Swept Away

by Jill Sanders

“Of?” Caleb asked as he tried to yank his arm free from the other man.

  “Bank accounts, which would lead the FBI directly to everyone who’s ever benefited from the Lone Outlaws.”

  Caleb whistled. “That’s a mighty long list,” he said, swiping the blood away from his eyes.

  Agent Minster smiled, showing off his overly perfect white teeth. “You have no idea how far and wide our arms reach.” He reached out, stretching his arms to his side as if to make a point. “County and state departments, government agencies, even foreign consulates and dignitaries. You name it!” The agent’s voice rose a little before he straightened his jacket and brushed his dark hair back away from his eyes once more. “This”—he pulled out the journal— “is just the tip of the iceberg. We have major plans in the works. It’s time we motivated this country into a better place. No more bending with the wind. Now is our time to make a stand.” He glanced down and started flipping through the pages. Then his eyes moved over to hers when he reached the last page. “There’s a page missing.” He took a step towards her, showing her clearly where the last page had been torn out.

  “It was never there,” she lied, but he walked over and yanked her arm out from the other man’s hold.

  “Where is it?” he demanded.

  “There was never a last page,” she tried again, only to have her arm shoved high behind her back.

  She called out in pain, only to be released a second later as Caleb’s body slammed hard into them. They fell backwards onto the railing of the pier, which instantly gave way to the weight of three grown people.

  Willow felt herself falling and reached out to hold onto something, anything, as she fell fast. Something solid connected with her temple and she started to lose consciousness, only to be jolted awake again once she hit the water very hard.

  She fought to surface from the deep water, kicking hard as she began to feel every place she’d impacted the water. Her left shoulder and wrist were on fire with the stinging pain.

  When she broke the surface, she gasped air into her lungs and glanced around. Caleb still had a hold on the agent. His arms were locked around the man’s neck as he kept trying to reach for what Willow could only assume was the gun in his jacket. She started to swim towards them, thinking she would be able to help Caleb, but then watched in horror as the two men slid below the surface of the deep water, still fighting.

  She looked up just in time to watch one of the other two men jump into the water and land only a few feet away from her. Her head and wrist was throbbing, but she kicked off and started to make her way towards the shore. The water pushed her under the pier. A wave pushed her farther out, slamming her knee into a large wooden support beam. Pain shot up her leg as she tried to kick herself free from the current. Finally, she was back in open water, but then she was yanked and pulled under the water by very large hands.

  She kicked out, salt water rushing into her mouth as she tried to scream. Her fingernails scraped down the man’s arms as she tried to free the hold he had on her hair as he held her head under.

  Then the man was yanked away and she was free from his hold as she was pushed up onto a surfboard. Her lungs felt like they were on fire as she gulped in air. Her eyes watered as she blinked and looked up into Cole’s smiling face.

  “Thought you might need some help,” he joked as he held the unconscious man’s head up, next to them in the water.

  “Caleb?” she asked, her throat scratchy from swallowing water.

  “My brothers have him.” He nodded his wet blond head towards the left. When she looked, Caleb was sitting on a much larger surfboard with Marcus. Agent Minster was lying face down on another long board as Roman paddled towards them.

  Cole kicked off, paddling really fast towards the shore. There were over two dozen agents in full SWAT gear waiting for them along the shoreline. They were the first ones to reach the beach.

  The agents helped her off the smaller surfboard and wrapped a large blanket around her shoulders. When they tried to walk her up towards their waiting trucks, she pushed them away and watched, waiting for Caleb to rush out of the water towards her.

  His arms wrapped around her, lifting her as he held her close. She felt herself start to shake as tears rolled down her face.

  “I thought...” She cried out.

  “What were you thinking?” He pulled back, his hands going to her shoulders. “I could have lost you.”

  She blinked a few times and shook her head. “I could say the same about you.” She tried to cross her arms over her chest, only to cry out when her wrist turned.

  “You’re hurt?” His fingers took her arm, holding her still. “She’s hurt,” he called out, only to have several people flock around her.

  For the next half an hour, she wasn’t alone with Caleb again. She rode in the back of an ambulance to the local hospital a few miles away. By the time her arm was x-rayed, her clothes were completely dry. Caleb silently sat across from her in the tiny room, waiting for the doctor to let her know if her wrist was broken, as nurses came and went.

  “What were you thinking?” he asked again. This time there was less anger in his tone.

  “I was thinking of you.” She leaned back, her eyes going to his.

  “You could have gotten yourself killed.”

  “So could you. Why did you go alone?”

  “I didn’t,” he said, walking over to her and taking her good hand into his own.

  “What?”

  “Remember my plan to call the agency?”

  She nodded. “But when I called them, they knew nothing about your plans. That’s why I thought...”

  “What? That I’d lied? That I had a death wish?”

  She nodded, feeling tears slide down her face.

  “Willow, I don’t know who you talked to, but at least half of the agents on the beach where there because of me.”

  “I called the CIA. Who did you call?”

  “The FBI.” He chuckled. “Sounds like they’ll be fighting it out over who gets to deal with the gang.” He pulled her hand up and placed a kiss on her knuckles. “Why the CIA? They shouldn’t have anything to do with this.”

  “They do, actually. It seems there’s a lot of national security information in my father’s files.”

  “Files?” He sat next to her.

  She nodded. “His journal. All of it was file names with the key to unlock them all being, Places to go, people to meet.” He shook his head. “It’s complicated. But apparently my new stepfather understands it all much better than I do.” She chuckled.

  “Speaking of which...” they heard from the door. Looking over, they saw her mother and Ralph standing just outside the curtain.

  “How did it go?” Her mother rushed over to her, taking her into a light hug.

  “Not as smooth as we’d hoped.” She held up her wrapped wrist.

  “It’s not broken,” Caleb assured her, shaking Ralph’s hand.

  “It better not be,” Wendy said as she rushed into the room. “Had I known it was going to be this dangerous... I would have never...”

  Cole walked up behind her and took her shoulders and turned her back out the door. “Sorry, we’ll just go sit out in the waiting room.” He nodded to a nurse, who was about to tell them there were too many people in the small area.

  Willow chuckled. “I’ll see you in a while,” she called out.

  “You’d better...” she heard Wendy call back.

  When she looked over, she saw Caleb smiling.

  “I do believe I like her,” he said.

  “Even though she slapped you?”

  His smile fell away. “I deserved it.”

  “We’ll just head out ourselves,” Ralph said, taking her mother’s hand and walking out of the room.

  “You didn’t do anything wrong. Besides, if you hadn’t come to me, where would you be now?”

  “Dead.”

  She nodded. “Exactly.” She brought his hand up to her lips. “And I can’t b
ear the thought of not having known you.”

  He leaned down until his forehead rested on hers. “My god. What am I going to do with you?”

  “Marry me. I hope.” Her eyes focused on his as he pulled back.

  “It’s not possible,” he said after a moment of silence.

  “Why? Because you don’t love me?”

  He shook his head no.

  “Because you’re married to someone else?”

  Once more he shook his head no, a slight smile on his lips.

  “You don’t believe in marriage?”

  Again, he shook his head, a full smile now on his lips.

  “Then I see no reason we can’t get married.

  He sighed and she watched the heaviness of his life begin to lift behind his eyes.

  “Caleb, if I’ve proven one thing to you today, it’s that I’ll follow you no matter where you go or what danger you’re in.” She reached up and took his face in her hands. “I want to be with you for the rest of my life. As you said, I want to have children with you, watch them grow—” His lips crushed down on hers, stopping her next words.

  His fingers shook as he brushed a strand of hair from her face. His lips heated hers, forcing her entire body to melt against his as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

  “Fine, I’ll marry you,” he said and she could hear the laughter in his voice. “On one condition.”

  “Anything.” She smiled up at him.

  “We buy a new sofa,” he joked.

  She laughed and nodded in agreement.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Caleb stood on the soft sand and waited along with the other people. The wait seemed to last forever since the sun was almost blinding him. The light jacket he was wearing seemed to absorb his sweat. Must be the rich material, he thought. He’d never owned anything as nice as what he was currently wearing. Now he had a closet full of clothes like it. Not to mention the new car he drove every day to and from his job. A job he was very grateful for having.

  It seemed it paid to have a family, of sorts. The Graytons had not only welcomed him in, but had quickly given him a job as construction manager at Paradise Construction, one of Marcus and Roman’s businesses.

  He not only loved the work but loved having a steady income. The added bonus of knowing he wouldn’t have to pack up and move only made things better.

  Now, living with Willow in her tiny apartment, he was looking forward to having a normal life, something he’d never imagined he could ever have.

  One of the first things they had done as a couple was go furniture shopping. The new cream-colored leather sofa was the first piece of furniture he’d ever bought with his own money.

  Even Wendy was starting to like him. She’d warmed up to Charity and Ralph coming around more often as well. He could tell that Willow still struggled with trusting her mother but knew she was trying hard every time they got together with them.

  It had taken a few weeks to finally clear things up with both the FBI and the CIA. Actually, he’d been shocked when one of the agencies had offered him a job. But since he was done living on the edge and running, he’d easily turned them down.

  Now, with all of Willow’s father’s files decrypted, they knew exactly who had been behind everything and who to target. Apparently, the gang’s influence had reached far and wide, spreading even into some of the top terrorist groups that had grown in power over the last twenty years.

  Thanks to Billy’s journal, more than a hundred people were awaiting trial or in custody, with many more names being placed on international watch lists.

  Major terrorist activity had been tied to some of the names on the list, and millions of dollars of funds could be traced back to the list, as well.

  Some of the top people on the list had amassed a lot of power over the last thirteen years. Several had seats in top government positions. It was the biggest scandal since Watergate. Or so all the news stations had reported.

  But thanks to the promise from both agencies, their names were kept tightly sealed in the files. He was feeling more secure than he’d ever felt in his entire life on the run. Maybe it had been his meeting with the commander in chief himself, along with his promise that anyone who came after him would guard his secrets.

  Just then, he noticed that the music had changed and everyone turned and stood to watch the progression. He stood with everyone else and smiles when his eyes zeroed in on his prize. She looked even more beautiful than he remembered.

  Her long hair blew in the soft breeze floating off the warm waters as the sun sunk lower in the sky. Just seeing her smile caused his knees to go weak. He was sure everyone in the small crowd could see the way he looked at her, but he didn’t care. For now, she was his.

  It seemed there had been a few more surprises than he’d bargained for when he’d decided to stick around Surf Breeze. His eyes went to Willow’s belly under the flowing skirt of her bridesmaid dress.

  They hadn’t told anyone yet, since Willow didn’t want to take away from her sister’s big day, but in less than seven months, they were going to welcome the son or daughter he’d never imagined he could ever have.

  He was sure his smile and the silly look he had in his eyes would give his secret away. Especially since every time he touched her, his hands cupped her small belly.

  Willow had been determined not to push their wedding date up, and was planning on a date sometime early next spring. She wanted their baby to take part in their happy day, so they could come together as a family.

  He, for his part, was happy giving her exactly what she wanted, as long as it was for the rest of his life.

  Willow’s steps almost faltered when her eyes connected with Caleb’s. She wasn’t sure, since the sun was setting behind him, but she thought she saw tears in those dark eyes of his.

  She held the small bouquet of flowers over her belly, in hopes that it would help settle the nausea that she’d felt the last few hours. She could tell that Wendy had known something was up, and as she was pulling on her bridesmaid dress, her sister had walked into the room, rushed over to her, and hugged her.

  Still, Willow hadn’t said anything, but when Wendy pulled back, she could see acknowledgement in her sister’s eyes.

  “When?” she’d asked.

  “Early March,” she’d whispered.

  Her sister’s smile grew bigger. “Remind me to slap that man of yours again for keeping this from us.”

  Willow had chuckled. “On that note, he reminded me to tell you that you could use a few boxing lessons.”

  “Tell him I’d be happy to take him on any day.” Her sister had hugged her again.

  She couldn’t wait to tell Caleb how Wendy had reacted to their news. Nor could she wait until they moved into Wendy’s bigger condo in a few weeks. Of course, her sister knew nothing about moving yet, since Cole was surprising her with a house as a wedding gift. But Willow and Caleb had made arrangements with Cole to move into her sister’s two-bedroom condo along the beach once he finally sprang the gift on her.

  She stopped now at the end of the small aisle and turned with her back to the setting sun. The entire Grayton clan stood in the first two rows. Cassey and Luke held hands as she leaned from one foot to the other, shifting her very large belly. Marcus and Shelly held their small bundle, their daughter, Rose. Roman and Missy stood on either side of their son Reagan, who looked bored and kept his eyes on the water, no doubt wishing, he could strip off his suit and jump in.

  Willow turned her head towards her soon-to-be brother-in-law, who was standing next to her by a small archway made out of coral shells. The man looked like he was ready to jump out of his skin. It was funny; Willow had never seen Cole dressed in anything other than swim shorts and T-shirts. Seeing him now, dressed in an off-white cotton suit, she realized just how truly handsome he was.

  Her eyes moved back towards Caleb. There was only one man that made her heart jump and he was looking directly at her as if she did the same thing to him. She
smiled at him until her sister walked up the aisle between the chairs.

  The cool evening breeze blew her long blonde hair away from her face. Willow and Wendy had matching flower wreaths in their hair, but Wendy’s was twice the size and had a larger mixture of colorful flowers, which were tied up in her locks.

  Her sister’s wedding dress hung off her tan shoulders and hugged her slender build until just above her knees, where it flowered out and was caught in the soft breeze. She’d never seen her sister look happier or more beautiful.

  Wendy stopped a foot away from Cole, and their eyes locked as they reached out and took one another’s hands. Willow stood by and listened to her sister give her vows to the man she loved, but her eyes kept creeping back to the man she loved.

  Tears stung her eyes when Cole leaned in and kissed her sister as everyone erupted into cheers. Then, before she knew it, Caleb was by her side, his arms around her as he tugged her towards the water.

  “What are you...?” she asked, laughing as he pulled her right to the edge of the water. She glanced over as everyone at the wedding was laughing and congratulating her sister and Cole.

  “We never really made this official,” he said, pulling a small box from his jacket pocket. When he got down on one knee right there in front of everyone, she felt her heart skip. Her hands moved over her heart and she held her breath.

  “Caleb, you didn’t...” She didn’t get any further, before Marcus yelled out.

  “It’s about time!”

  Someone else shouted. “Get it over with.”

  Caleb laughed up at her from his position in the sand. Water rushed up, soaking his pant legs, but he didn’t seem to notice.

  “Willow, I’ve never had a family. I never had parents to teach me right from wrong, but one thing you’ve shown me is that we are right together. I want to spend the rest of my life making you smile and laugh. Seeing your blue eyes go soft when I touch you.” He opened the box and held it towards her. “Will you marry me?”

  She smiled down at him. “You’ve shown me so much in the last few months. I’m the luckiest woman alive to have you as my family. Of course I’ll marry you.” She no more than got those words out, than she was being lifted and spun around as his lips brushed over hers.