Chapter 70: Most Beautiful Places in the World

With a twist and turn Bennett positions the boat to his side, jumping out, and pulling us to shore before I even realize what's happening. When more than half the boat is on dry land, I scoot to the middle and step out. Bennett wraps the backpack around his shoulder and takes my hand before heading to the small doorway cut out of the large fortress.

The overbearing stone doors open and Bennett walks through like he knows exactly where we're going. There is darkness as we walk through the sole enclosure, under an archway of smooth rock.

"Oh my Word," I whisper when we reach the other side and daylight falls on the space. The middle of the fort — and the island — is a lush green tropical expanse of land. A green carpet of forest floor surrounded by the walls of the fortress. And unlike Bennett's earlier statement, someone has definitely been here and mowed. The grass is cut short to the ground and smooth, making the area around us a symposium of straight lines — the intersection of m