Sonny’s lips were as soft as he remembered. The warm air of the Caribbean Sea stirred her hair around her face as he kissed her. This felt good and right and where he wanted to be. Yet there was still so much uncertainty ahead of them—he had to stay focused. So he reluctantly pulled away.
Finding his voice, he looked into her eyes. “We need to go. I want to be out at sea before first light. Far enough away so that we aren’t visible from the shore.”
Sonny’s eyes glowed from the moonlight. Her lips were moist from their kiss and he resisted the urge to touch them. He wanted to hold her in his arms. He loved the way she fit so perfectly against him. But this wasn’t the right time.
“Okay,” she said, her voice as gentle as the warm breeze bathing him. “Let’s do it.”
“You amaze me.”
“I do?”
“Your conviction that everything is going to be all right is so strong,” he said. “You don’t waver at all. You’re ready for anything.”
“Not anything. There are a lot of things I’m not ready to face. And I won’t. That makes me a coward.”
He chuckled. “I don’t think anyone would use the word coward to describe you, Sonny Montgomery.”
He took her by the arm and led her down the quiet dock, unsure of what lay ahead of them.
Gil knew the Lord would be a guide for them and that her feelings of faith were strong. He just wasn’t sure he was worthy of her faith in him. Especially since he had no idea if they’d ever make it to Puerto Rico.
“You never mentioned anything about a kid and a woman when we talked,” Olof said to Gil as a way of introduction.
He was a man tall in height and short in small talk, Sonny decided as the wiry man stood on deck.
Olof stared at Sonny. His gaze didn’t make her skin crawl but it filled her with enough uneasiness to put her on edge. Was this really a good idea?
“Didn’t I?” Gil said. “I thought I had. Why? Is that going to be a problem?”
Olof hesitated, then said, “No, no problem. Except I don’t have provisions for the little one. There’s enough food here to last adults a month, though.”
“I brought baby food with me,” Sonny said.
“Hmm, well, that’s good. We’re going to have to think of a way to store those dirty diapers. Gets crowded in the cabin real fast and clean air is precious. But I think I have enough plastic bags to handle it for a few days.”
She bit her lip, her eyes shifting from Olof’s skeptical face to the thirty-foot sailboat they were about to board. The Kia II looked as if it had weathered many storms.
“Don’t worry yourself about my girl. She may not seem like much of a boat, but she’s seaworthy. Strong and steady,” Olof said in his Swedish accent, reading Sonny’s mind.
“It’s a beautiful boat,” she said. It wouldn’t do her any good to offend her captain before they even set sail.
“Kia II is named after my late wife. Her name means ‘follower of Christ.’”
Sonny smiled, relaxing a bit. “That’s lovely.”
“She was,” he said warmly.
“Do you maintain her yourself?” Gil asked.
“When I can. I know her inside and out. Don’t you worry. She’ll get you where you’re going. Well, don’t just stand there. Hop on board. We’ll take care of business and then I’ll show you around before we shove off.”
If this was what she had to do, Sonny was up for it. She’d seen it this far, she’d see it the rest of the way. No matter how rickety the boat felt beneath her feet when she climbed on deck.
“So, you’re headed to Puerto Rico, huh? Ever been there?”
“Yes,” Gil answered, extending his hand to shake Olof’s in greeting. “When I was in the military. I was stationed there for about six months.”
“So have I,” Olof said, gripping Gil’s hand in turn. “It’s a pretty island. So long as I’m not bringing fugitives into the country, we’re fine. I like my freedom to come and go. Don’t want the U.S. to suddenly ban me from their borders. You know what I mean?”
“We have a boat from the U.S. meeting us halfway,” Sonny said. “We know you don’t want to take us the whole way in.”
Olof motioned to the bag Gil was holding. It was filled with baby essentials for the next few days.
“I don’t mean to be suspicious or anything, but there were a lot of soldiers crawling that wall through the afternoon. Do you mind if I take a look in your bag? You know, just to make sure?”
Gil unzipped the overnight suitcase. “Go right ahead. We don’t have anything to hide.”
Olof scrutinized the bag, moving various sundries around to view the full contents. Satisfied, he zipped the bag shut.
He shrugged as if embarrassed. “You can never be too careful. I don’t want any drugs on my boat. Don’t need that kind of trouble.”
“I understand completely and I agree.” Gil reached into a zippered pocket on the bag and pulled out an envelope. “Here’s half the money. When the other boat meets us midway in the Caribbean Sea at the coordinates we’ve agreed on, you’ll get the rest.”
With a quick check of the bills in the envelope, Olof nodded. “Much appreciated. It’ll go a long way toward my journey back home.”
“I’m just glad you were available to help us,” Sonny said.
“As long as the boat meets us at the right coordinates, we should have an uneventful trip. You can sit back and let yourself enjoy the beautiful Caribbean Sea. I hope you brought your sunscreen,” he said, turning to Sonny. “The sun’s reflection off the water will give you sunburn like you’ve never had before. Make sure you keep the baby covered up. Don’t want the little one to get a burn.”
He pocketed the envelope and turned toward the stairway leading down to the cabin. “Let’s get you settled. I cleaned out the front bunk, figuring you could use it since you’re the paying guest. Oftentimes I sleep in the bow. The seat cushions there convert into a bed.”
When he got to the bottom of the stairs he turned and squinted his eyes as Gil descended the stairs. “I barely make it in there myself and I’m about your size. I’m not sure if the lot of you are going to fit.”
“Give the bunk to my wife and the baby,” Gil said, looking at Sonny.
Olof shrugged. “There’s plenty of room in the main cabin to make another bed. The Kia II sleeps five people fairly comfortably.” Glancing at the baby he added with a chuckle, “It can handle three and a half when they’re this small.”
He smiled and the unrest that Sonny had felt before boarding seemed to wash away.
“Don’t know why you didn’t decide to just take a plane back to the U.S. Cartagena has a nice airport. Miami is only a two-and-a-half-hour flight. Much quicker than sailing.”
“I haven’t quite conquered my fear of flying,” Sonny said, holding back a grimace at her fib. “I just barely made it through the flight down.”
That much was true, she thought, recalling how nerve-racking her flight to Colombia had been in anticipation of what she was about to do.
“Just barely,” Gil chimed in, as if to give credence to her story and appease the curiosity of their captain. “I still have the fingernail marks in my arm to prove it.”
Olof laughed loud. “Women.”
Sonny bristled inside. She hated blanket comments aimed to put down women. If he only knew the truth, he’d think differently. But he never would know because she wasn’t about to tell him.
“You’ll be comfortable in that front bunk. Holler if you need anything.”
“Is it safe to sail at night?” Sonny asked.
Olof looked at Gil and then Sonny. “You’re not nervous about sailing, are you?”
“No.”
Olof moved aside to let Sonny pass. “Good. To make the kind of time you want to make and meet the other boat on time, we’ll need to do some night sailing. Don’t you worry, though. I’ve been sailing since before you were born.”
Sonny took in the bunk at the front of the ship. She had no idea if it was starboard, port or bow since she didn’t know what those terms meant. But it didn’t really matter. The bunk was private and gave her plenty of room to sleep with Ellie right beside her.
Gil poked his head inside. “Why don’t you try to get some rest. It’s been a long day.” He dropped the bag on the mattress. “Are you okay?” he asked quietly.
“I’m just eager to get out to sea. I want to get home.”
He reached up and traced his fingers along her jaw, caressing her cheek with his thumb. Her head grew light and she leaned into his touch.
“We’ll be home soon. You can sleep easy tonight.”
Gil rolled out the blankets Olof had left for him on the cushions. He felt better sleeping on the other side of the wall from Sonny and Ellie. Call it his overprotective nature, but he wanted to be right there in case Sonny called for him.
Although they’d chosen to sail during the night, they couldn’t sail at a fast clip. They had to be careful. In the Caribbean, most charter companies forbid sailing at night, but since Olof owned his own vessel and was an experienced sailor, they kept the jib up.
Gil punched the pillow and looked out the porthole toward the shoreline. Lights were still visible in the city. In a matter of time they’d fade in the distance. By the time they woke up tomorrow morning, Cartagena would be a distant memory.
It would be a two-and-a-half-day sail to the coordinates he’d given Olof. With any luck, they’d be meeting either Marco or Sonny’s father with another boat that would bring them the rest of the way to Ponce, Puerto Rico. The total trip would take four to five days if they didn’t hit a snag.
And if they did, they could always call the U.S. Coast Guard in Puerto Rico to help. He only hoped there wouldn’t be a need for that.
He stretched out on the bed and pulled the light blanket over him. Four or five days was all he had left with Sonny before the reality of their lives crashed down around them. It seemed too short a time and yet the amount of time they’d already spent together was half that. Given how much he felt for her, it didn’t seem possible.
He glanced at the closed door to the bunk. Sonny and Ellie were sleeping soundly inside. At least he hoped Sonny was sleeping. It would be good if at least one of them had a good night’s sleep. Gil had the feeling he wouldn’t truly rest at all until they set foot on the sands of Ponce.
Sonny bent down and blew a raspberry on Ellie’s stomach. The baby responded by giggling loudly and kicking her legs wildly as if she was doing top-speed aerobics.
“I think you’ve grown an inch in the last few days! I must be feeding you well.”
The smile on Sonny’s face wilted just a little. If Sonny could see the change after just a few days, she knew Serena would see an enormous change in her daughter. And Cash wouldn’t even recognize Ellie.
What had Ellie been—barely a month old—when she was taken? Now at almost five months old, she’d changed so drastically from the picture Serena had given her that Ellie looked like a different baby.
Sonny watched her wiggling and squealing, almost begging Sonny to kiss her belly again. No, Cash would recognize Ellie. How could he not? She looked just like their mother.
She heard Olof and Gil on the deck of the boat. At first, it just sounded like they were talking. But Sonny realized that Gil’s voice was raised in what sounded like anger.
Sonny grabbed Ellie, leaning her against the blanket on her shoulder, and climbed the stairs carefully, holding one hand on the baby and one on the railing.
“What’s going on?” she asked when she made it on deck.
“We’ve got company,” Gil said, eyeing Olof.
Sonny’s heart leaped. “My father?”
“No,” Gil said, staring out at the small pebble-sized boat in the distance. He grabbed the binoculars and looked in the direction of the small boat.
Sonny pulled the small blanket over Ellie’s head to protect her from the sun. “How do you know?”
“I can’t get them to answer on the radio,” Gil said.
“It still could be my father,” she said, feeling hopeful. “Maybe he’s just being cautious.” She knew her father would move mountains to get to her if he could.
It had been four days since they’d left Cartagena. They should have met her father yesterday afternoon—that is, if Marco had been able to get in touch with him. The wind hadn’t been on their side during the trip, slowing down their progress. Even so, they should have connected with her father by now.
“And maybe it’s someone who doesn’t want us to know they’re coming,” Gil said.
“You’re overreacting. It’s probably just a charter boat with a novice captain,” Olof insisted. “It’s nothing.”
Gil dropped the binoculars down on the shelf. “That’s no charter cruise.”
Worried, Sonny asked, “How do you know?”
“Because I’ve never known sunbathers out for a good time to pack weapons with their sunscreen. Let’s get the sails up.”
“I’d feel better if you both went below,” Olof said.
“Sonny, take the baby below and get her ready in the carrier in case we need to board another boat quickly. Go on,” Gil said. “I’ll stay on deck.”
Her heart hammered and she clutched the baby tighter. The trip this far had been uneventful. She’d spent yesterday sunning on deck while Ellie slept in the bunk below. She’d felt so good by last night that she’d made dinner for all of them. Not once had there been any sign of Sanchez’s men following them, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t.
Dear Lord, please let this be my father in that boat. Please don’t let it be someone here to take Ellie.
She said her prayer over and over as she set the baby down in the makeshift crib she’d built to keep Ellie from rolling around the bunk. They hadn’t brought too much with them, and even if they did, Sonny didn’t have time to gather it. Instead, she quickly dressed Ellie, then strapped the baby carrier on before slipping the baby inside.
“Sonny!” Gil called, as the pitch of the boat suddenly shifted. It began to rock in a way it hadn’t since they’d been on board, making it more difficult for her to move. She was glad Ellie was in her front carrier—she wouldn’t have been able to hold on to her and keep her hands supported on the cabinet above as the boat rocked.
She made her way through the galley kitchen. “I’m coming.”
“No, stay down there.”
Puzzled, she peered up the stairs leading to the deck. Olof had a gun, but instead of pointing at the fast moving boat, he aimed it at Gil. She gasped, and her hand protectively went to the baby.
“I changed my mind. I’m going to need you up here, little lady.”
Gil didn’t look at her. Instead, his eyes were fixed on the gun directed at him.
“Why are you doing this?” she asked, as she climbed the stairs.
“Get behind me with the baby,” Gil said, holding out his hand and guiding her to a place where he could shield them.
Olof shrugged. “I’m sorry. I am, really. But I’m a businessman, too.”
“I don’t understand,” Sonny said, looking around. The main sail had been dropped and the fabric was flapping in the wind because it hadn’t been tied down. The jib had been rolled in. “What’s going on here? Why did we stop?”
Gil’s voice was cold. “My guess is Eduardo Sanchez has already gotten to him.”
“The word in Cartagena is that you’re fugitives and that you stole that baby. I’m merely making sure the baby is returned to her rightful parents.”
Sonny closed her eyes at the irony of it.
“I’m sure the money they’re offering doesn’t hurt, either,” Gil said.
“I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t a factor. It’s significantly more than you offered to pay me. It costs a lot of money to do what I do, sailing around the world.”
“We could get you more,” Sonny pleaded. She knew Serena had more money in her trust fund. She’d willingly hand over the entire Davco fortune to get Ellie back.
“I’m sure Eduardo or one of his people made you some offer you couldn’t refuse,” Gil asked quietly. “Who was it? Manuel Turgis?”
“I saw the news. Sanchez is loaded,” Olof replied, shrugging. “When Turgis came to me to find out if anyone had chartered a boat, I figured I could just bypass him and go straight to the source.”
“Did you kill Manuel Turgis?” Sonny asked.
“He wouldn’t pay me what I wanted.”
Sonny’s mouth dropped open. “Just like that. He didn’t give you what you wanted so you killed him and contacted Eduardo Sanchez?”
Olof nodded. “Sanchez was a bit more agreeable than Mr. Turgis. Like I said, I’m a businessman. Why not make it as profitable as I could by going straight to the top instead of working with the middleman?”
“How could you trade a little baby for money!” Sonny cried.
“You can’t blame me.”
“I can, actually,” said Sonny.
Gil kept his hand out to shield Sonny and the baby as best he could. “I never mentioned anything about Sonny and Ellie coming with me on this trip, but this deal was made before we left Cartagena. How did you know?”
“I put it together. I asked myself why you’d be willing to pay so much money to leave Cartagena with me when you could easily have chartered a much nicer boat for much less. Or boarded a plane that could take you anywhere. You had something to hide. Or rather, someone to hide. But even if I hadn’t figured it out, it wouldn’t have changed anything.”
“Why not?” Sonny asked.
“They came to me. They already knew you’d hired me. But they weren’t sure you’d have the baby with you.”
The boat rocked and Sonny lost her balance. Gil grabbed her arm from behind as she slid onto a deck cushion. Her position gave her a better view of the oncoming boat. Her heart raced as it approached.
“There was talk on the street that Eduardo Sanchez was looking for a baby. I didn’t know this baby was the one he was looking for until I radioed in some information. As luck would have it—”
“Luck?” Sonny said. “Do you have any idea the kind of man you’re dealing with?”
“No,” Gil said, looking directly at Olof. “If he did, he never would have taken the job.”
Olof shrugged. “Nothing personal. They would have killed me for not cooperating. This way, I get paid.”
Gil laughed humorlessly. “You don’t really expect them to let any of us live after they take the baby, do you, Olof? Especially after what you did to Turgis?”
The boat was getting closer. Sonny fought to keep her breathing even.
“You sat at dinner with us last night. You laughed with us. You told us about your wife’s cancer. And all the while you were planning to give us up?” The betrayal Sonny felt over Olof’s turn of loyalty was harsh.
Sonny heard the engine of the boat, but could no longer see it behind Olof.
“Gil?” she said quietly, fearing Eduardo’s men would board the boat at any moment. But neither Gil nor Olof seemed to be paying attention.
“You shouldn’t have gotten in over your head,” Olof argued.
“You think you haven’t?” Gil asked.
“That’s not for you to worry about. You have other worries ahead of you when I hand you all over to—”
He stopped short as he realized the other boat was coming into view. In the split second Olof turned to look at the other boat, Gil moved into action. The first hit dropped the gun to the floor. The next one sent Olof facedown on deck.
Sonny turned and saw the catamaran breezing toward them at a good clip from the other direction. Excitement bubbled up inside her, but was replaced with terror as gunshots rang out over her head.
“Get ready to board!” her father called out. “I’m going to swing around!”
“Dad!”
Gil pulled Sonny to her feet. “Hold on. I’m going to get the raft ready and when he swings around we’ll catch him. Get a life jacket on.”
“Gil, we’re not going to make it. The other boat will get here first,” she said, pulling the cushion off the bench to access the storage unit where the life jackets were housed.
“Just get ready to board the raft. It’s going to be tight but we’ll make it.”
He picked up the gun he’d knocked from Olof’s hand, checked for bullets and then slipped the gun into his waistband.
“You’ll never outrun their boat in a life raft,” Olof said, holding his head and rolling on the deck.
“We won’t be outrunning them in the raft.”
With a yank of the cord, the raft inflated easily enough.
Gil climbed down to the raft first and tied it to the side of the ladder to make it easier for Sonny to climb down.
In the few seconds it took for Sonny to pull the life jacket over her, she realized it would be of no use to her. Not while Ellie was still in the carrier. If she fell into the water, her head would remain above water. But Ellie’s wouldn’t.
“I have them,” Olof yelled.
Drawn to the ruckus on the other side of the boat, Sonny turned her head. “Gil! They’ve boarded!”
Bullets exploded near her and she instinctively threw her arms around Ellie to protect her.
“She has the baby! Don’t shoot.” Sonny heard someone yell in a commanding voice from the other boat.
“Come on, Sonny! Jump!”
Startled by Gil’s command, Sonny turned and descended the stairs, fearing she’d somehow drop the baby. Her heart hammered wildly in her chest but Gil’s strong hands reached up and guided her onto the raft. She fell into the raft on her back with the baby secure in her carrier on top of her.
They had no protection from the powerboat that had just slid alongside Olof’s sailboat. Since it was still in motion, it glided past Olof’s boat for a good distance and swung around.
Two of Eduardo’s men were on board Olof’s boat with guns at the ready. But it was the man standing on the powerboat, glaring at the raft with contempt, that stopped Sonny’s breathing. She couldn’t believe her eyes.
“Eduardo Sanchez is on that boat. He won’t risk them shooting at the raft,” Gil said.
Gil took the oars and rowed out, away from both Olof’s and Sanchez’s boats, giving the Catamaran her father had chartered a wide berth for when he swung around again. Sonny trusted her father and she’d put all her trust in Gil. Still, she closed her eyes as the catamaran sped toward them.
Sonny could hear the men yelling from Sanchez’s boat, and gunshots rang out again. She shielded Ellie as best she could, though she couldn’t tell if they were shooting at the raft to deflate it, or shooting at her father. Both options were terrifying.
Sonny opened her eyes to find the catamaran speeding toward them even faster, but they were still too far away to board. The sails were down and only the motor was moving the boat. Even when her father cut the engine, the boat continued to glide toward them disturbingly fast.
“Throw me the line!” Gil called out. Turning to Sonny, he instructed, “Keep yourself down and shield the baby. I don’t want you to get hit with the buoy. We only have one shot at this.”
The gunned engine of the powerboat grew louder. Sonny could see that Eduardo was headed for Olof’s boat to pick up the men who had boarded.
Rolling to her side, she covered Ellie with her body and felt the rope connect with the side of the raft just as a wave from the wake of the catamaran lifted the raft. Ellie giggled, unaffected by the commotion around her.
When she finally dared to look up, she saw Gil holding the lifeline that connected their small raft to the catamaran. When the rope became taut, the raft lifted on one end and started to move.
“Hold on. We’re almost there.”
Within minutes, between her father and Gil’s efforts, the raft reached the catamaran. And then the gunshots started again.
“Hand her to me!” her father said. Sonny had never been so happy to see him in all her life. Tears stung her eyes, making it hard to see.
“I have her, Dad,” she sobbed.
Gil steadied the raft as best he could while Sonny climbed the steps on the back of the catamaran to deck. Her father grabbed her by the hands and then pulled her into his arms.
“I’m so happy to see you,” she cried.
“There’s no time for reunions now, sweetie. Take the baby downstairs to the aft bunk. We’ve still got company,” he said as a bullet lodged in the raft and the air escaped with a violent hiss.