Dillon Hunt And The Desert Oasis Resort by Chad Stewart (books suggested by bill gates txt) 📕

Dillon laid in bed looking at the wall. Despite Geoffrey’s warning he had decided to trust that what he was doing with Derek was the right thing to do. It was a monumental struggle in his mind, but after replaying all the events that had led him to this point he knew that his best option was to see the mission through.

He had his back to his brother who was in the other bed beside his. By all accounts Jordan appeared to be fast asleep. Dillon rolled over slowly, trying not to make too much of a stir. He turned his head and saw that Jordan was laying on his side facing away from him. He looked at the clock on the stand next to his bed— it read 12:42 AM. He knew he had to go right away if he planned to make it to the rendezvous point with Derek on-time.

He pulled the covers off as slowly was he could, not wanting to cause more of a stir than was necessary. He was already fully dressed. Somehow he managed to climb into bed that night without Jordan realizing that he didn’t change into his pyjama’s. He was actually quite impressed with the feat as he really did put his pj’s on at one point and made sure that Jordan saw him. Then, when Jordan went to use the restroom just before bed, Dillon quickly shed his pj’s, jammed them under the bed, and put his clothes on again. He then climbed into bed before Jordan noticed and pretended to drop into a level four coma. It was ingenious! At least that’s what he kept telling himself.

The fact that Jordan was in such a deep sleep already was amazing, as his brother was a bit of a night-owl. He originally thought this was going to be a problem, but tonight Jordan drifted off to sleep faster than normal. Perfect!

He was really happy at this point that he managed to get a couple hour nap in after dinner. He was still feeling the effects of sleep deprivation since being at the resort.

Dillon crept around his brother’s bed and peeked at him for a moment, just to make sure he was out. All was good. Jordan was sleeping like a little baby. Before he went for the door he checked his pockets to ensure that he had the watch and arrowhead. He then grabbed his shoes in one hand and slowly turned the lock with the other. At the end of the rotation the lock made a distinctive “click” sound and Dillon froze! He held his breath. His brother stirred for just a moment and then all was silent once more. Dillon let out his breath in a long slow silent sigh then started to turn the door handle.

Once outside he made absolutely sure that he closed the door as quietly as he could. He then slipped his shoes on and headed for the stairs. He was almost there when the door on the other side of the hallway right across from the stairs started to open. It was his parent’s room! Quickly he launched himself at the door to the stairway, hoping to make it before one of his parents came out and saw him. As he went through the door he glanced back to see his Dad looking down at his phone as he exited his room. It was at that point that Dillon was extremely happy about living in the age of technology! It just saved his butt!

The doorway to the stairs closed and he darted down as fast as he could go, not sure if Dad was going to be coming through the stairway as well. He went down one floor and stopped, trying to hear if the door he had just come through was opening. Nothing. He breathed another sigh of relief and continued down to the main floor.

When he got to the door he cracked it open and looked down each side of the hall. No one was there. He knew that the trick was going to be to make it through the lobby without being seen by any of the guest service agents. He was also hoping that no one was watching the cameras too closely so as to send out someone from security to nab him—whether or not they were just doing their job, or were actually part of the conspiracy to stop him and Orion. The fact that the mercenary from earlier didn’t report back into whoever it was that was behind all this would probably mean that the conspirator’s senses would be heightened. He had to trust that Derek and Orion were somehow working behind the scenes in order to execute on the plan.

He didn’t feel comfortable trying to find a side entrance at this point and silently berated himself for not doing any recon of the resort before he got to this point. This problem of the lobby wouldn’t be an issue if he had just been more diligent in his planning.

The lobby was a concern because, at this point, he didn’t know who he could trust. Obviously the head of the resort was in on it to some extent as was evidenced by his talk with Geoffrey.

He crept into the hall and toward the lobby. He peeked around the corner and didn’t see anyone at all. He moved into the open space a little and tried to see if anyone was at the front desk. He saw someone there but they were heading away from him, going to the far side of the desk. He inched a little more into the lobby and then heard the distinctive ring of the elevator as it reached the main floor. His heart began to pound. He quickly ran across the main area and ducked behind the fountain before the door opened.

He heard someone come into the lobby from the elevator hallway and start talking to the guy manning the front desk. He knew from the voice that it was his Dad! He peeked around the fountain and saw him talking with the guest services agent.

What’s Dad doing down here so late? Dillon thought to himself. He strained to hear the conversation but couldn’t make out what they were talking about. Then he noticed that his Dad had his laptop with him and was showing it to the guest services guy. It looked like he was trying to deal with a technical issue or something.

Thankfully the conversation didn’t take long and Dad seemed pleased with the answers he must have received from the man, as he shook his hand and headed back to the elevator. The agent started to walk to the end of the desk again and bent down, as if trying to retrieve something. Dillon knew that this was his only chance. He darted out from behind the fountain and sprinted as quietly as he could to the rotating front door of the hotel.

He burst through the door and onto the main strip that housed the resort and the numerous shops that catered to the tourists. Dillon hadn’t been out this late at night before and was surprised to see that the shops were still open and people, mostly adults, mingled about taking in all the lights and attractions. He heard music coming from down the strip and saw some sort of electric light show happening. The restaurant that was across from the hotel turned into an energetic dance club and now had a sign at the front door which read: “No Minors Allowed.”

Dillon had to shake his head a little in order to comprehend the scene. The transformation of the strip seemed surreal to him. It also made him wonder if Jordan had snuck out any of the previous nights to check out the attractions? This would totally have been his scene!

He couldn’t dwell on those thoughts anymore as he knew that time was quickly fading away. Despite all the foot traffic on the boulevard he still had a sense that he didn’t want to be seen by anyone or any camera if possible. He tried not to look too conspicuous as he walked across the street and then, when he thought no one was looking, he darted into the trees. He crept through the tall