Thread of Revenge

by Elizabeth Goddard

  As they neared the island, Gage caught up and swam next to her. “Be careful. The surf’s getting rough. You could get caught up against those rocks.”

  “We’ll swim around to the east side. Maybe it’s sandy there.”

  “Right. We’ll rest before we swim all the way in,” Gage said between breaths.

  Finally, he sounded like he was getting tired.

  But swim all the way in? “What happened to the Coast Guard?”

  “If you want to sit here and wait on them, be my guest.”

  “No need to snap.” But she deserved it. “I can touch the bottom, Gage. Be careful of the rocks.”

  Sadie stood and carefully made her way to a gray sandy shore, the rocky outcroppings of the island protecting them from the wind. Then she dropped to her knees and rolled to her back onto the cold, gritty sand. It was better than the water. She’d always loved the ocean, but the events of this week brought her dangerously close to rethinking that.

  Gage rested next to her on the sand. The waves crashed around them against the rocks, except on their small private beach where ocean water lapped up the sand before slipping back.

  Up on her elbows she eyed the coast, gauging it at just under a mile. She wasn’t sure where they were. They were far from Coldwater Bay, that’s all she knew.

  Gage propped up on his elbows. Arched a brow at her. “Don’t think about how far it is. It’s closer than you think. We can see it. It’s just right there. We can make the next sea stack and then we’ll be practically home.”

  “Not home, Gage. Land, yes, but not home. And those guys. They could come back and look for us here to make sure we didn’t swim, couldn’t they? Where are we, exactly?”

  The whir of a boat motor resounded.

  Gage stiffened, then scrambled to his feet.

  Sadie’s heart crashed against her rib cage.

  * * *

  Gage wished he had something to protect them with. He’d left his weapon behind in the frantic escape—he was out of ammunition anyway. He waited and listened to the motor, hoping he didn’t recognize it as the one belonging to the drug runners, which would mean they had decided to circle back and double-check to make sure Gage and Sadie hadn’t tried to swim back to shore.

  He reached down and grabbed her hand, tugging her to her feet. “Let’s hide behind the rocks until we know it isn’t them.”

  “Oh, great. I was hoping you wouldn’t say that.”

  They ran for cover, which wasn’t all that much on this small island if anyone decided to do a thorough search, and dropped to the sand behind the rocks. A pang of desperation shot through him.

  He was defenseless here. Helpless to save Sadie.

  God, please let whoever it is help us. Sadie’s exhausted. And I’ve done all I can to protect her and keep her safe. I’m at the end of my rope here.

  He feared after the trauma of this week, she might have PTSD. He wasn’t sure he wouldn’t have it himself, even though he’d already been through hard experiences in his line of work. But never with someone whom he cared deeply about, and the difference was profound. But he couldn’t let his emotions affect his ability to protect her, even in his moment of hopelessness. He pushed her behind him against the rock where they hid. Her soft, warm breath hit the back of his ear as they crouched low. Waited and listened.

  “It’s not them. It’s not our pursuers.” He released a breath, let his pulse slow and started to step out of hiding.

  She pulled him back. “How can you be sure?”

  “Wait here and I’ll see who it is. It could be the help we need.”

  Gage left her there and jogged across the beach. Climbed over the rocks. He spotted a fisherman on his boat. Gage waved his hands in the air. “Hey! We need your help!”

  The fisherman likely wouldn’t hear them over the sound of his motor and the crashing ocean waves, but Gage would give it his all.

  Sadie joined him, waving her hands and yelling. The fisherman jerked his head up to them. He steered his boat for the island.

  “I think we’re going to need to swim out to him,” he said. “Too many rocks below the surface for his boat.”

  She groaned but joined him, hitting the water. Her slender form took off as if she was born to it, and Gage followed her. They reached the side of the boat and the fisherman assisted Sadie up and onto the deck. Gage too. He handed a towel to each of them. Gage eagerly wrapped it around himself, as did Sadie.

  “Thanks for your help, friend.” Gage shook the man’s hand. “We lost our boat out there a couple of miles.” He gestured to the west. “You might have seen an explosion.”

  The fisherman tugged off his white cap and ran a hand over his hair, then replaced it. “Didn’t see anything. Don’t tell me you had to swim to shore?”

  “We tried and were resting on the island before we swam the rest of the way,” Gage said. “You saved us from another twenty minutes or more of swimming, and I wasn’t sure I had anything left to give.”

  Sadie eyed him then, surprise in her gaze. She didn’t believe him. It was probably more that he wasn’t sure Sadie was able to swim the rest of the way. He had much more endurance than she did, that was obvious.

  “Do you have a phone we could use?” she asked.

  Again the man shook his head. “I come out here to get away from everything and everyone.”

  “Your radio then,” Gage said.

  “I’m sorry. It’s on the fritz. Been meaning to get it fixed. I’ll take you back to the house. You can get warm inside and use the phone there. My name’s Hank, by the way.”

  “I’m Special Agent Gage Sessions with CGIS, and this is Sadie Strand. We appreciate your help.”

  “No problem.” The fisherman steered the boat around the rocks and toward the shore, which gave rise to a cliff to the north.

  “See, it all worked out,” Gage said. “We’re safe.”

  She nodded, but said nothing.

  “Your lips aren’t as blue as they were.” Her lips. He wanted to kiss them and warm them up. Bring color back into them. He calmed his breathing and focused on Sadie’s overall condition. “Are you okay?”

  Dark circles framed her bright blue eyes. “As okay as I can be. Your lips...are...well...” Color infused her face. She grinned and looked away. “I’m just glad someone pulled us from the water. I never thought I’d say this, but I didn’t want to face swimming the distance to shore. In all honesty, it might be a month before I ever want to get back in the water. And that’s bad, really bad, for a marine biologist.”

  Gage wrapped an arm around her and she leaned against him, her form soft and warm. He could stay like this forever. “And getting in the water is a big part of what you do, I know. What you love. I’m sorry this happened. I shouldn’t have taken you out on the boat today.”

  The Changs and their associates had just declared all-out war with the Coast Guard as far as Gage was concerned.

  “You couldn’t have known they would go this far, these guys.” She sat up, pulling away from him. “And because of what happened, we didn’t get to dive and see what we could find on the boat I was on. They wanted to keep us from finding it, Gage. There’s a reason. We have to go back out there.”

  “Not on your life.” He wouldn’t take her to that location again.

  “You can’t stop me from going myself.”

  “You keep talking like that and I’ll put you in a safe house under lock and key. Don’t push me on this. I kept you close all this time because... Because I knew you would investigate without me, and—” he couldn’t prevent the flood of emotions, but he softened his voice “—I wanted to protect you. I don’t know what I would do if something happened to you.”

  The way her expression softened nearly undid him. He gently tugged her closer and pressed his forehead against hers. He wouldn’t kiss her. No. He would
not fall for her again. But it didn’t mean he couldn’t care deeply about her.

  “Gage.” Her husky whisper wrapped around him.

  If only he could show her what was in his heart, what had always been his heart. If only he could bury those feelings deep enough they wouldn’t resurface. Regardless, he couldn’t do this with her again.

  “We’re almost here, boys and girls.” The fisherman’s timing couldn’t have been worse.

  Or better.

  FOURTEEN

  He was going to kiss me...

  Again, she’d wanted that kiss more than anything.

  As loud as the warning sirens went off in her head, her heart didn’t want Gage to release her. The gentle way he had pulled her up close and personal, pressed his forehead against hers, had cocooned her in sensations she’d never had before. Not with anyone.

  I don’t know what I would do if something happened to you.

  His words and the deeper meaning behind them had pierced her heart, almost completely shattering her wall, and now that it was crumbling fast, she couldn’t find the strength to rebuild it. Why would she want to rebuild a wall to keep someone like Gage out of her heart? Out of her life? How had a guy like him been in her life before and she’d paid no attention to him? Instead she’d let him get away.

  When Hank had interrupted, Gage’s expression had quickly shifted. The softness turned hard. The connection had been broken. Her heart could be left shattered just as easily too if she didn’t remind herself why she needed that protective barrier.

  He edged away from her, the lips that had almost kissed her forming a slight frown, then Gage stood. He helped Hank moor the fishing boat to a small private dock. Sadie took the opportunity to catch her breath after Gage’s nearness. She sucked in the cool ocean breeze and let her heart calm. As soon as this was over and they caught the men involved in Karon’s death, Sadie could distance herself from Gage. But right now she needed to stick close. She wanted his protection, sure, but more than that, she wanted to find Karon’s killer.

  If only being this close to Gage hadn’t proven dangerous.

  He turned his attention to her and held out his hand. “You ready?”

  Sadie had to think about whether or not she wanted to feel the strength in his grip. “I’m ready.” But she didn’t take his hand.

  A funny look came across his face at her small rejection but she ignored it and followed him out of the boat.

  Hank led them along a path. “There’s a stone staircase cut in the cliff. I suspect you’re exhausted from your experience, but I assume you’re able to make the climb.” He gave them a teasing grin. “Once we’re there you can get warm by the fireplace. Use my phone to call friends. Whatever you need. Or I can take you somewhere.”

  “Thanks again for your help,” Gage said, but he was looking at Sadie.

  The fisherman started up the stairs and kept going.

  “Are you okay?” Gage whispered the question.

  “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” She followed Gage up the steep staircase that would take them all the way to the top of the cliff. What if this guy hadn’t come along? She would have been hard-pressed to make it the rest of the distance. And now she had to muster up enough energy to make the stone staircase.

  Sadie kept up with Gage. She let anger and rage over what had happened fuel her, and she would have passed him on the staircase carved from the rocks had there been enough room.

  This investigation had to end soon. They were getting close, but whoever was behind everything—the designer drugs distribution and the drug runners—knew that too, and given the previous attempts on her life and her pursuer’s determination, he was obviously closing in on them too. A chill crawled over her and she glanced behind her at the view of the ocean.

  She saw no one searching—not even the Coast Guard. Had they already come and gone, believing she and Gage were dead? At the last step, an old Victorian mansion that had seen better days came into view and reminded her of something from a gothic novel. She’d read her share of Phyllis Whitney and Victoria Holt novels, which could very well explain the chill that ran over her at that moment.

  Hank kept plodding toward the house. He lived here? It seemed odd. Surely he didn’t live in the place alone. She thought he would have mentioned his wife or kids or family by now, but maybe he was a private person and wasn’t sure if he could trust them.

  Inside the house, he led them to an expansive living area with a big fireplace. “You can have a seat on the sofa there and I’ll get you some blankets and something warm to drink. Hot chocolate all right? Or would you prefer coffee?”

  “Whatever’s the easiest,” Sadie said.

  Though there was one chair, the man had said to sit on the sofa, which was more like a love seat.

  “What? You scared to sit next to me?” That same amusement she’d seen before shimmered in Gage’s eyes.

  “No. Why would I be scared?” She hurried to sit next to him, but the angle and size of the sofa made it impossible to sit far enough away so they weren’t touching. Yeah, she was up close and personal now. “I thought you were going to make a call. I didn’t see anyone searching for us, Gage. What’s going on?”

  “They’ll find us. I’ll ask for the phone as soon as we get something warm to drink. I’m worried about you. Your lips are still much too blue.”

  You could kiss them and warm them up...

  Sadie shook off the thought. What was the matter with her?

  “And look at you. You’re shivering.” He put his arm around her and tugged her close, rubbing her arms. “A dry suit will only keep us warm so long, so it’s a good thing this guy came along when he did.”

  Hank appeared with more blankets and unfolded them. “Here, wrap that around you. I’ll be right back.”

  Sadie took off the now-wet towel and wrapped the warm, dry blanket around her, as did Gage. Then he took another blanket and cocooned them both together in it.

  “We need to get out of these suits and into some dry clothes,” she said.

  “The blankets will have to do for now.”

  While she waited on something warm to drink, she took in the setting. A few old antiques rested on the hearth. Swords above it. A shelf or two with books. The walls needed to be repaired and painted, but then she noticed another section that appeared to have been newly renovated. What was this guy’s story? He didn’t seem to go with the house, but what did she know. He probably inherited it anyway. If she’d inherited such a place, it might take her time to renovate it, as well. Time and money.

  He returned with two large mugs and handed them off. “I hope you like hot chocolate,” he said. “Tell me what you think?”

  Sadie wrapped her hand around the warm mug. That felt good. She took a sip. Rich and thick and warm. “It’s perfect. Thank you so much.”

  “I have my own secret recipe.”

  “We appreciate your generosity,” Gage said. “If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to make that call. We’ll get out of your way as soon as we can, and you can get back to fishing.”

  “Oh, no need to rush. I rarely have visitors here. No one to drink my hot chocolate.” His tone shifted from hospitable to forlorn.

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” Sadie wanted to make conversation but was unsure where to start. “Your home is lovely. I don’t mean to pry, but I assume someone would live here with you. It’s so big. Do you have family?”

  “I did have family, yes. But they died. At least you still have some family. Your aunt Debby is a gem.”

  Sadie froze. “I’m sorry, do I know you?”

  * * *

  Gage soaked up the warmth offered by the mug, but he tensed at the man’s words. Then kept his calm veneer in place as he lifted the mug to his lips. He could better enjoy the hot chocolate if wariness hadn’t churned in his gut since they’d entered the
house. He could chalk it up to being anxious to get back out there and after the drug runners after what they had just pulled.

  But that wasn’t it.

  Sadie pressed her hand on his and forced him to lower the mug, a warning in her eyes. Gage bristled.

  In response to her question, Hank removed his cap. Gage got a better look at his pockmarked face. Debby had described the man who’d come asking about Sadie as having a pockmarked complexion. The caps on the hat rack in the hallway caught his attention, especially the red one.

  The red cap—was it the same cap?

  It had to be. The man had purposely given himself away by mentioning Debby.

  This had to be the man he’d seen fleeing the house before it exploded. So much for him being just a nice old fisherman.

  Sitting in the chair across from them, the man eyed Gage while he replied to Sadie. “We met a long time ago.”

  Gage remained calm on the outside and ready to pounce on the inside. He set the mug on the coffee table. How had he let this happen?

  He was here in this house without a weapon. Or even a cell phone to make a call for backup. How had it come to this?

  Careful, now...

  He didn’t want to set the man off so remained composed.

  “I’m sorry, but I don’t remember you,” Sadie said. “Where did we meet?”

  Gage could detect the slightest stilt to her tone—she was wary too.

  Suddenly Sadie’s hand shook and the mug crushed to the floor. “I feel... Weird.” She reached for her forehead as she fell over on her side.

  Gage snatched her to him. “Sadie, what’s wrong?”

  She stared at him. She was conscious but in a daze. Her pupils were dilated. A tear leaked out her eye.

  He lifted her in his arms and stood. “We’re getting out of here.”

  “Not so fast.” Hank pointed a gun at Gage.

  Where had he kept that? Under his chair? No wonder he insisted they sit on the sofa.