Love Inspired Suspense December 2013 Bundle: Christmas Cover-UpForce of NatureYuletide JeopardyWilderness Peril

by Lynette Eason

  He leaned closer, and she thought for one electric moment that he meant to kiss her, but instead he pressed his mouth to her ear. “Go back to sleep, Nee. Things will look better in the morning.”

  Heart pounding, an ache spreading through her body, she returned to the blanket and closed her eyes.

  She did finally fall asleep, waking again long before sunup. An unpleasant dampness wormed its way into her subconscious until she snapped awake, wind whirling by her face and then dying away. She sat up, wiping rain from her cheeks, hearing Silvio’s angry muttering. Her watch read 3:00 a.m.

  “What is it?” she called to Silvio.

  “Foolishness, that’s what,” he grumbled.

  Paula got to her feet. “Where’s Reuben?”

  Antonia’s stomach knotted. The wind on her face, the rain spattered blankets. Someone had opened the door. She groaned. “He went after Hector.”

  Silvio didn’t bother to affirm her conclusion. “He got a text from Hector. Said he’s holing up at the Anchor and everything’s a big misunderstanding. Asked him to come.”

  Antonia felt her breath catch. “It’s a trap. Hector’s lying.”

  “Probably,” Silvio said, “but Reuben thinks it’s the only way to put an end to it and keep us all safe.”

  “He can’t do that,” Antonia said, throat thick with fear.

  “He already did. Eye of the storm is here, so we’ve got about an hour, I figure, before the storm hammers us again. I’ve got to check the water level. You stay here and help Paula care for Gavin.”

  “I’m going after Reuben,” Antonia said, heading for the door.

  Silvio grabbed her arm. “No. If the flood comes, I’ll need your help to get Paula and Gavin out. I can’t do it myself.”

  Her mind reeled. “But Reuben…”

  Silvio shook his head gently. “He doesn’t want you to go after him.” He handed her a paper-wrapped lump. “He told me to give you this.”

  She looked from the paper to Silvio. He patted her shoulder. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. Stay here and help Paula. Don’t open the door unless you know it’s me.” He left, and Paula slid the bolt behind him.

  Antonia sat down on the blankets, clutching the little bundle. What had Reuben gone to do? He would sacrifice himself to save them, to save her, after she had done everything to wound him with the truth about Hector.

  Tears stung her eyes. With fingers gone cold, she unwrapped the lump. It was the junonia shell, now chipped even more than it had been, but still intact. She pressed the glassy surface to her cheek, the coolness against her hot skin comforting. On the paper was a short note in Reuben’s strange handwriting, all capital letters.

  Nee,

  Hope you can still see the beauty in this. I’m sorry.

  Reuben

  Crumpling the paper and pressing it to her heart, she began to cry.

  *

  Reuben took the steps to the Anchor slowly, wading around enormous puddles as best he could. He stopped at the top of the hill littered with downed trees and broken branches and looked to the distance, where the Isla Hotel had once stood. Moonlight still filtered between the clouds and painted the island with eerie hues.

  Only two exterior walls remained, the windows blown out and odd bits of curtain still clinging to protruding nails, fluttering in the breeze like flags of surrender. Ruined beyond repair. He was probably supposed to be feeling grief, but instead he felt a strange sense of relief. It was no longer in his power to save the old relic. He could lay that burden down and focus on the other one that lanced at his heart.

  He intended to sign over whatever Garza wanted if it would extricate his brother and protect Antonia and Gracie. One last chance to save them. The land seemed a small thing now. It was the only collateral he had, and he would give it willingly.

  Maybe it would appease Garza, or maybe he would kill Reuben anyway, but it was a risk that had to be taken. Leland and his men would no longer need to go after Antonia once they had their prize.

  The water level along the shore had risen, swamping the dock where Reuben’s burned boats bobbed like ugly black refuse. The Black-Eyed Beauty. He felt the kindle of anger. That loss hurt him more than the hotel.

  He wished he had binoculars so he could climb a tree and try to catch a glimpse of the boathouse. It was a sturdy structure that had survived hurricanes before, but it was still unlikely the thugs had been able to hide out there for too long.

  Leaves crackled in the trees, and though he kept as keen an eye out as he could, he saw no signs of any pursuers. Reaching the Anchor, he was astonished to see that the old lighthouse still stood. Apart from new chunks knocked loose by the wind, the structure appeared intact. He smiled. His mother would be pleased.

  The smile vanished as he saw the board was removed from the opening. Hector was waiting for him at the top.

  Or was it Leland?

  He made sure his knife was still clipped to his belt, though he knew it would prove somewhat useless against Garza’s men. Reuben was not a street fighter, but he’d do his best to defend himself and his brother. With no more time to talk himself out of it, he started up the stone steps.

  The steps were wet, the walls dripping with a combination of humidity and the rain that had lashed its way in through the missing bricks. He placed each foot silently, stopping every few steps to listen. No sound, not even the wind. It was as if the hurricane had been suddenly switched off, leaving only serene calm in its wake. Only a trick, he knew. Once the eye passed, the most violent weather, the storm wall, was waiting to punish them.

  Halfway up he heard a low creak. Someone walking? The old metal of the Fresnel lens buckling? Hair on the back of his neck prickled. He slid the knife from its sheath and held it before him. Fifteen more steps. He stopped to catch his breath, wondering if he should try to text Hector again but fearing the light from his phone would make him an easy target if Leland were waiting.

  Moonlight filtered down from the top of the steps, and it was enough for him to step around the broken places. There was no way to avoid the bits of brick that ground under his feet, crunching loudly in the silent space. Whoever it was could hear Reuben coming, and they’d be ready.

  Fine. If it’s Leland, let’s make him earn his pay.

  Knife ready, Reuben took a deep breath and sprinted up the last ten steps, hurtling into the dark nest at the top of the Anchor. The lens sparkled with glints of moonlight, and a wisp of cigarette smoke drifted across the glass.

  “Hector?” Reuben said.

  His brother stepped from behind the massive structure, cigarette held in his shaking hand.

  Reuben took an involuntary step forward. Hector had received a beating, it was clear. His left eye was nearly swollen shut, jacket torn and rumpled, smears of dark on what had once been an expensive silk shirt. “What happened?”

  Hector did not look at him, instead gazing out at the eerily calm panorama below. “I want you to know I was out of it all.”

  “The business?”

  “Yes. Just like you begged me to do, prayed and all that, I know. I was out. I was making a life with Mia and Gracie. I did not let you down.”

  “What happened, Hector?” Reuben said, trying to press away the anguish he somehow knew was going to come next.

  “He came to me. Leland, Garza’s man. He told me my services would be needed to get you to hand over Isla.”

  “What kind of services?”

  Hector blew out a long stream of smoke. “Point is, I was doing it, staying clean, trying to take the high road, and they showed me I couldn’t stay out.”

  “Why not?” He readied himself for another of his brother’s excuses, sliding the knife back into its sheath.

  Hector looked at him. “They have pictures of me, from the last drug deal I was a part of. You don’t cooperate, they told me, and the pictures go to the police. I go to jail and never see my daughter again.”

  Reuben let out a huge breath. “Oh, no.”

&nb
sp; Hector turned his gaze back to the sea. “I know Mia and I are over. We shouldn’t have gotten together in the first place, and I scared her badly, which is why she stabbed me. She never meant to hurt me, but she was trying to protect Gracie. Gracie is the best thing I ever did, the only good thing I ever produced, probably. I couldn’t stand the idea of never seeing her again, of her growing up knowing her father was in prison.”

  Something cold gathered in the pit of Reuben’s stomach. “What did you agree to do for them?”

  “Get you to hand over Isla.”

  “Your job was to persuade me to do that?”

  He nodded. “I came up with a plan, a surefire way to do that so no one would get killed. They were prepared to kill you and go after Gracie and Mia to get me to sign after your death, but I figured out a way.” He began to pace. “You see, I figured out a way where no one would get hurt.”

  “What way?” he forced himself to ask.

  “It would have worked, but Leland changed everything. I tried to stop it, thought I could drug the coffee and while you were all sleeping talk to Leland and convince him the plan would still work. He wouldn’t listen, of course. He found out there is a cop on the island, and he was going to finish the job before things got any worse.”

  “Hector,” Reuben said, voice low and level. “Tell me what your deal was with Garza.”

  His brother’s eyes flicked to the floor. “I arranged for Antonia to be kidnapped.”

  “What?” The words exploded from his mouth.

  “Leland was supposed to snatch her from the beach.” He shook his head impatiently. “I know you still love her and you’d never let them hurt her. They would just hold her for a while, you’d sign over the island and then they’d let her go, no harm done.”

  “No harm done?” he bellowed. “You were going to deliver her to a bunch of criminals? And you were dumb enough to think they’d let her go again?”

  “She’s too smart to ever testify against them.”

  Reuben grabbed Hector by the collar. “You put her in danger to save your own skin.”

  “And yours, brother,” Hector hissed. “And besides, Antonia can take care of herself, remember? She’s helping Mia keep me from my daughter.”

  Reuben shoved him backward, trying to control his rage. “You don’t deserve Gracie. She doesn’t need a father like that.”

  Hector’s eyes sparked. “She’s my daughter. I’ll have her back.”

  “Really? Now that you’ve made a deal with Garza’s men that’s gone wrong? What makes you think they aren’t going to turn you over to the police to get even?”

  “We didn’t foresee Antonia making it to Isla, but it will still work.” A cloud eased across the moon and left them in a moment of darkness before it drifted to the other side.

  “I will sign away the island,” he hissed through gritted teeth. “Leland can have it. They can leave and it’s done.”

  “Leland thinks in black and white. He’s decided to take things into his own hands and clean up the mess. I tried to convince him there was no need to go through with it.”

  Reuben’s heart thudded to a stop. He stared at his brother. “He’s going after Antonia anyway, in spite of the cops? And the storm? And whatever you said to him? Just to make sure I sign it over?”

  “He’s a cautious psychopath.”

  “He won’t be able to get to her with this hurricane…” Reuben broke off. The eye. The reprieve from the storm. A sick certainty trickled up his spine. “That’s why you asked me to come meet you, isn’t it?”

  Hector didn’t answer.

  “He’s going after her now, isn’t he?”

  Time stood still before Hector answered. “Yes.”

  Reuben turned on his heel and plunged back down the steps, heedless now of the deteriorating cement under his feet.

  “I tried to call it off, Reuben,” Hector’s desperate voice floated down. “I never meant for her to get hurt.”

  Reuben let his brother’s words die away behind him as he sprinted into the darkness.

  FOURTEEN

  Antonia paced the tiny floor, trying to stay out of Paula’s way as she tended to Gavin, who seemed more feverish than he had hours before. She checked her watch compulsively, trying to decide if Reuben had had time to get to the Anchor for his meeting with Hector. If it even was a meeting and not an ambush by Leland.

  Several times she started for the door and Paula called her back.

  “Do what Silvio said,” she snapped. “You’ll only make things worse.”

  Was it possible that things could get worse? She continued her abbreviated pacing, praying fervently that God would spare Reuben’s life. All the months she’d spent entreating Him to unmask Hector, to convince Reuben that his brother was a criminal. She realized she’d been asking God for the wrong thing. Judgment was God’s department, mercy was supposed to be hers.

  She had not been merciful, had not wanted anything better for Hector than incarceration and nothing more for Reuben than to realize he was wrong. Pain throbbed in her temples.

  “When will Silvio be back?” she said.

  “When he’s done,” Paula sniped. “He’s not out on a pleasure stroll.”

  Antonia huffed. The minutes ticked on in painful slow motion. It was still hours from sunrise. The eye would not last much longer. Her pace increased until she bumped into Paula as she made for the first-aid kit.

  “Will you sit down? This isn’t…” Paula’s words trailed off, eyes suddenly fixed on the door.

  Antonia followed her gaze. At first she couldn’t see it, but the bitter scent helped her understand.

  “Smoke,” Antonia shouted. “The shelter’s on fire.”

  Paula did not waste a moment. “We’ll have to carry him out,” she said, taking Gavin by the shoulders and getting ready to move him. “Open the door, quickly.”

  Antonia grabbed the bolt and unlocked it.

  The door slammed open, and at first she thought the storm wall had arrived again. Through a cloud of black smoke she felt hands grab her arms, and she was dragged out of the shelter.

  She kicked and clawed at the strange pockmarked man who held her until he forced her to the ground and secured her wrists behind her back with duct tape. When he rolled her over, she saw Leland behind him, standing with the burning rag he’d shoved in the crack under the door.

  “Hello, señorita. Ready to come out and play?”

  Paula appeared in the doorway holding a small knife. “Leave her be. Get away.”

  Leland laughed. “Hello, Granny. You’re too busy to come after me. Storm’s on the way and you’ve got to help Gramps. He’s not feeling too well. We left him down by the water.”

  Paula’s mouth trembled in fear. The pockmarked man shoved her back inside and tossed in a lantern. The glass smashed and sent flaming kerosene showering onto the pile of bedding.

  “No,” Antonia shouted as the blankets caught, Paula still on her knees where she had fallen. She crawled toward the shelter. “Paula,” she cried.

  Through a thick curtain of fear, Antonia was pulled to her feet so quickly her head spun. “You can’t leave her,” she shouted again. “Let go of me.” In spite of her kicking and flailing, she could not fight her way through the two men back to the shelter.

  “Sorry, my girl,” Leland said. “We’ve got an appointment and we must be off before the eye gives way.”

  “Where are you taking me?” she gasped, still trying to squirm out of their grip and reach Paula and Gavin.

  “Back to the mainland,” Leland said. “We’ve got just enough time to make it, I’d say. Lost one of our boats, but we really need only one anyway.”

  “What are you going to do with me there?”

  Leland ignored her, walking briskly along the path, skirting the flooded portions as best he could.

  “I said what are you going to do with me?” she hollered, fear turning momentarily to anger.

  He didn’t turn. The other man pushed
her forward with a shove to the shoulder blades. They took the path that sloped down to the lagoon. The water level was now several feet higher than it had been, but the skimmer was unscathed, bobbing gracefully in the small pocket of lagoon, shielded by the palm tree to which it was tied.

  Leland stopped at the edge of the water. “Go, Martin. Untie the skimmer and bring it as close to shore as you can.”

  Once they got her on that boat, she knew her fate would be sealed. “Is this part of the deal you made with Hector? Hand me over to Garza and force Reuben to give you Isla?”

  Leland still did not look her way. “Look at all that water,” he said. “Incredible.”

  She edged back a step. “I guess that means you work for Hector.”

  Leland laughed. “Hector is soft. He made us promise not to hurt you as if we’re kids on the playground at recess.” He called to Martin. “We’re in a rush, remember.”

  She took the moment to bolt. Up the path she churned, legs slipping, but not losing her balance. Pulse throbbing, she ran as fast as she dared, awkward with her hands secured behind her back. She’d make it to the Anchor, to Reuben, or far enough away to find a hiding place.

  She knew she was not alone on the path. From behind her came the sound of feet moving quickly. She had only a few precious moments to make her escape.

  *

  As he cleared the door and emerged into the storm-washed air, Hector grabbed Reuben from behind and spun him around.

  “You have to believe me, Reuben. I did not mean for her to get hurt.”

  “I don’t have time to listen to your excuses.”

  “I did it to try to save you….” His eyes were pleading.

  Reuben felt a horrible calm come over him. He stepped back. “No, you did it to save yourself. You wanted to be a father to Gracie, to have all the good parts of what it means to have a family. Well, you know what? Having a family means doing the hard thing, taking responsibility and being a man. I tried to help you see that, but I’m not enough.”

  “No,” Hector began.

  “I’m not enough,” Reuben shouted. “I can’t save you, and I shouldn’t have tried. That’s between you and God.”