wrath of the Sea Queen (219 page)

"
I
'
ll be fine.  The water in here was cold enough
to numb the pain
.  Stop trying to
avoid
my question and tell me what's going on.  Tell me how I can help.
"
  Vin saw right through her
well-intended
, yet futile, attempt.  He would have been surprised if C
a
eli
didn't try
to keep him out of it.  That was
true to
her nature, very much like Vin's own desire to keep her safe.

"
You can't
help me
.  I have to do this myself.
"
  C
a
eli looked up at Vin and
handed
him a second towel.

"
I understand that, but you don't have to
do it
alone.  I will be nearby in case you
do need my help, and to congratulate you after you succeed
.
"

"
Vin, please.  You know
about
my dream.  I don't want you or Salma to get hurt, and I couldn't possibly choose between you.  Please, let me go alone
,
"
C
a
eli pleaded with him.

He
had
already risked enough on her behalf. 
Most of this week
found
Vin rescuing her from one problem after another.  It was high time th
at she acted on her own behalf. 
Perhaps if Vin wasn't near her for this final confrontation, then not only wouldn't he get hurt, but she might
also
be able to avoid that dreadful choice.  Despite Ben's plausible explanation, C
a
eli knew that her nightmare
s
were not caused by her grief. 
The events depicted were not
past event
s
.  She was going to have to face her dream in the waking world very soon.

"
Not a chance, C
a
eli.  I'm going with you.  You can't change my mind, but I appreciate that you felt you had to try.  If I get hurt, then so be it.  I won't sit by and let you walk into a dangerous situation by yourself.  If there is anything I can do to help keep you and our baby safe, then I will endure any amount of pain.  It's a small price to pay for your safety; and I am more than willing to put
the damage
on my tab
instead of yours
.  I am, however, reconsidering that ice pack.
"
  Vin tried to lighten the mood with that last request.

C
a
eli smiled to hear Vin mention their baby.  No matter what else happened, they
could
still
look forward to
this amazing new development; that is, if she survived the encounter
,
and if she could find an alternative to
her
impossible choice. 

"
Thank you, Vin.
"
  C
a
eli
knew
that he would not change his mind
, but s
he remained
steadfast in her
determin
ation
to find a
way to prevent Vin's involvement
.

For some reason, the fury of th
e
tropical
storm
plagu
ing
the island was stalled
today
. 
The rain was
barely
a drizzle
and the sea was almost calm. 
A warm breeze
blew
gently through
C
a
eli's long
hair and swirled the lower half of the lightweight, flowing skirt she was wearing
as she waited on the porch for Vin
.  C
a
eli
's mind was
calm
and
more
clear tha
n
it had been all week.  She
was a
s ready as she was ever going to be
to face what lay ahead
.

All of
a
sudden,
the sound of
a heavy hand pounding loudly on the
ir
door
disturbed the peace of the moment
.  The banging was followed by Ben's insistent voice calling for Vin
, who had
just
stepped out onto the porch with C
a
eli
.  He
asked C
a
eli to wait
there
while he
hurried
to open the door.

Ben was
highly
agitated as he told Vin that Salma and Pete were both missing and explained how he
had
mysteriously
passed out.  About th
e
time
that Ben completed filling Vin in on the details
, Maku came down the hall wit
h Colonel Franks at his side. 
Hearing
loud
voices,
C
a
eli came inside to join Vin at the door.  She was curious to know
the cause of
all the commotion.

After the incident
with Rika
earlier and knowing she was already concerned about
the task ahead of her
, Vin motioned for C
a
eli to wait inside
the
ir
room
and pulled the door closed behind him
as he
stepped out into the hall.  He did
n
o
t want
C
a
eli
to worry about Salma.  That would only confirm
her
fear that her dream was all too quickly becoming reality. 

"
Vin, is C
a
eli all right?  Is she in
side
?
"
  Ben asked with concern.

"
Yes, she's fine now.  What happened, Ben?
"

Thankfully, for once, Ben was too distracted with his worry for Salma to pick up on the fact that something
had
already
happened to C
a
eli.  At least, that was what Vin hop
ed
.  He did not want to try to explain
the recent episode
.

"
Someone came into our room and took Salma
, I think
.  They must have used some sort of gas to knock me out
while I was in the bathroom
.  Pete
is not in his room
either. 
No one has seen him this
morning,
"
Ben
updat
ed
Vin on the developing situation
.

"
Apela and Max are fine.  Max is playing in the lounge
now, but he was
in his room.  Apela is in the shower.  I'm going to check the other rooms.  Maybe I
can
find some
hint of where they went,
"
Maku added and then walked away to begin his room by room search.

"
My team is searching outside.  They haven't found any signs of forced entry. 
There
ha
s been no
unusual
activity
in the area.  The only person who has
come onto
the grounds this morning was Apela's sister, Lorrie.
"

"
Lorrie?!
"
  Vin and Ben replied simultaneously.

"
What was she doing here?
"
  Ben asked.

Colonel Franks noticed the intensity of their reaction, but replied calmly.

"
She was collecting medical supplies for a patient.  She was in and out in about twenty five minutes
;
a
nd she was not carrying
Dr. Erickson
or
Pete
when she left.
  I checked her bag personally to ensure she wasn't lying about her reason for being here.  All
I saw was
medical supplies.
"

"
Then they still have to be
around here
somewhere,
"
Vin concluded.

"
The lab!
"
  Ben took off, followed closely by Vin and the colonel. 

The
lab
door was locked, but Ben
quickly
pick
ed
the lock
ing mechanism
.  He used a thin piece of metal removed from a concealed
compartment
on his belt
buckle
. 
Once inside, t
hey discovered Pete's body under a blanket in the corner.  He looked
much healthier
than
he had
the previous evening.  Unfortunately, they were too late to help him
enjoy his improvement
.