Saving Shadows

by Kathleen Brooks

  “Thank you,” Ellery said to them and smiled a second before the whole house rocked on its foundation.

  * * *

  The house shook and Gavin dove to wrap his arms around the three women standing near him. Books and paintings fell from the shelves as things crashed all around them. Granger was already running out the front door with his gun drawn as the loud explosion caused everyone to cover their ears.

  As soon as the shaking stopped, Gavin pushed the women under the kitchen table and ran to check on Sadie. He didn’t know what had exploded, but he could smell smoke and the fire alarms were sounding.

  He raced into his office, and then into the patient exam room before clearing it and heading to surgery. There he found the back wall that connected to his garage blown open. “Sadie!” Gavin looked around the rubble but didn’t see his nurse. He shoved through the door leading to the waiting room and practically ran her over.

  “Gavin! What happened?” she screamed, her hearing as impaired as his.

  “There’s been an explosion in my garage. Get everyone out. And make sure the oxygen is transported someplace safe as well.”

  Without question, Sadie took off to follow his orders as he grabbed a fire extinguisher and began fighting the flames licking the wall. As the ringing in his ears receded, he heard shouting and felt water spraying him through the hole in the wall. After emptying the fire extinguisher, Gavin looked through to see Miss Winnie, Miss Ruby and half his street pulling together garden hoses and spraying down his blackened garage. His sports car still had flames leaping from it as his friends and neighbors didn’t wait for the fire department to try to save his house.

  Gavin rushed into the house to find Ellery spitting mad. “They won’t let me out to help!”

  “It could be a trick to get you outside. Just stay put, okay?”

  “What is it? What happened?” Ellery asked, grabbing his arm.

  “They blew up my car. It was a good thing I wanted to cool it down before we got in it.”

  He could tell Ellery was fighting between anger and tears. “This is all my fault. I’m so sorry.”

  “It means we’re on the right trail. Let’s get to Charleston as soon as we can. We can take the boat.”

  Ellery nodded. “I’ll take everything to the boat.” She would be able to get on the water if she had Gavin by her side.

  “No, wait for me. I need to check on everyone and let them know we’re heading out.”

  “Hurry. I feel as if my time is counting down.”

  “I will.” Gavin kissed her forehead quickly before running from the house. Reverend Winston was ordering people around as hoses were dragged from nearby houses. Smoke was pouring through the open hole in his roof, and a basketball on fire rolled from the garage.

  His stomach plummeted. They’d almost been killed. Now he understood the anger Ellery was feeling. He wanted to tear apart the person responsible for this, limb by limb.

  “Fire department will be here shortly.” Granger tossed the empty fire extinguisher from his car onto the ground.

  “Gavin!”

  Gavin looked up to see Harper sprinting toward them. His little sister threw herself into his arms and cried, “I thought you were dead when I saw the smoke coming up from your house. What happened?”

  “Shh, it’s okay. They tried to kill Ellery again by blowing up the car. Luckily we were still inside and no one was hurt.”

  Harper stepped from his arms and punched Granger in the shoulder. “And what are you doing to protect them?”

  “Easy, Harp,” Granger warned her. “I know you’re upset, but I’m doing everything I can.”

  “And so am I. I’m taking the boat to Charleston to meet with the FBI,” Gavin said as Granger nodded his head in agreement with his plan.

  “Charleston? Why would you do that? You need to go to Keeneston and beg our family for help.” Harper was more worked up than he’d ever seen her. She handled bar fights with ease, but this had shaken her to her core.

  “They’re already helping. Ryan will be leaving soon, and we’re working with Agent Castle in Charleston, who is Ryan’s friend.”

  “You better not get killed or I’ll haunt your grave for the rest of my life. And you know I can do that. Just ask Skeeter,” Harper warned.

  Gavin wanted to roll his eyes. Skeeter was of an undeterminable age and believed there were pirate ghosts around town. Ghosts had long been a fixture in southern lore, and everyone seemed to have a family member haunting them. You didn’t hide your ghosts for fear of people thinking you were crazy. You set them out on the front porch and charged a fee to tell tourists about them. The Bells had Great-Great-Great-Grandma Ethel who they swore went around at night straightening up. Skeeter didn’t claim to see a ghost though. He told anyone who would listen that he felt and heard all the pirates who looked out over the town.

  “I promise, I won’t get killed.” Gavin looked down the road and saw a police car driving toward them. King and Fox were already here, which meant it was someone from out of town. Someone who had been close enough by to beat the fire department. “I have to go. You haven’t seen me.”

  Gavin sprinted into the house, grabbed Ellery by the arm, and scooped their bags in the other. “What’s going on?”

  “Police are here,” he said shortly, shoving his medical bag into Ellery’s hand.

  “I know that. I saw Granger come in—”

  “Not them. Someone else. I didn’t stick around to see who, but I’m guessing they’re from Charleston,” Gavin said as he grabbed the boat keys and quietly opened the back door. “Come on,” he whispered.

  He refused to let go of Ellery’s hand as they ran down the hill in his backyard and out onto the deck. He glanced over his shoulder but didn’t see anyone coming around back. The sound of oncoming fire engines helped conceal their escape as he tossed the bags into the boat.

  Ellery didn’t say a word as she went to work loading the boat as he untied it from the dock. “Life vests are under the bench,” he whispered, knowing being on a boat might upset Ellery, but she seemed more intent on getting away than worrying about the water.

  Gavin shoved the boat from the dock and leapt on. In seconds he had it started and Ellery in a life vest, hiding on the floor so she wouldn’t be visible from the street as they started down the river. Gavin held his breath and steered toward the main branch of the Cooper River, which led straight to the Charleston Harbor and then out to the ocean.

  Once Shadows Landing was far behind them, he breathed a sigh of relief. They were safe for now. “It’s okay to get up,” Gavin said, turning his head to look at Ellery huddled against the half wall of the center console of his fishing boat.

  She was pale, but she stood on shaky legs and took a seat in the leather armchair next to his captain’s chair. “Do you think it was Officer Hurst? Do you think he set the bomb?”

  “I sure hope not. If it was, there’s someone more powerful than we thought behind this. Someone powerful enough to drive an officer to kill.”

  Ellery was quiet for a moment as he steered them onto the Cooper River and headed for the ocean. “Is Castle going to put cameras in my condo now or tonight?”

  Gavin handed her his phone and Castle’s card. “Text him and let him know what happened.”

  Ellery was quiet as she texted. Gavin focused on the water around them. He tried to keep far away from other boats and kept his eyes open for any boats out on patrol. They could go to the meeting place Castle had told them about, but he thought it might be better to stay away from Charleston until nightfall. There was a popular place to fish where the harbor and the ocean met. He’d take them there, and they could spend the rest of the day fishing. They’d blend right in with the locals. Then when night fell, they could meet Castle and start to ferret out the people behind this.

  “Castle said he’ll go now and set it up. We’ll meet him at eight tonight. He texted us the address,” Ellery called out over the wind. “What will we do until
then?”

  “How do you feel about fishing?” Gavin asked with a grin.

  22

  Ellery handled the texts coming in from all Gavin’s friends and family. She felt bad invading his privacy, but Gavin asked her to so he could focus on getting them to the ocean as quickly as possible. She relayed that Officer Hurst did in fact show up, and Ridge said he’d start rebuilding the garage as soon as he was allowed to. Ellery watched the shoreline fly by.

  It seemed a whole lifetime ago she was completely unaware of the people from Shadows Landing. Now she felt as much a part of them as she did anywhere except when surrounded by art. But even then, it was as if Tinsley was her long-lost sister. Tinsley had immediately thought of Ellery out on the water again and told her she’d always be there for her. And there was one way she knew how to thank her for all she’d done. Once she was cleared, she was going to make Tinsley the hottest up-and-coming artist around. She was certainly talented enough to deserve it.

  Ellery had also texted Wade who told them he’d keep his ear on the radio to make sure their boat wasn’t called in. If so, he’d try to be the first to respond so he could get them out of the area. No one would stop and board a Coast Guard vessel. Ellery took a deep breath of the salty air. They were almost to Charleston, and she knew Wade would be looking out for them. He was a good guy. Funny, smart, sexy, loyal, protective, and kind. There wasn’t a better combination out there. Well, except for Gavin. She saw glimpses of Wade’s more serious side but wondered if anything ever truly bothered him.

  Then Ridge said he would take care of the house without even being asked. And Harper texted every quarter hour to make sure they were both safe. And then Trent offered to let them stay at his place out in the country. And Ryker sent a simple text with the code to his Charleston house and the location of three guns in the house. He may be the opposite of Wade’s laid back, happy-go-lucky attitude, but underneath his seriousness was fierce love and loyalty to his family and friends.

  Ellery saw The Dirty Don Bridge, or the I-526 Don N. Holt Bridge to the tourists, spanning the Cooper River and instinctively dropped to the floor of the boat, tucking herself into the corner to hide as best she could.

  “What is it?” Gavin asked with worry.

  “We’re getting close, and I don’t want someone to look out their car window and see me. I know it’s stupid, but I feel safer hidden.”

  “It’s not stupid. There’s a raincoat stuffed in there if you want to cover yourself more,” Gavin said, pointing to a storage area.

  Ellery opened it, pulled out the jacket, and put it on. She pulled the hood up and over her head and peeked out. She did feel safer this way. She took a deep breath to calm herself as they approached Charleston. From under the hood of the raincoat, she watched Gavin effortlessly guide the boat through the increased marine traffic and around Drum Island. She studied his muscled arms and the strong lines of his face as he drove. Somehow in the midst of the worst thing that had ever happened to her, she’d found the best thing that had ever happened to her.

  Ellery’s friends had long debated love, lust, and instant attraction. Ellery had never believed in love at first sight. And this wasn’t a case of it either, but it was love very quickly. As she watched Gavin, she knew without a doubt she wanted him in her life forever.

  Ellery rested her head against the wall as the busy loading docks came into view. Ryker was at one of them. She smiled thinking of him and the rest of the Faulkners who had become family to her in only a matter of days. The question was—was Gavin just being nice to her because of the situation, or did he feel something for her? Ellery watched his hands steer—hands that had been all over her body the night before.

  They hadn’t talked of their feelings, but Gavin didn’t strike her as someone to sleep with a woman without feelings involved. She hoped they were enough to survive whatever was ahead of them. When all the danger was gone, would he still want her?

  “We’ll be through Charleston soon,” Gavin said as he had to slow the boat in the bay. He glanced at her, and she tried to clear her face from the worry that Gavin might not be as interested in her as she was in him, but it wasn’t fast enough. “What’s the matter?” he asked, his voice and face filled with concern.

  “Just thinking,” Ellery said as she tried to smile.

  “About what?” Gavin asked. “Please tell me it’s about last night and your desire for another night together.” Gavin winked at her, and some of the worry fell from her mind.

  “I loved last night. I’m worried about what the future holds.”

  “Future as in making sure we catch who is behind framing you, or future as in you and me?”

  Ellery gulped and was happy the long arms of the raincoat hid her hands’ nervous fidgeting. She paused, trying to decide how to answer when Gavin looked over at her with such love and concern she gasped.

  “You don’t need to be worried, Ellery. We have a team and a plan to catch whoever is behind this. And as for us, you don’t know me well enough yet, but I want to change that. Because I’m not the kind of guy who does one-night stands. I could have handed you over to Granger to take care of if I didn’t care so much about you. But the thought of you depending on another man crushes me, even if it’s on a professional level. I want to be that for you. I want to be the man you turn to. Now and in the future.”

  Ellery’s breath was shallow as her heart raced to the same speed as the boat now flying out in the open water. She grabbed hold of the chair and pulled herself up. She held onto the chair as she stumbled over to Gavin. “If you’re by my side, I have nothing to worry about,” she called out over the wind. She leaned forward and kissed his cheek as one of his hands grabbed her waist and pulled her to his side. The hood of her raincoat fell back in the wind and Gavin turned his head to kiss her.

  Ellery felt his fingers pressing into her hip as his short but passionate kiss left her heart pounding with excitement instead of fear. “For the day, it’s only you and me out on a boat. Let’s take advantage of this calm before the storm and pretend I’m just a guy taking his girlfriend on a date.”

  Ellery rested her head on his shoulder as he continued to drive past Fort Sumter and out of the harbor. The title girlfriend had never sounded so good before.

  * * *

  Gavin pulled the boat into line with the other fishermen. Some had tourists with them as they fished, others were hanging out with buddies, and then some were serious about their fishing. He could tell which ones they were since they were glaring at anyone who got close to their spot.

  Gavin pulled in near the tourists, but far enough away their faces wouldn’t be clearly seen. “Why don’t you set out the picnic while I get the rods out?”

  Ellery moved to do as he asked while he got the tackle ready. He didn’t bait them as he tossed them into the ocean and strapped them to the back of the boat. Fishing was not on his radar today. He had a whole day out on the open water with the woman he was falling in love with. He’d take every peaceful minute he got while trying to forget Ellery would be putting herself out there for someone to try to catch later that night.

  “Here you go,” Ellery said as he set the last rod in the holder and turned around. She’d laid out the spread on the floor where they could lean up against the benches. The cover from the console cast their blanket in shade so they could enjoy the nice day without melting in the hot southern sun.

  They ate as they talked about themselves, their friends, growing up, and shared funny stories. As they finished, Gavin moved so Ellery was sitting between his legs and leaning against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her waist as they continued to talk. Eventually they fell into a comfortable silence and looked out over the water as the sun began to set. As the hours passed, they moved into the soft warm glow of the setting sun and were now overlooking the water with all the retreating tourists behind them.

  Feeling Ellery’s warm body under his hands was sweet torture. Gavin tightened his arms around her, and she
snuggled into him. He was sure she could feel his hard outline pressing against her backside, but instead of pulling away, she wiggled against him.

  Kissing her neck seemed the most natural thing to him. He pressed his lips against the base where her neck met her shoulder and worked his way to her ear. Ellery moaned softly and tilted her head, giving him better access as he kissed her gently. His whole body seemed to pound in time with her pulse beneath his lips. Gavin trailed his fingers up and down her arms, giving her shivers of what could lay ahead.

  Ellery wiggled again as she tried to get closer to him. With no words spoken, she began to rub his thighs tantalizingly and he slipped his hands beneath her shirt. Her stomach was warm and smooth against his palms as he ran them along her stomach. He moved his hands slowly upward until he brushed against the bottom of her breasts. Ellery arched back, pushing her breasts against his hands in a silent order he happily followed.

  He moved his thumbs in slow lazy circles over her bra. He heard and felt her breath hitch when they ran over her hardened nipples. Gavin was exhilarated but kept his pace slow as his thumbs brushed over her nipples again. Ellery let her head fall back against his shoulder, and Gavin felt her breath quicken with excitement.

  He pressed kisses along her jaw as he cupped her breasts, pushing them up and then pulling down her bra cups to allow them to fill his hands. Ellery gasped his name and nothing had ever sounded so sensual to him before. Her hips rocked, her heart pounded, and Gavin did everything he could to keep himself in check. This was about her, not him, and he wanted to wring every little gasp and moan from her.

  His body vibrated, and not in a good way. He wanted to ignore it, but it vibrated again. He stopped his hands from moving and smiled when Ellery groaned in displeasure as he reached for his phone.

  “Yeah,” Gavin said sharply as he let his hand run back up under her shirt.

  “It’s Castle. I have everything in place. Meet me at our location in thirty minutes then we’ll head to her house. When we get there, you and I will go in a couple minutes after her. Make sure you’re not identifiable. We are to stay out of the way as much as possible. We want them to think she’s alone if they’re watching the place.”