Dark Water: Lantern Beach Blackout, Book 1

by Barritt, Christy

  “Who is this?” Joseph asked.

  “I’m a former Navy SEAL, and I believe that your girlfriend was going to expose somebody who was working with the Savages. I believe she was framed, along with one of my friends. If I don’t find answers soon, I have another friend who will die. You’ve got to help me.”

  Silence stretched for a moment until Joseph finally said, “I can’t talk over the phone. I can’t risk it.”

  “This is a secure line. No one’s going to hear what we have to say.”

  Joseph didn’t say anything for a moment. Finally, he said, “What do you need to know?”

  * * *

  Elise didn’t know what was going on. The car ride felt like it took forever, but she knew the island wasn’t that big. She hadn’t felt them turn yet. The tires continued to roll over the road, but there was nothing to give her a clue as to where they were.

  She managed to turn over so her hands faced the back of the trunk. She felt around but couldn’t find the release lever.

  There had to be something else she could do.

  Maybe there was a way to get this black bag from her head. If she rubbed her head against the carpet maybe she could get traction and pull it off. If only she had a little more room . . . but she didn’t. She needed to make the best of what she had.

  Elise rubbed her head against the carpet. But, instead of removing the bag around her head, she only felt her cheek burning from the friction.

  That wasn’t going to work.

  Find something sharp to cut the tape from around your hands.

  Just as she began to feel for something that might work, the car came to a stop.

  Her breath caught.

  Where were they? What was this man going to do with her now that they were here?

  Stark fear rushed through her.

  She wouldn’t give up the information. It didn’t matter what they did to her. But Elise didn’t look forward to whatever lay ahead. Part of her just wanted to curl into a ball and pretend like none of this was happening.

  But that wasn’t an option. All of this had been set in motion, and now she needed to see it to completion.

  She only hoped that completion didn’t mean her death.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  “Tara felt like she was being targeted by someone on the inside,” Joseph said.

  “On the inside of what?” Colton crossed his arms as he waited for the man’s answer.

  “Inside the government. She felt somebody on her team was giving up secrets and information, and she was determined to figure out who.”

  Colton’s spine tightened. “Did she ever mention any names?”

  “The only name I ever heard her mention was Daniel Oliver’s.”

  “She thought Daniel was a traitor?” Colton tensed as he heard the words leave his mouth.

  “I didn’t say Tara thought he was a traitor. In fact, I think he was one of the only people that she trusted.”

  That made more sense. Colton released his breath. “Did she say anything about her work in the days leading up to her death?”

  “She seemed distracted. I could tell whatever she was working on had gotten her down.”

  “Is there anything else that you know that might help us figure out who is behind this?”

  “This is all I know. When she was stationed overseas, she saw the leader of the Savages meeting with an American. It was dark, and she couldn’t see much. Only that he was young. Strong. He had dark hair.”

  Benjamin? Could it have been his teammate? He’d been in Virginia Beach the night Elise was attacked. He had the skills. The know-how.

  Colton really didn’t want to believe that, though.

  Keep thinking, Colton.

  Based on that description, Colton could rule out Commander Larson and Secretary Stabler.

  Who else did that leave?

  “Tara was trying to figure out who that person was,” Joseph continued. “But as soon as she voiced concern, she began feeling like someone was watching her. I know she and Daniel went to some fundraiser together. They heard a meeting was going to take place there. Before they could figure out who the traitor was, the fire alarm went off and everyone was cleared from the room. They weren’t able to get the answers they needed.”

  “That’s too bad.” Disappointment pressed on him.

  “But she did find a drop site a few days later.”

  Colton’s back straightened. “You mean, like the kind in spy movies?”

  “Just like that. There was a paper with some kind of code inside. She couldn’t crack it.”

  Colton sucked in a breath. The code. That’s where it had come from.

  “Thanks for your help,” he told Joseph.

  Just as Colton ended the call, someone called him back into the living area.

  “I think I might know what this code is,” Cassidy said. “And, if I’m right, I know what the first few words are.”

  * * *

  Elise blinked, trying to gather a sense of her surroundings. But the black bag covering her eyes didn’t allow her to see anything. No light escaped through the material.

  A strong hand grabbed her and jerked her from the trunk. The man set her on her feet, took her arm, and yanked her behind him.

  Flashbacks of that night at her house filled her mind—when the man had dragged her into her kitchen so quickly that her legs could hardly keep up.

  This was the same man, wasn’t it? Was there ever any doubt?

  She continued to stumble forward. It felt like asphalt beneath her shoes. Occasionally, she felt a stray rock.

  The scent of the sea blew in with the breeze. They were close to water. Elise sniffed. And fish. It smelled fishy here.

  They were at the docks, weren’t they? Elise wasn’t sure if it was the ferry dock or the harbor area, but she would guess it was one of them.

  She almost wished that the man would talk. That she could hear his voice again and try to identify him that way. But he remained quiet, only grunting on occasion.

  Her arm already ached from where his fingers dug into her flesh.

  Despair tried to bite at her, but she held it back. She couldn’t give in to it. If she did, it could cost her life.

  They stopped. But the man didn’t release his grip on her. She heard jangling.

  Keys?

  A moment later, a loud creak cut through the air, and the man shoved her. She tumbled forward, hitting her knees on something that felt like cement.

  “I’ll be right back,” the man muttered.

  The next instant, the door slammed again.

  Despair came back, stronger this time. The feeling tried to claim Elise’s soul, her thoughts, her heart.

  And, with every second that passed, it was becoming harder to fight it.

  * * *

  “What does the code say?” Colton moved closer to Cassidy so he could see. She sat at the kitchen table, bent over the code with a paper and pencil beside her.

  “I’m not 100 percent sure, but this looks like a code that my—that somebody I used to be close to, I mean—used on occasion for his computer programs. There were corporate spies within the business and that’s why the code was developed. It’s just a combination of letters and numbers, but the pattern doesn’t repeat in a logical way. But once you have everything lined up . . .”

  “I’m not really concerned what the code is,” Colton said. “I trust you. I really need to know what it says.”

  “I only had time to do the first few lines, but they are, ‘Our plan is coming together. The players are in place.’”

  Whatever that meant, it wasn’t good.

  “Take a look at this.” Ty held up the picture that Daniel had taken. “I’ve been playing with various filters on this, trying to clarify a few of these pictures. If you look at this reflection here, who does that look like in the mirror?”

  Colton squinted and looked closer. “It almost looks like . . . Leonardo.”

  “Bingo.” Ty’s gaze m
et his. “I thought it was weird that he just happened to show up at the island just now.”

  “So did I,” Colton said. “And as soon as we’re able to get out of this house, I think we need to pay him a visit.”

  Just as he said the words, he heard somebody pull up. Colton glanced out the window and saw . . . Benjamin standing there.

  He still didn’t look happy, but he was here.

  “Griff called me,” he said. “I think I might be able to help.”

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Daniel would want her to be happy.

  That was the conclusion that Elise had drawn after sitting in the cold, dank room for the past several minutes. She didn’t know how much time had passed. On one hand, it felt like hours and, on the other, only seconds.

  She knew the man would be back soon.

  What would Daniel do in this situation? Elise had already stood and tried to feel her way around the place, but she’d had no luck. It didn’t help that her hands were bound.

  For starters, Daniel probably wouldn’t have found himself in this situation. But if he was here, he would be on the defensive.

  Elise knew the statistics. She knew that if a person got into the car with a criminal, the victim was less likely to ever be seen again. Elise had gotten into the vehicle with somebody, and now she was here.

  She had no idea what this man was planning to do with her, but Elise was certain he’d use pain as a technique to get information from her.

  She squeezed her eyes shut, but she couldn’t tell any difference between having her eyes opened or closed. It was too dark in here, and she had this bag over her head.

  Daniel would tell her to keep a cool head. Up until the past couple months before he died, he had always been calm and in control. So what had he discovered during those last two months that had shaken him up so much he wasn’t even acting like himself?

  And how had he discovered this information?

  It was obviously important to him if he had gone through all the trouble to hide it. Elise had a feeling that he had planned on using it when he returned from that last mission. He just never got a chance.

  Now it was time for Elise to pick up where he’d left off. She was going to figure out what Daniel had discovered, and she was going to do something about it.

  But first she had to get out of her current situation.

  Just as a thought entered her head, she heard the door open and felt a whoosh of cool air come into the room. She braced herself for whatever was about to happen next.

  * * *

  Over a span of the ten minutes, Benjamin had discovered three bombs. He disarmed the one at the cottage first.

  As soon as the door opened, Colton stepped outside. Though he wanted to dash to his vehicle, he stopped for long enough to meet Benjamin’s gaze.

  “Thank you,” he muttered.

  Benjamin nodded but said nothing else.

  Colton would talk to him later. For now, he rushed to his car.

  Before he pulled away, Dez appeared at his window.

  “You got out already?” Colton rushed.

  “Once Benjamin figured out how to disarm the first bomb, the second one went quickly.”

  “Hop in.”

  Dez climbed into the passenger side seat, and Colton took off. He knew exactly where he needed to head—to the inn where Leonardo was staying.

  It was still early. Only 4:30 AM. But he would wake people up if that was what he had to do to get some answers.

  He threw his car in Park and pounded up the front steps to the inn. He tried the front door, but it was locked. Instead, he rang the bell. Five minutes later, a sleepy-eyed woman came to the door with her robe pulled around her.

  “Where’s the fire?” she asked, wrapping her arms across her chest.

  “We need to talk to a guest of yours. His name is Leonardo.”

  As soon as he said the man’s name, a smile crossed the woman’s lips. Colton had seen that look before. This lady obviously thought that Leonardo was good-looking.

  “He’s in room 2B. But I can’t let you go—”

  Before she could finish the sentence, they pushed past her and started up the steps. As soon as they reached his door, Colton pounded on it. Leonardo answered, looking more annoyed than he did tired.

  “What do you think you’re doing here?” Leonardo stared at them with something close to vengeance in his eyes.

  The fact that he was at the inn right now seemed a good indicator that he hadn’t taken Elise. But what if he was working with someone?

  “Where is she?” Colton grabbed Leonardo by his shirt and pushed him back until he hit the wall.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Where is who?” His eyes bulged as he stared at Colton.

  “Where is Elise?”

  “Daniel’s girl?” His voice rose an octave. “I don’t know where she is. Why would I?”

  “Because this trouble didn’t start until you came to the island.” Dez stepped up beside Colton and stared Leonardo down. “We need to find her. She’s in danger.”

  “Well, I haven’t seen her.”

  “So you’re saying you don’t have anything to do with what’s been going on here?” Dez clarified.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about. When I told you I came here to try to get a job, I was telling the truth.” Sweat spread across his skin.

  “What about this picture?” Colton pulled it from his pocket and held it up.

  Leonardo took it from him and squinted as he examined it further. “Where did you get this?”

  “It’s not important,” Colton said.

  He stared at it another moment before shrugging. “I don’t know. It’s too fuzzy. I’m not really sure where it was taken.”

  “Look closer.” Colton’s voice came out as a growl.

  Leonardo scowled at him for a moment before looking back at the photo. He let out a sigh before saying, “That almost looks like it was taken at the benefit gala for Sarah’s Promise.”

  Sarah’s Promise helped build schools for underprivileged communities overseas. Colton had only heard about the organization. Since it was started by the wife of a high-ranking official, many in the military supported it.

  “You were there?” Colton asked.

  Leonardo swallowed hard before nodding. “As a matter of fact, I was.”

  “Do you remember anything strange about that evening?” Dez pressed.

  “I can’t say I do. Then, again, that was more than a year ago. It didn’t seem all that important at the time.”

  “Do you know who any of these other people in the pictures are?” Colton held up the photos again.

  “As a matter of fact, I do. That’s Commander Larson. Secretary Stabler. Brian Starks. He’s one of the commander’s assistants.”

  Colton and Dez exchanged a look.

  “Do you know anything about Brian Starks?” Dez asked.

  “I can’t say I do. Never really had a chance to talk to the man that much. But he seemed very knowledgeable and helpful every time I did.”

  “If there’s anything you know that might help us find Elise or figure out who’s behind this, you need to tell us,” Colton said.

  Something flickered in Leonardo’s gaze, but he said nothing.

  “What is it?” Colton demanded, stepping closer to Leonardo.

  “It’s probably nothing.” Leonardo raised his hand, as if pleading with Colton to stay back.

  “Tell us,” Dez said. “We’ll take anything at this point.”

  “Benjamin was there.”

  Just then, Colton’s phone rang. It was Cassidy.

  “Find anything new?” he answered.

  “I have a few more words of this code. It says, ‘Our plan is coming together. The players are in place. This will cripple the US. We just need to take out the key people first.’”

  The Savages had moved onto US soil. There was no doubt about that.

  “One other thing,” Cassidy said. �
��I just got a call. A shrimp trawler was hijacked. The crew was set out on life rafts. The Coast Guard just picked them up.”

  “A shrimp trawler?” Colton said. “I’m going to need a boat.”

  “I can get you one of those. And I just sent my crew to the harbor.”

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  The man dragged Elise from the room where she had been stashed. The cold rushed at her again. They were outside, she realized. Near the water. Where the wind was always several degrees chillier.

  The unknown sent a shot of terror through her. She didn’t know where she was, though she assumed it was a harbor. She didn’t know what the man looked like. Nor did she know where he was taking her or what he was planning to do with her here. The deprivation of her senses had proven to only make her fear grow deeper.

  Fear, you will not win. You had your moment. Now it’s time for courage to step up to the plate.

  But Elise would be lying if she didn’t acknowledge that she had a bad feeling about all of this.

  Had Colton discovered that she was missing yet? Was he looking for her? And the even bigger question: would he find her?

  “Step up,” the man ordered.

  Before she could follow his directions, the man shoved her. Her foot caught on something in front of her, and she tumbled forward again. This time, there was nothing on the other side. She fell until her body hit something with a thud.

  Pain spread through her. Wherever she’d landed, it was cold. And wet. And . . . it moved back and forth. It swayed, for that matter.

  He’d taken her to a boat, she realized.

  Elise wished she could get up, that she could try to fight this. She heard the man moving around. Her captor had obviously jumped on board with her. She didn’t know what he was doing, but she imagined he was preparing to launch the boat. A few minutes later, she heard an engine and felt movement.

  They were headed out to sea, she realized.

  Elise didn’t think it was possible for her fear to grow any deeper, but it did. Out there, there would be nowhere to run.