Jamie reached out, taking the hat from her. His fingers grazed her shaking hands, sending waves of prickling sensation through her fingertips. He leaned down, brushing his lips against her cheek and trailing downward to her lips, tasting and nipping in a seductive dance before he pulled back. His mouth curved into that languid smile she’d come to cherish as he reached up and stuffed his hair under the old hat.
“Thank you.”
Oh God, she wasn’t going to be able to walk away when she lost him. Not this time. Not this man.
Outside, the low growl of the boat’s engine hummed. It was time. Jamie moved over to the bench and grabbed a pencil and paper. When he was done writing he took her hand and slipped the piece of paper into her palm.
“I want you to wait for one hour after we leave. Unless you hear from me, I want you to call the number on the paper and ask for McAlvey. Tell him I’m heading out to the island and requesting backup. The coordinates are here to give him. If for any reason you are unable to contact McAlvey then get hold of Kearsage at the second number. Tell him that I’m calling in that last favor he owes me. And tell him I need his butt and plenty of backup as soon as he can high-tail it here.”
He gathered her close against him. The restrictions of the layers of his clothes did nothing to hide the heat between them.
This time there was no smile on his lips, only his penetrating gaze staring into her own, looking into her soul. He reached up and brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear as she leaned against him. She couldn’t help herself. As much as she wanted to keep a distance she knew that it was as simple as his smile to turn her heart.
Somewhere along the way her heart had jumped into the fray and it terrified her. She wasn’t sure she was ready to risk her heart again—Deep down, she wasn’t quite sure she hadn’t already given it away.
“I don’t know what is going to happen after this. If my instincts are right, then we may be walking into something pretty deep.”
She rested her head against his chest as his strong arms surrounded her. She could feel the rise and fall of his chest against the palm of her hand. A single tear fell from her cheek, landing on her hand. She wiped it away. The last thing she needed was to let them see her worry. The door opened behind them and she pulled away as her uncle came into the room. She wiped away the wetness on her cheek.
“I’m ready when you are. The boat is loaded and we should be getting out there soon. I noticed Johnson is almost done getting his boat set. We’ll want to get out there with the rest of them.”
“Good,” Jamie said.
Jamie was staring at her, no doubt trying to read her thoughts and trying to communicate without the words the things that neither of them could say.
Her uncle came to stand in front of her. He took her hands within his large grasp and pulled her to him, enveloping her in a hug that surrounded her and comforted her.
“I’ll take care of him.” His words were spoken low, just loud enough for her to hear. Unable to answer, she just nodded.
He pulled back and used his finger to tip her gaze up into his. It hit her hard. She’d been so worried about what was happening with her and Jamie that she hadn’t thought about the possibility of losing her uncle, too. Except for her brother, he was the only family she’d left. Suddenly, she was more alone than she’d ever been in her life.
“Shelby, I know you’re worried, but it'll be fine.” He tried hard to coax a smile from her and she struggled to give him the strength and reassurance.
Her uncle frowned, “When this is over I’m going to have to disappear for a while. I've risked your lives enough being here as long as I have. Once this breaks loose and all of this comes down I can’t be around for the end of it. Jamie understands this.” He looked over at Jamie, who nodded his agreement.
“I’m not sure where I’m going. But I think it’s time I face my own problems and deal with them. When everything is settled I’ll let you know where I am.”
Her uncle leaned down, kissing her cheek and she gave him a quick hug. “Thank you for everything. We couldn’t have made it without you.”
The fierce hulking form of John Case sagged a little for as sadness crossed his face. “Gal, you and Josh are my family. No matter what, I'll make sure your brother gets back here. Just remember that if you ever need me I’ll come. I’m not sure how I’ll know, but I’ll come.”
“I love you.” Tears slid down her cheeks unchecked.
“I love you too, Gal. Don’t forget it.”
He placed a hand upon Jamie’s shoulder. The two men stood shoulder to shoulder and for the first time she was able to see that there were so many similarities between them that it was no wonder she was drawn to Jamie.
“It’s time.” Jamie said as he placed a hand on her cheek before turning and following her uncle out the door. The warmth of his touch lingered on her cheek, as she tasted the salt of her tears upon her lips.
The sky was still a funky gray color with streaking clouds that hovered above the heavy, wet horizon.
Three other boats were heading out of the harbor, checking lines as they went. Case held the wheel tight in hand, fighting to keep the course as they headed out toward the island. The boat pitched and rolled with the rushing waves as water sprayed up over the bow of the boat. Jamie’s stomach lurched as adrenaline rushed through him.
He wasn’t sure what to expect. He never went in without a calculated plan and a backup plan to get himself out if things got tough. Most of the time, he had a team of people to rely on. This time he was going to have to rely on Case to cover his back. Instinct told him to trust the Irishman. That whatever it was in Case's past that had him on the run was something he was going to have to deal with.
He thought of Shelby, stuck behind and unsure of whether they were going to make it back.
The hardest thing he’d had to face in a long time was walking out that door and leaving her standing there. All of his attempts to keep his emotions removed from the case were shattered and this was new territory for him. For the last ten years he’d been a self-confirmed loner who'd spent his life just trying to make sure he didn’t have to rely on someone else.
Recognizing that he wanted more with Shelby was way scarier than walking into a known, dangerous situation. Right now, he only wanted to keep her safe. Even if it meant giving up the fight to find out what had happened to David.
David was gone. If there was such a thing as an afterlife, his friend was sitting on a beach somewhere with a margarita in hand, watching him and having a great laugh over the turmoil he’d created in his life by falling in love with Shelby.
He loved her. It hit him like an explosion with enough force to suck the breath out of him. He couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment. Maybe it had been when he’d been fighting it the most. Whenever it was, the truth filled him with a calmness he couldn’t explain. He’d always thought of love as an all-consuming, a blinding emotion that caused those involved to lose any sense of self. But what he felt now was none of that. Instead, it was an assuring calmness and a bit of peace he hadn’t known for a long, long time.
“We’re almost out to the channel marker buoy off of Spruce Point. I think we ought to at least pull one set of traps so we can look like we’re really out here checking lines.”
Case motioned for Jamie to come up from the stern and reached over the side to hook the buoy, running the line through the hauler and setting the winch in motion to haul the line. As Case checked the traps, Jamie used the binoculars to discreetly survey the activity on the island.
Everything was quiet, except for two men who were loading equipment into the Bayliner he'd seen earlier. It was the same one he'd seen near Marianne’s the night she was killed. The one she’d painted into her portrait. Marianne had pointed a finger to the men who killed her without realizing she was doing it.
Jamie braced his feet as the boat rolled again with the waves. Case was busy pretending to bait the last trap on the line. He’d already thrown the
catch overboard so they wouldn’t be kept on the boat when they bailed. It could be a while before someone came back for the boat. Hopefully their little act would look convincing to anyone watching from a distance.
“It looks like they’re planning on leaving.”
Case gave a look through the binoculars. “My guess is that they realize they’ve compromised what they were doing and that we’re onto them. If I were them, I’d be bailing out.”
One of the men started the Bayliner up and pulled away from the shore, heading across to the north side of the harbor and out toward the Point.
“I’m betting that they’ll use the designated spot again to drop their stuff. With very few people out there at this time of year they should be able to get out without any much notice.” Jamie said.
Case slapped him on the back. “It’s show time. Are you ready?”
Jamie had his doubts, but the instincts he’d always relied on were screaming at him now. All of the so-called coincidences that had brought him to Chandler were like neon signs in his mind, and right now all of them had arrows pointing in the opposite direction of where they were headed. He thought of David and what a thrill he’d have gotten out of this case. There was more than David’s death hanging on him going in there. Shelby, Josh and Case relying on him to set things straight, but he still owed it to his old friend to find some answers.
“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.” He took a deep steadying breath. “Let’s go for it.”
Case put a hand to his shoulder. “I want you to promise me that when this is over you’ll take care of her.” When Jamie started to protest, Case held up a hand to stop him.
“Boy, if you don’t know your own feelings by now, then it isn’t my place to tell you. But what I’m asking of you is that you make sure she's going to be okay for me. I can’t be there to do it, so I’m relying on you to see this to an end.”
“Don’t worry about Shelby. I’ll make sure she’s alright.”
Case nodded, showing that he understood. Then he turned to the wheel and started bringing the boat around.
He faced the boat so that the view of the stern was shielded from the island. It was hard to hold the position with the force of the white caps pushing at the boat, but within seconds they had both stripped out of the extra clothing and pulled out the diving gear and tanks.
“We should be able to get ourselves over to the secluded cove toward the back of the island. That’ll bring us in just below the house. If we get split up then we’ll meet up just beyond the group of rocks that head up the trail.”
Jamie nodded in agreement.
Case checked his own gun and slid it into the waterproof pouch before fixing it around his waist.
Jamie slid his feet into the flippers and put on the mask and breathing apparatus. He looked over at Case who had done the same and was giving him a ready signal.
It was now or never. He gave one last thought to Shelby before sliding off the edge of the boat and into the water.
Caruso stood at the ready with Taimon as they headed the boat out across to the point. The high waves pitched and rolled the boat, tossing it around like a play toy. Better Taimon then him at the wheel. He was green just watching him try to keep the boat on course.
So far this morning they’d seen a couple of the bigger boats out, but nothing to alarm them. Anybody still out after last night’s storm had to be an idiot.
Already, their truck was parked in the bushes on the point. Everything was ready to haul their gear out. Only one more load and they were done. Once they sunk the boat there’d be nothing left to connect them to the guns. The only loose tie was Rivard and the last shipment that had disappeared. With any luck, the lost package was sunk so far below the water line it wouldn’t show up for years. Or at least, until they were long gone.
Normally, the loose ends would’ve bothered Caruso. He prided himself on getting a job done without failure. But Rivard wasn’t his problem anymore. In a couple of hours he’d be on his way out of Maine and back to a warmer climate. With the money they’d made he could sit back for awhile, maybe take an extended vacation on a tropical island with plenty of beautiful women to keep him company. When it was safe, he’d resurface again with a new identity and move on to the next job. He’d done it before—he could do it again.
His only concern about Rivard was whether or not he was on to them, but he doubted it. Other than Taimon’s screw up by shooting at them, there wasn’t a damn thing that could connect him to what they were doing on the island. And in a couple of hours they’d be home free.
A boat was circling around a trap line several hundred feet off the island. He raised his binoculars and focused on the boat as it rocked with the tide. He could see the yellow of their rain gear as the man at the stern fought with the trap line, hoisting it with the winch. The swells were making their work an almost impossible task. Caruso shook his head. Better them than him. He’d had enough of the unpredictable Maine weather. He was no stranger to hurricanes, but he’d much rather have ridden it out on his own home territory then up here in the Godforsaken, cold island.
He set the binoculars on one of the boxes and headed back toward the cottage, humming as he went. Yes, just a few more hours and they were home free.
Shelby looked at her watch for the hundredth time. The hands weren’t moving. They couldn’t be. It had been over an hour and still she hadn’t heard anything. She considered raising them on the radio, but she didn’t want to risk endangering them just to calm her fears. Jamie had told her to wait, but the minutes were passing along in chaotic torpidity.
Fierce white caps pushed at the dock, making it sway and creak. A chill ran up her spine to settle at the base of her neck. She was helpless and alone and she hated it. All her life she’d sat back and let things happen to her. She’d no control over losing her parents or her husband. She didn’t want to sit back and let life happen to her anymore.
If her limited time with Jamie had proven anything, it was that life was too short to take a passive position. The thought of losing him was terrifying, but the thought of having to live with herself if she did nothing about it, was greater. She grabbed the phone off of the barrel next to her and punched in the number from the paper Jamie had given her.
At first, the phone just rang and rang. Shelby held her breath, saying a silent prayer that someone would be there to help. She was about to hang up when the line was picked up. The rough barking voice was a welcome sound.
“I need to speak with McAlvey.” There was a long silence on the other end. For a dreaded moment, she was sure she’d been disconnected.
“And the nature of your business, Ma’am?” The raw growling voice cut across the telephone line.
“I need to speak with him, now. It’s a matter of life and death.” She only hoped she was exaggerating. “I was told I was to contact McAlvey at this number. Is he there?” Again, the silence on the line was deafening.
“Ma’am, I’ll need you to hold the line for a moment.” She hung there on the other end of the line and glanced at her watch again. Now that she’d decided to take action the minutes were beginning to fly by with an alarming speed. Something had to be wrong.
“Ma’am, I’m the Officer in Charge. I must ask what your business is with McAlvey.” Shelby hesitated. Jamie had trusted her to get to McAlvey himself. For whatever reason, it didn’t look like they were going to let her speak to him. The question was now, who could be trusted? And who couldn’t?
“Ma’am? Are you still there?” She could hear the tension crackling across the line.
“Yes, I’m here. Please, I was told only to speak with him.”
“I’m sorry, McAlvey is not here. But if you tell me the nature of the emergency, then I can help you.”
This time the silence came from her end of the phone. She was going to have to make a choice and it had to be fast. Now that she’d decided to take actions, she couldn’t turn back now.
“I’m calling on behalf of
Jamie Rivard. He told me to speak with McAlvey. He said that McAlvey was the only one who would know exactly what was going on. I need you to find him, Now!” The seriousness in her tone was scaring hers, but she knew of no other way to get the importance of the situation across to the man at the other end of the telephone line.
“You know where Rivard is?” The officer's incredulous tone reverberated across the lines. “Ma’am, I need you to listen to me. If you know where he is then you need to let me know, now. He may be in danger.”
“That’s what I have been trying to tell you, but you aren’t listening. Look, I’m stuck here in Chandler, Maine trying to contact some man who is supposed to be in Florida. But you’re saying he isn’t there. I have to get someone to help them out on that island.” She’d never been this exasperated or this impatient with anyone in her life. “He told me to call McAlvey to get help.”
The voices on the other end of the line were muffled for a moment as if someone had their hand over the receiver, but she could still hear the urgency in their tone. God, even they were scared.
“Ma’am,” The voice on the other end was hesitant. “I’m taking a chance in talking with you about this, but I need your cooperation. McAlvey is no longer with us. He opted for an early retirement and has not been heard from since. If you are aware of the whereabouts of either McAlvey or Rivard, then I need you to tell me where they are.”
“McAlvey is gone?” Desperation rose within her. With McAlvey gone who would help them now?
“That’s it. I’ll call Kearsage. He’ll know what to do.” She hit the button to end the call. Somewhere in Florida, there were some very confused men who were most likely swearing at her lack of cooperation.
She dialed the next number on the line and gave a silent sigh of relief when she heard the male voice answer. “I need to speak with Tom Kearsage. It’s an urgent matter. I’m calling for Jamie Rivard.” By laying her cards on the table up front she hoped she could avoid most of the confusion the other call had generated.
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