Tides of Deception (Lantern Beach Romantic Suspense Book 1)

by Christy Barritt

  She stared at the gun. If only she could reach it. If she could grab it and maybe turn this situation around.

  But it was no use. Ian was stronger than she was. Too strong.

  Skye kicked and thrashed, but it did no good.

  With a few grunts, he had her off her feet. He jerked his body, trying to get her to do what he wanted.

  The next instant, Skye hung over the side of the boat. She sucked in a breath, trying not to panic.

  “Ian, don’t!”

  Ian let go. Her feet hit the water. But her arms flailed out, and she caught the edge of the boat. A wave lapped over her, spraying water into her mouth.

  But she wasn’t cut loose. Not yet.

  “Good try, beautiful.” Ian stepped closer.

  If only Skye could pull herself back in.

  She glanced up at Ian again, saw him peering down at her with a glimmer in his gaze.

  No, no, no . . .

  She tightened her grip, but the side of the boat was wet. Her fingers slipped.

  Ian smiled at her one last time before prying her fingers up. “See you on the other side, Skye. It was fun.”

  And then he let go.

  The water consumed Skye. Buried her. Took her breath away.

  Just as her head bobbed to the surface, she saw Ian’s boat pulling away.

  He really was leaving her out here in the middle of the ocean. And by the time anyone found her, she’d be dead.

  “Over there!” Austin yelled.

  He spotted two boats bobbing in the water in the distance. Could Skye be on one of them? It was a long shot, but he had to keep hope alive.

  “It looks like a Coast Guard patrol boat,” Ty said, pushing his sunglasses up higher. “Maybe they found Skye.”

  Austin’s heart rate surged. Maybe this nightmare was over. Maybe Skye was safe, and whoever was behind this had been arrested.

  Please, Lord . . .

  They pulled up beside the boat, and one of the Coast Guard crew members came to the edge to speak to them.

  “We’re looking for our friend, Skye Lavinia,” Austin said above the grind of the boat engines. “We believe a man named Ian Winthrop abducted her.”

  Just as Austin said the words, he spotted Ian on the other side of the boat. His hands were behind his back. In handcuffs, Austin realized.

  Austin’s gaze darted around. Ian. Was he the one behind this? He had to be.

  And if Ian was here . . . where was Skye?

  Austin hopped over the edge of his boat and onto the Coast Guard vessel.

  “Hey!” The coastguardsman put a hand out to stop Austin before he got near Ian.

  “We just arrested that man, but the woman isn’t with him,” the coastguardsman said.

  “Where is she?” Austin yelled, the veins at his neck throbbing.

  The coastguardsman continued to restrain Austin before he could reach Ian. It was probably better that way because if Austin got his hands on Ian . . . he didn’t know what he’d do. Something he’d regret, probably.

  Ian just smiled back, looking entirely too smug. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “You left her out there in the ocean again, didn’t you? Where?” Austin started to lunge at him again, but the coastguardsman held him back.

  “We have our guys out there looking. She can’t be very far. We picked him up only a few minutes ago.”

  “I’m not giving up,” Austin said, determination making his spine rigid.

  He hopped back into his boat again, and Ty took off.

  They were going to find Skye. They had to.

  Because Austin wasn’t coming back until he did.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  The water swallowed Skye again.

  If only she could touch bottom.

  But she couldn’t. And she wouldn’t be able to—not until she got much closer to shore. But she couldn’t even see the shore, so her hopes of trying to reach it were slim.

  She glanced around. How deep was it out here? A hundred feet?

  Probably more.

  Skye couldn’t think about that. If she did, panic would set in. No, she needed to try and float.

  That was right.

  If she could stay afloat, then she might survive until someone found her.

  But her arms and legs were cold. Hypothermia might set in after a while. What was the water temperature? If she had to guess, it was sixty-some degrees out here. But it felt so cold.

  Someone would find her.

  The thoughts warred inside Skye as hope and despair collided.

  Float, she reminded herself again.

  She popped her legs up and tried to relax, to conserve her energy. Skye may not be able to swim, but she could do her best to stay above water.

  Another wave washed over her, and panic tried to seize her again as her face went underwater.

  She raised her head just long enough to glance around. In front of her was nothing but water.

  To her left, more water.

  To her right, even more water.

  Which direction was land? She’d gotten turned around after Ian’s boat had disappeared. And now she had no idea.

  Carefully, she glanced behind her and blinked.

  Was that a . . . boat?

  It was far away. But . . . yes! It was a boat.

  She righted herself, desperate to draw the attention of those on board. She had to wave her hands—do something so they would see her.

  But as she tried to lift her arms, another wave crashed over her and filled her lungs with water.

  “We’ve got too big of an area to cover,” Austin said, his jaw throbbing as he clenched his teeth.

  Ty continued to drive the boat forward, even as the wind whipped around them and choppy waves jerked their bodies in ways they weren’t meant to be jerked. The small craft advisory that had just been issued was no joke.

  “The Coast Guard is out here helping,” Ty reminded him.

  “There’s a storm blowing in,” Austin said. “I’m afraid we’re going to be too late.”

  “We can’t think like that.” Ty glanced back at him. “We’ll find her, Austin.”

  Austin scanned the horizon again. With waves like this, it would be hard to see anyone in the water. Their best hope was to spot the boat with Skye on it. But there was also a chance she wasn’t on that boat anymore.

  He didn’t want to think about that.

  Whenever Austin closed his eyes, he pictured himself finding Skye.

  Dead.

  In the water.

  He shook his head. No, Ty was right. He couldn’t think like that. He had to keep hope alive and stay positive.

  “Austin, Ty, what’s that over there?” Wes yelled, pointing in the distance.

  Austin squinted. Something was in the water.

  Was it buoy? A crab pod?

  Or could it be a person?

  Did he even dare hope . . .

  “Let’s go closer.” Ty turned the boat and veered in that direction.

  Austin could hardly breathe as he waited to see if this was Skye.

  Alive.

  It had to be Skye, alive.

  He stopped himself before he considered any other options.

  Austin sucked in a quick breath as the object became closer. “I think that’s a person.”

  “I think you’re right.” Ty accelerated.

  As they drew near, Austin realized it was definitely someone out there.

  Skye. It was Skye. He was sure of it.

  But she wasn’t moving.

  Oh, dear Jesus . . .

  Ty pulled up beside her. Austin reached down and, with Wes’s help, they grabbed her arms and lifted her onboard.

  She wasn’t breathing. And she was pale. Too pale.

  Austin put his fingers to her heart. It was still beating.

  Ty turned her over and began pounding on her back, trying to get the water out of her lungs.

  “Come on, Skye,” Austin muttered, praying sh
e’d respond.

  Ty pounded on her back again.

  Austin held his breath. Waiting. Watching. Praying.

  Just then, she moved. Coughed. Sputtered water.

  Her eyes rushed open, and she sat up. Panic seized her as her gaze darted around wildly.

  Until she saw Austin.

  “Austin?”

  In one move, he was beside her on the floor, and his arms wrapped around her.

  Wes found a blanket and put it around their shoulders. And Austin held her, never wanting to let go. She was safe.

  And he planned to keep it that way for a long time.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Two days later, everything was still a blur.

  The good news was that Skye was safe. Nothing else suspicious had happened. And Ian was behind bars—for now. No doubt his family would do everything they could to get him out of jail. And they’d probably succeed.

  But he’d already done enough damage to sideline his financial goals and maybe even his career aspirations.

  Austin stepped onto the porch of his house and, from behind, wrapped his arms around Skye. She leaned into him, grateful that he was here to hold her up. Everyone needed someone like that in their lives.

  “How are you?” he murmured, his breath tickling her ear.

  “I’m okay. Thanks to you.”

  “You gave me a good scare. Please don’t ever do that again.”

  “I have no intentions of putting myself in a situation like that again.” She turned until they were face-to-face. Austin’s arms remained around her, and she rested her hands on his chest, as natural as if they’d done it a million times before. “Thank you for always being there for me, Austin.”

  “It’s been my pleasure.”

  She nodded toward his cottage, where he’d gone inside to take a phone call. “Who were you talking to in there?”

  His breath hitched, and his gaze turned serious. “Actually, it was my mom.”

  Skye blinked in surprise. With everything going on, she hadn’t thought to ask him about that situation. “Really? You called her?”

  He nodded, emotions that Skye couldn’t read etching his features. “I did. And we had a good talk.”

  “What did she say?”

  “She mostly cried and talked about the mistake she had made in leaving me. She begged for my forgiveness.”

  “And?” She held her breath, waiting to hear more.

  Austin shrugged. “And I forgave her.”

  Relief washed through Skye. Forgiveness really was possible, wasn’t it? It wasn’t an easy path, but it was a journey worth taking, not even for the person being forgiven but for the person doing the forgiving.

  It gave her a renewed sense of hope for her future. “That’s great, Austin.”

  Austin remained quiet a moment, and she could tell he was gathering his thoughts. She waited for him to speak.

  “I’ve been thinking a lot lately, Skye,” Austin started. “We’ve all made mistakes in our lives. Even my mom. But what you did . . . I would never say that putting a child up for adoption is a mistake, not when it’s done for the right reasons.”

  She waited for him to finish.

  “However, the Winthrops obviously manipulated the situation with you and forced you into a decision you weren’t ready for. I’m sorry things happened that way. But I hope you’ll forgive yourself.”

  “I’m getting there. I really am.” Almost losing her life had confirmed to Skye all the resolutions and changes she’d known she needed to make. “By the way, you were the one who left that large donation at my produce stand, weren’t you?”

  How could she have ever thought it was Ian? Austin had been there for her the whole time, looking out for her, and taking care of her. His presence in her life was a gift—one that she never wanted to give up. She just didn’t take him as the type to have disposable income. Probably because he didn’t. He’d sacrificed his own needs to give her that cash. That in itself was an unforgettable gift.

  He shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “Yes, you do. Thank you for doing that.”

  “I just thought those apples I was getting were very valuable.”

  Rising up on her tippy-toes, she planted a firm kiss on his lips—one that she hoped was the start of many to come. “You always look out for me, don’t you? In fact, you knew everything I’ve done in my past, and you were still willing to give up your own life to save me.”

  “It was a no-brainer. In fact, I want to spend the rest of my life looking out for you.” He dipped his head for another kiss—this one longer and deeper and swoon-worthy.

  A car pulled up at that moment. She and Austin had been expecting it, but that didn’t stop her nerves from flaring to life.

  Skye turned from Austin, but he held her hand, as if he knew how important his support was.

  Atticus Winthrop stepped out a moment later.

  “I think I owe you an apology.” He paused in front of her and rested his hands in his pockets. “I’m deeply sorry for my son’s actions.”

  Skye didn’t say anything.

  “I think you’ll be happy to know that we’re not going to bail Ian out this time. He needs to learn his lesson.”

  “I think that’s wise,” Skye said. But it would take more than that for Ian to grow up.

  “You still running for office?” Austin asked, his voice far from friendly.

  Atticus shrugged. “I’m not sure right now. Everything is in turmoil, in case you haven’t guessed. But I do have a proposal for you, Skye.”

  “What’s that?” Skye couldn’t imagine what that might be.

  “If you’ll keep what happened between all of us instead of going public, we can work out a deal.”

  “What kind of deal?” Austin said, tensing beside her, always her guardian.

  “We can work out a visitation arrangement with Briar.”

  Skye sucked in a quick breath. “What?”

  “I know you can’t afford to go through the legal process to take us to court—which is what I’m assuming you’re thinking about. I also know that you know that Briar is your son. There’s no need to beat around the bush. However, the adoption was legal.”

  “I want to be a part of his life,” she nearly whispered. She wanted that with every ounce of her being.

  “I know you do. And I’m willing to make that happen. All I ask for in return is that we handle this matter in a civil manner.”

  She shouldn’t have expected anything less from the businessman.

  “Where was all that civility when Briar was born and your family paid her off?” Austin snapped.

  “I wasn’t aware of the circumstances surrounding that at the time, but my wife has told me everything. Again, I apologize. I also apologize for what I said to you earlier this week. Skye, I’ve always seen something special in you. Something powerful. But I knew you could destroy what I wanted, so I tried to plant doubts in your mind. It was wrong of me.”

  Skye raised her chin. “I want the visitation rights to my son, but I want them with no strings attached.”

  “Skye . . .” Atticus’s voice sounded weary.

  “I don’t have any desire to humiliate your family. I don’t. I just want to get to know Briar. I couldn’t take him away from the only parents he’s known his whole life. I couldn’t live with myself if I did. But I do want a relationship.”

  Atticus nodded slowly, almost as if defeated or like he knew better than try to compromise. “I think we can arrange that.”

  “I want it in writing.”

  He nodded, almost looking impressed for a minute. “I’ll have it for you before we leave.”

  “I’ll look for it,” Skye said.

  “In the meantime, I thought you might want to say hello to someone.” Atticus motioned toward his car and, a moment later, Briar hopped out.

  Skye felt herself grinning from ear to ear.

  She released Austin’s hand and went down the steps to meet the boy . . . he
r son. Her son. She still couldn’t believe it.

  “Hey, you.” She bent down to talk to him eye to eye.

  “Hi, Ms. Skye. Papa said we were coming for a visit. Is this where you live?”

  She looked back at Austin’s place. “No, it’s my friend Austin’s place.”

  Briar observed Austin a moment, not the least bit intimidated by him. “You’re the one who saved me.”

  Austin smiled. “I am.”

  “He’s really good at saving people,” Skye added.

  “Well, thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, buddy.”

  Briar turned back to Skye. “I was hoping you might want to play sand soccer again.”

  “I would love to. If it’s okay with your grandfather.”

  “Is it, Papa?” He looked back at Atticus.

  Atticus hesitated before nodding. “Just have him back in three hours. Okay?”

  Skye nodded. “It’s a deal.”

  As Atticus pulled away, Austin nodded toward his house. “Let me get my keys, and I’ll drive us to the beach.”

  Skye looked at Briar. “Could you wait here for just one minute?”

  “Of course.”

  She followed Austin inside. As soon as the door closed, she threw her arms around him, planting a firm, long kiss on his lips.

  “What was that for?” Austin asked, his voice as warm as honey when they pulled away.

  “For being you. For not giving up on me.”

  “Never.”

  “You know what? I believe you—and that’s a big step for me.” Skye ran her finger across Austin’s jaw, soaking in every inch of his face. She wanted to do that for a long time. Forever, for that matter. “I love you, Austin.”

  “I love you too, Skye.”

  Also by Christy Barritt:

  Other Books in the Lantern Beach Mystery Series:

  Hidden Currents

  You can take the detective out of the investigation, but you can't take the investigator out of the detective. A notorious gang puts a bounty on Detective Cady Matthews’s head after she takes down their leader, leaving her no choice but to hide until she can testify at trial. But her temporary home across the country on a remote North Carolina island isn’t as peaceful as she initially thinks. Living under the new identity of Cassidy Livingston, she struggles to keep her investigative skills tucked away, especially after a body washes ashore. When local police bungle the murder investigation, she can’t resist stepping in. But Cassidy is supposed to be keeping a low profile. One wrong move could lead to both her discovery and her demise. Can she bring justice to the island . . . or will the hidden currents surrounding her pull her under for good?