Love Inspired Suspense September 2015 #2 (29 page)

She tried to dismiss the negative thoughts. She'd always been the one in the family who saw the bright side of things and the glass half full. But now...after everything that had happened over the past few days, finding the bright side of anything was getting harder and harder to do.

“Tired?” Grant asked, leaning back beside her on the bench.

“Yeah.” She rubbed her temples with her fingertips, trying to alleviate some of the tension. “I haven't slept much in days, and when I do close my eyes, I keep seeing Gavin's face staring up at me. That and thinking about what my mother has to be feeling right now.”

“As soon as I know you're safe, we'll call her. And in the meantime, why don't you try to sleep?” he said. “It's going to be a few hours.”

Despite the television blaring in the background, she had a feeling sleep would come quickly if she let it.

“You sure?” she asked.

“I promise to wake you up if Ana needs you, but right now she's asleep as well. And you're exhausted.”

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her against him. She could hear the beating of his heart. Steady. Solid. Constant. It was a place she wanted to stay. A place where she felt safe. And at the same time a dangerous place where she knew she could easily lose her own heart.

Grant had spent his life living in the middle of the action, because that was who he was. He was a soldier. A warrior. She'd simply come here to help people and in her small way make a difference. She would never be ready to sign on for a lifetime with someone like him, who risked his life every day. And neither could she even dream she could make him into something he wasn't.

The boat shuddered beneath them. The engines cut for a moment, slowed to a stop, then came back on again. She pushed the worry aside for the moment and breathed in the faint scent of peppermint candy and the woodsy scent of his shirt instead. She wanted—needed—to feel safe. And he had somehow managed to do that.

He brushed back her hair from her eyes and smiled down at her. “I wish I could make you promises that all of this will be over soon, but you know I can't do that. But we have gotten this far. And right now, at this moment, you're safe.”

“I know.”

She let herself settle into his arms and felt the stress that had latched on to her start to slip away. He was right. They had managed to escape and make it all the way to the crowded ferry. Ana's fever was down for the moment. And there was no way that the people who were after them could find them in the middle of the ocean. All they had to do now was make it to the mainland where his pilot friend was waiting. Then all of this would be over.

Unable to fight it anymore, she closed her eyes and fell asleep to the beating of Grant's heart.

* * *

Grant watched Maddie sleep. She was beautiful, of that there was no doubt, but his growing interest went beyond attraction. He'd never met a woman who held such a passion for people. Who was willing to give up everything she was familiar with to follow a deeper sense of calling. And they were alike in so many ways. His efforts went toward preventing future disasters. She was there when disaster struck.

He shook his head.
What's happening, Lord? Is it even possible to think that a relationship might have a chance to spark between us?

Except he wasn't looking for a relationship. Despite the intense draw he felt toward Maddie, he knew it could never work. He lived on the edge, facing potential disaster each day. He'd learned the hard way that his life wasn't a life women wanted to share with him. Letting his gaze drift out across the now darkened waters, he frowned at the reality of his situation. How could he ever expect someone to agree to live with the relentless dangers his job entailed and the days and weeks he wouldn't be home?

He studied her dark hair with its flecks of red, and her lashes lying against her cheeks while she slept. The stress of the past few days that had been so evident in her expression seemed to have temporarily vanished. It was strange how a week ago he'd been planning to go to a Broncos game with a couple of his friends, but now, for some crazy reason, he knew there was nowhere he'd rather be sitting than next to Maddie Gilbert, even if it was on a run-down ferry somewhere along the Atlantic coastline of one of the world's poorest countries.

Twenty minutes later, Antonio slipped back into the crowded room and sat down across from him.

“You don't look so good, are you feeling okay?” Grant asked.

“Remember the last time I had malaria?” Antonio coughed and let out a low groan. “If it's possible, I feel worse.”

“Fever?” Grant asked.

“No. A weak stomach doesn't sound very macho, but I think it's just a nasty bout of seasickness.”

Grant laughed. “At least you've still got your sense of humor. Did the fresh air help any?”

“Some.” Antonio leaned forward and rested his arms against his thighs. Any traces of a smile had vanished. “But I think we might have even bigger problems.”

Grant frowned. “You're kidding right?” The last thing they needed was another obstacle to getting them out of here.

“I wish. There's a speedboat out there on the water, and it's heading directly for this ferry.”

NINE

T
hey were coming for them.

Grant felt a wave of adrenaline shoot through him. He shouldn't be surprised. If those men were determined enough to find them, it was a logical assumption to search the ferry headed toward the mainland.

He glanced at Maddie, hating to wake her up if this was a false alarm. But experience had told him not to ignore his gut. He didn't think this could be just a coincidence.

“You think it's them,” Grant said.

It was a statement at this point. Not a question.

Antonio nodded. “And you can take your pick of bad guys this time. Insurgents from the camp, or the local authorities.”

Grant frowned at the confirmation as his mind tried to come up with a plan to get them to safety. But how did one escape from a run-down ferry in the middle of the ocean?

“Any suggestions if we're both right?” he asked. “There's no way we'll be able to hide.”

“I know. I'm trying to find an answer to that same question.”

Guilt seeped through Grant's gut. Deactivating land mines required that he stayed calm and focused in tense situations, but with Maddie and Ana in the equation the stakes had multiplied. An image of Darren flashed before him. While the odds might be against them, he had to find a way to put an end to this. But if these were the men who were after them, he had no idea how he was going to stop them.

“How long do we have until they reach the boat?” Grant asked, ignoring the noise from the television and conversation around the crowded VIP room.

Antonio leaned forward and lowered his voice. “Three...four minutes tops.”

Grant's mind played through the obvious scenario. Security on a boat like this would be minimal. Which made two or more armed intruders, a boat full of passengers and a storm quickly pressing in a recipe for disaster.

The ferry jolted beneath them. Grant gripped Maddie's waist as she started to slide off the chair. His heart wanted to shield her from what was going on for as long as possible, but reality demanded something different. Because time was quickly running out and this wasn't something he could hide from her.

Her eyes fluttered opened. “What's going on?”

“That was just the boat's engines,” he said, hoping to calm her. “But...”

“But what?” She sat up, fully awake now.

“Antonio just spotted a speedboat headed our way.” Grant prayed silently for wisdom as he stood. “He and I need to get out there so we can find out who they are and figure out what to do. And I need you to stay here with Ana.”

“Wait...no...” She glanced at Ana who still lay sleeping. Then she stood up beside him. “I'll come with you.”

“Forget it,” he said, already missing the warmth of her in his arms as he headed toward the window. The speedboat was coming in fast and still on course to intercept the ferry. “Antonio and I will go see who it is. And if we get lucky, it won't be anything to worry about.”

“Nothing to worry about?” Maddie stopped beside him, the frown on her face telling him she didn't believe his optimism. “I need to come with you.”

“Maddie—”

“If it's the men from the camp, I should be able to recognize them. You can't. And for all we know, they could be pirates. I can help you know who we're dealing with. And besides, if they are after me, what difference will it make? They'll find me in here just as easily as on the deck.”

“Pirates?” Grant hesitated, but knew she had a point. While the waters off the coast of West Africa received far less attention than Somalia's dangerous coastline, attacks in West Africa's Gulf of Guinea were becoming more and more frequent.

“I don't know.” Grant stared out the window. “Pirates are going to attack offshore oil facilities or cargo vessels. Not a ferry filled with local passengers.”

“Maybe. But you still need me.” Fear laced her expression, but he didn't miss the determination coupled with it. “And we don't have time to argue. I'll have the lady we were sitting next to look after Ana.”

“Fine, but stay behind me.” Grant grabbed Maddie's hand as soon as she'd seen to Ana's care, and they hurried toward the steps leading to the lower deck where there was a row of cars parked. “I'll stay with you behind one of these cars, where you can see, but at least you'll have some protection. Antonio, I'm assuming the captain's already seen the boat, but he might need a heads-up of what this could turn into.”

“I'll try to find him,” Antonio said.

Gusty winds blew against Grant's face as the three of them stepped onto the deck of the crowded ferry. He and Maddie hurried toward an old Land Rover for cover. Thirty seconds later, three men boarded the side of the boat, yelling instructions at the passengers, their weapons raised.

“Do you recognize any of them?” Grant asked her from their partially protected vantage point.

Shots filled the air before she had a chance to answer. Passengers screamed. Grant pulled Maddie onto the deck floor and covered her with his body. Her muscles flinched beneath him as a second round of gunfire discharged above them.

* * *

The spray of bullets exploded into the air. Maddie's back slammed against the deck. Opening her eyes, she saw Grant's face hovering inches above hers, his blue eyes peering straight through her.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

The shooting stopped, unlike the rapid pounding of her heart. She looked away, willing her pulse to slow down. “I think so.”

He grabbed her hand and helped her to her feet, making sure she stayed hidden beside the vehicle. She scanned the deck from her position to where the men stood on a platform near the railing of the ferry, guns pointed as they yelled at the passengers.

“Two of them are from the camp,” she whispered. “The one with the scar on his cheek and the tall skinny one. I don't recognize the third.”

“Can you understand what they're saying?”

“Yeah. They're looking for two foreigners,” she said translating their Portuguese.

“I'm guessing that's us,” Grant said, his voice laced with sarcasm.

Maddie's stomach clenched. With no escape off the boat, and nowhere to hide, no matter what they did, this wasn't going to end well. They'd killed Sam and Gavin. She was going to be next.

Still shouting at the passengers, one of the men stepped into the crowd, heading toward their location.

“Where's he going?” Grant asked, pulling her back into the shadows.

She shook her head. “I don't know.”

If he'd seen them...

Familiar feelings of panic swept through her. The same panic she'd felt the day she'd watched them shoot Gavin. The same terror she'd felt when they kidnapped her, knowing she'd be dead as soon as they didn't need her anymore.

The man stopped in the middle of the crowd and grabbed someone. Seconds later they emerged to where she could see them again. Maddie's heart plummeted.

Antonio.

She pressed her hand against her mouth, fear continuing to spread through her. “They recognized him.”

The man with the scar across his cheek aimed his weapon at Antonio's chest. “Where are the other two?”

Antonio looked him in the eye. “I don't know.”

“And
I
don't believe you. If you want to live, tell me where your friends are. Otherwise I will shoot you, and we'll still find them.” He let out a hollow laugh. “It's not as if they have anywhere to go.”

Maddie grabbed Grant's arm. It was too late to save themselves. They were out of options. These men had killed before and clearly negotiating wasn't an option. Which meant the only chance of saving Antonio was to give them what they wanted.

“What do you want from them?” Antonio asked.

“We have orders to finish a botched job.”

Maddie's gaze automatically dropped to the flash drive. “The day they shot Gavin...they must have had orders to kill me. I was the one they were after.”

“But someone decided to take you instead of killing you because of the medical crisis.” Grant caught her gaze. “They must still believe you know something, but they probably don't realize that Sam gave you a drive that holds the information. Because if they did, they would have already taken it.”

She shook her head. “And now I can't let them hurt you or Antonio. You never should have come, Grant.”

Grant squeezed her hand. “It's too late for that, Maddie. Antonio and I both knew what we were getting into when we got on that plane.”

“No, you didn't—”

“Wait.” Grant grabbed her arm as she started to move. “You're not going out there. If you can slip around to the other side of the ferry and get onto their speedboat—”

“Forget it. That would be suicide for you and Antonio, and they'd stop me with their weapons.”

“Maddie.”

Her eyes filled with tears. “No matter what we do, they will find us—all of us—and you know that. This is the only way. If nothing else, maybe they'll let Antonio go.”

Maddie pulled away from Grant and made her way through the crowded deck, her legs threatening to give out beneath her.

There has to be a way out of this, God. Please.

She couldn't watch another person she cared about die. And now that she'd made the decision there was no turning back.

She felt Grant's fingers slip around her hand and pull her toward him. “Then we do this together.”

She nodded, allowing his touch to give her a boost of courage. But, whatever had motivated him, whatever was driving him, he never should have come.

Grant stepped out in front of her and then stopped, his hands held up. “Let him go. We're the ones you're looking for.”

“Ah... Dr. Gilbert. I thought this might motivate you. Clearly Oumar's men made a mistake, keeping you alive the first time.”

“So you're going to, what...shoot us in front of all of these people?” Maddie asked.

“Not yet. There's someone who needs to talk to you first. Which is why you're both coming with me.”

“Not so fast.” A loud voice shouted from the upper deck of the ferry. “This is the captain. I want the three of you to put your weapons down. Now.”

The man with the scar grabbed Maddie and shoved his gun against her head. “I don't think so.”

“Wait...please—” Grant said as another man pulled him back.

“Shut up!”

She winced as he pressed the metal barrel harder into her skull. The crowd fell silent around them, leaving only the sound of the engine and the lapping waves against the sides of the ferry. She caught Grant's gaze, but there was nothing left to do.

“Here's what's going to happen.” Her captor's other hand squeezed her arm. “They're coming with me. All three of them.”

“Let them go,” Maddie said.

“Maddie—” Grant began.

“They don't know what Sam told me,” she continued. “That's why you want me dead, isn't it?”

“You're a smart girl, but—”

“Apparently you didn't hear what I said,” the captain shouted. “I said put your weapons down.”

“I don't think so.”

“Really? Because if you harm anyone of these passengers, you and your friends won't make it off the boat alive.”

Maddie heard the cocking of a rifle and glanced up. Four men—in addition to the captain—stood at strategic locations around the ferry, their weapons aimed at the three men.

“You think I don't know who you are?” The captain shouted. “You flash your weapons and money and power around, but not on my boat. And definitely not on my watch.”

The engines jolted and the deck shifted beneath them. Maddie stumbled as a shot rang out. The man next to Grant dropped to the deck. Using the distraction to her advantage, she pulled away from her captor and ran into the crowd.

Grant, Antonio and a couple of the passengers quickly disarmed the men. In a matter of seconds, the three men were lying facedown on the deck. The crowd cheered, but Maddie couldn't breathe. Instead, a wave of nausea flooded through her. The deck swayed beneath her. She felt Grant's arms surround her, holding her up, but she couldn't stop shaking. Couldn't stop thinking about what had almost happened.

“It's over, Maddie. It's over.”

“Tie them up.” The captain ordered as he stepped up beside them. “As long as you're on my boat, they won't be able to hurt you.”

The captain had come down onto the deck, and Grant reached out to shake his hand, his other arm still wrapped around Maddie's waist. “You took a risk to save our lives.”

The captain nodded, his dark skin glistening from the high humidity of the approaching storm. “And I'd do it again. This was personal.”

“Why?” Maddie's voice cracked.

“These men—along with dozens of others—get rich from the cocaine that passes through these islands. But not everyone in my country supports the drug trade. Most of my brothers are fishermen like my father, but so much has changed.” The older man folded his arms across his chest and hesitated. “My daughter and a friend found these packages of white powder on the shoreline. They thought it was something to season their food. That night seven people in my family became sick. My daughter died from an overdose of cocaine. She was ten years old.”

Maddie felt her breath catch. “I'm so sorry.”

“So am I.”

Maddie watched the captain walk away while his deckhands finished tying up the men. “I need to go check on Ana.”

“I'll come with you,” Grant said.

The man with the scar on his face sat on the corner of the deck, his hands secured behind him.

“Just because you stopped us now, doesn't mean this is over,” he shouted. “There are others, and they will find you.”

Maddie stopped midstride and turned around.

“Don't listen to them,” Grant said, pressing her forward.