Asylum Harbor

by Traci Hohenstein

  He saw a side gate that he assumed led to the back of the home. Hanging from the gate latch was a neon-green ribbon. Bingo. Now the question was, were they still here? Two sets of footprints led up to the side door. Amber and Shawn were probably together. He felt better knowing they’d both made it safely to shore.

  He decided to check the perimeter of the home before going in. Andy walked around toward the deck and spotted two people running down the beach. He crouched under the deck to give him cover as he assessed the situation. It was Shawn and Amber. Just as he was about to go help, a silent shot whizzed right past his ear.

  Andy looked around but couldn’t figure out where the shooter was. He watched as Shawn and Amber ran off in the distance oblivious to the fact someone was trying to shoot them. He didn’t want to give his position away and alert the shooter, so he waited. There—in the cover of darkness—one of the security guards reloaded his gun. Andy couldn’t see if anyone else was with him and he didn’t know how many guards had been in the boat. He didn’t think he could get off a good shot at this distance, so he decided to wait for them to come closer.

  The guard hesitated and then looked toward the beach. Andy held his breath as the guard walked within five feet of him and made his way down to the beach. Andy pulled his gun out and debated whether he should take the guard down now or wait till he got closer. He didn’t know if anyone else was with the guard. Just as Andy decided to follow, another guard burst through the palm trees and ran toward the beach. He watched as the guards conversed before taking off after Shawn and Amber.

  Satisfied that no one else was coming, he took off after the guards.

  CHAPTER 60

  “What are we going to do?” Amber asked. A cramp had developed in her side and she felt like she couldn’t breathe. She didn’t know how much longer she could hold up.

  “I don’t know yet.” Shawn noticed she had slowed down some. “Come on, we need to put some distance between us and the guard.”

  Amber tried to pick up her pace. Instead, she stumbled and fell flat on her butt, hurting her ankle again.

  Shawn turned around and helped her up. “What happened?”

  Amber winced as she tried to put weight on her ankle. “I don’t think I can walk on it anymore.”

  “Amber, we have to go.” Shawn looked around. He was sure the guard was right behind them. It worried him that he couldn’t see him anymore. He didn’t want to walk straight into an ambush.

  “Just go without me. I can’t do this anymore, Shawn.” Amber started crying. “Just go.”

  Shawn grabbed her at the elbow. “I’m not leaving you. It’s not an option. The house is just a few feet away.” He softened his tone. “Come on, Amber. You do can this. We’re really close.”

  Amber took a deep breath and leaned on Shawn. They slowly made their way to the back of the beach house. With every step she took, a sharp pain shot up her leg. The pain reminded her of the time she’d gotten a hairline fracture doing a cheerleading stunt. If she could cheer an entire game with a broken ankle, she could walk a few hundred feet with a sprained one.

  The beach house looked to be at least twenty-five years old. It was made of concrete block and painted a bright yellow. Next to the house was a gazebo with a bench. It was covered in plumeria vines but afforded a view of the water and the trail to the main beach house. Shawn made Amber sit on the bench while he checked out her ankle. It was starting to swell. As he removed her shoe, a pocketknife fell out.

  “Where did you get this?”

  “At the other beach house. I found it in the kitchen.”

  Shawn studied the pocketknife before handing it back to Amber. He didn’t know how many of the security guards were on the island and if Andy had reached shore or not. It was hard to come up with a plan without knowing those specifics. And since the island seemed to be without phone service, hiding until they could find help was probably their best option. A pocketknife and kitchen knife weren’t the best protection until then.

  “Let’s see if we can find better weapons,” he said, helping Amber to her feet. “This way. We’ll try the side door and see if it’s unlocked like the other house.”

  Amber leaned on Shawn as they made their way around to the side. As soon as they rounded the corner, they came face-to-face with one of the security guards.

  “Stop. Not another step.”

  Shawn put his hands out. He recognized the guard as one of the guys who’d witnessed his beating back on Asylum Harbor. Shawn studied him closely. The guard looked nervous and unsure of himself. He hoped that worked in his favor.

  “She’s got a hurt ankle,” Shawn said to the guard as he pointed to Amber’s leg.

  The guard glanced down to her leg and shrugged. “Don’t care.”

  Shawn looked around but didn’t see anyone else. Where were the other guards?

  “Let’s take a walk down to the water.” The guard held his gun steady at Amber. “No funny stuff. You try anything, she dies.”

  Shawn pulled Amber close to him and she put her arm around his shoulder. “Lean on me,” he whispered in ear.

  The guard took tentative steps toward them. “I should have killed you when I had—”

  Before he finished his sentence, they heard a pop. The guard fell face down on the sand, dropping his gun. Amber screamed as another dark figure stood in the shadows.

  “It’s Andy.” Shawn held Amber close to him. “It’s okay.”

  Andy walked out of the shadows where Amber could see him clearer.

  “That’s the second time you saved me.” Shawn walked over to the dead guard and picked up his gun. His heart was pounding a mile a minute. “Thanks, bro.”

  “Not a problem.” Andy stepped over the guard’s body. “Are you guys okay?” he asked Amber.

  She nodded her head. “Think so.”

  “How many more guards? Do you know?” Shawn asked.

  “I don’t know. I already took out another one. He was waiting in the shadows behind this one. Snuck up on him and put ’em in a sleeper,” Andy said. “I saw you guys at the other house and was about to meet you down at the beach when I heard him sneak up on you and take some shots. I hid near the deck and he never saw me. I followed him and his partner down to the beach and they led me to you.”

  “Good job. I owe you one.” Shawn pointed over to the cottage. “If we can hide Amber in the house someone, then we can go after help. Instead of waiting for them to find us.”

  Andy thought this over while Amber shook her head.

  “No, please don’t leave me alone.”

  “I think Shawn’s right. It’s much safer for you to hide while we take out the rest of these guys.”

  Amber looked up at the house and considered her options. She noticed movement on the deck. “Shawn!” she screamed, pointing at the deck, but she was too late.

  Several things happened at once. It was all so fast Amber wasn’t sure what happened until it was all over.

  The gunman shot off a round, and Andy hit the ground, a red spot blossoming on his chest. Shawn pushed Amber aside before a second shot rang off. He fell over into the sand, blood pouring from his shoulder.

  Amber stood frozen to the ground with terror. She closed her eyes and waited for certain death.

  CHAPTER 61

  Rachel hadn’t driven a Jet Ski in a while, but it was easy to get the hang of. She’d checked the gas gauge, and the tank was full. At least she wouldn’t be stranded out in the ocean. The sea had a two-foot chop, which made the ride a little bumpy, but she had no problem keeping up with Red. Stacy rode on the seat behind Rachel and had her arms wrapped around Rachel’s waist.

  The only problem was the boat they were following was getting away. In daylight, it would have been easier to follow. But even with a fairly nice night with some visibility, following a fast boat on dark water was hard to do.

  Within fifteen minutes, using the built-in GPS tracker in the radios, Vance had caught up with them. They abandoned the Jet Sk
is and hopped back on the boat.

  “Do you have any idea where those guys were headed?” Red asked. “We lost sight of them about a mile back.”

  “There’s only one island that I know of that’s close to here—Big Dog Cay. It’s privately owned. As far as I know, it’s got a main residence and a few guesthouses. Rarely occupied. That’s it.”

  “Let’s go, then.” Red settled back, his face grim.

  Vance adjusted the boat’s course. “Should take us just a few minutes to get there.”

  “Call the Coast Guard and let them know our change in direction,” Red instructed.

  Stacy and Rachel anxiously waited in the cabin. “I knew this was a bad idea,” Rachel admitted to Stacy. “I never should have let Stephanie come on this trip. Now I’m responsible for losing a member of Governor Knowles’s family while trying to rescue another.”

  “Don’t beat yourself up about it.” Stacy rubbed her on the arm. “You’re not responsible for her actions.”

  “Something had to have happened between the time she left Vance and when she got captured.”

  “You think she found Amber?”

  Rachel shrugged. “They were chasing someone in that first boat.”

  “The Coast Guard is meeting us at Big Dog Cay.” Red looked at Rachel with concern in his eyes.

  “What?” Rachel knew that look. It wasn’t good news.

  “Mike Mancini is also on his way, with Drake and his crew. They coordinated a search for us with the Coast Guard.”

  “Good. We’ll need the help.”

  “I don’t think Drake will be too happy that we didn’t notify him,” Stacy reminded Rachel.

  “I tried to convince him to come along. He wanted to wait.”

  “Guys, we’re here. And guess what?” Vance slowed the boat, taking note of two smaller boats perched on the beach. “We’ve found the other boats.”

  CHAPTER 62

  A quick search of the boats didn’t yield any clues as to where anyone was. Rachel studied the footprints embedded in the sand. “Looks like they split up.”

  “I believe the main house and another guest cottage are that way.” Vance pointed to his right. “Not sure where that leads.” He pointed to the other set of prints.

  “Let’s head toward the main house and stay together this time,” Rachel instructed.

  They walked along the sandy path that led up to the beach house.

  They heard gunshots. Then a scream pierced the night.

  Rachel spun around. “Where did that come from?”

  Another scream.

  “That way.” Vance took off running while the rest followed.

  Stephanie threw her arms around the guard’s neck. His shot went wild as they both tumbled down the deck stairs. Stephanie landed on top of the guard and they both struggled for the gun. She was losing strength fast. Her leg had started bleeding again and she started trembling.

  Amber screamed for her aunt when she finally realized what was going on.

  The gun went off and Stephanie rolled off the guard. He stood up and stumbled toward Amber.

  Vance got to the beach house first. He motioned for the others to stay put. Drawing his gun, he took aim. He knew he had only one good shot. Taking a deep breath, he steadied his hand and fired.

  The guard fell forward and landed at Amber’s feet. She ran toward her aunt and collapsed on the ground.

  Rachel rushed toward Amber. The terrified look on her face stopped her. Rachel realized Amber didn’t know who she was. She had no idea what the poor child had been through.

  “Amber, I’m Rachel Scott. Your parents sent us here to look for you.” Rachel glanced down at Stephanie. “Your aunt Stephanie came with us, but we got separated. Are you injured?” Rachel asked in a soothing tone.

  Amber shook her head no. “My aunt is hurt badly, though.”

  Rachel quickly looked the teenager over and didn’t see any wounds, although her right ankle was swollen.

  “What about my aunt?” Amber’s voice quivered. “She saved my life.”

  Rachel looked at Stephanie’s injuries. Her leg was already bandaged and soaked with blood. She also had been shot in the abdomen. Rachel felt for a pulse but couldn’t find one and Stephanie wasn’t breathing. She started doing CPR while Vance came over to help.

  Stacy was squatting beside Shawn’s body. “I think this is Josh McCain.” She recognized him from the photos Rachel had shown her. “He has a pulse.” She took off her belt and used it as a tourniquet for his shoulder. “I think he’s coming around,” she said as Shawn’s eyes fluttered open.

  Red came back from his reconnaissance. “There’s another dead guard on the deck.” He bent down next to Andy who was close to Shawn. “No pulse. I think he’s gone. Does anyone know who this is?” Red noticed Andy wasn’t wearing a uniform like the rest of the guards.

  “Andy. He helped Shawn rescue me.” Amber answered.

  “We can get the full story once Shawn and Amber are patched up,” Rachel suggested.

  Red nodded. “I’ll head back to the boat and alert the Coast Guard that we need a medic helicopter. Stacy can come with me and grab our first-aid kit. We’ll do what we can until the Coast Guard can get here.”

  “Think you can make it back to our boat?” he asked Amber.

  Rachel continued to perform CPR. She looked up at Red and shook her head. Stephanie wasn’t responding.

  “I don’t want to leave my aunt. She saved my life.”

  “Go ahead,” Rachel told Red. “I’ll stay with Amber.” He sprinted down the beach toward the boat.

  Within minutes, the Coast Guard arrived. They loaded Stephanie and Shawn in the medic copter. Amber wanted to go, but Rachel insisted she stay with her and wait for her parents. Rachel watched as another boat pulled up to the shoreline. Mike jumped off and ran toward her. She sighed with relief, knowing everything was going to be okay.

  EPILOGUE

  “How can we ever thank you?” Governor Knowles shook Rachel’s hand and then gave her a hearty embrace.

  “Just seeing Amber back with her family is thanks enough.” Rachel looked over at Shawn, who was propped up in his hospital bed. “He’s the real hero.”

  Shawn shrugged. “I felt responsible for getting Amber into that mess.”

  Mike and Rachel were with the governor, Sarah, and Amber in Shawn’s hospital room to give them an update and say their goodbyes. Drake and his crew had already briefed the governor and were on their way back to Quantico.

  A few minutes earlier, Shawn had explained to everyone what had happened the last few days:

  “I had a feeling that something was off before we set sail for Tampa,” he’d said. “My suspicions were confirmed when Andy came by our room the night before we left. He’d overheard a conversation between the head of security, Edward Schultz, and another security guy. Schultz said they planned to get rid of me. At first Andy thought they meant fire me, until Schultz said that someone was being sent to ‘shut me up permanently.’ So I prepared as much as I could. I told Andy that I was undercover and asked him if he trusted me enough to help. We’d both served in the armed forces—although at different times and places—and he couldn’t resist helping a former brother out.

  “What I didn’t count on was meeting Amber and getting her involved. When I walked her back to the suite that night, I was as surprised by the attacker as Amber was. Looking back, I should’ve been more alert. Pezzini must have followed me back from the commissary. When I unlocked Amber’s door, he pushed me inside. He immediately saw Amber on the balcony and forced me out there with her. Pleading with him didn’t get anywhere and I ran out of options. Pezzini had a gun pointed at Amber and she was ready to jump overboard.

  “Just remembering her straddling the rail, leaning over the edge precariously, is terrifying. Pezzini was distracted for a moment when Amber leaned over the edge. I rushed him and knocked the gun out of his hands. It went off, but no one got hit. We struggled, and Pezzini fell overb
oard. He almost took Amber with him, but I grabbed her in time. She fell off the railing and hit her head. I didn’t know how badly she was injured or how many other Morrotti’s men were after me.

  “I was afraid that with Pezzini falling from Amber’s balcony, Morrotti might think she had something to do with his death, or had something to do with our drug sting. I thought neither of us was safe. At this point, the only person I trusted on the ship was Andy. So I decided we had to make a run for it. I would contact Mike once we were safe on land. At least that was the plan.

  “Convincing Amber to leave with me was tricky. I wasn’t ready to reveal to Amber who I really was. In case we were caught, I figured the less she knew the better. I stuck close to the truth and told her that I was a government agent working for her father and was on the boat to protect her. Little did I know that Amber had had an argument with her parents refusing security on the cruise. I guess that worked in my favor.

  “Getting off the boat was a little difficult, but with Andy’s help, we did it. Like I said, on my rare days off, I explored the ship. One day I found a storage room where rubber dinghies that needed repair were stashed. I knew where I could launch a boat in an emergency. So I got a dinghy ready.

  “Amber and I hid on the ship until it was close to shore. Andy helped us launch the dinghy without being seen, and we made it to Freeport. Then we looked for a safe place to go. Captain Martin or Edward Schultz must have put out a call to their crew when we were reported missing, because a black sport utility vehicle found us really soon and almost ran us over. Before we could react, two large men overpowered us and threw us in the back of the truck.

  “They taped our mouths and bound our feet and hands. After a short drive, they loaded us onto a boat and took us below. I’ll never forget the frightened look in Amber’s eyes. Within an hour, we arrived at our destination.