Asylum Harbor

by Traci Hohenstein

CHAPTER 54

  “Get Vance on the radio! Call the Coast Guard!” Rachel broke into a sprint toward the beach.

  “Wait!” Red called after her. “Be careful! We don’t know if anybody else is down there.”

  Rachel paused. “I don’t see anybody.”

  “Still, it doesn’t hurt to be cautious,” Stacy agreed with Red.

  By the time they got to the beach, the boats were almost out of view. Red radioed Vance and told him to bring the boat around.

  “It will take at least ten minutes for Vance to get here.” Rachel threw her hands up. “Meanwhile, they’re getting farther away.” She cursed herself for letting Stephanie come along. Now, instead of looking for clues to Amber’s whereabouts, she was using her resources to rescue Stephanie.

  Red spotted the tiki hut where the water sports equipment was rented. “Hang on. I’ve got an idea.”

  He ran to the hut and found it unlocked. A row of keys hung on a peg board. Whoever ran the water sports place was well organized. The keys were numbered to correlate to the numbers on the rental Jet Skis. He selected two keys and headed back to the girls.

  Red pointed to the last two Jet Skis in a row of bright-green-and-purple Jet Skis that garnished the shoreline. “This is our ride.” He tossed a key to Rachel. “You and Stacy can ride together.”

  “What about Vance?” Stacy asked. She put on the life vest that Red handed her.

  “I’ll call him and tell him where we’re headed. He’ll use the GPS from our radios to find us.”

  Red helped them push off before getting on his own Jet Ski. He felt an uncomfortable twinge in his chest as they set off.

  CHAPTER 55

  Amber paused just a few feet from the sandy shoreline. Her wet T-shirt and shorts clung to her skin and she shivered despite the warm temperature. An outside porch light flickered from the deck of a vacation home. She didn’t see any movement from either side of the house. Now or never, she thought. She walked carefully through the shells and coral and was thankful she’d still been wearing her tennis shoes when she jumped overboard. She crept up to the beach house. She wondered if anyone was staying there. The deck was devoid of any sign of inhabitants. No beach towels, swimsuits, or beach chairs littered the deck. She crept quietly around the house, down a pathway that led to an outdoor shower. Amber jumped as a security light came on and bathed the area around her with light.

  Instinctively, she crouched down and waited for the light to go off. After a few seconds, she cautiously stood up and rounded the corner of the shower where she saw a side door. She turned the knob. To her amazement, the door was unlocked. Amber started to push the door open, but someone grabbed her from behind. She tried to scream, but whoever it was put his hand over her mouth and pushed her into a dark room. When she stumbled over something hard, her attacker lost his grip, and they sprawled together onto a concrete floor. She felt the wind get knocked out of her.

  “Amber, it’s me.”

  She was relieved and irritated at the same time.

  “Dammit, Josh! Quit sneaking up on me!”

  “Shawn,” he reminded her. “My name is Shawn.”

  “Whatever. Just get off of me.” Amber stood up, rubbing her scraped skin. “What happened to everybody?”

  “Security is probably scouring this place looking for us. We need to find a phone.”

  “What happened to Andy?”

  “I don’t know. I jumped right after you. He kept going. I’m sure those guys have figured out by now that we abandoned ship.”

  “Do you think Andy’s hurt? Where could he go?”

  “I don’t know. I hope he’s all right, but right now we have to figure out a way to get help. So let’s look for that phone.”

  Amber went to turn on the light switch and Shawn caught her hand.

  “No way. We don’t want to draw attention to ourselves.”

  “Sorry. Reflex.” Amber stood still until her eyes adjusted to the dark.

  Shawn started moving through what seemed to be a storage and laundry room. “Stay behind me. We want to find a phone, computer, any kind of communication device.”

  “I’m right behind you.”

  The air was stale and musty, and Amber had to fight an impulse to sneeze. “I don’t think anyone has been here in a long time.” She could faintly make out white sheets covering some of the furniture.

  Shawn walked around the kitchen and found a phone hanging next to the refrigerator.

  He picked it up and cussed. “Just my luck. Dead.”

  CHAPTER 56

  Stephanie waited for the right time to make her move. George had one eye on her and the other on the boats ahead of him.

  “We’re getting really close,” she heard David yell through the radio.

  George picked up his radio to respond. “You should be hitting Big Dog Cay any minute now. That’s probably where they’re headed.”

  “In about one minute, we’ll be right on top of them!” David responded.

  “You know what to do!” George answered.

  Stephanie was ready. The moonlight shone on a shoreline less than a few hundred feet away. Gunshots erupted from the other security boat, grabbing George’s full attention. She thought she could make it to shore if she was judging the distance correctly. Silently counting to three, she held her breath and hoped for the best. Then she jumped.

  Hitting the water hard, Stephanie struggled to find the surface. She gulped what felt like gallons of salty ocean, but the coolness of the water took away some of the pain in her leg. She expected George to circle around and come back to run her over, but he kept going. He probably figured she would drown. But she was stronger than she looked.

  She got her bearings in the dark water and slowly started to swim toward the shoreline, doing the breaststroke and conserving the use of her bad leg. She estimated she’d reach land within ten to fifteen minutes at this pace. She just hoped she wouldn’t be too late to help Amber.

  As she was close to shore, Stephanie felt something bump against her leg, and then she felt a white-hot blast of pain that nearly blinded her. She shrieked. The water was now up to her chest as she struggled to make it to shore. Another bump. Oh my God, she thought as a sharp pain went up her right leg, it’s a shark.

  She reached down with a fist and punched the shark as hard as she could. Her mind was numb to the fear. Just a few more feet and she’d reach shore. She reached down to feel the damage to her leg. There was a gaping hole where her calf should have been.

  Feeling lightheaded, she started swimming slowly toward shore again. The waves helped by pushing her forward. She was gulping more and more salt water and she was sure she was trailing blood behind. Her good foot touched down on sand, and she dragged herself up onto the beach. She saw a cottage directly in front of her but didn’t know if she could make it any further. The clouds parted and a stream of moonlight shone brightly on the beach as she inspected her leg. She was right. A good chunk of her calf was gone. Blood poured out of the wound, and Stephanie felt her hope drain away as well. She shivered from shock and cold.

  She’d never be able to tell her daughter how sorry she was for everything. For all the years she’d missed. She’d never be able to tell Amber how much she loved her.

  As Stephanie laid her head down in the sand, the moonlight and stars faded from her vision.

  CHAPTER 57

  “Look around and see if you can find anything we can use to call for help. A laptop, cell phone, anything,” Shawn instructed Amber as he hung up the worthless phone. “I’ll check the bedrooms. Maybe I can find us some dry clothes and towels.”

  Amber fumbled around in the dark, looking for anything that would help them. Her eyes were adjusting to the darkness. A bit of moonlight cast weak but broad lines throughout the vacation home, helping her find her way through each room.

  She searched the living room and kitchen, her wet shoes squishing on the plush carpet. A small desk in the corner looked promising, and she pulled open th
e drawers. But all she found were bits of papers and a couple of pens. The kitchen didn’t turn up anything, either. She tried the phone again, just in case. Nothing. In a junk drawer, Amber found a small pocketknife. She hung on to that, slipping it into the waistband of her shorts.

  “Nothing,” she heard Shawn say as he came back into the living room. “The cheap bastards must have turned off the phone and Internet service while they were gone.”

  “I didn’t find anything, either,” Amber said.

  “I did find a change of clothes.” He handed her a sundress and a pair of flip-flops. “Not sure if this will fit you, but it’s all I could find.”

  She held up the dress. It was longer than something she’d normally wear, but she could make do.

  “It’ll work,” she said, heading for the doorway. “I’ll change in the kitchen.” She went back to the junk drawer for the scissors she’d seen and cut off the bottom of the dress so the skirt fell just above her knees. She decided to leave her tennis shoes on, even though they were soaked. When she walked back into the living room, Shawn was standing at the window, looking out.

  “Do you know where we are? Or how many other homes are out here? Maybe we can check those out,” Amber said. She noticed that he had changed as well and now wore baggy jean shorts and a golf shirt. Despite the seriousness of their situation, she couldn’t help but stifle a giggle. He looked like a little boy wearing his father’s clothes.

  “We’re on Big Dog Cay. Andy said it’s got five houses in all. This island is owned by one person, and the family uses it as a compound. We can try the other houses and see if we have any luck.” Shawn eased over to the sliding glass door that led to the back deck, which faced the shoreline. He gently pulled back the blinds and peered outside.

  “See anything?” Amber asked quietly.

  “No,” he said, continuing to peer out the window. “The clouds keep rolling in and out, covering the moonlight. I think we should go ahead…” He hesitated for a moment.

  “What?” She urgently whispered.

  “I do see something. I think…Someone is crawling along the sand. I think it’s a woman. She looks hurt.”

  Shawn ran back to the kitchen. Amber followed.

  “What are you looking for?”

  “Some kind of a weapon. I lost mine when I bailed from the boat.” He grabbed a knife from the butcher block and tucked it inside a potholder, which went into the front pocket of his shorts. “This will have to do.”

  Amber remembered the small knife that she’d found in the kitchen. She’d tucked it in her shoe when she’d changed into the sundress. She hoped she wouldn’t have to use it.

  Shawn went back to the sliding glass door, checking the surroundings again. Amber looked out from the window. She saw nothing.

  “You need to stay here where it’s safe while I go check this out,” Shawn said. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  “Okay. Be careful.” Amber sat down on the couch and put her face in her hands. She could feel a migraine coming on. This happened when she was stressed or tired. She concentrated on taking deep breaths, inhaling through her nose and blowing out slowly through her mouth. When will all of this finally be over?

  CHAPTER 58

  Shawn edged cautiously around the back of the home. He studied the area, watching for any signs of movement. Seeing nothing, he continued toward the beach. Whoever swam ashore was now lying motionless on the sand. He heard a boat motor and some shouting just a short distance away. Fingering the knife in his pocket, he made his way to the figure. As he got closer, he realized it was woman, with blonde hair. Something was familiar about her.

  He looked around again before moving closer. The woman moaned softly, and he could see that she was seriously injured. Shawn glanced back to the house but didn’t see any movement. What had happened to Andy and their pursuers? How did this woman figure into the equation? He didn’t remember seeing a woman in the boat with the shooters, but then again, he hadn’t gotten a good look as he ran for his life. She didn’t seem to be part of the island’s security crew, though. Her dress was more casual—definitely not a uniform.

  “Hey, are you okay?” Shawn stepped closer. Her leg was bleeding and her head was turned to the side, so he couldn’t see her face. Shawn walked around and knelt down beside her.

  The woman continued to moan. It sounded like she was trying to say something. “Ammmer. Ammmer.”

  He pushed a piece of blonde hair off her face. “What did you say?” Her blue eyes stared directly at him as a sense of confusion came over him. She looked just like—

  “Aunt Stephanie!” Amber cried out as she crashed down beside Shawn.

  Shawn fell back in surprise. “What? What’s going on here?” He looked from Amber to the woman lying in the sand and back again. “I told you to stay inside!”

  “It’s my aunt. Oh my gosh, she’s hurt.”

  Shawn’s mind was reeling. So many questions went through his mind. Most importantly, what was her aunt doing here?

  “Aunt Stephanie, how did you get here?”

  “Boat. Looking…for…you.” Her breath was ragged.

  Shawn ripped off his shirt and used it to make a tourniquet to wrap it around her leg. He was stunned to see that her calf was almost shredded to bits. Muscle and cartilage were ripped away, and only stark-white bone was left. It looked like she’d been attacked by a small shark or barracuda. Her skin was pasty, and she’d obviously lost a lot of blood. He wasn’t sure if she had any other injuries.

  “Who’s looking for me? Mom? Dad?” Amber held her hand.

  “I…love you. So sorry…I left you…all…alone.” Stephanie’s eyes rolled back into her head.

  “What? What do you mean?” Amber couldn’t make sense of what her aunt was trying to tell her. “I love you, too. Please stay with me.”

  Shawn felt for a pulse, but it was faint. He shook his head at Amber as tears fell down her cheeks. This felt like a bad dream to her. Nothing made sense.

  “She’s lost some blood and has a faint pulse. Do you think you can help me carry her up to the house? I saw a first-aid kit in the bathroom.”

  Amber nodded her head.

  Shawn looped his arms under Stephanie’s and gently lifted her up. “Grab her legs. Gently. Watch out for her injury.”

  They carried Stephanie up to the house and laid her on the sofa. Shawn grabbed the first-aid kit and properly attended to her wound while Amber put a cool cloth on her aunt’s head.

  “I just don’t understand what is going on here. I haven’t seen my aunt in over a year.”

  “She looks just like you,” Shawn commented.

  “My mother and aunt are twins. That’s why I ran out to the beach. I stepped out onto the balcony to get a closer look and I thought it was my mother.” Amber started to cry again. “This is just all so surreal.”

  Shawn lifted Amber’s chin up. “Listen, you have to hold it together if we’re going to make it out of here. We’ve done all we can for your aunt right now. She needs medical attention.” He tucked a blanket around Stephanie. “We need to leave her here and go find help. Ready?”

  Amber wiped away her tears and nodded. She leaned over and gave Stephanie a kiss on the forehead, then followed Shawn out the door.

  CHAPTER 59

  “Mike, it’s a call from the Coast Guard.” Drake handed the ship’s radio to him. “They just got a distress call from a boat near Asylum Harbor.”

  Mike had coordinated with the Coast Guard when they headed to Asylum Harbor. He was upset with Rachel for putting herself and her team in a precarious position. He took the call as Drake listened in.

  The voice on the radio said, “A man identifying himself as Vance Pearson called in about five minutes ago. He said he’s on a search-and-rescue mission with Rachel Scott. He reported shots fired at Cabana Cay.” The Coast Guard gave him Vance’s last coordinates.

  “We’re headed that way,” Mike said. “What’s your ETA?”

  “Sev
enteen minutes” came the reply.

  “We’re less than a half hour out. Please update us when you arrive.”

  Mike handed the radio back to Drake.

  “Great. Just what I feared—Rachel’s on the island and she’s in trouble.”

  Andy opened the throttle as far as it would go. He didn’t have to look behind him to know the cruiser was about to overtake him. He secured the gun in his pocket and dove off the boat. The water was shallow, as he had expected, and he swam as close to the bottom as possible. He didn’t dare come out of the water until he was a few feet away from the beach. Andy heard the other boat come around looking for him. He confirmed his Glock was still there and then quickly ran toward shore.

  Not knowing which way Shawn and Amber had gone, he looked for footprints. He’d given Shawn pieces of neon-green ribbon to leave as markers when he got to shore—something he’d learned during armed forces special teams training. The trick would be finding small ribbons in the dark on a huge island, even if it was only half the size of Asylum Harbor. Keeping an eye out for the security guards, Andy stealthily made his way in the direction he thought Shawn must have gone.

  From studying the map of the island, he knew that a main house faced the beach about a hundred yards from where he now stood. A few hundred feet down the beach were four smaller cottages. Andy had heard that a well-known millionaire owned this island and used it exclusively for his friends and family. What he didn’t know was if any of the island homes were now occupied.

  He had to work fast. The security guards would be all over him soon. He approached the house from the side and looked for signs that Shawn had been there. A multitude of palm trees and other tropical vegetation surrounded the house—good cover while he checked out the home. It looked vacant—no lights, no noise. So far, so good. Except, where was Shawn?