Tides of Deception (Lantern Beach Romantic Suspense Book 1) Page 14

  Before they could talk anymore, Cassidy’s phone rang.

  “Speak of the devil . . . it’s Jimmy James.” Cassidy put the phone to her ear. Her voice morphed from professional to intrigued. “Thanks. I’ll be right there.”

  “What is it?” Skye held onto hope that it might have something to do with the case.

  “There’s an SUV that matches the description of the one that ran you off the road,” Cassidy said. “It’s parked down at the marina near where Jimmy James works. I asked him to keep an eye out for it.”

  “The Winthrops are renting a slip down there,” Skye said. How could she not have thought of that? Ginger had even mentioned that Atticus and Ian were out sailing one day.

  “Let’s go see if there’s a scrape on the side from where it hit your bike.”

  Skye nodded. This just might be their best lead yet.

  Skye and Cassidy arrived at the marina and pulled into one of the parking spaces there. Around them, the wind had picked up, sending boats bobbing and a few pieces of trash tumbling across the asphalt.

  The place was surprisingly quiet right now, especially compared to the hustle and bustle of activity here during the summer months.

  Skye glanced around. Saw all the boats in their slips. Saw crab pods lined up on the edge of the property. Saw the trucks people used to pull their boats here before launching them into the water.

  “There’s the SUV.” Skye nodded toward one in the distance.

  “Let me go check it out,” Cassidy said, turning professional again. “You stay here. With the doors locked. Got it?”

  Skye nodded, having no desire to put herself in danger. “Got it.”

  Besides, she didn’t have the physical energy to do anything. No, her body was still recovering after everything that had happened. Those pills she’d been forced to swallow. Having her stomach pumped. The distress of it all had taken its toll.

  As Cassidy started toward the SUV, a man darted out from the other side of it and took off in a run. Cassidy sprinted after him.

  Please, Lord. Watch over her. Give us answers.

  Just then, a tap sounded on the glass beside her. Skye looked up and saw someone standing there. With a gun. Pointed directly at her.

  Maybe she should have been more careful what she prayed.

  “Get out of the car. If you scream, I’ll pull this trigger on you. And then I’ll find your boyfriend and do the same.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Skye’s gaze came into focus as she stared out the window and her heart stuttered a few beats. “Ian?”

  He narrowed his eyes, all his rich-boy charm and I’m-not-the-same-person claims gone. “Stop talking and get out. I’ll shoot you. Don’t test me.”

  Based on the crazy look in his eyes, Ian was telling the truth. Skye raised her hands and stepped from the police cruiser. Ian shoved the gun into her side. Her heart slammed into her ribcage. Just what was he planning here?

  She stole a glance over her shoulder, hoping Cassidy was headed back. But she’d disappeared behind the bait-and-tackle shop.

  Had Ian planned that? Just like he’d lured Austin out of the house to chase after that man while someone else had forced Skye to overdose?

  Now that she thought about it, that’s what Ian had done when he’d stolen that yacht. He’d distracted the owner by saying his car was on fire, and then he’d jumped onboard.

  “We’ve got to move before your friend gets back. Now go.”

  With the gun stabbing at Skye’s ribs and a hard grip on her arm, Ian led her to the water.

  Toward a cabin cruiser, probably twenty-four-feet long with a huge motor.

  Horrible visions of what Ian might have in mind battered her thoughts. She wasn’t going to walk away from this, was she?

  “Get on,” Ian ordered.

  “Ian, you don’t have to do this.”

  “Of course I do. Now get on.”

  He shoved the gun harder until Skye yelped. Her entire body trembled as she stepped onboard the boat. Ian jumped on right behind her, jerked the ropes from the dock, and dragged Skye toward the cockpit.

  The boat was already running and waiting. Ian only had to hit a few things before they pulled from the marina. He’d thought of everything, hadn’t he? No doubt, he’d kept that SUV out of sight, only bringing it here to draw Cassidy’s attention. If he’d been watching the clinic, he would have known the two of them were together today.

  Skye glanced back just in time to see Cassidy return to her police cruiser and glance around. Based on how Ian was standing next to her Cassidy probably hadn’t even seen her.

  Despair tried to bite into her, but Skye pushed it away.

  “What are you going to do with me?” she finally asked.

  Ian’s iron-tight grip remained on her. Skye was tempted to fight back—but there was nowhere to go. And he still had a gun in one hand. She had no doubt he would use it.

  “I’m going to keep you quiet, once and for all. I should have sealed this deal a long time ago.”

  Nausea gurgled in her gut. But she couldn’t give in to despair. No, she’d done that for too long. She had to keep a cool head here.

  “You’ve been behind this the whole time?” The wind slapped her in the face and made her hair feel like whips as the strands hit her cheeks. They left the no-wake zone, and Ian accelerated toward the open horizon in the distance. Anxiety surged up her spine.

  “I tried to give subtle hints for you to stay away, but it didn’t work. I wasn’t sure what my next plan of action was. Luckily, this came together just in time.”

  “Why would you do this, Ian?” Skye knew he was self-absorbed and wild. But a killer? Someone who knowingly hurt people? Skye didn’t want to believe it. Yet Ian was leaving her no other choice.

  “Because you’re going to ruin everything for me. I’ve been working for the past two years on cleaning up my reputation. I can’t have you come in and undo all of my work.”

  Skye glanced around again, looking for anything that might help her out. But there was nothing. And every time she thought about trying to physically take Ian, she felt the gun in her side.

  Was her only hope that her friends would find her? But Austin was kayaking with Wes. Cassidy hadn’t seen her leave. By the time anyone figured out what happened, it would be too late.

  “You don’t care about reputation,” she said, raising her voice to be heard over the roar of the boat’s engine. “You never have.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong. I do care. I have to care if I want to take over my father’s business.”

  Her breath caught. “What are you talking about?”

  “My father thinks it’s important that if our company is going to maintain its wholesome image that I clean up my act. If you interfere, all of my hard work is going to be for nothing.”

  “How am I interfering?” She wasn’t the one who’d sought him out. All she’d done was ask questions and put facts together.

  “Because you discovered Briar.”

  Her heart skipped a beat as the truth rang out loud and clear. “He’s our son, isn’t he?”

  Ian’s eyes narrowed, as if annoyed. “I guess I can tell you now since you won’t live to tell anyone else about it. So, yes, he is. He’s a nice blend of the two of us, isn’t he?”

  “Does he know you’re his father?” Skye just couldn’t figure out what Ian was thinking—only that he wasn’t in his right mind. And that scared her more than anything because he had a goal in mind right now.

  “Are you kidding me?” He let out a gruff chuckle. “No way. The last thing I need is some kid looking up to me.”

  This man disgusted Skye in so many ways. How could she have honestly thought he’d changed? “How is killing me going to help anything?”

  “You won’t be alive to ruin my life, for starters. If you come forward with the truth about what my family did to you, my reformed image will be gone. Not only that, my father will probably lose the election and won’t wan
t to hand over the reins of his company.”

  “Why do you want to run the company so badly? I didn’t think that was your thing.”

  “Let’s just say my trust fund ran out, and my dad isn’t budging. He said I have to earn my keep.”

  “And you can’t bear the thought of giving up your extravagant lifestyle, can you?” At one time, Skye had thought it might be nice to have that luxury. Now it was sounding more like a curse.

  “Why would I ever want to do that? I have a good life.”

  Skye gritted her teeth, still aware of the gun at her side. “You’ve got to be the most selfish person I’ve ever met.”

  “Well, you’re the one who fell in love with me.”

  If only she hadn’t, but since she couldn’t erase the past, she was going to have to learn from it. “How are you going to kill me? You going to try and overdose me again?”

  “No, but that was a brilliant move now, wasn’t it? You were in a bad place emotionally. No one would suspect that I forced you to take those pills. The problem was that your boyfriend came back too quickly and your will to live was too strong.”

  “And you tried to run me off the road?”

  “Again, it could have looked like an accident.” He stared out over the water, not even flinching at what he’d done.

  “You even tampered with Austin’s construction site. Why would you do that?”

  “I thought if he was hurt that might distract you from being nosy. I know how you are. I knew as soon as you saw Briar that you’d get suspicious. The art of diversion is one of the best.”

  “Is it?”

  “It is. Is one of your company’s products failing? Causing lawsuits because of rashes and other conditions? Bury that story by donating to charity, by releasing a new product, by schmoozing the press. It’s pretty amazing, actually.”

  “But someone saw your sister at the job site.” What sense did that make?

  “I told her she should go check it out, that it was a good piece of investment property and that the owners were putting in up for sale soon. I figured her presence would throw the police off long enough to buy me time.” His voice rang with smug satisfaction.

  “You set up your own sister.” Skye’s throat burned with realization. He really was ruthless. “I suppose you’re the one who messed with the security system at Austin’s house?”

  He smiled again, looking entirely too satisfied. “I had one of my guys do it for me. We didn’t actually know your little boyfriend had a security system, but when we discovered it, we decided to use it to our advantage. I thought planting the pain killers at your house was a nice touch also. I didn’t know how I could use it to my advantage, but I figured there was a way, especially with your history. And I was right.”

  Anger burned inside her. “If only you could put this much energy into making money, maybe you’d stand a chance.”

  “Well, I’ve done everything I could to get you out of my life and it didn’t work.”

  She fisted her hands. “What does that mean?”

  “It means I convinced my mom to give you that money. I . . .” His voice trailed.

  “You set me up at my job, didn’t you? You planted that evidence that had me arrested.”

  The wind slapping her face was the only thing cooling her off.

  “Well, I didn’t do it myself, but I had someone help me. I really just wanted to get rid of you because I thought you would figure out things eventually, and I was right.”

  He slowed the boat as they reached the churning Atlantic Ocean. Skye glanced around. Nothing but water surrounded them.

  Skye’s head spun as fear whipped through her.

  “You know what’s coming next, don’t you?” Ian smiled, almost like he was enjoying this.

  “Don’t do this, Ian,” Skye said.

  “I’m sorry, but you left me no choice.” He stopped the boat and grabbed her arm.

  “You always have a choice. You won’t get away with this.” The boat bobbed, nearly knocking her off-balance. She’d never had sea legs.

  “I think I will. Now move to the edge of the boat and let’s get this over with. According to some of the fisherman I overheard, the sharks are really biting lately. You’re in for a fun time, one way or another.”

  Just as Austin pulled the last kayak back to the sandy shore bordering the sound, his phone rang. He straightened, took a step away from the rest of the group, and glanced at the screen.

  They’d just gotten back, and the group had been a handful. What Austin really wanted was to see Skye and spend the rest of the day with her. But Wes had needed his help today.

  In fact, one of the women hadn’t listened to directions and had been sucked into a current that pulled her out toward the ocean. Austin had reached her kayak just in time.

  Cassidy’s name appeared on his screen. Anxiety snaked up his spine as he put the phone to his ear. Cassidy never called—unless something was wrong.

  “Skye is gone,” she announced.

  Adrenaline pumped through Austin’s blood, and he froze. “What do you mean she’s gone?”

  “I left her locked in my car while I went to question someone. The questioning turned into a chase. When I got back, Skye was gone.”

  Gone? How could she just be gone? “Any sign of a struggle?”

  “No, none. I’m sorry, Austin. I don’t know what happened, but I have people out searching for her. I wanted to let you know.”

  He glanced back and saw most of the bridal party that had been on the tour today were already leaving for another adventure. Wes and Colton could handle cleaning up the kayaks and putting them away. Austin had to go find Skye.

  “Where are you?” Austin needed to get there. See things for himself. Search for Skye himself.

  “I’m at the marina.”

  “I’ll be right there.”

  As Austin hung up, he looked over and saw that, at some point, Wes had joined him.

  “I don’t know what happened,” his friend said. “But if you’re going somewhere, I’m driving you.”

  “You’ve got to clean up here.”

  “Colton can handle it. Let’s go.”

  They pulled up to the marina ten minutes later. Cassidy and Ty were already there, along with Officer Quinton, the marine police, and a state police officer. Cassidy met him as soon as he got out of the car.

  “No one saw anything,” Cassidy said. “She was in my cruiser. I came back five minutes later, and she was gone. I did see a boat pulling away at that time, but I didn’t see Skye. The Coast Guard patrol is out there now looking for it, just in case.”

  “That’s all you know?” He needed more than that to go on.

  “Right now. I’m so sorry, Austin.”

  “Where are the Winthrops?”

  Cassidy frowned. “I don’t know. Quinton is headed over to their house.”

  “Skye said they had a boat here. Is it still here?” The questions kept coming.

  “It is. It’s right over there.”

  Austin remembered his earlier conversation with Skye—the one where she’d told him about being left in the ocean to die—and the sick feeling in his gut grew. “Cassidy, I’m nearly certain she was on the boat that left. The security guard you chased was just a distraction.”

  “What?” Cassidy’s eyes widened.

  Austin glanced around until he spotted Jimmy James across the marina, hosing off a Bayliner. “I’m going to go talk to him.”

  “Austin, don’t do anything rash,” Cassidy warned. “I need to stay here and coordinate the efforts, so I can’t go with you.”

  “Got it.” Austin darted over toward Jimmy James, who tensed when he saw him. “I need a boat. Now.”

  “I don’t have a boat.” Jimmy James stepped away, as if taken back.

  “Can you get me one?”

  “Maybe.” He shrugged and released his grip on the water hose. “Why?”

  “Jimmy James, Skye is in trouble. I need a boat. Now.”

&n
bsp; The burly man nodded slowly as realization rolled over him. He reached into his pocket. “Okay, here’s the one I was working on. Just don’t mess it up or I’ll get fired.”

  Wes was on his heels as he hopped onto the Bayliner. Austin started the engine. Before they pulled from the dock, Ty also hopped on. “You’re not doing this without me.”

  Having a former Navy SEAL on board would only help them.

  They raced out into the water, searching for a sign of any other boats.

  “Any idea where they could have gone?” Ty asked.

  “If I had to guess, somewhere that’s most dangerous.”

  “That would be the ocean.”

  “We’ve got to find her. She can’t swim,” he reminded his friends.

  “We will. Here, let me steer the boat. You keep a lookout.” Ty took the wheel.

  As he did, Austin searched the open expanse of water, praying above all else that she was okay.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  “Please don’t do this, Ian,” Skye said, staring at the whitecaps all around her.

  “Sorry, beautiful. It’s the only way.”

  “I can be quiet.” She was desperate and needed to buy time.

  Ian let out a quick, short laugh. “No, you can’t. When you believe in something, you push for it. Don’t deny it.”

  “Ian . . .” Skye desperately tried to think of another tactic but couldn’t. She was at Ian’s mercy.

  “Make this easy on me. Jump in.” Ian pointed to the water with his gun.

  She stared at the angry ocean, and her skin crawled. She wouldn’t survive for more than five minutes out there. Even if she managed to stay afloat, the current would pull her under. She’d heard the stories.

  “I’m not making anything easy on you,” she finally said, stubborn determination kicking in

  “Have it your way.” Ian’s hand hit her shoulder.

  Skye toppled forward but caught herself before she flipped over the side of the boat.

  “Oh, you have to be spunky,” he muttered.

  He put his gun down on the captain’s chair, and his arms wrapped around Skye, pinning her arms against her and making her unable to move.