With This Kiss (Windswept Bay Book 3) (2 page)

He stepped onto the dock and headed down the planked runway between the rows and rows of sailboats and deep sea fishing boats. It was a quiet day. Seagulls drifted overhead like lazy kites dipping and soaring and watching for fish in the water. Many of the boat slips were empty, with it being such a gorgeous day it was no wonder. Fishing was a priority of the bay area especially on beautiful days. Or just heading out to enjoy the blue waters of Windswept Bay. He stopped when he reached the Morning Glory, the name of the boat listed in the email and the text.

It was a nice sized deep sea fishing boat, but from the fact that it was nearly five o’clock in the afternoon and most of the charter boats were out with paying clients and this one was sitting in its slip made him wonder why. The sound of the mutterings coming from the cabin had him pausing before he stepped onto the deck. With little time to spare he boarded the boat.

He had a wedding to get to.

Standing Shar up was not an option.

It would hurt her too deeply “Anyone on board?” he called.

There was no answer. But Gage had heard the mutterings so he knew someone was inside the cabin. “I just want to ask you a couple of questions,” he called louder. There was no way he was walking away before possibly meeting his brother.

He heard murmurs of what sounded like two voices. He waited and then a man with lighter hair than Gage’s came up out of the hull. He had a little grease on his hands and he was looking down as he wiped them on a rag. Gage tried to find a resemblance to himself in the chiseled, tanned skin and the squared jaw. But there wasn’t any.

“What questions?” the man asked as he lifted his gaze and pinned Gage with icy, teal-blue eyes.

Gage’s adrenaline kicked up as he looked into the exact same eyes as his. He had his father's eyes. And so did BJ McCall. It was an undeniable genetic gift that Milton had evidently passed down to both of his sons.

The impact that he was staring at his brother was almost overwhelming.

It felt as if the boat was hit by a tidal wave as the reality set in and the world rocked around Gage.

“What can I do for you?” Brandon—or BJ asked, briskly, his gaze taking in Gage’s tux then shifting back toward the opening to the cabin. “I’m thinking you’re not dressed for an outing today. And I hate to break it to you, buddy, but if you just got married your new bride is not going to want to go out on a fishing charter at this moment.”

“Actually, I’m on my way to get married.” Gage thought of Shar. “And you might be wrong about her not wanting to be on the water.” He held out his hand. “I’m Gage Lancaster by the way.”

Gage watched the other man’s expression for any signs of recognition. He saw none. Nothing, not even a flicker of anything that hinted that Brandon knew who he was. But Gage
knew
this was his brother. If there had been any doubts about it not being Brandon the eyes proved it to Gage one hundred percent.

His brother stared hard at Gage’s outstretched hand and then he looked down at his grease streaked hands. “I don’t think your bride will appreciate you getting grease on your wedding fingers. Maybe you should leave and come back after the honeymoon.” He hitched a brow and his eyes narrowed. Then he yanked his head toward the dock. “It’s a good time to leave.”

So his brother wasn’t the most sociable guy. One of the first business rules Gage had learned from his dad, when he was not much older than ten was to never take no for an answer. “I actually came to ask a few questions.”

His brother’s jaw tensed and his gaze shifted toward the cabin. Gage followed the movement and thought he saw a shadow flicker in the opening. Something didn’t feel right.

Was there someone standing just inside the cabin doorway? “Is there a problem?”

BJ’s blue eyes chilled. “
No.
Look, I need to get back to work on my motor.” His eyes had narrowed as they shifted once again back to the cabin. “And you look like you need to get to a wedding.”

Gage should leave. He should turn around and walk off that boat and get the dickens to the resort and marry Shar. But this was his brother and something did not feel right.

And Gage had always had good instincts. So instead of heading off the boat he took a step toward the cabin. “I’m running late, but I’ve got time. I need to ask you a few questions.”

BJ took a step toward the cabin to block his path. “You don’t want to ask me any questions. Go on. Get off my boat,” he snapped.

“Too late,” a man growled and stepped from where he’d been hidden just inside the cabin. He held a gun in one hand and he pointed it straight at Gage. “If the man wants to ask questions he can do it while you’re driving this boat down the coast.”

Gage’s stomach clenched and he thought of Shar standing alone waiting for him.

What had he done?

Chapter Two

Jillian tried not to let her imagination run away with her as she hurried to find her brothers. Shar was not the nervous type and Jillian had never seen her so tied up in knots. She said a prayer that Gage would be with her brothers when she found them.

She rushed through the resort’s courtyard, past the kids and families playing in the pool area and then she turned down one of the landscaped paths that she’d created at the resort and rounded the corner to the where the parking area was. They’d designated this area for the wedding party to park and she scanned the cars. Gage’s was not in the lot.

Her stomach rocked. Where was Gage? There was now only thirty minutes until the ceremony and Gracie, the resort manager and acting wedding planner, had told her that the wedding guests were arriving. Jillian’s mouth was dry as she swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and headed to the private suite the guys were using as their dressing room.

Levi had his phone to his ear and was pacing outside the room. Her brothers, Cam, who’d driven in from his ranch in Texas, and Max were standing with Cali’s husband Grant. The three were in deep discussion and did not look happy.

So they were all worried too.

Her other two brothers Jake and Trent were coming up the path from the direction of the beach where the wedding would be held and there was worry on their faces too.

“He’s nowhere to be found,” Jake said, exasperation ringing in his voice as he met up with the others.

Trent rubbed the back of his neck. “This isn’t good.”

Jillian took a deep breath and stopped beside them. “Where could he be? Shar is literally about to jump in her jeep and go searching for him. Cali is doing her best to calm her. But we can both read her and you know Shar, she doesn’t sit well. If he doesn’t get here soon she’ll go find him.”

Cam yanked his Stetson off, the official Sinclair cowboy in the family Cam looked like he might be ready to lead a posse out to find Gage. Maybe string him up and then ask questions.

“What’s this guy’s problem?” he snapped. “He sounds like he led her on for two months and now he’s making her wait. I’m not liking this.”

“He didn’t lead her on,” Jillian assured him. “So step back, cowboy. If he doesn’t get here then that means something is wrong. Gage would not stand her up.”

“I’ve got to agree with Jillian,” Jake offered, looking serious. “He’d be here.”

Her other brothers agreed.

Cam let out an exasperated breath. Like Shar he had little patience. “Okay, so does
anyone
have any idea where he might be?”

Levi hung up his phone and joined the group. There were storm clouds in his eyes. “Well, I don’t know if he’s there, but a convenience store on the corner of Sand Dollar and Avenue A was robbed about thirty minutes ago and the clerk was shot. My deputies have road blocks up and are actively searching for the shooter. He was on foot they believe. There is a possibility that Gage got caught up in the road block and is trying to get here but running behind.”

“Man, this is getting better and better,” Max said, with dry sarcasm.

Jillian placed her hand on her churning stomach. “But, he’s not answering his phone. Why isn’t he answering his phone?”

Levi met her gaze. “That’s got me puzzled too.”

Jillian frowned. “You mean worried.” She hated when her brothers, most specifically her older brothers, Cam and Levi thought she couldn’t handle knowing things. She guessed it was just brotherly protectiveness but at this moment she didn’t have patience for it. “Do you think he could be in trouble?”

Levi cocked his head and gave her that don’t-make-me-tell-you-straight look. “Don’t go jumping to conclusions. He’s still got…” he checked his watch, “…a little time.”

Jillian let out a loud grunt. “Y’all should all be lined up and ready for Shar. The guests are probably wondering what’s going on. Shar may have already locked Cali in a closet and taken off with her wedding dress flapping in the breeze.” Jillian had never felt so helpless. She stared at all of her brothers.

Levi’s phone rang. He put it to his ear. “What you got?”

Everyone watched him. He hung up. “I’ve got to go. There’s reports of gunshots at the boat dock. I need to be there.” He started loosening his tie. “Go try to keep Shar calm. And call me if Gage shows up.”

“I’m coming with you,” Cam said.

“No,” Levi said firmly. “You have to stay. If Gage does show up then this wedding can go on without me. But not without all of you. Shar is going to need you all here. I’ll keep you posted.”

He didn’t wait for more protest but was heading toward the parking lot.

Jillian rubbed her temple and groaned. “This day is falling apart. Someone needs to break it to the guests that we may have a delay.”

“I’ll do it,” Cam drawled. “We better all head that way. If he does show up he’ll come straight there.”

Jillian was already walking down the path. She felt almost desperate to get to Shar.

She just hoped Shar was still on the property.

Shar was in love. Madly, deeply, undeniably in love.

The time since she and Gage had declared their love for each other had been one of complete and total bliss.

Okay, so she was stretching things just a wee bit. He had flown back and forth between Windswept Bay and Manhattan each week taking care of the company he and his father had built. And he’d been almost obsessed with finding the brother he’d just learned he had at the reading of his dad’s will.

He’d wanted to find him before the wedding and there had been hope that it could happen since the private investigator who had been hunting for him all these years had come up with a lead right before Gage’s dad had died.

Learning that he had a brother who’d been missing since Gage was a child had been a blow to Gage. It was understandable that he would want to find his brother.

But because of that, Gage hadn’t been around as much as Shar had hoped. Yes, he’d come back to Windswept Bay to win her heart but, he had so much on his plate she was now wondering if he might have started having second thoughts.

She stared at the clock. Five minutes till six. The guests were waiting and she was too. And he was not here.

“He isn’t out there is he?” Shar demanded.

Cali had been speaking to Gracie at the door. She turned back and her expression said it all. “He’s not.”

The door opened and Jillian came inside along with her mother. Both of them looked pale.

“What’s wrong?” Shar rushed forward.

“Well,” Jillian squeaked. “He’s not here and Cam thought it best to warn the guests that things were behind schedule.”

Shar’s mother came forward. Violet Sinclair was a beautiful woman with a huge loving heart. “I feel sick about this, honey.” She took Shar’s hands and studied her sympathetically. “But he will show up.”

Shar felt ill. “Does anyone know anything that I don’t know? Shoot straight. I mean it.”

“Okay,” Jillian sighed. “Here is the deal. Levi got word that there was a holdup and the clerk was shot. The robber is on foot and they are searching for him. There are road blocks and he thinks there’s a possibility that Gage is caught up in that.”

Shar’s heart started thundering. “He’s not answering his phone.”

“I know, I said the same thing. And, well, Levi just left. There was a report that gunshots were heard at the boat dock. So he had to go.”

“It just doesn’t make sense.” Shar started pacing. “If Gage could call me he would. He would answer his phone.”

“Maybe his phone is dead.” Cali looked from her mom to Shar. “Jumping to conclusions is not helping this situation.”

“Cali is right,” Violet said, calmly.

“Stop. Just stop,” Shar said. “I love all of you, but don’t stand there and tell me to calm down. This isn’t right. Nothing about it feels right.” She yanked her wedding veil out of the bun in her dark hair.

“No,” Cali and her mother exclaimed at the same time and rushed forward.

Shar pushed it into Cali’s outstretched hands. “Hold that. And either someone unzips this dress or I’ll either rip it off or wear it to go look for Gage.”

The moment Gage saw the gun it went off. A warning shot fired into the dock behind.

The thug snarled to BJ, “You’ll get me out of here or the next bullet takes wedding boy out. And messes up his fancy tux.”