Called to Protect

by Lynette Eason

  With a sigh, Blake pulled Rachel’s and Chloe’s pictures up side by side on his phone and held it out to the nearest boater. She took it. “We’re looking for these two and think they’re on one of these yachts out here. Have you seen them?”

  “No, sorry.” She let her friend look. The friend shook her head and Blake saw nothing in their expressions to indicate they may be lying.

  “Thanks.”

  She returned his phone. “Y’all want to come aboard?” The other woman spoke for the first time. “We’ve got shrimp and drinks. We can put on some music and have a sunset cruise.”

  Linc smiled. “Thanks, ladies. Not this time.”

  “Okay, well, good luck finding your girls. Sorry we couldn’t help.”

  Blake took his seat again and pulled up the pictures of Rachel and Chloe again. Then went to Chloe’s. He’d taken it when she wasn’t looking, just so he could have a picture of her. She was laughing at something Linc had said the night of their dinner at A Taste of Yesterday. With her head tilted sideways, her eyes glinted at her brother as she teased him about something.

  Pretty. And still spunky in spite of being wounded by a jerk. He wanted a chance to show her not all guys were like Jordan Crestwood.

  She’d put herself in harm’s way for Rachel. The only reason she was at the museum was because she thought she could find something that would help lead them to Rachel.

  “What are you thinking?”

  Blake shook his head and put the phone away. “That I’m going to punch Jordan Crestwood next time I see him.”

  “You’re going to have to get in line.”

  “I’m moving to the front.”

  Linc grunted. “What else?”

  A sigh slipped from him. “I don’t know. That life is short and we need to grab on to the good times and let the bad ones fade away. If we can. Is the past really worth holding on to if it keeps you from living in the present? If it stops your dreams right in their tracks?” He shrugged. “Sorry. Too much time to think.” Yeah, too much thinking and not enough finding. Where are you, Chloe? Rachel? Panic threatened and he turned to find Linc watching him.

  “You’re thinking about your dad?”

  Blake had confided in Linc long ago. Linc was the one person who knew just about everything about him. He was ready to let Chloe inside that tight circle if she was willing. “Yes. And other people.”

  “I like that idea,” Linc said. “Letting go of the past and grabbing on to the good times, the future, I mean. If one can do it.” He paused. “Chloe’s one of those people you want to have in your future, isn’t she?”

  Meeting the man’s eyes, Blake considered the question. “Yes. If we weren’t so wrapped up in trying to find Rachel, I would have asked her out by now.” He gave a short laugh. “Then again, if we weren’t so wrapped up in finding Rachel, I might not have run across Chloe again and wouldn’t have found out how special she is.”

  “She can be a pain.”

  Blake heard the roughness in the man’s voice and knew he was scared, terrified for his sister. “I’m willing to take that chance.”

  “Yeah. I’m ready for her to be that pain again. I miss it.”

  “Then let’s find her.”

  25

  Louise returned with a rattled-looking Rachel four minutes later than Chloe expected her to. “It’s in here,” Rachel said. “I’m sorry. I forgot about it.”

  “Get it and shut up. Gotta keep you healthy just a little longer, then you’re outta my hair.”

  “Where are you taking us?” Rachel asked. “Why is everyone in that little boat off the side?”

  Louise rolled her eyes. “Get the device and come on!” Her gaze settled on Chloe. “You’re next. After I get this one delivered, I’ll be back for you.” She flicked a glance at Thelma. “Get this place cleaned up and then be at the boat.”

  “I know how this works. You don’t have to tell me every time.”

  It was the first hint of discord Chloe had seen between the two.

  Louise huffed. Rachel found her monitor and tucked it into the pocket of her shorts with a glance at Chloe. Chloe gave her a short nod and Rachel lifted her chin.

  Chloe frowned and rubbed her bare arms. If they were going to be riding in an open boat, it was going to be a chilly trip in their skimpy clothes.

  The door shut behind Louise and Rachel.

  “Get over by the door,” Thelma said. “She’ll be back as soon as she gets rid of her.”

  Chloe walked toward the door, then spun and landed a kick on the woman’s hand that gripped the weapon. Thelma cried out and backpedaled, trying to get her feet under her, but Chloe moved fast and aimed her heel at Thelma’s stomach. A solid hit.

  Air whooshed from Thelma and she went to her knees. The weapon clattered to the carpet while Chloe was moving in for yet another punch.

  “No! Stop!” Thelma held her hands up in surrender. “Don’t hit me anymore.”

  Chloe grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back. “Keep quiet or I’ll snap your arm. Then your neck. Understand?” A whimper escaped the woman. “I’ll take that as a yes. Get in the bathroom.”

  Her prisoner acquiesced with no fight left in her. The woman could bully teenagers, but when confronted by someone willing to stand up to her, she lost her bravado. Once she had the woman shut in the bathroom, Chloe grabbed a chair and shoved it under the knob. It might hold her for a few minutes, but if Thelma tried hard enough, she’d be out in no time.

  Chloe grabbed Thelma’s weapon, checked to find it loaded and ready to use. She stepped to the door and opened it slowly, praying she wouldn’t find Louise on the other side.

  She stuck her head around the corner. Clear. But which way?

  Approaching footsteps answered that question. Chloe ducked back into the room and shut the door. She stood off to the side and waited. Seconds later, the knob turned and Louise stepped through. Paused when she saw the empty room.

  Just a little farther inside.

  “Thelma?” She took another step.

  Chloe brought the butt of the weapon down on the woman’s head. Hard.

  Louise crumpled without a sound. Chloe took the suppressor off the weapon and tossed it aside. If she fired, she wanted it heard. She searched Louise, found the twin to the gun she held, and stuck it in the waistband at the small of her back.

  She stepped out of the room, shut the door, and turned the lock. The click gave her great satisfaction. Kicking the stupid heels off, she drew in a breath. Now to find the girls—and the men guarding them. They’d be on alert when she didn’t show up for her “turn” to parade in front of the camera for those wanting to bid on her.

  She shuddered and slowed, her bare feet cold, the wind whipping around her. Waves lapped the side of the vessel and she crept forward, weapon held ready. With steady steps, she made her way to the lower level. As far as she knew, there were three men. Neal and the two guards who’d snatched her from the museum. And the two women she’d taken out.

  Neal was the one she was most worried about. Then again, the two guards had been pretty efficient. Outnumbered and outgunned, she was going to have to divide and conquer.

  Low voices caught her attention.

  “. . . find her. She’s on the ship somewhere, so find her now,” Neal said. His low, vicious order sent shivers down her spine. “And get rid of Cass and Marie. They’re of no use to us anymore.”

  “What about delivering the girls?”

  “They can wait a few minutes. Tell Mike we’ll leave shortly. It won’t take long to find the cop. I should have known better than to leave her with those two. They can handle a bunch of scared teens, but that cop . . . just find her.” He cursed. “He isn’t going to like this.”

  “We’ll find her, boss.”

  “You’d better. Now hurry up.” He stomped off and the other man headed for the side. From around the edge, Chloe watched and waited. When Neal disappeared from sight, she breathed in. As soon as she stepped aroun
d the side, she’d be in full view of the boat that held the silent girls. They were on the other end. If she’d been able to come from the stern instead of the bow, she could be on him in seconds without him realizing it.

  The vessel rocked with the undulations of the ocean. The man guarding the girls had his back to her as he reached for the rope to untie the smaller craft. She had no time to go all the way back around.

  A splash from the other side of the small craft pulled her attention briefly from the man. Lindsey gasped. Several girls pointed and whispered.

  “What was that?” their captor demanded.

  They froze and huddled together.

  Chloe scanned the faces and realized Rachel wasn’t among them. What had the girl done? And then she broke the surface about five feet away, swimming with long, even strokes as she headed toward shore.

  Oh no. She couldn’t lose her now. Not when they were so close to being free.

  “Hey! Get back here!” He pulled his weapon and aimed it at the swimming girl.

  Chloe ran toward him, weapon held in front of her. Her bare feet made no sound as she drew closer to the stern and the bobbing craft next to it.

  “Drop it!”

  He jerked and spun.

  “Drop the weapon!”

  He aimed it at her instead.

  She fired. Once, twice, three times.

  26

  Blake turned to Linc. “You hear that?”

  “Yeah. Gunshots.”

  “Where’d they come from?”

  “To the left. Go.”

  The driver gunned the motor and Blake shifted into a position that would enhance his view of the area ahead. Other boat owners who had heard the shots had come from below or were standing at the bow, holding binoculars and gesturing. Still others were moving away from the large yacht, probably afraid more gunshots were coming.

  Blake nodded. “Follow where they’re pointing while I call it in.”

  “Hang on.”

  Chloe lowered the weapon as the man fell into the water. The girls’ screams echoed in the humid air. She held a finger to her lips and they snapped their mouths shut, even as hope started to gleam in their eyes.

  “Be quiet, there’s still more. If anyone shows up, you’re not sure what happened, okay?”

  They nodded.

  “Behind you!” Lindsey cried.

  Chloe spun and took a glancing blow to the side of her head. She stumbled, and fell into the boat next to Megan. On her way down, her hand slammed into one of the seats and pain radiated through her wrist and up her arm. Numb fingers lost their grip and the gun tumbled to the floor.

  “I’m going to kill you!”

  From the corner of her eye, she saw Neal raise the weapon and aim it at her. Three cracks sounded. Surprise flashed across his face before he, too, fell sideways off the vessel and joined his partner in the water.

  She stood. And saw the Marine police boat heading for them. Choking back tears of relief, gratitude, and sheer happiness, she snatched the weapon from the bottom of the craft and climbed back onto the yacht. Linc joined her.

  “Go get Rachel,” she yelled at Blake. And pointed.

  He blanched and said something to the driver of the boat. The man turned and headed toward the still swimming girl.

  Rachel’s arms ached. She might be out of practice, but she was also in her element. In the water, she was powerful and in control. But the farther she swam, the more the fatigue hit her. She knew it was because she wasn’t used to swimming in these conditions. Cold and with a strong current that wanted to tug her under. But she wouldn’t stop. She had to reach shore and get help. She would do this for Chloe and the other girls. She would prove to her father that he could love her.

  Stroke, stroke, breathe. She had the rhythm now. She could make it. When she heard the boat coming up behind her, she put on a burst of speed. They wouldn’t catch her. Not again.

  But she was tired. So very tired and cold.

  “Rachel!”

  Her stroke faltered and she stopped, spinning in the water to find her dad looking down at her from the bow of a large speedboat. “Rachel!”

  “Dad!”

  “I’m coming to get you.” He turned to the driver. “I need a blanket!”

  The motor cut and a ladder appeared over the side. In spite of heavy arms and chattering teeth, she swam over to it. And then her father clamped a hard, yet gentle, hand around her wrist and hauled her into his arms.

  Linc climbed onto the ship and gripped Chloe by her upper arm. “You okay?”

  She shivered and nodded.

  Two helicopters buzzed overhead. Other law enforcement, including the Coast Guard and Marine Patrol Officers, surrounded the vessel while others cleared the area around it. The girls were being transferred to another boat, traumatized, but safe.

  “I’m okay, but we’re not done.”

  “How many?”

  “Two women for sure and another big dude with a big gun.”

  More law enforcement swarmed the boat.

  “Why don’t you let us take it from here?”

  “Oh no. I’m not missing out on this. And besides, I know where they are.”

  “Which you could tell me.”

  “Which I can show you.” She explained the plan, the cold forgotten as she talked. “A line going this way, and officers covering the other side. We’ll meet at the room I locked the two women in.”

  Linc shot her a dark look, then spoke into a microphone that she knew was connected to other agent and officer earpieces.

  Her fingers gripped the butt of the gun she’d taken from Thelma. “How’d you find me? Hank? Is he okay?”

  “Yep. And he’s fine. An officer saw him bolt out of the Tahoe and thought there might be trouble. He went in, found the mess you made in the office, and called it in. We put two and two together and headed this way.”

  “Thank God.”

  Linc frowned. “You’ve been through a hard thing, you need to get off this yacht and we’ll take it from here.”

  She shook her head as adrenaline pumped a mixture of fear, anticipation, and determination through her veins. “I’m seeing this through to the end.”

  With a final scowl and a sigh of resignation, Linc motioned for her to precede him. She led the way around the side of the boat with Linc behind her and more agents following him.

  Although she couldn’t see them, she knew another line of law enforcement walked parallel to her. They reached the room and she found the door unlocked. “I locked it when I left,” she whispered to Linc.

  He nodded. “Open it.”

  She reached for the knob and the gunshot sent her to the deck.

  Blake finally forced himself to let go of Rachel, but cupped her face. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes.” She huddled under the blanket.

  “Hold on a sec. Sit here.” He led her to the bench seating in the back where she’d be warmer and sheltered from the wind. Turning, he called, “What’s happening? Is Chloe okay? The other girls?” They were far enough away that Rachel would be safe should bullets start flying, but close enough for him to see something was going on.

  “They’re in the process of looking for the other suspects on the ship. All the girls are safe and headed toward shore. We’re staying back here out of the way since we’ve got your daughter on board.”

  Blake nodded. He got that, he did. But the staying put chafed. He wanted to be there, to make sure Chloe was okay and out of harm’s way. But since he couldn’t be, he slipped back to sit beside Rachel. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, surprised she didn’t pull away. “What were you doing swimming?”

  She shivered and pulled the blanket tighter. “I had to do something. Anything. I th-thought I could swim to shore and get help. I thought if I got h-help and s-saved everyone, you would . . .”

  “What? I would what?”

  She whispered something and he strained to hear. “What was that?”

 
Rachel looked up at him. “Love me.”

  He gaped. “Love you? Rachel, I love you with every fiber of my being!”

  “But I’m not yours!” Her cry wrenched his heart. “My own mother didn’t want me. Why would you want a child who doesn’t share your blood?”

  “I’m your father. I was there when you were born. I’ve loved you since the moment I saw your tiny little red face. And we’ll come back to that. But tell me, how did you find out?”

  “There was a letter in your desk. I found it. My mom offered you custody six months before she died and it had a lot of details in there, including the fact that she should never have married you and she should have had an abortion.” Tears slid down her cheeks.

  Blake leaned his head against hers. “Aw, Rachel, I was working undercover when that letter came. Your mom . . .” He hesitated, not wanting to say anything negative about her mother, but feeling like she deserved to know the whole truth.

  “Tell me. I can take it.”

  “Your mom knew I was undercover. I told her if she needed to get in touch with me, she had to go through my supervisor. I gave her his name and contact information. She never sent that through him. I found it when I got home. By then she was dead and you were mine anyway.” He shifted to make sure she had a clear view of his eyes. “If I had gotten that letter in time, I would have moved heaven and earth to have signed the papers that were all drawn up and just waiting. After your mom died and I came up for air from the undercover assignment, I went and signed those papers anyway.”

  “But you didn’t have to. You already had me.”

  “I didn’t want there to be any doubt about where you belonged.”

  “Because of my grandparents?”

  He sighed. “Yes. And no.” A pause. “Mostly yes.”

  “But they didn’t want me either. I mean, they like visiting and sending me cool gifts, but they don’t want a full-time kid cramping their travel plans.”

  “Well . . .” What could he say? She was right. “Look. Mull on all of this while I try to find out about Chloe.”