased around the dusty countryside. But mentally…he sighed and reached for his pack, pulling out the map and staring down at it…mentally he wasn’t feeling all that much better.
He’d doubled back down the stairs to tell Sean his size and to see if he could get some deodorant or toothpaste because Orlando wasn’t sure what the complimentary basket would be like in their room. As he’d reached the desk area he’d heard Sean ask if they had a copier. There was no mistaking what Sean wanted to copy.
It didn’t hurt, not really. Sean didn’t owe him anything, their debts ran in the opposite direction and while Orlando was paying more than enough for Sean’s help, they still didn’t know each other any more than to qualify as strangers. Sean had made no secret that he had a burning desire to find what was on the end of the map and there was nothing that Orlando could…or even should do…to stop it.
At least Sean hadn’t just taken the original and abandoned him in the middle of the jungle, there would have been nothing to stop him from doing so. It appeared that he was planning to do what he said he’d do, take Orlando to Cartagena and help him get Samantha back. What he did after that was not Orlando’s business. He’d have the original to give to the kidnappers and could play none-the-wiser that there was a copy of it out there in existence.
He squashed the part of himself that wished that Sean had broached the subject of making a copy of the map. They hadn’t discussed that possibility and at this point Orlando would be hard pressed to tell the other man no, especially considering how much danger he’d put Sean in and how Sean continued to try and protect him. As long as Samantha was safe, allowing Sean to go after the treasure was the least that Orlando could do for him.
“Orlando,” he said into the phone when he was prompted by the tinny recorded voice connecting his collect call through to New York.
“Where the hell are you!” was Elijah’s annoyed and anxious sounding greeting as the call connected through.
“Not where I’m supposed to be,” Orlando answered tiredly.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Elijah said in exasperation.
“It means I’m horribly off track but I should be in Cartagena by tomorrow evening…” he paused and the added dejectedly. “Unless things keep going the way they have been going, if so, then who knows…”
“Are you alright?” Elijah asked in a calmer tone.
“Yeah…” Orlando breathed out. Just hearing a familiar friendly voice was doing wonders for his mental state.
“What happened?” Did you get on the wrong bus? Why haven’t you called me before this?” The questions were sharp and rapid fire and Orlando knew he’d have to explain everyone in excruciating detail to make Elijah happy.
“Yes I got on the wrong bus,” there was a disbelieving snort on the other end and he rolled his eyes. “But I had help,” he insisted mildly.
“Help?”
“Yeah…the man that…well…he’s probably the man that killed Karl…” Orlando hesitated in saying, knowing it was not going to go over well with Elijah.
“What!” Elijah said sharply. “I told you, you should have gone to the CIA or…whoever…”
“Well,” he answered dryly. “It’s a little late for that now. But Sean thinks…”
“Who’s Sean?”
“Look,” Orlando said in exasperation. “This is a rather long story that I’m paying an arm and a leg to tell you so could you hold off the question and answer session until the end?”
There was a noncommittal noise on the other end of the line that Orlando took to be an agreement. He hurried through the explanation. Elijah managed to stay mostly quiet throughout keeping the questions to a few pertinent ones. When Orlando finished he waited for Elijah to comment. Silence stretched for what seemed like hours and then finally Elijah spoke.
“If I didn’t know better I would think you were simply telling me the plot of some romance novel you’d just cooked up,” he said blankly.
“I wish…” there was a snort on the other end of the line and Orlando hurried to cover himself. “I mean…because then I wouldn’t be in the middle of this mess…”
“But you’re okay?” Elijah said, humor lacing his voice. “Other than being scared out of your mind and a few bumps and bruises?”
“Yeah,” Orlando reassured him. “I’m remarkably okay.”
“Okay, then,” Elijah said, sounding relieved. “And you and this Sean person are holed up in some little village in the middle of the country spending the night in the same hotel room?”
“Elijah…” Orlando said rolling his eyes though he knew Elijah couldn’t see it. He should have known that out of everything Elijah would latch onto it would be that detail above all others. “There are two beds.”
“Yeah I know, you quite emphasized that point already,” Elijah said and Orlando could practically see the knowing smirk on his lips. “Just trying to get the plot all straight in my head.”
“There isn’t any plot,” Orlando insisted tightly.
“Just be careful,” Elijah said in a more serious tone.
“We’ll be fine.”
“I wasn’t talking about the mess you’re finding yourself in the middle of,” Elijah continued easily. “I’m talking about this Sean guy…be careful with him.”
“Nothing is going to happen,” Orlando said with a frown. “I don’t even know him….I don’t even know if I actually like him as a person or anything.”
“Liking someone as a person has nothing to do with getting a little comfort in a stressful situation,” Elijah pointed out mildly.
“Elijah!” Orlando said with a huff. “I’m not going to sleep with him to get a little comfort…I don’t even know him!”
“I know you Orlando,” Elijah said in a soothing tone. “You’re a romantic at heart…you write romance novels for god’s sake…and you’re in the middle of what would qualify as a highly charged situation worthy of any Hollywood romantic comedy. I’m not saying you’d do anything on purpose but…”
“But…” Orlando said in a strained voice. “You think I’d sleep with him because he reminds me of some hero character from one of my books?” He knew that the minute the retort was out of his mouth he’d made a mistake. Elijah knew him well enough to realize that’s probably exactly what was happening even if he hadn’t been fully aware of it until that very moment.
“I’m not trying to be mean,” Elijah explained gently. “But I know that you don’t really have much experience with…these things…” Orlando snorted at the delicate understatement but didn’t interrupt him. “I don’t want to see you get hurt Orlando…I don’t want to see you like you were after Craig…”
“You didn’t even know me after Craig,” Orlando tried to snap in irritation but wasn’t really feeling it.
“Not right after, no…but when I met you…you were a mess,” Elijah said easily. “You’re still a bit of a mess over it…”
“Nice,” Orlando muttered but he didn’t try to argue the point.
“Again not trying to be mean, just trying to be a friend,” Elijah answered back without hesitation. “And you are a bit of a mess when it comes to relationships. So please…I know you can take care of yourself just be careful…”
“It’s not like this is going to be a relationship,” Orlando said after a moment of silence. “I won’t even see him after tomorrow night. That’s not long enough to loose your heart over someone…even for me…”
“Orli,” Elijah said in a sad tone. “I didn’t mean...”
“I know,” Orlando answered. “Look…I’ll call you tomorrow when we get to Cartagena to tell you where to wire the money.”
There was silence on the other end and Orlando could tell that Elijah wanted to press the issue some more or at least make it clear that he wasn’t trying to hurt Orlando. “Its fine Elijah…I know what you mean. I need to get going. This call is going to cost a small fortune. So I’ll call you tomorrow about the money, okay?”
“Okay, okay” Elijah answered but it was clear he didn’t want to end the call. “Oh, that annoying ass of a kidnapper has called like 5 times in the last 24 hours demanding to know where you are…what should I tell him when he calls again?”
Orlando laughed as a bit of the tension drifted away. “I certainly hope you haven’t called him that on the phone.”
“Of course not,” Elijah said smugly. “I really wanted to though. Thankfully I’ve dealt with bigger asses than him on a daily basis.”
“Just tell him that I got off track and that I’ll be in Cartagena tomorrow evening and will follow the plan that we agreed to when I get to the hotel so he better have everything in place.
“I get to order him around?” Elijah questioned gleefully. “With pleasure!”
“I wouldn’t go that far…” Orlando said dryly but he knew that Elijah would never do anything rash or stupid that would endanger Samantha.
“I’ll call you first thing when I get to the hotel,” Orlando said knowing that he should end the conversation but now he found he didn’t want to do so. When the call was ended the only thing holding him to reality would be severed.
“Be sure that you do and Orlando…” he said softly. “Please be careful.”
“I promise…I’ll be careful,” he said and he meant it.
“Good,” Elijah said in an officious sounding tone. “Have to protect my cash cow you know.”
Orlando laughed long and hard over that almost throw away statement. “Thanks Elijah, I needed that.”
“Just doing my job, just doing my job,” was Elijah’s almost cheery reply. “I’ll get things set up with your estate managers to get the money ready to be wired and I’ll talk to you soon then.”
“Soon,” Orlando agreed with a nod though he knew Elijah couldn’t see it.
The call ended and Orlando sighed. His attention was drawn back down to the map. His head echoed with Elijah’s worries and he hurriedly brushed them away. It hadn’t even really been a thought in his head that he could try to make something happen with Sean. Sean wasn’t even going to be in his life after tomorrow night, that much was certain by Sean’s own thoughts and actions. And Orlando wouldn’t even want him there anymore. He set the map back into his backpack towards the top so it would be easier for Sean to get to it when he inevitably went about sneaking it off to be copied. He assumed it would be while he was asleep and made a mental note not to check his pack again until the morning. He knew he could count on Sean to keep the map safe. He momentarily thought about just leaving it out on the dresser between the two beds, maybe with a note to okay it, but he shook that thought away and set the bag onto the floor near the bed before crawling under the covers.
The less involved he got in anything to do with Sean the better.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Sean slipped quietly into the hotel room. He was relieved to see that Orlando was still soundly asleep. He crossed the room and slipped the map safely back into Orlando’s backpack and then put his carefully folded copy into his next to the picture of the boat he’d been saving to purchase for years. On a whim he pulled the picture out and stared at it for a few long moments trying to remind himself of the things that mattered and what his actions were for.
His eyes kept sliding to the occupied bed. Orlando was curled on his side facing away from Sean. It told of his innocence, how easy it was for him to fall asleep with his back to the door even after spending the past two days being chased around by people who were hell bent on hurting him. A cloud of long, curly, dark hair was spread out across his pillow. It looked soft and Sean wanted to do nothing more than run his hands through it to find out if it was.
Instead he balled his hand into a fist, kicked his pack safely under the bed and hurried back towards the door. He’d already showered and had left a note for Orlando to meet him outside the hotel at 8. If Orlando ended up sleeping through the night instead…well that would probably be better for him.
And it would certainly be better for Sean.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Orlando felt rather nervous as he stepped out of the hotel and onto the street. The sun was just setting and there was a feeling of excitement in the air as festival attendees hurried both ways down the street. He stared down at his outfit wondering if he pulled it off okay. It wasn’t anything fancy just a loose linen button down shirt and a pair of soft linen pants, but the shirt was a vibrant cornflower blue and the pants were white. He’d been at a loss as to what to make of it. He normally wore black, grey or brown, the better to disappear into the background with. He certainly wasn’t going to blend in with this outfit.
Still the shirt was, dare he say it, pretty and he thought the color looked good on him when he’d looked at the full outfit in the mirror. He’d chosen to leave the shirt untucked and had pulled his hair back in a loose ponytail since he didn’t have anything to tame the curls with. He shuffled uncomfortably as people walked past him. They weren’t staring at him like he was some sort of circus freak so he must not look too bizarre in the outfit.
He felt eyes on him and he turned to scan the crowd, this times the nerves had nothing to do with pre-dinner jitters. It seemed strange to have forgotten that there were people after him and that he and his sister were in danger but for a split second he had. Hopefully it wasn’t a mistake that would cost him.
He breathed in relief as he caught sight of Sean striding purposefully in his direction. His heart, despite all the warnings it had received, picked up a little at the sight. Sean’s outfit wasn’t that different than his though his shirt was white with a flower design along the collar and he’d left it open a good deal. His hair glinted gold in the street lights that were beginning to come on. Orlando tried to memorize every detail, it was a perfect sort of entrance and he could definitely use it in a future book.
“You made it,” he said, his grin remaining firmly in place. “I thought you might just sleep through dinner…”
“Oh…no…I had a wake up call,” Orlando said with a shrug.
“I wouldn’t have blamed you if you had. Sleep is certainly more interesting than my company,” Sean continued with a slight smirk.
“Well,” Orlando teased back with an almost careless shrug. “Maybe normally but…I’m hungry.”
“Ah yes…well that explains it,” Sean said with a grin. “And in that case we better get going before the host I bribed at the restaurant to save us a table will decide that it’s not worth it and I hear the wait is hours long.”
“Let’s go,” Orlando said with wide eyes as he tugged at Sean’s hand in the direction he supposed the restaurant was in.
Sean, and his laughter, followed behind him.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
An hour later Sean was starting to feel the buzz of the cheap local beer, just enough to loosen his tongue a bit more than he normally would with someone who was almost a complete stranger. That was why when Orlando turned his dark, intelligent eyes on him and pinned him with the inevitable question that he’d been hoping wouldn’t get asked he didn’t even flinch.
“So…” Orlando drawled slightly, a sign to Sean that he wasn’t the only one feeling loose from the alcohol. “We know what I was doing on a remote mountain pass in the middle of the jungle…but what about you?”
“What?” Sean hedged, not quite sure why he was feeling the urge to give into those eyes so easily and determined to fight it.
“What are you doing here in Colombia, Sean?” Orlando asked again in a soft voice.
“Is it really important?” Sean asked coolly.
“No,” Orlando said with a shrug. “Not really but…I don’t know anything about you besides your name…and that you’re cranky…and think you’re not a nice guy.”
“I’m not a nice guy,” Sean insisted tightly.
Orlando shook his head but didn’t say anything to that comment. “So…why are you evading the question? Did you do something…bad?”
“No,” Sean said than sighed. “I just don’t like to talk about myself that’s all.”
“I don’t either but I did,” Orlando said in a soft tone. “I’m not asking you to tell me everything about your life…just…something in return.”
Sean frowned, he knew he did owe Orlando a story. But getting closer to Orlando seemed like trouble to him, something he might come to regret. That didn’t make sense really as after tomorrow he’d probably never see the other man again. That thought in mind he shrugged his shoulders and took a long, slow sip of his beer before finally answering the question.
“I’m from England,” he started and then grimaced when it came out his accent was heavy even to his own ears. “Obviously, I mean I’m from Sheffield, born and raised there. My parents and my sister still live there,” Orlando’s brow raised in surprise that he had a family and Sean wondered what sort of back-story the lad’s overactive imagination had thought up for him. “I grew up rough, got into lots of fights and lots of trouble but nothing too bad really and I didn’t come to the US running from anything. I came like many to make my fortune. And like many…it didn’t happen. I bumped around for a long while and then ended up here in the jungle.”
“Capturing exotic birds for trade?” Orlando asked. Sean looked at him sharply wondering how he could have known that little fact.
“Yeah…” he admitted. “They sell good. I do a lot of other odd jobs as well but the birds make me the most money. Not really…legal of course but…not something that attracts too much attention really if I keep to myself and it allows me to make some quick cash towards my goal.”
“What’s your goal? Heading home?”
“No,” Sean said with a shake of his head, it was Orlando’s turn to look confused. “I want to see my family again but…I could do that anytime, I don’t need to do all…this…for that.”
“Then what?”
“I’m trying to make as much money as possible for my girl.”
“You have a daughter?” Orlando asked softly.
“Not likely,” Sean said easily as he reached behind him and dug through his pack pulling out the folded photograph. Opening it he handed it to Orlando.
“It’s a…boat…” Orlando said in surprise.
“A sailboat,” Sean said with a nod. “She’s used but in good condition, her current owner doesn’t use her that much and since he owes me a few favors he’s giving me a good deal and holding her until I can save up the money. I’m close but…not quite…”
“But with the $10,000…”
“I’ll have enough to spare. This time next month I’ll be lost in the middle of the ocean, only coming to shore when I absolutely need to.”
“That sounds…nice…” Orlando trailed off in a tone that said he wasn’t really quite sure what to make of it.
“It sounds like heaven,” Sean murmured.
“Won’t you be lonely?” Orlando asked after a moment of silence.
“Well,” Sean said leaning back in his chair. “As you may have already guessed I’m not much of a people person and…if I did feel the need for some…companionship…that could be handled on the trip to shore…right?”
Orlando ducked his head and nodded. “Yeah…I guess…” he seemed to think about it some more and looked more interested when he glanced up again. “I guess that it could be nice. All that time to yourself….I bet I could get lots of writing done. I mean I practically lock myself in my apartment when I’m working on a book as it is but surrounded by all that open water and air…”
“It is,” Sean agreed without meaning to. Orlando sent him a confused look causing Sean to continue. “I mean I don’t write but it helps when I paint…not that I’ve had much of an opportunity to experience it, just when he’s taken me out on the boat.”
“You paint?” Orlando asked in surprise.
“Well,” Sean hesitantly admitted. “I dabble, I’m definitely not any good, but…it passes the time.”
Orlando stared at him for a long moment, his expression unreadable, then he dropped his gaze. He picked at the food remaining on his plate but it was clear that he no longer had any intention of eating it. Sean fidgeted in the growing silence. Sitting there staring at Orlando with nothing to distract him caused the photocopied map to practically burn a hole in his pack. His eyes trailed around the restaurant and lit on the dance floor in the middle of the outdoor eating area where a band had been playing lively and danceable songs all evening. As a new song struck up an idea for distraction hit him and he jumped to his feet causing Orlando to jump as well as he probably thought there was some new trouble headed their way.
“Sorry,” Sean said apologetically as he realized what was going through Orlando’s head. “We’re okay.” Orlando gasped for air and Sean wondered how close to breaking down Orlando actually was there was a line of tension that seemed to grow deeper by the minute on the younger man. But so far he had remained strong and pushed everything else aside as if he could force himself by sheer will and determination. All the more reason for a momentary distraction. “I heard the music and thought we could…dance…”
“Dance?” Orlando asked incredulously. His eyes trailed off towards the dance floor and the couples that were mingling about on it. “We can’t do that.”
“Why not?” Sean asked easily.
“Because…because…” Orlando said then shrugged. “We’ll draw too much attention to ourselves. I doubt they get too many men dancing together in this part of Colombia.”
“Probably not,” Sean conceded with a shrug of his own. “But look around you, Orlando. I think these people are way too inebriated and into each other to give a couple of crazy outsiders a second glance…”
“You think so…?” Orlando trailed off again, eyeing the dance floor with a bit of longing.
“I know so,” Sean said decisively coming round the table to firmly wrap his arm around Orlando’s. “It’ll be good to take our minds off of things…just for a bit…”
“Just for a bit…” Orlando hesitated slightly.
“You can’t help Samantha tonight,” he said softly. “Even if you don’t dance you can’t help her. You’ll be more help to her tomorrow if you’re relaxed and calm.”
“Okay, okay,” Orlando said after a moment of thought. “But if we get attacked by a crazed mob of locals I’m blaming you.”
Sean laughed and shook his head as they walked towards the dance floor.
“I think I can handle that.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Dominic watched as the two men walked towards the dance floor with narrow eyes. He was crouched on the floor near the entrance he’d snuck in through. The fact that they could eat and drink and play like normal people after everything that they’d gone through caused anger to bubble through him. He pushed it down realizing it was silly of him to think that way. He’d checked the bus schedule himself after he’d overheard them getting a room. There was no bus to Cartagena until the following morning. What did he expect them to do while they waited, cower in their rooms and do nothing? He certainly wouldn’t have done so if he hadn’t been charged with keeping an eye on Bloom.
Once they’d reached the dance floor he turned his attention back to their table. A much deeper bubble of anger coursing through him as he eyed the pack that was slung over the back of Orlando’s abandoned chair. He didn’t begrudge Orlando a little fun and relaxation but to leave the map where anyone could grab it was unthinkable. After all the trouble it had caused him Dominic wanted to do nothing more than to be done with it…sooner rather than later would suit him just fine.
The idea hit him in a flash. He was mere feet away from the cause of all his problems. Bloom and his companion were half way across the restaurant. Dominic could easily crawl over to the table get the map and be out of the restaurant without them being the wiser. He’d be back in his car and well on his way to Cartagena before they even realized it was missing. He smirked as he imagined Colin’s expression when he sauntered in with the map. He’d make sure that the girl was safely let go and then he could be on a plane back to England that same evening. The whole mess would be far behind him.
Bolstered by the thoughts of his home and the expression on Colin’s face he inched forward on the ground. The people dining in the tables above him didn’t notice as they were too involved in their dinner and drinks. He’d almost reached the table when his hand came down on a rock, he jerked it upwards and lost his balance. He flailed momentarily and moved his other hand to grip a table leg to steady himself. Instead of the smooth wood of a table leg his hand brushed against something soft and bare. He glanced up and winced as he realized it was a woman’s leg and she was looking down at him with anger and fear.
He scuttled backward, holding up his hands in an attempt to placate her. It didn’t work. She began to scream bloody murder and her companion, a rather angry look man, lunged for him. There was a brief scuffle as he tried to get out of the way that was quickly broken up by one of the waiters coming over to the table. Knowing what was coming Dominic lunged for the pack, it was the only thing that could make everything worthwhile. He felt his fingers close around the fabric but before he could grasp it properly he was pulled back and lifted. He howled in anger as they carried him through the restaurant and tossed him outside.
He landed with a splash in a mud puddle and responded with a long and loud stream of curses that caused the people walking in the streets to look at him worriedly. When he ran out of steam he hauled himself to his feet and started off in the direction of his car which he’d parked on a street outside of the hotel Bloom was staying at. He realized as he went back to lick his wounds that he probably should thank his lucky stars that they hadn’t thrown him in jail.
Given how little luck he had at the moment he decided to do just that.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Orlando jumped as there was a commotion in the restaurant; he peered through the room towards it. It was near their table but he couldn’t make out much until a waiter appeared and grabbed up a scruffy looking man in a hooded sweatshirt and dragged him off towards the door. He sighed in relief when he realized it wasn’t someone that was coming for them and glanced up at Sean as they settled towards the edge of the dance floor.
“See,” Sean breathed in his ear as he pulled Orlando close. “Everyone’s way too involved in themselves to take much notice of us.”
Orlando shivered as the breath tickled his hair but before he could really comprehend it Sean had pulled back putting a good bit of space between them. He yelped as he was pulled forward and spun around in some clumsy imitation of the dance the people around them were doing. He laughed and yelped again as he gave in and let Sean lead him through the steps. He giggled and caught the startled look on Sean’s face as he did so which caused him to laugh again. Elijah liked to call his giggle his secret weapon and even Karl had taken notice of it and Karl was as straight as they come. The unreadable expression on Sean’s face deepened as the music slowed to a softer tempo.
Orlando sighed as a hand slid down his spine, slipping underneath the shirt to brush against the bare skin of his waist. There was no mistaking the invitation in the caress. He looked at Sean trying to decipher just what was going on behind the glittering green eyes. He found only warmth shining back at him and knew that if he didn’t accept the invitation there would be no backlash. Elijah’s warning echoed in his ear but his body sang at the touch and he knew he was lost well before it even crossed his mind to argue. He gave just the slightest of nods and then bit his lip and waited.
Sean didn’t make him wait long before a finger brushed against his lips to stop the biting and was quickly replaced by lips. They were warm and solid. Reassuring in their confidence but never pushing too hard or fast. Orlando sighed and leaned closer, his hands winding around Sean’s neck and brushing against the golden hair. Sean’s hands had found their way into his own hair loosening the tie that held it back as they sank in and pulled Orlando closer.
They were both breathing heavily when they finally parted. Orlando was both surprised and relieved to note that not many people were looking at them and those that were were doing so with more amusement than disgust.
“I think…” Sean said in a ragged tone. “That we should get out of here…”
Orlando didn’t even try to answer him with words. He knew that if he opened his mouth no sound would come out so he settled for a shy nod. With a rapidly beating heart he nervously reached out and grabbed Sean’s hand.
Just this once he wanted to do the leading, at least for a little while.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Sean fell back against the pillows with an almost reverent sigh as he pulled a barely lucid Orlando with him and situated the lad comfortably against his chest. He ran a shaky hand through the thick curling locks as he listened to Orlando’s breathing begin to slowly even out.
“That was…” Orlando said in a soft voice.
“Yeah…” he answered back roughly.
There was more comfortable silence and Orlando began to slowly come back to himself. Sean felt the tentative fingers against his chest and opened his eyes that had begun to drift close to look down at him. Wide brown eyes were regarding him shyly, it was the most unguarded Sean had ever seen them.
“I…I’m sorry if I was…wasn’t very…” Orlando shook his head and then buried his face against Sean’s chest, Sean could feel the heat in his cheeks.
“Lad...?” he questioned in confusion, one of hid hands running down towards the hidden face as he tried to get Orlando to look at him. “What are you going on about now?”
There was a sigh and finally Orlando relented and looked up. “I…I know it must have been obvious how…how…”
“How…” Sean prodded gently.
“How inexperienced I am…” the words came out in a jumbled rush and the face tried once again to bury itself in Sean’s chest.
Sean let his fingers tighten against Orlando’s face just enough to stop the movement. “I didn’t notice anything,” he said firmly.
“I…” Orlando started and then stopped whatever he was going to say with a shake of his head. He leaned his head down and yawned. “Do you think…before we leave tomorrow we could…?”
“Do it again?” Sean finished with a wolfish grin as Orlando blushed and ducked his head. “I think that can definitely be arranged.”
Orlando grinned up at him and then settled. Sean played with the dark curls and watched the expressive face as it suddenly grew slightly cloudy and he followed Orlando’s eye line and realized that the lad was looking at his pack with a thoughtful look. The reality they’d been fighting so hard to try to escape the past few hours was rushing back in with the silence. He brushed a hand against Orlando’s shoulders and sighed slightly, his own guilty conscious nagging at him.
“All this trouble over a map…” Orlando murmured softly to himself.
“Orlando…it’s going to be alright…” he said shifting uncomfortably.
“Sean…” Orlando said turning his face to look at Sean. “I know you plan to photocopy the map.”
“I…” he started and faltered, slightly unsure how to explain his action and not even sure if he wanted to try.
“I’m not mad,” Orlando said with a shrug. “I don’t know why I’m not, quite truthfully, but I’m not. At least you were doing it in a way that left me the original to get Sam back.”
“I would never just leave you in the lurch like that,” Sean insisted, it sounded lame to his own ears.
“Of course not, we’ve already talked about the fact that you’re a nice guy,” Orlando said with a small smile.
“A nice guy wouldn’t do something like this,” he said sharply.
“Getting Samantha back is all that’s important to me,” Orlando said firmly. “What happens to whatever it is that’s at the end of the map…that doesn’t really have to involve me unless I want it to.”
“Which you’ve made quite clear you don’t want it to,” Sean said, but there was something in Orlando’s voice that caught his attention. “Right?”
“I saw the tree,” Orlando answered. “On the hill above town, it looks like the Devil’s Fork on the map. I know you saw it too…that’s why you actually went through with making the copy.”
“I thought you weren’t interested in the map,” Sean said with an arched eyebrow. “But now it seems like you’ve looked at it hard enough to memorize landmarks….”
Orlando shrugged his shoulders. “Karl was very interested in whatever is at the end of that map. He did a lot of crazy things but he didn’t do them without there being a very valid reason for it and he certainly wouldn’t have dragged Samantha into all of this if he wasn’t certain it was still there and worth all the risk. So…yes…I lied when I said I wasn’t interested because I am intrigued but not enough for it to take precedence over Samantha’s safety. But…I was thinking…if we’ve stumbled as close to the end as it looks from the map. Maybe we should…go after it tomorrow…”
“Orlando,” Sean said sharply sitting up and staring down at Orlando with wide eyes. “I didn’t do….this…” he gestured towards the bed hoping his meaning with clear, “so that you would agree to go after the treasure and ease my guilty conscious…”
“I know that,” Orlando said, reaching up to brush his hand against Sean’s cheek. “I wouldn’t have…slept with you if I thought that was the case. But…it’s something you really want and…and after everything you’ve done for me…”
“That you’re already paying me handsomely to do,” Sean reminded him with a grimace.
“It’s the least that I can do for you in return,” Orlando continued without hesitation. “And I’m curious to see what all the fuss is about.”
“What about the kidnappers?” Sean asked, despite really wanting to give in to what Orlando was agreeing to. “What about your sister?”
Orlando frowned slightly and sighed. “The kidnappers aren’t going to do anything to her at this point. They know they need her to get the map so they won’t hurt her if they want it and know what’s good for them. And Samantha…this map was important to Karl and I’m sure she was just as interested in the treasure as he was or she wouldn’t have been in Colombia with him. So this is as much for them as for me...more so even. But…I do have to be in Cartagena by tomorrow evening…”
Sean nodded, he wouldn’t risk Samantha or Orlando over some treasure no matter how much he wanted it. His mind started running at a mile a minute, the thought of doing this with Orlando made it seem all that much better. “We’ll rent a car. Like you said, that tree is towards the end of the map so we can’t be too far from it…if we don’t find anything in a couple of hours we’ll head to Cartagena and we’ll go ahead with the trade as planned. And I won’t continue to go after the treasure…”
“You don’t have to do that,” Orlando said with a shake of his head. “What you do when we…separate…it doesn’t…”
“I won’t go after it,” Sean said firmly but left the ‘if we do separate’ silent in his head.
Orlando looked a little doubtful at the proclamation but said nothing, instead he waited until Sean had settled down and then settled himself back down with his head against his chest and stifled a yawn. He pressed a kiss against the bare skin and let his eyes drift shut.
”But I still want to do this again before we leave tomorrow…even with the change of plans.”
Sean snorted and in a blink of an eye had Orlando rolled underneath him. “Who says we have to wait until tomorrow?”
“I don’t,” Orlando said with a shiver as he reached up to pull Sean closer. “I definitely, definitely don’t.”
And so they didn’t.
* * *
TBC
Forward to: Part Nine
Back to: El Corazon Fic Index
Author: Amy
Pairing: Orlibean
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Never happened. This has been adapted from the movie Romancing the Stone - it does not belong to me no harm is meant and no money is being made.
Beta: The lovely giselleslash all remaining mistakes are mine.
Summary: Romance writer Orlando Bloom travels to Colombia to save his sister who has been kidnapped.
Note: This is for the orlibean Summer Movie Challenge. The movie I chose was Romancing the Stone. There are still plenty of movies to choose from so if you're interested in participating please follow the link above and join the fun.
Note #2: The Next part will be Posted on Sunday 9/02.
Previous Parts
Thanks to cammissbloom for my lovely banner and icon!
Santa Maria was a lot bigger than it looked on the map.
Dominic had realized this, much to his dismay, shortly after he’d arrived in town and set himself up in what he hoped was the most logical place for a traveler to come after a long journey across the country. That being the nicest hotel the town held. But the truth of the matter was that there were numerous other places Bloom could come to stay and clean up and Dominic had no idea what his money situation might be. The hope he’d held of being able to find them was fading quickly.
With a sigh he crossed the small square and headed for the pay phone nearest the hotel. He had to face the inevitable that he’d lost them and that he’d have to inform Colin of what had happened. That was really the last thing he wanted to do, Colin would be furious to say the least. He plunked in the right amount of change into the phone and patiently waited for the connection to be made and for Colin to get around to picking up the phone on the other end.
“Well?” Colin’s voice was a bark of pure irritation, it caused Dominic’s hackles to rise up and bite back.
“Hello to you too,” he snapped back.
“Well?” Colin snapped again as if he hadn’t even heard the snappish comment. “Where the hell are you?”
“We have a bit of a problem,” Dominic hedged slightly.
“Now what?” Colin said with a put upon sigh.
“More of the same really,” Dominic said while thinking he should be the one using that sigh. “I’ve lost him.”
“You idiot,” Colin said sharply. “I give you one task, one measly little task and you can’t even get that right. How on earth can I trust you with more responsibility if you can’t even keep track of one person?”
“I’ve never asked for any responsibility!” Dom growled in irritation. “The only reason I’m even still in Colombia is because you keep threatening me and my family!”
“I am doing nothing of the sort, Dominic,” Colin breathed dangerously. “If you go telling those lies to people then…well...you might just regret it.”
Dominic’s breathing came in short angry bursts. He wanted to hang up the phone. He wanted to scream and shout he wanted to do and say a lot of things, but he couldn’t. He regretted the day he ever looked up to Colin and the day he didn’t listen to his brother when he tried to warn him away from the idolization. Unable to do anything he half listened as Colin started yet another diatribe on his incompetence. He kicked a rock and watched it roll across the street from the phone towards the largest hotel in the town.
As he glanced away from the hotel he caught sight of a familiar figure coming down the street towards it. Bloom looked a mess even from a distance and he was walking very close to a man that Dominic had not seen before and assumed must be the helper that he’d heard the police going on about. He breathed a sigh of relief that he’d found them again.
“He’s here,” he said interrupting Colin in the middle of his rant but he got no satisfaction from it.
“Then do something right and make sure he gets here!” Colin barked. “Get him pointed in the right direction…force him if you have to but get him here! I’m tired of babysitting his sister and I want…my…map…”
The dial tone in his hear told Dominic that he’d been hung up on before he’d had a chance to respond. He growled as he slammed the phone down and turned his attention towards the two men who were entering the hotel.
He hurried quickly across the street, cursing everyone and everything as he went.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Sean thanked the man behind the desk and crossed over to where Orlando was sitting in one of the lobby chairs looking about ready to fall asleep. His eyes opened wearily as Sean approached. Sean felt relieved that he had good news to tell him, they’d both been concerned when they’d gotten to town and seen that there was a festival of some sort being held that evening.
“We’re in luck,” he said with a grin. “Got the last available room and it’s a double…”
“Something finally went right at least,” Orlando murmured tiredly.
“It doesn’t end there,” Sean said with a tired grin. “There’s a bus that leaves for Cartagena in the morning so you should be able to retrieve your sister by tomorrow night.
Orlando’s eyes slipped shut in relief and Sean was struck for the first time how young he must be. Sean sighed, trying to push any thoughts he’d had for the evening out of his head.
“Why don’t you head up,” he said handing over the room key. “Take a shower, get some room service. There’s a phone up there if you want to try to get a hold of your agent, if you don’t mind footing the bill for an international collect call…”
“A shower…” Orlando said with a sigh. “Oh that sounds wonderful. And yeah, I better get a hold of Elijah as soon as possible he’s probably freaking out, he tends to do that.”
“Well then,” Sean said holding out a hand towards Orlando almost without thinking about it. Orlando hesitated a moment and then grasped the offered hand. The skin was warm and soft. Most of the smooth surfaces were torn up from their recent adventure in playing Tarzan. Sean rubbed his finger gently against the marks causing Orlando to wince a little bit. “Better put something on those.”
“What about you,” Orlando said in a dazed sounding voice as he pulled his hand away from Sean’s. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to see if I can get us some fresh clothing to wear,” Sean said mildly. “Then I’ll probably catch a shower and get some food as well.”
“Do you need some…” Orlando’s forehead crinkled slightly as he paused. “Some of...your money?”
Sean laughed slightly and shook his head. “Nah, I should be okay until we get to Cartagena…besides most of the vendors prefer to barter and I have stuff for that in my pack. You’d be amazed what you can get for an N’Sync CD down here…”
He then reached out and snagged an arm through Orlando’s and pulled him across the room. Orlando allowed himself to be led towards the stairs that led up to the second floor and their room for the evening. When Sean was sure that Orlando was headed up he rounded the corner back to the desk. His heart was thudding slightly in his chest with each step he took.
“Do you have a copy machine?” he asked in a hushed voice.
“Si, si,” the man said in an overexcited tone. “Do you need something copied?”
“Not…yet,” Sean said with slight hesitation. “But I will.”
Then he turned and hurried back out into the sunlight, desperately in search of something to distract him from the thoughts warring in his head.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Orlando picked listlessly at his salad as he waited for the call to connect through to his apartment in New York. He was feeling much better physically. The shower had helped him feel almost human again after almost 24 hours of tramping through the jungle and being chased around the dusty countryside. But mentally…he sighed and reached for his pack, pulling out the map and staring down at it…mentally he wasn’t feeling all that much better.
He’d doubled back down the stairs to tell Sean his size and to see if he could get some deodorant or toothpaste because Orlando wasn’t sure what the complimentary basket would be like in their room. As he’d reached the desk area he’d heard Sean ask if they had a copier. There was no mistaking what Sean wanted to copy.
It didn’t hurt, not really. Sean didn’t owe him anything, their debts ran in the opposite direction and while Orlando was paying more than enough for Sean’s help, they still didn’t know each other any more than to qualify as strangers. Sean had made no secret that he had a burning desire to find what was on the end of the map and there was nothing that Orlando could…or even should do…to stop it.
At least Sean hadn’t just taken the original and abandoned him in the middle of the jungle, there would have been nothing to stop him from doing so. It appeared that he was planning to do what he said he’d do, take Orlando to Cartagena and help him get Samantha back. What he did after that was not Orlando’s business. He’d have the original to give to the kidnappers and could play none-the-wiser that there was a copy of it out there in existence.
He squashed the part of himself that wished that Sean had broached the subject of making a copy of the map. They hadn’t discussed that possibility and at this point Orlando would be hard pressed to tell the other man no, especially considering how much danger he’d put Sean in and how Sean continued to try and protect him. As long as Samantha was safe, allowing Sean to go after the treasure was the least that Orlando could do for him.
“Orlando,” he said into the phone when he was prompted by the tinny recorded voice connecting his collect call through to New York.
“Where the hell are you!” was Elijah’s annoyed and anxious sounding greeting as the call connected through.
“Not where I’m supposed to be,” Orlando answered tiredly.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Elijah said in exasperation.
“It means I’m horribly off track but I should be in Cartagena by tomorrow evening…” he paused and the added dejectedly. “Unless things keep going the way they have been going, if so, then who knows…”
“Are you alright?” Elijah asked in a calmer tone.
“Yeah…” Orlando breathed out. Just hearing a familiar friendly voice was doing wonders for his mental state.
“What happened?” Did you get on the wrong bus? Why haven’t you called me before this?” The questions were sharp and rapid fire and Orlando knew he’d have to explain everyone in excruciating detail to make Elijah happy.
“Yes I got on the wrong bus,” there was a disbelieving snort on the other end and he rolled his eyes. “But I had help,” he insisted mildly.
“Help?”
“Yeah…the man that…well…he’s probably the man that killed Karl…” Orlando hesitated in saying, knowing it was not going to go over well with Elijah.
“What!” Elijah said sharply. “I told you, you should have gone to the CIA or…whoever…”
“Well,” he answered dryly. “It’s a little late for that now. But Sean thinks…”
“Who’s Sean?”
“Look,” Orlando said in exasperation. “This is a rather long story that I’m paying an arm and a leg to tell you so could you hold off the question and answer session until the end?”
There was a noncommittal noise on the other end of the line that Orlando took to be an agreement. He hurried through the explanation. Elijah managed to stay mostly quiet throughout keeping the questions to a few pertinent ones. When Orlando finished he waited for Elijah to comment. Silence stretched for what seemed like hours and then finally Elijah spoke.
“If I didn’t know better I would think you were simply telling me the plot of some romance novel you’d just cooked up,” he said blankly.
“I wish…” there was a snort on the other end of the line and Orlando hurried to cover himself. “I mean…because then I wouldn’t be in the middle of this mess…”
“But you’re okay?” Elijah said, humor lacing his voice. “Other than being scared out of your mind and a few bumps and bruises?”
“Yeah,” Orlando reassured him. “I’m remarkably okay.”
“Okay, then,” Elijah said, sounding relieved. “And you and this Sean person are holed up in some little village in the middle of the country spending the night in the same hotel room?”
“Elijah…” Orlando said rolling his eyes though he knew Elijah couldn’t see it. He should have known that out of everything Elijah would latch onto it would be that detail above all others. “There are two beds.”
“Yeah I know, you quite emphasized that point already,” Elijah said and Orlando could practically see the knowing smirk on his lips. “Just trying to get the plot all straight in my head.”
“There isn’t any plot,” Orlando insisted tightly.
“Just be careful,” Elijah said in a more serious tone.
“We’ll be fine.”
“I wasn’t talking about the mess you’re finding yourself in the middle of,” Elijah continued easily. “I’m talking about this Sean guy…be careful with him.”
“Nothing is going to happen,” Orlando said with a frown. “I don’t even know him….I don’t even know if I actually like him as a person or anything.”
“Liking someone as a person has nothing to do with getting a little comfort in a stressful situation,” Elijah pointed out mildly.
“Elijah!” Orlando said with a huff. “I’m not going to sleep with him to get a little comfort…I don’t even know him!”
“I know you Orlando,” Elijah said in a soothing tone. “You’re a romantic at heart…you write romance novels for god’s sake…and you’re in the middle of what would qualify as a highly charged situation worthy of any Hollywood romantic comedy. I’m not saying you’d do anything on purpose but…”
“But…” Orlando said in a strained voice. “You think I’d sleep with him because he reminds me of some hero character from one of my books?” He knew that the minute the retort was out of his mouth he’d made a mistake. Elijah knew him well enough to realize that’s probably exactly what was happening even if he hadn’t been fully aware of it until that very moment.
“I’m not trying to be mean,” Elijah explained gently. “But I know that you don’t really have much experience with…these things…” Orlando snorted at the delicate understatement but didn’t interrupt him. “I don’t want to see you get hurt Orlando…I don’t want to see you like you were after Craig…”
“You didn’t even know me after Craig,” Orlando tried to snap in irritation but wasn’t really feeling it.
“Not right after, no…but when I met you…you were a mess,” Elijah said easily. “You’re still a bit of a mess over it…”
“Nice,” Orlando muttered but he didn’t try to argue the point.
“Again not trying to be mean, just trying to be a friend,” Elijah answered back without hesitation. “And you are a bit of a mess when it comes to relationships. So please…I know you can take care of yourself just be careful…”
“It’s not like this is going to be a relationship,” Orlando said after a moment of silence. “I won’t even see him after tomorrow night. That’s not long enough to loose your heart over someone…even for me…”
“Orli,” Elijah said in a sad tone. “I didn’t mean...”
“I know,” Orlando answered. “Look…I’ll call you tomorrow when we get to Cartagena to tell you where to wire the money.”
There was silence on the other end and Orlando could tell that Elijah wanted to press the issue some more or at least make it clear that he wasn’t trying to hurt Orlando. “Its fine Elijah…I know what you mean. I need to get going. This call is going to cost a small fortune. So I’ll call you tomorrow about the money, okay?”
“Okay, okay” Elijah answered but it was clear he didn’t want to end the call. “Oh, that annoying ass of a kidnapper has called like 5 times in the last 24 hours demanding to know where you are…what should I tell him when he calls again?”
Orlando laughed as a bit of the tension drifted away. “I certainly hope you haven’t called him that on the phone.”
“Of course not,” Elijah said smugly. “I really wanted to though. Thankfully I’ve dealt with bigger asses than him on a daily basis.”
“Just tell him that I got off track and that I’ll be in Cartagena tomorrow evening and will follow the plan that we agreed to when I get to the hotel so he better have everything in place.
“I get to order him around?” Elijah questioned gleefully. “With pleasure!”
“I wouldn’t go that far…” Orlando said dryly but he knew that Elijah would never do anything rash or stupid that would endanger Samantha.
“I’ll call you first thing when I get to the hotel,” Orlando said knowing that he should end the conversation but now he found he didn’t want to do so. When the call was ended the only thing holding him to reality would be severed.
“Be sure that you do and Orlando…” he said softly. “Please be careful.”
“I promise…I’ll be careful,” he said and he meant it.
“Good,” Elijah said in an officious sounding tone. “Have to protect my cash cow you know.”
Orlando laughed long and hard over that almost throw away statement. “Thanks Elijah, I needed that.”
“Just doing my job, just doing my job,” was Elijah’s almost cheery reply. “I’ll get things set up with your estate managers to get the money ready to be wired and I’ll talk to you soon then.”
“Soon,” Orlando agreed with a nod though he knew Elijah couldn’t see it.
The call ended and Orlando sighed. His attention was drawn back down to the map. His head echoed with Elijah’s worries and he hurriedly brushed them away. It hadn’t even really been a thought in his head that he could try to make something happen with Sean. Sean wasn’t even going to be in his life after tomorrow night, that much was certain by Sean’s own thoughts and actions. And Orlando wouldn’t even want him there anymore. He set the map back into his backpack towards the top so it would be easier for Sean to get to it when he inevitably went about sneaking it off to be copied. He assumed it would be while he was asleep and made a mental note not to check his pack again until the morning. He knew he could count on Sean to keep the map safe. He momentarily thought about just leaving it out on the dresser between the two beds, maybe with a note to okay it, but he shook that thought away and set the bag onto the floor near the bed before crawling under the covers.
The less involved he got in anything to do with Sean the better.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Sean slipped quietly into the hotel room. He was relieved to see that Orlando was still soundly asleep. He crossed the room and slipped the map safely back into Orlando’s backpack and then put his carefully folded copy into his next to the picture of the boat he’d been saving to purchase for years. On a whim he pulled the picture out and stared at it for a few long moments trying to remind himself of the things that mattered and what his actions were for.
His eyes kept sliding to the occupied bed. Orlando was curled on his side facing away from Sean. It told of his innocence, how easy it was for him to fall asleep with his back to the door even after spending the past two days being chased around by people who were hell bent on hurting him. A cloud of long, curly, dark hair was spread out across his pillow. It looked soft and Sean wanted to do nothing more than run his hands through it to find out if it was.
Instead he balled his hand into a fist, kicked his pack safely under the bed and hurried back towards the door. He’d already showered and had left a note for Orlando to meet him outside the hotel at 8. If Orlando ended up sleeping through the night instead…well that would probably be better for him.
And it would certainly be better for Sean.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Orlando felt rather nervous as he stepped out of the hotel and onto the street. The sun was just setting and there was a feeling of excitement in the air as festival attendees hurried both ways down the street. He stared down at his outfit wondering if he pulled it off okay. It wasn’t anything fancy just a loose linen button down shirt and a pair of soft linen pants, but the shirt was a vibrant cornflower blue and the pants were white. He’d been at a loss as to what to make of it. He normally wore black, grey or brown, the better to disappear into the background with. He certainly wasn’t going to blend in with this outfit.
Still the shirt was, dare he say it, pretty and he thought the color looked good on him when he’d looked at the full outfit in the mirror. He’d chosen to leave the shirt untucked and had pulled his hair back in a loose ponytail since he didn’t have anything to tame the curls with. He shuffled uncomfortably as people walked past him. They weren’t staring at him like he was some sort of circus freak so he must not look too bizarre in the outfit.
He felt eyes on him and he turned to scan the crowd, this times the nerves had nothing to do with pre-dinner jitters. It seemed strange to have forgotten that there were people after him and that he and his sister were in danger but for a split second he had. Hopefully it wasn’t a mistake that would cost him.
He breathed in relief as he caught sight of Sean striding purposefully in his direction. His heart, despite all the warnings it had received, picked up a little at the sight. Sean’s outfit wasn’t that different than his though his shirt was white with a flower design along the collar and he’d left it open a good deal. His hair glinted gold in the street lights that were beginning to come on. Orlando tried to memorize every detail, it was a perfect sort of entrance and he could definitely use it in a future book.
“You made it,” he said, his grin remaining firmly in place. “I thought you might just sleep through dinner…”
“Oh…no…I had a wake up call,” Orlando said with a shrug.
“I wouldn’t have blamed you if you had. Sleep is certainly more interesting than my company,” Sean continued with a slight smirk.
“Well,” Orlando teased back with an almost careless shrug. “Maybe normally but…I’m hungry.”
“Ah yes…well that explains it,” Sean said with a grin. “And in that case we better get going before the host I bribed at the restaurant to save us a table will decide that it’s not worth it and I hear the wait is hours long.”
“Let’s go,” Orlando said with wide eyes as he tugged at Sean’s hand in the direction he supposed the restaurant was in.
Sean, and his laughter, followed behind him.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
An hour later Sean was starting to feel the buzz of the cheap local beer, just enough to loosen his tongue a bit more than he normally would with someone who was almost a complete stranger. That was why when Orlando turned his dark, intelligent eyes on him and pinned him with the inevitable question that he’d been hoping wouldn’t get asked he didn’t even flinch.
“So…” Orlando drawled slightly, a sign to Sean that he wasn’t the only one feeling loose from the alcohol. “We know what I was doing on a remote mountain pass in the middle of the jungle…but what about you?”
“What?” Sean hedged, not quite sure why he was feeling the urge to give into those eyes so easily and determined to fight it.
“What are you doing here in Colombia, Sean?” Orlando asked again in a soft voice.
“Is it really important?” Sean asked coolly.
“No,” Orlando said with a shrug. “Not really but…I don’t know anything about you besides your name…and that you’re cranky…and think you’re not a nice guy.”
“I’m not a nice guy,” Sean insisted tightly.
Orlando shook his head but didn’t say anything to that comment. “So…why are you evading the question? Did you do something…bad?”
“No,” Sean said than sighed. “I just don’t like to talk about myself that’s all.”
“I don’t either but I did,” Orlando said in a soft tone. “I’m not asking you to tell me everything about your life…just…something in return.”
Sean frowned, he knew he did owe Orlando a story. But getting closer to Orlando seemed like trouble to him, something he might come to regret. That didn’t make sense really as after tomorrow he’d probably never see the other man again. That thought in mind he shrugged his shoulders and took a long, slow sip of his beer before finally answering the question.
“I’m from England,” he started and then grimaced when it came out his accent was heavy even to his own ears. “Obviously, I mean I’m from Sheffield, born and raised there. My parents and my sister still live there,” Orlando’s brow raised in surprise that he had a family and Sean wondered what sort of back-story the lad’s overactive imagination had thought up for him. “I grew up rough, got into lots of fights and lots of trouble but nothing too bad really and I didn’t come to the US running from anything. I came like many to make my fortune. And like many…it didn’t happen. I bumped around for a long while and then ended up here in the jungle.”
“Capturing exotic birds for trade?” Orlando asked. Sean looked at him sharply wondering how he could have known that little fact.
“Yeah…” he admitted. “They sell good. I do a lot of other odd jobs as well but the birds make me the most money. Not really…legal of course but…not something that attracts too much attention really if I keep to myself and it allows me to make some quick cash towards my goal.”
“What’s your goal? Heading home?”
“No,” Sean said with a shake of his head, it was Orlando’s turn to look confused. “I want to see my family again but…I could do that anytime, I don’t need to do all…this…for that.”
“Then what?”
“I’m trying to make as much money as possible for my girl.”
“You have a daughter?” Orlando asked softly.
“Not likely,” Sean said easily as he reached behind him and dug through his pack pulling out the folded photograph. Opening it he handed it to Orlando.
“It’s a…boat…” Orlando said in surprise.
“A sailboat,” Sean said with a nod. “She’s used but in good condition, her current owner doesn’t use her that much and since he owes me a few favors he’s giving me a good deal and holding her until I can save up the money. I’m close but…not quite…”
“But with the $10,000…”
“I’ll have enough to spare. This time next month I’ll be lost in the middle of the ocean, only coming to shore when I absolutely need to.”
“That sounds…nice…” Orlando trailed off in a tone that said he wasn’t really quite sure what to make of it.
“It sounds like heaven,” Sean murmured.
“Won’t you be lonely?” Orlando asked after a moment of silence.
“Well,” Sean said leaning back in his chair. “As you may have already guessed I’m not much of a people person and…if I did feel the need for some…companionship…that could be handled on the trip to shore…right?”
Orlando ducked his head and nodded. “Yeah…I guess…” he seemed to think about it some more and looked more interested when he glanced up again. “I guess that it could be nice. All that time to yourself….I bet I could get lots of writing done. I mean I practically lock myself in my apartment when I’m working on a book as it is but surrounded by all that open water and air…”
“It is,” Sean agreed without meaning to. Orlando sent him a confused look causing Sean to continue. “I mean I don’t write but it helps when I paint…not that I’ve had much of an opportunity to experience it, just when he’s taken me out on the boat.”
“You paint?” Orlando asked in surprise.
“Well,” Sean hesitantly admitted. “I dabble, I’m definitely not any good, but…it passes the time.”
Orlando stared at him for a long moment, his expression unreadable, then he dropped his gaze. He picked at the food remaining on his plate but it was clear that he no longer had any intention of eating it. Sean fidgeted in the growing silence. Sitting there staring at Orlando with nothing to distract him caused the photocopied map to practically burn a hole in his pack. His eyes trailed around the restaurant and lit on the dance floor in the middle of the outdoor eating area where a band had been playing lively and danceable songs all evening. As a new song struck up an idea for distraction hit him and he jumped to his feet causing Orlando to jump as well as he probably thought there was some new trouble headed their way.
“Sorry,” Sean said apologetically as he realized what was going through Orlando’s head. “We’re okay.” Orlando gasped for air and Sean wondered how close to breaking down Orlando actually was there was a line of tension that seemed to grow deeper by the minute on the younger man. But so far he had remained strong and pushed everything else aside as if he could force himself by sheer will and determination. All the more reason for a momentary distraction. “I heard the music and thought we could…dance…”
“Dance?” Orlando asked incredulously. His eyes trailed off towards the dance floor and the couples that were mingling about on it. “We can’t do that.”
“Why not?” Sean asked easily.
“Because…because…” Orlando said then shrugged. “We’ll draw too much attention to ourselves. I doubt they get too many men dancing together in this part of Colombia.”
“Probably not,” Sean conceded with a shrug of his own. “But look around you, Orlando. I think these people are way too inebriated and into each other to give a couple of crazy outsiders a second glance…”
“You think so…?” Orlando trailed off again, eyeing the dance floor with a bit of longing.
“I know so,” Sean said decisively coming round the table to firmly wrap his arm around Orlando’s. “It’ll be good to take our minds off of things…just for a bit…”
“Just for a bit…” Orlando hesitated slightly.
“You can’t help Samantha tonight,” he said softly. “Even if you don’t dance you can’t help her. You’ll be more help to her tomorrow if you’re relaxed and calm.”
“Okay, okay,” Orlando said after a moment of thought. “But if we get attacked by a crazed mob of locals I’m blaming you.”
Sean laughed and shook his head as they walked towards the dance floor.
“I think I can handle that.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Dominic watched as the two men walked towards the dance floor with narrow eyes. He was crouched on the floor near the entrance he’d snuck in through. The fact that they could eat and drink and play like normal people after everything that they’d gone through caused anger to bubble through him. He pushed it down realizing it was silly of him to think that way. He’d checked the bus schedule himself after he’d overheard them getting a room. There was no bus to Cartagena until the following morning. What did he expect them to do while they waited, cower in their rooms and do nothing? He certainly wouldn’t have done so if he hadn’t been charged with keeping an eye on Bloom.
Once they’d reached the dance floor he turned his attention back to their table. A much deeper bubble of anger coursing through him as he eyed the pack that was slung over the back of Orlando’s abandoned chair. He didn’t begrudge Orlando a little fun and relaxation but to leave the map where anyone could grab it was unthinkable. After all the trouble it had caused him Dominic wanted to do nothing more than to be done with it…sooner rather than later would suit him just fine.
The idea hit him in a flash. He was mere feet away from the cause of all his problems. Bloom and his companion were half way across the restaurant. Dominic could easily crawl over to the table get the map and be out of the restaurant without them being the wiser. He’d be back in his car and well on his way to Cartagena before they even realized it was missing. He smirked as he imagined Colin’s expression when he sauntered in with the map. He’d make sure that the girl was safely let go and then he could be on a plane back to England that same evening. The whole mess would be far behind him.
Bolstered by the thoughts of his home and the expression on Colin’s face he inched forward on the ground. The people dining in the tables above him didn’t notice as they were too involved in their dinner and drinks. He’d almost reached the table when his hand came down on a rock, he jerked it upwards and lost his balance. He flailed momentarily and moved his other hand to grip a table leg to steady himself. Instead of the smooth wood of a table leg his hand brushed against something soft and bare. He glanced up and winced as he realized it was a woman’s leg and she was looking down at him with anger and fear.
He scuttled backward, holding up his hands in an attempt to placate her. It didn’t work. She began to scream bloody murder and her companion, a rather angry look man, lunged for him. There was a brief scuffle as he tried to get out of the way that was quickly broken up by one of the waiters coming over to the table. Knowing what was coming Dominic lunged for the pack, it was the only thing that could make everything worthwhile. He felt his fingers close around the fabric but before he could grasp it properly he was pulled back and lifted. He howled in anger as they carried him through the restaurant and tossed him outside.
He landed with a splash in a mud puddle and responded with a long and loud stream of curses that caused the people walking in the streets to look at him worriedly. When he ran out of steam he hauled himself to his feet and started off in the direction of his car which he’d parked on a street outside of the hotel Bloom was staying at. He realized as he went back to lick his wounds that he probably should thank his lucky stars that they hadn’t thrown him in jail.
Given how little luck he had at the moment he decided to do just that.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Orlando jumped as there was a commotion in the restaurant; he peered through the room towards it. It was near their table but he couldn’t make out much until a waiter appeared and grabbed up a scruffy looking man in a hooded sweatshirt and dragged him off towards the door. He sighed in relief when he realized it wasn’t someone that was coming for them and glanced up at Sean as they settled towards the edge of the dance floor.
“See,” Sean breathed in his ear as he pulled Orlando close. “Everyone’s way too involved in themselves to take much notice of us.”
Orlando shivered as the breath tickled his hair but before he could really comprehend it Sean had pulled back putting a good bit of space between them. He yelped as he was pulled forward and spun around in some clumsy imitation of the dance the people around them were doing. He laughed and yelped again as he gave in and let Sean lead him through the steps. He giggled and caught the startled look on Sean’s face as he did so which caused him to laugh again. Elijah liked to call his giggle his secret weapon and even Karl had taken notice of it and Karl was as straight as they come. The unreadable expression on Sean’s face deepened as the music slowed to a softer tempo.
Orlando sighed as a hand slid down his spine, slipping underneath the shirt to brush against the bare skin of his waist. There was no mistaking the invitation in the caress. He looked at Sean trying to decipher just what was going on behind the glittering green eyes. He found only warmth shining back at him and knew that if he didn’t accept the invitation there would be no backlash. Elijah’s warning echoed in his ear but his body sang at the touch and he knew he was lost well before it even crossed his mind to argue. He gave just the slightest of nods and then bit his lip and waited.
Sean didn’t make him wait long before a finger brushed against his lips to stop the biting and was quickly replaced by lips. They were warm and solid. Reassuring in their confidence but never pushing too hard or fast. Orlando sighed and leaned closer, his hands winding around Sean’s neck and brushing against the golden hair. Sean’s hands had found their way into his own hair loosening the tie that held it back as they sank in and pulled Orlando closer.
They were both breathing heavily when they finally parted. Orlando was both surprised and relieved to note that not many people were looking at them and those that were were doing so with more amusement than disgust.
“I think…” Sean said in a ragged tone. “That we should get out of here…”
Orlando didn’t even try to answer him with words. He knew that if he opened his mouth no sound would come out so he settled for a shy nod. With a rapidly beating heart he nervously reached out and grabbed Sean’s hand.
Just this once he wanted to do the leading, at least for a little while.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Sean fell back against the pillows with an almost reverent sigh as he pulled a barely lucid Orlando with him and situated the lad comfortably against his chest. He ran a shaky hand through the thick curling locks as he listened to Orlando’s breathing begin to slowly even out.
“That was…” Orlando said in a soft voice.
“Yeah…” he answered back roughly.
There was more comfortable silence and Orlando began to slowly come back to himself. Sean felt the tentative fingers against his chest and opened his eyes that had begun to drift close to look down at him. Wide brown eyes were regarding him shyly, it was the most unguarded Sean had ever seen them.
“I…I’m sorry if I was…wasn’t very…” Orlando shook his head and then buried his face against Sean’s chest, Sean could feel the heat in his cheeks.
“Lad...?” he questioned in confusion, one of hid hands running down towards the hidden face as he tried to get Orlando to look at him. “What are you going on about now?”
There was a sigh and finally Orlando relented and looked up. “I…I know it must have been obvious how…how…”
“How…” Sean prodded gently.
“How inexperienced I am…” the words came out in a jumbled rush and the face tried once again to bury itself in Sean’s chest.
Sean let his fingers tighten against Orlando’s face just enough to stop the movement. “I didn’t notice anything,” he said firmly.
“I…” Orlando started and then stopped whatever he was going to say with a shake of his head. He leaned his head down and yawned. “Do you think…before we leave tomorrow we could…?”
“Do it again?” Sean finished with a wolfish grin as Orlando blushed and ducked his head. “I think that can definitely be arranged.”
Orlando grinned up at him and then settled. Sean played with the dark curls and watched the expressive face as it suddenly grew slightly cloudy and he followed Orlando’s eye line and realized that the lad was looking at his pack with a thoughtful look. The reality they’d been fighting so hard to try to escape the past few hours was rushing back in with the silence. He brushed a hand against Orlando’s shoulders and sighed slightly, his own guilty conscious nagging at him.
“All this trouble over a map…” Orlando murmured softly to himself.
“Orlando…it’s going to be alright…” he said shifting uncomfortably.
“Sean…” Orlando said turning his face to look at Sean. “I know you plan to photocopy the map.”
“I…” he started and faltered, slightly unsure how to explain his action and not even sure if he wanted to try.
“I’m not mad,” Orlando said with a shrug. “I don’t know why I’m not, quite truthfully, but I’m not. At least you were doing it in a way that left me the original to get Sam back.”
“I would never just leave you in the lurch like that,” Sean insisted, it sounded lame to his own ears.
“Of course not, we’ve already talked about the fact that you’re a nice guy,” Orlando said with a small smile.
“A nice guy wouldn’t do something like this,” he said sharply.
“Getting Samantha back is all that’s important to me,” Orlando said firmly. “What happens to whatever it is that’s at the end of the map…that doesn’t really have to involve me unless I want it to.”
“Which you’ve made quite clear you don’t want it to,” Sean said, but there was something in Orlando’s voice that caught his attention. “Right?”
“I saw the tree,” Orlando answered. “On the hill above town, it looks like the Devil’s Fork on the map. I know you saw it too…that’s why you actually went through with making the copy.”
“I thought you weren’t interested in the map,” Sean said with an arched eyebrow. “But now it seems like you’ve looked at it hard enough to memorize landmarks….”
Orlando shrugged his shoulders. “Karl was very interested in whatever is at the end of that map. He did a lot of crazy things but he didn’t do them without there being a very valid reason for it and he certainly wouldn’t have dragged Samantha into all of this if he wasn’t certain it was still there and worth all the risk. So…yes…I lied when I said I wasn’t interested because I am intrigued but not enough for it to take precedence over Samantha’s safety. But…I was thinking…if we’ve stumbled as close to the end as it looks from the map. Maybe we should…go after it tomorrow…”
“Orlando,” Sean said sharply sitting up and staring down at Orlando with wide eyes. “I didn’t do….this…” he gestured towards the bed hoping his meaning with clear, “so that you would agree to go after the treasure and ease my guilty conscious…”
“I know that,” Orlando said, reaching up to brush his hand against Sean’s cheek. “I wouldn’t have…slept with you if I thought that was the case. But…it’s something you really want and…and after everything you’ve done for me…”
“That you’re already paying me handsomely to do,” Sean reminded him with a grimace.
“It’s the least that I can do for you in return,” Orlando continued without hesitation. “And I’m curious to see what all the fuss is about.”
“What about the kidnappers?” Sean asked, despite really wanting to give in to what Orlando was agreeing to. “What about your sister?”
Orlando frowned slightly and sighed. “The kidnappers aren’t going to do anything to her at this point. They know they need her to get the map so they won’t hurt her if they want it and know what’s good for them. And Samantha…this map was important to Karl and I’m sure she was just as interested in the treasure as he was or she wouldn’t have been in Colombia with him. So this is as much for them as for me...more so even. But…I do have to be in Cartagena by tomorrow evening…”
Sean nodded, he wouldn’t risk Samantha or Orlando over some treasure no matter how much he wanted it. His mind started running at a mile a minute, the thought of doing this with Orlando made it seem all that much better. “We’ll rent a car. Like you said, that tree is towards the end of the map so we can’t be too far from it…if we don’t find anything in a couple of hours we’ll head to Cartagena and we’ll go ahead with the trade as planned. And I won’t continue to go after the treasure…”
“You don’t have to do that,” Orlando said with a shake of his head. “What you do when we…separate…it doesn’t…”
“I won’t go after it,” Sean said firmly but left the ‘if we do separate’ silent in his head.
Orlando looked a little doubtful at the proclamation but said nothing, instead he waited until Sean had settled down and then settled himself back down with his head against his chest and stifled a yawn. He pressed a kiss against the bare skin and let his eyes drift shut.
”But I still want to do this again before we leave tomorrow…even with the change of plans.”
Sean snorted and in a blink of an eye had Orlando rolled underneath him. “Who says we have to wait until tomorrow?”
“I don’t,” Orlando said with a shiver as he reached up to pull Sean closer. “I definitely, definitely don’t.”
And so they didn’t.
* * *
TBC
Forward to: Part Nine
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