Gil rubbed his jaw with his hand, opening his mouth to test the damage. He’d survive but he’d be feeling that punch for a while and he wasn’t so sure he didn’t deserve it.
“Sonny, listen to your father and take the baby down below. Stay there,” Gil said.
“But you may need my help.”
“We can’t worry about you and Ellie on deck while we try to outrun this boat,” her father said. “Just keep Ellie next to you but out of the way of anything that might get knocked over. This ride might get a little rough.”
“Okay,” she said.
When she turned to head for the cabin, she paused, leaned toward Gil and kissed him. If she saw the daggers her father’s eyes threw at him, she ignored them and took Ellie down to the main cabin.
“Where are they, sir?” he asked, looking the man straight in the eyes. Not with challenge but with determination to see this through.
“Coming in fast. We need to get this boat turned back around.” He gestured to the gun Gil had taken from Olof. “Do you know how to use that gun you’ve got tucked in your pants?”
“Four years in Army Special Forces, sir. Seven years in law enforcement.”
A look of admiration crossed his face. “Good. There are two rifles hanging by the radio in the cockpit. Use them if you have to. Anything comes close to this boat, shoot it!”
“You got it.”
Gil followed behind him, matching his step as he lifted the main sail. If the past few days on Olof’s boat had taught him anything, it was his way around the deck of a sailboat. With all the sails raised and the catamaran turned into the wind, they took off.
As they started to move, Gil turned back to gauge the distance between them and the boat pursuing them.
“This boat may not look like much, but the gentleman I chartered her from said she could fly. My son Dylan has a friend down at the marina in Providence. He said these catamarans can outrun anything when the sails are up.”
That’s good, Gil thought. They needed to fly if they had any chance of reaching Puerto Rico alive.
“Let’s get her flying, sir.”
* * *
Sonny walked through the catamaran’s cabin until she found a bunk. The boat was moving quickly and she had to hold on to the wall until she was able to sit down on the edge of the bed. She used the outer wall as leverage so she could take Ellie out of the carrier.
“Come here, Ellie she said after freeing her. “Come snuggle with me for a while. Everything is going to be alright.”
She heard her father’s voice mingling with Gil’s as they shouted information to one another. God, she hoped everything was going to be alright.
Anything comes close to this boat, shoot it. That’s what her father had said. The thought of more shooting terrified her. The image of Lucia’s body slumped over and the metallic smell of blood flooded her memory.
A tear trickled down her cheek. Ellie was looking around at her new surroundings. Oh, what a blessed comfort this little baby was to her. Ellie was completely unaware of what it had taken to get her back. She was just a baby and she would have no memories of this nightmare to carry through her life.
But Sonny would never forget a moment of the past few weeks. Especially these past few days with Gil.
A shot rang out on deck and she heard a high-pitched ping, signaling the bullet had hit something on the boat. More shots, louder than the first, sounded above her.
Eduardo Sanchez had looked straight into her eyes with a kind of contempt she’d never seen. He was responsible for so much pain. He’d threatened Serena’s family her whole life, he’d been responsible for Cash’s disappearance and he’d taken Ellie from them all.
A chill raced up her spine with the memory of his eyes staring at her. She had the baby now. He couldn’t hurt Ellie anymore. She closed her eyes and prayed her father and Gil weren’t in the line of fire.
It killed her not to know what was happening on deck. But she couldn’t put Ellie in danger by leaving her here to check. What if something happened? Who would take care of the baby?
And what about Gil? The very thought of losing him nearly broke her in two.
Fear for her father and for the man she was falling in love with overwhelmed her. Hadn’t they all lost enough? Didn’t she and Gil deserve a chance to see where these feelings would take them?
Sonny curled herself up in a ball and hugged Ellie to her chest.
* * *
Gil had radioed the Coast Guard their coordinates, telling them the catamaran was under attack by pirates. But waiting for reinforcements to arrive while trying to outrun Sanchez’s men was maddening. Sonny’s father steered the thirty-five foot catamaran, catching as much wind as he could with the sails while using the engine to give them maximum speed. He stood at the wheel using his binoculars to gauge the distance between the catamaran and the other boat.
Gil didn’t need to use anything but his own eyes to see the boat was gaining on them. That last bullet was too close for comfort, Gil thought, looking at the way the railing on the boat dimpled before the bullet had ricocheted out to sea. They had a lot of sail up for Sanchez’s men to use as a target. One bullet hole could slice the sail in two, causing the boat to lose speed and have both Gil and Sonny’s dad reeling to control the damage.
It’d be all over then.
“How far out is the Coast Guard?”
“About ten minutes.”
At the helm, Sonny’s father grumbled. “They’re going to be ten minutes too late if we don’t pick up some speed. Come take the wheel. I’m getting the other rifle.”
Gil got his first close glimpse of the approaching boat through the binoculars. Two rifles against the firepower he saw coming at them wasn’t going to be enough. But he wasn’t prepared to give up.
“If there are more bullets, get them, too. We’re going to need them.”
* * *
Deep sobs racked Sonny’s body as she listened to the gunfire above her. Her father’s shouts intermingled with Gil’s. She knew they were both exposed to bullets that were being fired at them from the other boat, and it was more than she could bear.
The sound of a helicopter in the distance began to grow louder. Within minutes, the noise of it was so pronounced, it scared Ellie and she started to cry for the first time since the ordeal started. The helicopter wasn’t directly above the boat but it sounded as if it were circling them.
“This is the United States Coast Guard,” Sonny heard loud and clear. “Heave to and prepare to be boarded.”
A surge of relief consumed Sonny. The United States Coast Guard was here—finally.
The command to heave to was repeated, followed by the cut of the engine. The catamaran lost its speed and instead of cutting through the water it was drifting.
“We’re almost home, Ellie! Almost home.”
* * *
“You’re still in international waters,” the Coast Guard lieutenant said. “Our being here was enough to chase them off, but we can’t guarantee they won’t come back once we fly out of here. There’s a cutter patrolling the waters on the outskirts of Puerto Rico. I’ve radioed for them to come out and escort you the rest of the way. They should meet you by the end of the day. If you run into trouble before you rendezvous with the cutter, make sure you radio us again.”
The lieutenant and a Coast Guard crewman had boarded the catamaran after the boat chasing them took flight in the opposite direction.
“I appreciate your help. I thought we were done for,” Gil said.
“You say you logged your trip when you left port,” the lieutenant asked Sonny’s father.
“Yes, you’ll find it on file. I’m bringing three more passengers back with me. They all have their passports on board.”
The lieutenant nodded. “I’ll make note of that for our log, but you’ll need to check in with Immigration and the Coast Guard office in Ponce as soon as you dock, Mr. Montgomery. You’ll need to file a report.”
&nbs
p; “Will do. Thank you again.”
As the Coast Guard crew lifted to the helicopter and flew off, Gil turned to Sonny’s father. “You look tired, sir.”
He was met with a scowl on the older man’s face.
“Let’s cut it with the ‘sir,’ shall we? My name is Kelin. Kelly to my friends.”
“So where does that leave me?”
He heaved a sigh. “I’m still deciding. Seeing how my daughter has taken a liking to you despite the mess you put her in, I’m thinking Kelly would be okay. Unless you only mean to use her for your own profit. In which case, you won’t be calling me anything. Get my drift?”
“I care a great deal for Sonny.”
Kelly propped his hands on his hips. “And still you almost had her killed. And my granddaughter.”
“I can’t change the past. If I could, I would. But I didn’t do it entirely on my own. From what Sonny has told me, she put herself in this position willingly despite your reservations and Dylan’s.”
Surprise registered on his face. “She told you about her brother, huh?”
“She’s talked openly about them both. She loves them very much.”
“That she does.” He paused a moment and looked hard at Gil. “Worrying about loved ones can take a lot out of a man.”
Gil had been the cause of Kelly’s worry for at least one of his loved ones, he decided. Judging by the worry lines on Kelly’s face, Gil figured he wasn’t going to let him off the hook easily. Even after the blow he’d delivered earlier.
“How’s the jaw?” Kelly asked.
“Sore, but I’ll survive.”
“If I’d really wanted to hurt you I would have. And believe me, there were times over the past week when I wanted to.”
Gil had no doubt. Despite the terse words from Kelly, he’d calmed some in the past few minutes, and then he surprised Gil by chuckling.
Kelly shook his head. “My wife would be appalled by my behavior. She can deliver her own left hook without even touching me, though, when she’s displeased by something I’ve done. And she’d be displeased about this, especially seeing the way Sonny feels about you.”
Gil blinked. “I’m sorry, sir?”
“Are we back to that already?” Kelly said, scowling.
Gil shrugged.
Kelly eyed him speculatively. “You be careful with Sonny. No matter how much she’s grown into a woman, she’s still my little girl and I’m not going to let you hurt her.”
“I don’t think you have to worry. We’ve been at odds a fair amount of the time we’ve spent together.” Well, that wasn’t completely true, but they had argued.
Kelly chuckled, lifting his eyes skyward. “Lord, I’m in trouble with this one. He’s clueless.”
A frown pulled at Gil’s face.
“You might not have had the opportunity to figure it out yet, but my little girl doesn’t pay much mind to men she doesn’t like. I don’t mean she’s impolite. That’s not Sonny’s way. But if you got her riled up, she’s seeing something in you.” Kelly pointed a finger at Gil. “Remember what I said, and watch yourself. I don’t want my little girl hurt.”
Gil smiled. “You have my word.”
Kelly made a grunt. “Well, you got her back to me. And with my grandbaby, too. That says something. I guess I can’t ask for more than that. Yet.”
Despite his initial reaction to Gil, it was easy to see where Sonny’s strength came from. He wasn’t going to question how Kelly had managed to reach them before Eduardo Sanchez did, or how the Coast Guard had found them just in time to scare off their pursuers. He was just glad they had.
Kelly pointed to the captain’s wheel. “What do you know about navigating a catamaran?”
Gil gave him a grin. “Enough to keep her true while you go introduce yourself to Ellie and have a real look. She’s a sweetheart.”
That earned him a beaming smile from Kelly. “I hear she’s the spitting image of my wife, too.”
* * *
“Sonny?”
“Back here, Dad!” she called out. She’d found some baby supplies in one of the cabinets and changed Ellie’s diaper. Serena or her mother must have stocked the boat before her father set sail.
Kelly poked his head into the berth. “There my girls are.” His laugh of joy was loud; it startled Ellie and had her twisting around in Sonny’s arms to see the source of the noise.
“Well, I’ll be. She does look like your mother,” her dad said, tears filling his eyes. “You’re a breath of fresh air, little one.”
Sonny blinked back her own tears. “Here. Why don’t you hold her while I get her a bottle?”
Ellie looked lost in her granddad’s big arms. But he turned her and easily fit her into the crook of his arm like a pro.
“I’ll be right back.”
In her search for diapers Sonny also found some ready-made bottles of formula. She heated one and brought it back to the berth where she’d left her father and Ellie.
Her father was stretched out on the bunk. Ellie was sitting up, propped on his stomach, and he was making her laugh big belly laughs. The worry she’d seen on her dad’s face had been momentarily replaced with pure contentment.
She hoped with all her heart that they would all have many more moments like this. She couldn’t wait to get home and see that same joy on her mother’s face. On Serena’s face. And on Cash’s face, if Dylan was successful in finding him and bringing him home.
“Did you call Serena on the satellite phone to tell her we were coming in?” her father asked.
“You mean you didn’t hear the shriek? It was the first thing I did when you were talking to the Coast Guard.”
Tears filled Sonny’s eyes as she watched her father holding Ellie.
“She and Mom are going to meet us at the Coast Guard station, in Ponce.”
“Good. Any word from Dylan yet?”
Sonny shook her head. “I talked to Tammie, too. She said it’s still too early.”
Dylan’s fiancé had been in contact with Dylan only once since they’d left to rescue Cash. Although Tammie did say she was hopeful they’d hear something soon, she reminded Sonny that Dylan had warned them he would be unable to check in until he and his team had retrieved Cash and were on their way home.
Still, Sonny could not ignore the worried lines that had reappeared on her father’s face. Now that they were out of danger, she got a good look at him and he appeared so much older than she remembered. It was as if he had aged ten years in a matter of weeks.
“Worry over your kids will do it to you,” he said, reading her mind. “Go. You don’t have to babysit me. Ellie is fine.”
Her mouth dropped open. “I wasn’t suggesting she wasn’t.”
“I know. But you have that does-he-know-what-he’s-doing look about you. I may be a grandpa for the first time but I managed to raise three children to adulthood. I do know a thing or two about babies.”
She offered him a smile. “Yeah, I guess you did a pretty good job at that.”
He lifted his eyes toward the stairs leading up to the deck. “What’s going on, Sonny?”
A slow rise of heat flushed her face. Never in her life had she talked about men with her father. Aside from the fact that she rarely dated, there really hadn’t ever been anyone worth bringing home to meet her parents.
It had only been barely a week since she met Gil, and already she was having a hard time remembering what life was like before him. What did she think about all day? Now, she seemed to be consumed with thoughts of Gil.
If this trip to Colombia had proven one thing to her family—and to herself—it was that she wasn’t a little girl anymore. She wasn’t going to hide what she felt from her father.
She cleared her throat. “If you’re asking me if I’m in love with Gil, the answer is...I don’t know. But I like him. And if you give him a chance, I think you might like him too. I just hope you don’t judge him based on what happened in Colombia.”
“He almost got
you killed. And Ellie. How am I supposed to feel about that?”
“He had no idea what was going on when he stopped us at the airport. He got us out of Colombia. He never left our sides. There was never a time when he even considered leaving us stranded even though he very easily could have. And he protected me when he could have been killed himself.”
Her father considered her words for a minute. A sense of pride filled her as she realized he was seeing her in a new light.
He finally chuckled and gave Ellie a big kiss on the cheek, making her laugh. “If I still had any kind of pull where you’re concerned, you never would’ve gone down to Colombia in the first place. But what an incredible mistake that would have been if we couldn’t have this precious little baby back with us. I guess sometimes your dad doesn’t always know what’s best for you, Sonny.”
Her father’s face grew serious.
“But I can’t ignore his possible reasons for being involved with you. He was after your brother. Just like those federal officers who wouldn’t listen to the evidence. How do you know he isn’t just going along for the ride to find Cash?”
“He believes in Cash’s innocence.”
“Is he still determined to interfere? To look for Cash? You know what that might do to both your brothers if he succeeds.”
She knew full well that if Gil and his team managed to find Cash before Dylan got him out of Colombia that both her brothers—and Gil—could wind up dead.
Sonny chose her words carefully. “He knows how serious this situation is. He won’t put Dylan and Cash in danger. He promised to at least not pursue finding Cash until he knows that me and Ellie are safe.”
“I hope whatever it is that you’re seeing in him is...” Kelly stopped himself and shook his head. “You’re well beyond the age where I can tell you what to do, Sonny.”
“Thanks, Dad.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek and smiled at Ellie, who was wiggling happily in her grandfather’s arms.
Then, with a weary heart, she climbed the stairs in search of Gil. She had no idea what would happen when Gil started searching for Cash again. But she thought she was falling hard for Gil. And that was possibly the scariest thing that had happened to her since she’d come to Colombia.
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