Gage’s frown deepened. He grabbed her hand and led her back the way they came. She knew better than to even ask him a question. They had to keep quiet because their voices would carry and alert the men they were in the tunnel. Gage had taken Hank’s new gun but since it had misfired, it worked no better than the previous gun. Unless he could use it to bluff his way. It would likely be a last resort.
These guys were either the guys in that go-fast boat or the two that came to Donna’s house and had drugged Donna and tried to drug Sadie. Just how many people could be involved in drug trafficking, no matter the channels? Regardless, she didn’t want to face them.
And Sadie had absolutely no intention of being taken by one of these men again. Drugged again so that she would either die or she couldn’t remember later what had happened.
She ran behind Gage, but the strange sweating started up again. Dizziness tried to take ahold of her. She had to keep going, but it was like running up against a brick wall. Her body would not cooperate. She stumbled forward and would have hit the ground, but Gage scooped her up without a word.
She was so grateful to him.
Outside the ocean breeze wrapped around her. “I’m going to sit you here on the steps. Hide behind this rock if you can, and I’m going back inside to face them.”
“No,” she whispered. “You can’t. Just take me down to the boat. We’ll escape that way.”
“There’s no time. We’d never make it if they have guns, and it’s likely they do. Now wait here. Trust me on this. I have a plan.”
He disappeared back into the tunnel. “Gage...wait...”
Don’t go!
Unarmed, how could he hope to take on those men? Sadie wasn’t about to let him do that alone. Finding a rock she could use as a weapon, she headed back into the tunnel and searched for a place to hide in case Gage needed her. She could use the element of surprise. She didn’t have a flashlight. Gage had taken that, but light filtered in from the exit, growing dimmer the deeper she went.
A hand clamped over her mouth. Sadie tried to use the rock, but he tightened his grip and whispered in her ear. “I told you to stay put. What are you doing?”
He released her and pulled her into a shadowed groove.
She stood on her toes and whispered into his ear. “I’m hiding with you. I brought a weapon.”
A tenuous grin slid into his face, then he positioned her behind him.
The men were almost upon them. Sadie was more than glad that Gage had caught her and pulled her into the shadows. The men seemed oblivious to their partner’s demise—or had he been their boss? Still, there was someone else involved. Someone they hadn’t figured on.
Sadie stood behind Gage and held her breath. Her hand pressed against his back; she could feel when his muscles tensed. The men walked past them in the shadows. Gage lunged at one and kicked the other. He wrestled the weapon from his holster. The other man charged Gage, but Sadie slammed him in the head with the rock, knocking him nearly unconscious. She straddled him, searching for his weapons. Found a knife and a gun.
And she recognized his dazed eyes as he stared up at her. He was the man who’d been at Donna’s house and tried to inject her with that drug. And now she realized, he’d been on the boat that had shot the Sea Hag to pieces.
Confusion shifted to recognition and his eyes grew wide. Uh-oh. She’d waited too long. Before she could react, he grabbed her by the wrist. Behind her, she heard punches and kicks. Groans and shouts. Sadie fought and twisted enough to aim the gun and shot it next to his head. The man instantly let go. She jumped from him and pointed the weapon at the man Gage fought. Gage gained control and pointed a weapon at the man too.
“Lee and Charles Chang, you’re both under arrest for maritime drug smuggling, fleeing the Coast Guard, murder and attempted murder.”
“You don’t have any proof.” The shorter guy spat at Gage. “You got nothing on us.”
“I have all the proof I need. You two fired on us today. Tried to sink our boat and kill us.”
“You have the wrong guys. We don’t know nothing, man. We were just using this tunnel.”
“Right. Using this tunnel to smuggle drugs. And you’re going straight to prison. Now I want to know who else is involved.”
“We’re not smuggling drugs. No one else is involved.”
That sounded kind of contradictory to Sadie.
“Look, you can’t arrest us,” the man on the ground said. He finally scrambled to his feet, but Sadie now aimed her weapon at him. “He’s going to kill us if you do. You don’t understand. You gotta let us go.”
“I’m not letting you go,” Gage said. “But tell me who and I’ll protect you.”
“Even you can’t protect us.”
“The fish and oyster packing plant in the bay.” The man Gage pointed his weapon at swiped blood from his mouth. “Snell owns it. We transport shark fins and drugs. A single fin is worth $50,000. The drugs are more, sure.”
“Shut up, Lee!” Charles grabbed Sadie and took the gun, then pressed it to her temple. She was really getting tired of this.
“Now, put down your weapon. Kick it over to me.”
Gage slowly placed his gun on the ground and kicked it over.
“I’m so sorry, Gage,” she said.
“You have nothing to be sorry about. It’s going to be okay. These men don’t want to get into more trouble, so they’re going to leave us here and make their escape.”
Charles laughed. He pointed the gun at Lee and shot him.
The sound startled her and she screamed. “You killed him? You killed your brother? Why?”
“He’s not my brother. A distant cousin I never liked. But he’s a talker. He’s going to get me killed with his talking, just like he told you way too much already. Now you must die.” The evil man grinned. “I have a syringe in my pocket. I’m going to enjoy finally getting to use it on you, but you have to die.”
He pointed his weapon.
Gunfire rang out, echoing in her ears again.
* * *
The gun slipped from Charles’s hand and he fell to the ground, a bullet in his forehead.
Thompkins approached the dead man and dropped to one knee. He felt for a pulse then looked at Gage and shook his head. Right. Like Charles could have lived with a bullet in his head. Gage hadn’t even realized Thompkins was approaching, but that had to be on purpose. He hadn’t wanted to give himself away too soon.
Gage’s knees nearly buckled. “You saved my life. Thank you.”
Sadie had crouched next to the other man. He whispered something in her ear. Gage joined her to check the man’s wound, but it was no use. The man died right before his eyes. These men could be the only ones who could fully explain the operation and everyone involved with Hank also gone. Regret rolled through him. Had he botched this entire investigation? Someone had to remain alive to answer questions.
But Sadie needed his attention. A tear slid down her cheek. She pushed away from the dead man and stood.
“And my life,” she said to Thompkins. “You saved my life too.”
Gage rose from the body to face Thompkins. Sadie closed the distance and hugged Gage. He squeezed her to him. Pressed his face into her neck. Closed his eyes as he drew in the scent of her hair. Thank You, God.
“Are you all right?” Thompkins asked.
Gage lifted his face. Thompkins arched a brow. Gage hadn’t maintained his composure around her in front of Thompkins, but how could he? They’d both almost died.
“Yes. Fine, thanks to you. Your timing couldn’t have been better.”
A helicopter whirred in the distance. The Coast Guard was on the way. Gage nodded. “Glad you finally made it. What took so long?”
“Your message was garbled on our end. Took us time to figure out what you said. But we finally searched west of where the boat went down in case you swam in. I found the boat at the dock. Couldn’t find anyone at the house but found the tunnel. I’m glad I did too. Another thirty seconds and...”
He pursed his lips. Probably didn’t want to say anything in front of Sadie.
“What did he whisper to you?” Thompkins asked her.
She pulled from Gage and shrugged. “I asked if they had tried to kill me by leaving me on the boat. He said yes, but with the Coast Guard closing in that day, they called to let you know I needed rescuing.”
Gage nodded. “To divert our attention. It worked. We lost them that day, but found and saved you.”
“Did he say anything else?”
She shook her head.
Thompkins studied her. “I’m glad this is finally over. I’d appreciate if you’d fill me in on everything before we meet with our SAC.”
“Sure thing,” Gage said. “But I think I’d like to get Sadie to the hospital first. She’s been drugged. The effects have mostly worn off, but I’m worried about her.”
Thompkins grinned. “I can see plain enough you’re not going to hand her off to someone else.”
They followed Thompkins out of the tunnel and back to the staircase to the approaching Coast Guard cutter. Someone called down to them from the top of the stairs. Sheriff Garrison and Deputy Crowley.
“Agent Thompkins? Would you mind if I rode back with the sheriff?” Sadie asked. “I don’t much feel like being on the water again today.”
Thompkins chuckled. “No problem. You with me, Gage?”
He angled his head. “I’m with Sadie. I’ll call you from the hospital.”
“Fair enough.” Thompkins descended the stone staircase and headed back to his boat moored at the pier next to the drug runner’s go-fast boat and Hank’s boat.
After taking their statements, the sheriff and Crowley cordoned off the area as a crime scene, though it was secluded. The sheriff agreed to wait for the coroner and additional deputies as well as the state boys, as he called them.
Crowley drove them back all the way to the Coldwater Bay Hospital. “So Henry Snell III and the Changs are dead? Sean Miller and Karon Casings are dead. Everyone who could tell us anything about this is gone.”
“Yep. It appears that way.” Gage kept his responses clipped. He held back his true thoughts.
“And I bet you’re glad to get back to your life as usual, then, right Miss Strand?”
“Yes, but I...I think I’m starting to remember something. Something more from that first day I went to Karon’s house. I think I saw—”
Gage squeezed her hand tight, hoping she understood to keep quiet.
“What’s that you say?” Crowley glanced at her through the rearview mirror.
“I was just going to say it won’t be the same without Karon. Do you happen to know how her mother is doing?”
“Now that we know something about that drug used, I think the doctors can help her, even though like you said, Mr. Snell said there was no antidote, but we can hope and pray.”
Crowley dropped them off at the hospital. “I’m happy to wait with her, Sessions, if you have business to see to in wrapping this up with the Coast Guard.”
“I’m sure you have paperwork to do, as well. Including a more detailed statement from me.”
The man stared at him. What was it Gage saw in his eyes? Distrust? Fear? Had he heard what Sadie said? “That, I do. Just trying to help.”
“Thanks, Crowley, but I’ll see to Sadie.”
He chuckled. “I thought so. Suit yourself.”
Once they had climbed from the vehicle, Gage waved and led Sadie inside the hospital. He pulled her over to the corner.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“You just told Deputy Crowley you remember something. I don’t know who we can trust so I didn’t want you to tell him everything.”
“What? You don’t trust him?”
“I don’t know. Tell me what you remember.”
“Someone else was there at Karon’s house. I always had the sense of someone there, but now I know it wasn’t only Hank. Though it’s just a shadow in my mind, I think there were two people at Karon’s house that day.”
Gage raked a hand over his face and scruffy jaw. He needed a doctor to check her out. He needed her to be safe. “Okay, don’t tell anyone else what you just told me.”
She nodded.
“Let’s go see this doctor who is taking care of Donna and knows about the drugs. Get your blood drawn. Get you taken care of.” He squeezed her hand again. It was getting to be a habit—the only way he could get closer to her. Closer when he really shouldn’t.
A half an hour later, Sadie rested in a hospital bed while they waited for the blood work. Gage stood outside her room waiting on the security detail he’d called in.
The elevator dinged and Jonna Strand strode toward him. Beautiful like her sister Sadie, she was taller and much thinner. “I got your message. What’s going on. Why all the secrecy?”
“Sadie is still in danger. I don’t know who I can trust to watch over her and keep her safe in the hospital. I have to run an errand.”
“You’re kidding.” She arched a dark brow.
“I’m dead serious.” He fisted his hands on his hips. “You were an ICE agent once.”
“You’re asking me to stand bodyguard over my sister.”
“I am.”
She rolled her head back, taking in his request, then leveled her gaze on him. “Okay then.”
“Don’t let anyone take her out of here. Watch everyone like a hawk who goes in to see her—law enforcement included. In fact, maybe say she’s resting, but watch medical personnel, as well. And don’t scare her, or let her know that I left. I don’t want her to try and follow me.”
“No, we wouldn’t want that, would we?” Amusement danced in her eyes to go with her sarcastic tone, then her features turned somber. “Am I allowed to know what I’m up against?”
“You’re up against someone who wants to kill her.”
“And you didn’t call in actual law enforcement, so that tells me something.”
“You’re her sister. Nobody will care as much as you.”
“Except maybe...you.”