His voice interrupted my passioned thoughts, "I've stared at these bloody pictures for hours and I don't see anything. I don't know what you were so nervous about. I have half a mind to smash this thing against a rock, and throw the pieces into space!"
I smiled, "Maybe you're just not looking in the right places." I said softly.
I found the picture I was looking for and pointed, "What does this remind you of?"
I felt him peer over my shoulder, "An oasis, except for…" his voice trailed off as he studied the picture intensely.
"There are no palm trees." I finished for him.
I started to talk further but he reached for the tablet and turned it off, which surprised me. His voice against my ear spoke, "Lisa, when I was expressing my frustration, I wasn't asking you for help in finding the treasure."
"I know you weren't."
"Then why are you helping me? You swore that you wouldn't."
"I know what I said, but I've changed my mind."
There was silence for a few minutes and then he asked, "What made you change it?"
"I've decided that a future spent in your arms is more of what I want for my life, than to be a queen caretaker over a fortune that I really wish didn't exist anyway."
His arms closed around me and my eyes drifted shut relishing the warmth and security he offered me. One warm hand drifted up the front of my throat and pushed my chin back and to the side for his kiss.
Drawing back for a second he said, "I'm glad that's how you feel about it. Do you mind if I kiss you like this all night?"
"Please do." I whispered back.
The chopper ride was rather companionable over the next several days. Just when we were getting low in fuel, Flint would land somewhere in the middle of nowhere it seemed, to get fuel.
I was eager for all this to just be done with, and I was growing more optimistic about the chances of that the closer we got. I directed Flint where to go and when we set down he gave me a strange look, "What?"
"Where the heck are we? This isn't near any reputable Kush building sites."
"That makes it the best place to hide something, don't you think?" I said with a mysterious smile.
There was nothing overly remarkable about our landing spot other than that there was no sign of any habitation near it. Flint shut off the chopper and we got out.
I pointed to the east, "The pools lie two miles that way. I thought it was best to keep some distance from the entrance so as to avoid announcing our presence there. I'm confident that none of the interested parties know of the entrance yet, other than my father, but it would be best to be cautious."