COAST GUARD PROTECTOR

Marine biologist Sadie Strand is back in her coastal hometown to prove her best friend was murdered—but searching for evidence almost costs Sadie her life. Abducted, drugged and left for dead on a sinking boat, she’s barely rescued in time by Coast Guard Investigative Service special agent Gage Sessions, an old friend. Assigned to protect Sadie and connect three complicated cases, Gage risks his life time and again to make sure the woman he once loved survives. But although the handsome, guarded agent vows to protect her, someone will keep killing to ensure the truth never rises to the surface.

ELIZABETH GODDARD is the award-winning author of more than thirty novels and novellas. A 2011 Carol Award winner, she was a double finalist in the 2016 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense, and a 2016 Carol Award finalist. Elizabeth graduated with a computer science degree and worked in high-level software sales before retiring to write full-time.

Also By Elizabeth Goddard

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Thread of Revenge

Texas Ranger Holidays

Texas Christmas Defender

Wilderness, Inc.

Targeted for Murder

Undercover Protector

False Security

Wilderness Reunion

Mountain Cove

Buried

Untraceable

Backfire

Submerged

Tailspin

Deception

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk

Thread of Revenge

Elizabeth Goddard

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-08058-3

THREAD OF REVENGE

© 2018 Elizabeth Goddard

Published in Great Britain 2018

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

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“I’m glad you’re the one assigned to find my friend’s killer,” Sadie said.

She bit her lip and added, “I feel safe when I’m with you.” She averted her gaze as if it was too hard to see his reaction to her words.

They only served to further ignite his protectiveness.

He needed to focus. “The fact that you were abducted from her beach house and left to drown on a sinking boat suggests there must be something in this house worth looking at.”

“And someone doesn’t want me digging around and finding out who killed her.”

A lump grew in his throat as he stared up at the beach house.

The sudden sense that someone was watching them crawled over him. Trees butted up near the house that faced the ocean. Waves crashed against the rocks behind them. Was he making a mistake?

Gage grabbed Sadie’s hand and headed back toward his SUV. “This is too dangerous. I should never have brought you here.”

The air whooshed from his lungs as a concussive explosion slammed his back, forcing him to the ground.

Dear Reader,

I’m so glad you took the time to read Thread of Revenge, and I hope you enjoyed the story. As always, I had a lot of fun writing the novel and living my life vicariously through my characters as they tried to survive and solve the puzzle of who was trying to kill them. In my research, this story took me into the dark world of drug smuggling, and into the new and terrifying world of designer drugs, online ordering of those drugs, along with postal service delivery. Writing stories like this can often leave me concerned about the world we live in, and for my children’s future, but I have to remind myself that God is with me. He will never leave nor forsake me. And I know that to be true.

I pray for His wisdom and guidance in your life, and that you’ll know without a doubt that He’s with you, even when you’re struggling through the darkest of times. I pray His many blessings on you, my friend.

If you’d like to know more about me or my books, please connect with me at my website: ElizabethGoddard.com. You can find my Facebook and Twitter pages there too. I hope to hear from you soon!

Blessings!

Elizabeth Goddard

Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

—Deuteronomy 31:6

To Dan, my hero.

Acknowledgments

A writer can’t create a novel in a vacuum. We can’t write the stories alone. We need experts to help us get it right. Many thanks to those who helped me with various aspects of this story. Susan Sleeman—thanks for your police-procedural expertise and your brainstorming help. Martin Roy Hill—I couldn’t have written this story without your expertise on all things Coast Guard. I especially appreciate your naming of the USCGC Kraken! And last but never least, I want to thank my editor, Elizabeth Mazer, and my agent, Steve Laube, for believing in my stories!

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Introduction

Dear Reader

Bible Verse

Dedication

Acknowledgments

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

TWELVE

THIRTEEN

FOURTEEN

FIFTEEN

SIXTEEN

SEVENTEEN

EIGHTEEN

NINETEEN

Extract

ONE

Her head throbbed and grogginess gripped her. She rocked as if on giant waves. A deep, aching chill touched her feet. The coldness licked at her toes until she slowly realized the sensation felt more than cold—it felt wet.

Salty water.

Giant, rolling waves.

Blinking, Sadie Strand pushed through the debilitating fuzziness and stirred completely awake. She drew in a breath. A small silver dolphin pendant pressed into the gray marine carpet near her cheek. Confusion racked her thoughts. She released the pendant from its snare and pushed up on her elbows, nausea washing over her again. What? Where am I? By the listing of her quarters, she realized she was on a boat and waves caused the swaying motion, the violent rocking. Oh, no!

She glanced down to her feet.

Water flooded the vessel.

Panic swept over her with the force of a tidal wave. And then the boat pitched with the next wave and cold water rushed over her. She gasped and choked until she caught her breath again.

What is going on? She didn’t know how she’d ended up on this boat, but that didn’t matter so much as how she was going to get off. She rolled to her knees to stand and get her sea legs to walk with the lurching, rolling of a boat in a storm. A sinking boat, no less.

Sadie made her way to the helm in search of the radio, aware that with each second that passed, the boat took on more water. Maybe she only needed to find the pump and expel the water from the storm, except it was already too late. The pump, if there was one, would be beneath the water that clearly rushed in from not only belowdecks, but above as waves crashed over the sinking vessel.

A drowning death was her worst nightmare. Oh, God, please help me! But it looked like that was exactly what was about to happen. Sadie was going to die in a watery grave.

Just like Karon.

That is, if she didn’t find a way to survive, or if someone didn’t come to her aid. At the helm, she found the radio and turned to the channel the Coast Guard, marine patrol or any other authorities might monitor.

“Mayday, Mayday, Mayday! I’m sinking. Is anyone out there? Mayday. Mayday!” Sadie repeated her calls. She glanced at the dash to relay her coordinates but nothing worked so she couldn’t know her exact location. The cold water assured her she must be somewhere in the North Pacific off the Washington coast where she’d been before waking up on the boat.

How could this happen? She continued calling for help, then realization slowly dawned. In her panic she hadn’t noticed the red light wasn’t flickering. There wasn’t the telltale squawk. Nothing. It was dead. The radio was unresponsive. Broken. Just like everything else.

That news hit her like an anchor, heavy and bone jarring. Someone had obviously sabotaged the vessel. They’d deliberately set her up to die.

Tears burned her eyes. “Oh, Karon,” she whispered. “I wanted to know what happened... I wanted to know, and now I think I do. But I don’t know why someone killed you. Or who!”

Memories rushed back at her. She’d been going through Karon’s things, looking for a clue as to why her best friend’s body had washed up on the beach. Then Sadie had woken up here. She had the sense that someone had been there in the house with her, but the image, the memory, was too vague. She couldn’t be sure. Nor could she worry about that now. Her life was in imminent jeopardy. How could she find Karon’s killer if she died too? And that gave her even more incentive to live. To survive. She had to find out who was behind this. She wouldn’t let them get away with it.

She searched for a life jacket or flotation device or smaller skiff attached to this boat before it plunged, submerging completely. Anything to which she could cling that would keep her above the surface of a blustering North Pacific Ocean.

But her search left her empty-handed. “Nothing!” Are you kidding me?

Of course, why would she expect there to be a flotation device if the radio had been sabotaged?

Her teeth chattered. Even if she found something to help her float, hypothermia would soon set in. And panic—the absolute worst thing she could do right now—washed over her again, flooding her soul with terror.

What do I do? What do I do?

“Okay, so I’m not going to save this boat, but I can hang on until the very last minute in case someone comes to help.” She said the words out loud, hoping to boost her confidence. But she fought against the reality of her dire predicament.

This wasn’t a princess story with a knight in shining armor to come to her rescue and guarantee a happy ending. And even if it were, she’d prefer to save herself.

Sadie went outside onto the deck to face the raging storm, and maybe even to face God. She stared up into the daunting black clouds as rain lashed her. “Why, God? Why?”

She felt so cliché in that moment, as if there had never been another person or literary character to stand in the rain to face the Creator of the universe—the calmer of storms, even—and ask that question. She searched for the horizon, but it was lost somewhere between the ocean and sky, both dark shades of gray.

How far was she from shore?

Could she swim?

In this weather, even if she didn’t exhaust herself fighting the storm as she swam and actually made it to the coastline, the ocean waves could dash her against the rocks. Same with the boat if it had power so she could run the engine and steer it toward shore.

Okay. No radio. No flotation device. And in a few minutes—less than half an hour or less, she’d say—no boat. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble to kill her in a way that would look like an accident and there wouldn’t be much evidence left behind to say otherwise. She was staying in Coldwater Bay with her aunt—a boating and fishing community. Boating accidents happened. But there would be no one to question her death like she questioned Karon’s.

Why had someone killed her friend? Why were they trying to kill her? Some secret that was too important to expose?

The killer had to have made a mistake along the way. Sadie would be the one to find it. She wasn’t about to give up. Except she hung on to the boat in water up to her chest. Frosty, biting water, and her limbs grew numb. Giving up might not be within her control.

Her teeth chattered as she tried to force out the words. “I’m sorry, Aunt Debby.” And to her siblings, “Cora, Quinn and Jonna. I’m really sorry.”

With their parents’ tragic deaths more than a decade ago, they’d already lost so much, and losing Sadie would be so hard for them. Her death in this watery grave would leave them with questions instead of closure. She’d never felt so heartsick than in this moment when she realized there was nothing she could do—no grand scheme to win the day. No brilliant ideas that would save her from inescapable drowning.

* * *

Soaked and chilled to the bone despite his protective garb, CGIS—Coast Guard Investigative Service—special agent Gage Sessions stood at the helm of the USCGC Kraken with Lieutenant Johns, who had steered the eighty-seven-foot cutter straight into the storm. The twenty-foot swells had only just begun subsiding along with the fifty-knot winds as the storm slowly passed over them.

He’d joined the Kraken’s crew as part of a counter-drug smuggling operation, but one particular group eluded him. In the Pacific Northwest, the drug cartels were usually Russian or Asian. The last few months, intel had him chasing the Chang brothers, and he was getting close, but they always evaded him. He might have to work undercover if he was ever going to catch the brothers in the act.

In the interim, they’d received a distress call. Someone spotted a sinking boat and had shared the coordinates but were unable to assist.

Their counter-drug-smuggling operation had suddenly changed to a rescue mission.

Finding the sinking boat in the Pacific during a storm—well, it could already be too late. The boat had likely been tossed miles from the original location where it had been spotted. And in this storm, he didn’t hold out much hope. But he wouldn’t give up yet either.

God, please guide us. Show us where to find the boat, or PIW—person in water, as it might turn out. In that case, the PIW hopefully had on a life jacket or clung to a flotation device. That person would be hoping and praying that the Coast Guard would find and save them. Every minute, every second, counted.

If they had already lost the boat, they would be more easily missed. The vastness of the ocean was cruel in that way.

He was grateful they had been out here, as it was, on the eighty-seven-footer WPB-class Coast Guard patrol cutter—equipped to handle rescues on the high seas. Except, regardless of the equipment, there weren’t enough Coast Guard vessels to adequately protect the ninety-five thousand miles of coastline. That was roughly four and a half million square miles of United States maritime territory. And that made Gage even more concerned they wouldn’t find the sinking boat in time to rescue the person or people involved.

“I see something,” Johns said.

His pulse jumped.

Gage caught sight of something in the water too, just before it disappeared behind another swell. Rain and waves beat the cutter and the small crew of the Kraken. Unlike the Chang brothers, who eluded them because of the storm, whoever was on that sinking boat out there was at the storm’s mercy.

Gage gripped the rail, willing the Kraken to fight the waves, to move faster as it clashed with the treacherous Pacific.

“Come on. If we lose sight of the object in the water now, we probably won’t get another chance,” Gage yelled over the spray of salt water that came with each gust.

He thought his words might have been lost to the wind even though he stood right next to the guy.

“You’re not a crew member, Sessions,” Johns shouted. “You could go back down where it’s warm and dry and let us deal with it.”

“There.” Gage spotted the boat and his stomach plummeted with the crest of the wave. He could see only the top of the vessel. It was about to go under and someone held on to the bow. “Hurry or we’ll be too late!”

Johns urged the Kraken closer.

“Throw the line, we’ll drag him in!” Baines called.

Throw, row and go. That was the usual CG adage to rescue a sinking boat or someone who was about to drown.

A crew member tossed the line over the side, but the rough seas wouldn’t cooperate. The boat dipped completely under.

“Throw it again.”

Gage peered through binoculars, a challenge with the high seas and constant rain. He caught a glimpse of someone...a woman.

He knew her.

Gage’s heart squeezed.

No. It couldn’t be. He swiped an arm over his eyes and blinked the rain and ocean away, frustrated with the wrath of nature. He trained his binoculars again. Where are you? Where are you...

There. In an instant, he got a good, close look at the panic-stricken face. The relief that the Coast Guard had arrived and the hope they would rescue her. The fact that he knew this woman sunk into his marrow.

That changed everything.

“Captain, we can’t get the line to her. The storm is making that impossible.”

“Let’s take the inflatable out to her then.” While crew members prepared the boat, Gage watched the swells overwhelm her. She appeared so small by comparison.

His gut tensed. “She’s not going to make it if we don’t get someone in the water now!”

“Get belowdecks now, Agent Sessions,” Johns said. “This isn’t part of your operation.”

“I know that woman!” I cared about her once. And he still did.

Johns nodded to crew members behind Gage and they grabbed his arms, presumably to escort him belowdecks. Gage shrugged free. He lifted his hands in mock surrender. “I’m going, I’m going.”

I’m going in to get her myself.

This time, Gage wasn’t willing to wait around for them to cross every t and dot every i. For them to follow their rules and processes. Images of a failed rescue attempt during a storm like this accosted him.

And this was Sadie. He’d rather risk his life than sit by and watch this unfold before him. Gage prepared his own tender line and hooked himself up. He could act now and ask forgiveness later. The smaller boat wasn’t even in the water yet. The tension in his gut twisted into a tight knot.

It was taking them far too long. The woman had minutes. Seconds even.

His actions were against all procedure.

“Hey, what are you doing?” someone shouted.

Uh-oh. Time was up. It was now or never.

The thick-necked Baines came running toward him, his intention to tackle Gage more than clear. He turned to confront the sea. A wave engulfed him as he stood ready to face off with the beast. Gage snatched a rescue buoy and dragged in a long, deep breath, then he launched himself into the shockingly cold water of the Pacific. He would trust Baines to handle the tender line appropriately.

Gage was in the water, and he was going after the woman. End of discussion.

Shouts and whistles from the shocked crew joined the roar of the storm. He swam furiously against the invincible force of nature, the huge swells and rough water preventing him from catching his breath. Time wasn’t on his side, but he swam forward with only one goal in mind.

Find her. Save her.

With Baines managing the tender line, Gage trusted he wouldn’t be lost at sea, and kicked harder, fighting against this monster ocean railing in the storm. How much more difficult this would be if they weren’t on the waning side of it.

Sadie was definitely the PIW—he saw her clearly now—and she waved at him, then dropped out of sight beneath the surface. In that glimpse of her, he realized she wore no life jacket. Treading water, she fought the sea on her own strength, which must be weakening. With his effort to reach her, his heart banged against his rib cage. Coast Guard protocol would dictate his objective was to establish communication with her, encourage and instruct her. Right. No time for that.

Please, God, let me save her!

Gage swam to where he last saw her. She hadn’t resurfaced. She could be anywhere beneath the water. A current could have swept her far away from him.

“No!” He dove beneath the surface but the too-violent, dark water offered zero visibility.

The crew members of the Kraken shouted at him. Blew their whistles. He glanced back and saw them pointing. They must have spotted Sadie. They’d released the smaller boat into the water, as well. Good. Gage started swimming in the direction they pointed. He couldn’t see her, but hoped he would connect.

Then she bobbed above the water, riding high on a rising swell. Gage had to get to her—he could see in her eyes that if he didn’t reach her this time, she was done. Her lips were blue already. She had to be a good swimmer to have survived this long, but even his limbs would begin to fail him soon. He was pushing the limits.

Gage forced himself to swim harder and faster against one of the strongest forces of nature, and likewise Sadie swam toward him, her strength fading, her desperation warring against her biology. The swell crested and buried her again, sucking her down and under.

Gage dove beneath it, a calculated risk on his part, and gave one last thrusting lunge for her. He felt the tug of his tender line—the Kraken crew members trying to tow him back to safety.

“No, no!” He yanked the line, hoping someone would get his message, give him the slack he needed.

He tried again...

And touched something. A hand? He grabbed it, lunged forward and wrapped his arms around her body as he held on to the rescue buoy. Rescuing a drowning person was a dangerous task—that person was reduced to their basest survival instincts and would often drown their rescuers in the process.

Sadie had already turned into that drowning person.

And she fought him. Dragged him under. Instinctually. Nothing she could control. Her survival instincts had taken over. The right thing to do, and what protocol demanded, was that he hit her hard enough to knock her out and save them both. But since when had he gone with protocol? He grabbed her arms and willed her to be still, to trust him, and she relaxed.

Now. It was now or they would both be lost.

He felt the tug of his tender line, and he held on to her. His pulse shot up even higher, if that were possible. They breached the surface. When he looked in her face he saw why she’d relaxed. She was unconscious. Unresponsive. Drowned already?

Oh, no! No, God, please, let her live.

Suddenly, she coughed up water, even as a wave crashed over them, but he held tight. The Kraken crew wouldn’t let him down.

“We’re going to make it. You’re going to be okay.” He stared into the familiar crystal-blue eyes, which widened with recognition, while the tender line tugged them back and the smaller Coast Guard inflatable made its way toward them in the dangerous waters. “I’ve got you and I won’t let go. You’re safe now.”

She shook her head. Her teeth chattered as she struggled to speak. “Not. Safe. Someone. Tried...to kill me.”

TWO

In the hospital room being treated for hypothermia, Sadie counted her blessings and watched Aunt Debby pace the small space. The woman had raised Sadie and her three siblings when their parents died over a decade ago.

“Jonna called to say she would come see you later today,” Aunt Debby said.

Sadie’s sister Jonna ran a lodge on the coast. It would take her an hour to get here if she could even get away.

“Why did you call her?” Sadie repositioned her pillow. “I don’t want anyone to worry about me. I’m okay. I didn’t die out there.”

Aunt Debby started wringing her hands. Sadie wished she would sit down and relax.

“No, but you came close.” Aunt Debby probably still grieved her sister and brother-in-law’s deaths, even after fifteen years. “I tried to contact Cora, but she works on that research vessel and all I could do was leave a message.”

A marine archaeologist, Sadie’s sister Cora explored shipwrecks. Admittedly, that made Sadie envious at times. And her DEA agent brother Quinn... Aunt Debby didn’t even mention him. Nobody had heard from him in far too long. He preferred it that way.

Regardless, Sadie definitely didn’t want her siblings involved because that could put them in danger, as well.

Though she hated causing her aunt more distress, the woman needed to know.

“Someone tried to kill me,” she said.

Concern rippled over Aunt Debby’s features and she slowly sat on the bed. “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”

“Because I didn’t want you to worry.” Not yet. Not until she spoke again with Gage Sessions. She still struggled to grasp he’d been the one to rescue her. Save her life.

On the Coast Guard cutter that brought her to safety and the Coldwater Bay Hospital, Gage had been more than reassuring when he’d wrapped the blanket around her. Then at the hospital, he’d suggested she rest. She might remember more about what happened so she could answer the questions when someone came to investigate.

Sadie had last seen Gage in college over seven years ago. They’d been close friends then. He’d cared about her as more than a friend, she’d known, but she hadn’t felt the same because she had been in love with someone else. Would the outcome have been different today if it had been a stranger rather than Gage risking his life to save hers?

Aunt Debby pressed her hand on Sadie’s forehead as though checking her temperature, unease still evident in her eyes. “And you’ve told the sheriff?”

“I told the Coast Guard and someone is letting the sheriff’s department know for me.”

“Good. You’ve been through a lot. Just get some rest and once your core temperature is back up, they’ll release you. I’ll take you home and take care of you. Remember, you’re not in this alone, Sadie.”

“I know.” And Sadie thanked God for her family.

She closed her eyes and rested on the pillow. She wished she could remember everything that had happened. One minute she was at Karon’s house. The next she was on that boat fighting to survive. Who did the boat belong to, anyway? With it hidden in the depths of the Pacific, would she ever find out?

If only she could remember more. Was hypothermia messing with her memories? When she’d woken up on the boat, she’d been extremely groggy with the world’s worst headache. That hadn’t been hypothermia. No—she’d been drugged.

A flash of a memory zinged back to her.

Sadie glanced down at her hospital gown. “Aunt Debby?”

“Yes, sweetie?”

“Where are my clothes?”

Her aunt chuckled. “It’s customary to wear a hospital gown in the hospital. Don’t you remember changing?”

Vaguely. “No, I mean, what happened to them after I changed into this?”

“Oh, I took them home to wash and dry them.”

Oh, no. “Could you do me a favor? I need you to go through the pockets of my hoodie. I found something on the boat. It could be important.” The pendant was a link, the proof she needed that Karon had been on that same boat. Possibly evidence that Karon’s killer was now after Sadie.

A chill crawled over her that had nothing to do with her recovery from hypothermia.

Aunt Debby agreed to search her pockets back at the house and left Sadie alone with her thoughts, which turned out to be a bad idea. She couldn’t exactly rest like everyone insisted when someone had gone to such trouble to attempt to kill her.

She wished Jonna was here already. Her sister had been an ICE agent while living in Miami. Sadie didn’t know what had happened in Florida to send Jonna running back to Washington. She only knew it had been something bad, and Jonna hadn’t wanted to talk about it. So maybe she wouldn’t help Sadie feel all that safe.

Fortunately, she didn’t have long to fret. In walked Gage Sessions, his presence filling her with relief and the overwhelming impression that she was safe with him. And why shouldn’t it? He’d saved her today, after all, and she could still sense the protectiveness, the heroism, pouring off him. But she didn’t want him to notice just how relieved she was to see him. More to the point...

“Gage, I remember.” She sat up in bed. “It’s starting to come back to me now.”

“You mean why you were on the boat?”

“Well, sort of. That part is still fuzzy, but what happened before.”

He moved closer to the bed, his form trim and fit, his jaw strong and his bright hazel eyes sharp. With his sun-bleached hair, he was the same guy from a few years ago, yes, but there was something different about him. He seemed more self-assured. Experienced. A thrill ran through her. Really, Sadie. Focus.

“Well, I’m listening.” He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall closest to her bed.

“Okay, give me a second.” She squeezed her eyes shut and dragged in a few breaths. “I’d gone to Karon’s house with her mother’s approval. Her mother had thought Karon’s death suspicious and I agreed. It’s hard to believe that Karon, a marine science major working at an environmental company, a good swimmer and certified scuba diver, had drowned. If she’d intended to swim at all for some sort of research, she would have at least had on a dry suit to keep her warm. Karon had taken time off and was staying at their vacation rental house on the coast. Her mother—who lived on the other side of Coldwater Bay in Joshua—was planning to meet her there when she could get off work. Karon never returned to the house but instead her body was found...” Sadie couldn’t even choke out the rest. She closed her eyes and tried to shove aside the deep anguish in her heart at the loss of her very dearest friend.

When she opened her eyes again and looked at Gage, his gaze was penetrating. Almost accusing. “So you went to her house for your own investigation.”

She shrugged. “Yeah. There wasn’t any crime scene tape or anything. The authorities ruled her drowning death an accident.”

“What happened next?”

She tried to picture everything in her mind. Tried to remember it all. “Her vacation rental house is right along the beach above the rocks. I remember thinking how apropos that the storm clouds were brewing in the distance. I couldn’t understand why no one in law enforcement found her death suspicious.”

“They’ll listen now, Sadie, since someone tried to kill you.”

She was glad she could talk to him and he really listened and believed her. It was just like old times, only much more serious. “Not just someone, Gage. The same person.”

“Keep talking.”

“I came back for the funeral. I’d been in Indonesia researching for a grant I desperately need—I’m a marine biologist now—when I got the call. Nothing could have brought me back. Nothing except the death of someone I love. Do you understand?”

His expression turned somber yet compassionate. He moved closer, appearing absorbed in her story. “Yes, I think I do. What happened next at Karon’s house? I want to know how you ended up on the boat.”

He questioned her like an investigator, keeping her on track. “Well, I remember something crashed outside the house. I thought it was a garbage can. I glanced out the window but saw nothing but branches scratching the glass with the gust of wind. I booted up Karon’s laptop and what I found stunned me. I guess it shouldn’t have.”

Gage inched closer. “What did you find?”

“The thing had been wiped clean.”

“And did you call the authorities?”

“No. That’s where my memories grow fuzzy and unclear. I had this creepy sensation that someone was watching me. I can’t say for sure but I think someone was there with me. I remember...someone. Just not who or even what they looked like. If it was a man or a woman. And the next thing I remember is waking up on that sinking boat with no radio or flotation devices. My head was pounding, and I felt woozy, weird, like the effects of a drug wearing off. Someone wanted me dead. Talk about the perfect crime.”

When she lifted her gaze to meet Gage’s, he appeared visibly shaken. “It would only have been the perfect crime if you had died. Sounds like you were definitely drugged. But did the person responsible intend for the drugs to keep you asleep until you drowned? Or had they meant for you to wake up and know the situation was hopeless, which could mean a personal motive for murder? Either way...” Gage cleared his throat instead of finishing the sentence.

His deep concern surprised her.

She would finish the sentence for him. “Either way, it means I’m still in danger once they know I survived.”

* * *

Gage paced the hallway outside Sadie’s hospital room. He hadn’t revealed his role as an investigator for the Coast Guard because he didn’t want to give her false hope that he would help her. Or that his SAC—special agent in charge—would assign him. Another CGIS special agent, Thompkins, had already investigated Karon’s death along with the sheriff’s office and ruled it an accident.

Could they have been wrong? That’s why Gage had wanted to question Sadie himself. That, and, well...they’d been friends. In that sense he would always be there for her, and it seemed that life had a torturous way of bringing them back together every few years.

He had no other responsibility to her and could have gone straight back to work, but for two things.

Her words to him about someone trying to kill her.

And the fact that it was Sadie Strand that he’d pulled from the ocean. He couldn’t believe it when he finally realized who the woman in the water was. He couldn’t believe it when he’d swum to her, fighting against the ferocious Pacific, and finally gathered her into his arms. He wasn’t someone easily traumatized.

But that incident had shaken him.

They’d grown up in the same small town in Coldwater Bay. Had gone to school together. He’d had a crush on her back then, but she’d never noticed him. Then they’d met again at the University of Washington in Seattle and had become close friends. Frequently shared long walks on the beach. And yeah, he’d gotten that crush on her again.

She hadn’t noticed that time either because she’d been smitten with someone else. At least that’s what he told himself. Maybe it had been a lie. Regardless, there was always someone else to catch her attention. Of course, that had been years before and Gage had gotten over her a long time ago. They’d been friends and he would always care about her that way. None of those residual romantic feelings remained, for which he was grateful. Still, finding her and saving her from near death had unsettled him.

He waited in the hall now for someone from the sheriff’s department so he could share what she’d told him and watch his reaction. A deputy sheriff strode straight for Gage. He knew the investigative deputy, Bob Crowley, and tried to work with him when their investigations crossed, but that wasn’t always possible.

“Good to see you, Sessions,” Deputy Crowley said. “Sorry it took me so long to get here.”

“Not a problem.” It gave him an excuse to hang around and talk himself out of going back into Sadie’s room.

“Tell me what you know.” Looking beat, Crowley rubbed his neck as if he’d already pulled an all-nighter.

Gage told him what Sadie had shared with him, including her belief that Karon was murdered and she’d become the target now. “I asked the doctor to run blood tests to find out what drug is in Sadie’s system.”

“Karon Casings’s death was already ruled an accident. That comes from me. The other CGIS agent looked into it since she was Coast Guard reserve and decided her death had nothing to do with her duties, so he didn’t have any jurisdiction. Maybe Sadie is distraught over her death and not thinking clearly. Her story sounds far-fetched,” Crowley added. “What do you think?”

Was Crowley serious? Or was Gage’s relationship with Sadie clouding his judgment about the facts? He didn’t think so. He believed someone had tried to kill her, but he based that solely on her word. Gage hesitated with a reply. He didn’t want to give too much away. He believed it was always best to wait and watch people. “I guess it all depends on why someone would want to kill Karon, and then Sadie? Any ideas on that?”

“None.” Crowley frowned and glanced up and down the hallway.

Gage would talk to Agent Thompkins about it too. Two investigators claimed Karon’s death was an accident. What had they missed? Was it possible that Karon’s death had, in fact, been an accident, but someone had tried to kill Sadie and they were two separate cases? Sadie had been in Karon’s home when she’d been abducted and placed on the boat to die. No. Definitely connected.

Gage pressed his fist against his lips and thought about Sadie. She’d been all about protecting marine life and conservation. All about justice for those who couldn’t protect themselves. Gage didn’t feel comfortable walking away from this, walking away from her. And if this was connected to Karon and her death hadn’t been an accident—what was going on? Could he let someone else investigate even if he had no jurisdiction?

No. No, he couldn’t. In the end, his SAC would have the last say, but Gage could be persuasive when he wanted. He just needed a valid motive.

Then finally, he said, “We’ll see what the blood test says. I’ll talk to my SAC. We might need to reopen Karon Casings’s investigation too.”

Crowley pursed his lips, hung his head and shook it. “I thought you were in the middle of trying to catch the drug smugglers off our coast. What are you even doing here, Sessions?”

“I pulled Sadie from the water. Or did I forget to mention that? But you’re right. I’m working on drug runners.” He’d just have to handle both cases. “So what’s it going to be, Crowley? Are you going to listen to her story or not?”

“All right. I’ll go talk to her.” Crowley put his hands on his hips. “But Karon’s death was an accident. End of story. Maybe I can convince her of that.”

Maybe, but you can’t convince me just yet after what happened today. Gage held his tongue and nodded, still troubled by everything that had happened and unsure what he was supposed to do. Uncertain if he could leave Sadie to face this with anyone except him by her side. With Crowley to look into things. It would all depend on his SAC’s take on it. But what if the man didn’t want to reopen the Casings investigation? What about Sadie? Someone had tried to kill her and she wasn’t Coast Guard. Crowley would be in charge of that. Could he trust the deputy to protect her and find the truth?

Gage’s cell rang. He glanced at the phone. Crowley waited for him to take the call, acting as if he had more to say. Gage answered.

“I’ve got some news.” It was his SAC—Jim Sullivan—at the regional headquarters in Seattle.

“What’s happened?”

“Lieutenant Sean Miller’s body washed up. Two bullets to the back. The same kind of bullets your drug runners use. So it could definitely be tied to your investigation, Gage. I need you to get to the scene the next county up.” Jim relayed the coordinates and ended the call. Well, that was it then. His spirits sank at the thought of leaving Sadie, but he had his orders. He’d talk to Jim about what happened today, but Gage doubted he would see Sadie any time soon until fate pushed them together again.

He lifted his gaze to meet Crowley’s. “A Coastie’s body washed up on the beach north of Coldwater Bay. Next county over, so your counterpart will meet me there to conduct his own investigation. I guess I have my marching orders. I’ll leave you to take care of Sadie.” And saying those words pained him more than it should. She wasn’t his responsibility. He struggled to force one foot in front of the other to leave her and trudged slowly toward the exit.

“Sessions, wait.”

Gage slowed and turned around. “What?”

“That would be the second body in two weeks, wouldn’t it? The other one belonged to Karon Casings, as you know. But Karon’s mother told me that Karon had been seeing someone. He’d been on leave and nobody could tell me where he’d gone. But he didn’t come to her funeral.”

Gage stiffened. Could it be? “What was his name?”

Crowley’s lips flattened. “Lieutenant Sean Miller.”

Gage glanced at the door to Sadie’s hospital room. And Karon Casings had been Sadie Strand’s best friend. The three incidents were all connected.

Fear fisted around his heart and wouldn’t let go. Sadie was in danger.

THREE

Exhaustion would overwhelm her soon. She hoped the deputy would finish up.

“Thanks for answering my questions,” Deputy Crowley said. “You’re sticking around town in case we have more, right?”

“Of course. I’m not leaving until I know who’s responsible for what happened to Karon. Finding out who tried to kill me today will give me that answer.”

Deputy Crowley angled his head, a deep crease in his brow. “We’ll see what we can find out. I need a number and an address where I can reach you if I have further questions.”

“I live with my aunt Debby.” She gave him the address.

After college she’d been busy traveling, working and researching and never actually took the time to move out. But someone had attempted to kill her; she should reconsider staying at the house.

“We know where to find you then. Get some rest.” He turned to leave and just as he reached the door, she called out.

He turned to face her. “Yes, ma’am?”

“The other man, the one who pulled me out of the water.”

“Special Agent Sessions?”

Special agent? Why hadn’t she known he was in law enforcement, a special agent, at that? She’d assumed he was Coast Guard. He’d been on the Coast Guard cutter. She frowned. “Gage Sessions. Is he still out in the hallway?”

He shook his head. “No, ma’am. He left a while ago.”

She sagged at the news, surprised at how disappointed she was.

“Can I do anything for you?” he asked.

“Do you know if he’s coming back?”

“I couldn’t say, but it all depends on if he’s involved with the investigation.”

She nodded and the deputy exited.

After the hospital staff had come in to get her signature on release papers, she waited on Aunt Debby to give her a ride home.

Sadie rubbed her head, which still felt a little woozy. And after she got home, then what? She weighed her options. Common sense told her to go back to her research on the other side of the world and let the authorities find out who tried to kill her—she’d be safer that way too. Let them find out who had murdered Karon. But as a marine biologist, she was also a researcher—she conducted scientific investigations, as it were. She didn’t trust anyone else to be as thorough as she would be. Conducting her own investigation would mean putting her future on hold indefinitely—possibly missing her chance at the grant she wanted. Still, there was nothing more important to her than bringing Karon’s murderer to justice. And she wasn’t entirely confident that Deputy Crowley was the man for the job.

She hoped that Gage would be involved. But she was getting ahead of herself. First she needed to get out of this hospital room.

Someone knocked lightly on the door. “Sadie?”

Gage’s voice rang out. The sound warmed her.

“Come in.”

He opened the door and stepped all the way into the room. His shoulders were broad. And his arms. She remembered those strong arms around her, scooping her against him as she nearly drowned, swimming her to the smaller boat that took them to the Coast Guard cutter. The Kraken, if she remembered correctly.

An image came to mind. Gage Sessions swooping down from the Kraken to rescue her. And she’d thought it wasn’t a princess story, and more than that, she’d wanted to save herself. Ha!

She realized she was grinning.

He studied her with those alert hazel eyes, which seemed to take in every detail, everything about her. Her cheeks warmed. She was glad he couldn’t read her mind.

“It’s good to see you have your color back.” His smile was engaging.

“I’m so glad to see you. I wasn’t sure if you were coming back.”

His expression turned serious. “Of course. I had to make sure you’re going to be okay.”

“Earlier when you were here, I forgot to thank you for pulling me from the ocean.”

“You’re welcome.”

“I hope they didn’t give you a hard time. I heard that you kind of broke protocol.” And she wondered why. She had a feeling his willingness to risk his life in the ocean for her, and willingness to go against the Coast Guard’s protocol, had saved her life.

“Anything for a friend.” He jammed his hands in his pockets. “So...how are you doing? Really?”

She leaned back in the chair. That was a good question. Sadie closed her eyes to think. Looking at Gage was too distracting. She didn’t remember that about him from before. “I’m still shaky after everything.”

“That’s understandable.” Gage sat on the edge of the bed.

She opened her eyes. Yeah, he was still a distraction. “So what happens next?”

“Someone will investigate on your behalf, Sadie, don’t worry. In the meantime, my office will be looking into the death of your friend Karon again. We’ve learned some new information that gives us reason to believe you could be right that she was murdered.”

Sadie released a heavy sigh. “New information...you mean something more than I told you about what happened to me?”

He nodded gravely, but didn’t look like he was going to reveal anything else.

“Gage, you said your office. You mean the Coast Guard? You were on that cutter. What exactly do you do in the Coast Guard? The deputy called you a special agent. And you’re investigating. You never told me anything. I figured you’d just jumped in the water for me because you were part of the Coast Guard cutter.”

“I’m CGIS. Coast Guard Investigative Services. But I’m a civilian, not military. CGIS is a federal law enforcement agency. We operate outside the Coast Guard chain of command. That said, some agents are active duty military and others are Coast Guard reserve. And others like me are civilian special agents.”

“Oh.” Well, now, that was something. Impressive.

“And... I jumped in the water when I saw it was you. I had to save a friend.” That grin again.

What would have happened to her if she hadn’t had a friend out there today? Still, Karon hadn’t had a friend when she’d needed one. Fatigue tugged at Sadie and she yawned. “I want to help you with your investigation into Karon’s murder.”

“Wait. One, I’m not sure I’ll be the one to investigate. Two, you aren’t helping with the investigation, regardless. Let the authorities do their job without your interference. You don’t want to stand in the way of the process or hinder the investigation...or mess with evidence. Besides, it could be dangerous. Don’t forget, someone tried to kill you today.” He hung his head as if that thought disturbed him deeply, then raised it again.

“I haven’t forgotten, believe me. It’s obviously related, don’t you see?” Her voice pitched higher than usual, and a little too loud for the close quarters.

“Yes, I see. I assure you we’ll get to the bottom of this.”

“Gage, please see if they will let you be the one to investigate.”

“I don’t know. I’m already involved in another case—that’s how I ran into you on the ocean. I was out chasing down drug runners when we learned about your sinking boat.”

“I’d feel so much better if it were you—someone I know and trust. Will you talk to your boss?”

His forehead wrinkled.

“I mean, unless you don’t feel comfortable. I’m sorry. I guess I overstepped.”

“It’s not that.” He leveled his intense gaze on her again. “I’m concerned for your safety.”

And her heart swelled. She had the feeling if the deputy had told her the same thing, it wouldn’t have meant nearly as much.

“I’m back, sweetie.” Aunt Debby entered the room carrying a plastic bag of toiletries and clothes.

Aunt Debby nodded. “Hey, Gage. Good to see you again.”

He smiled. “Same here.”

Sadie grabbed the toiletries and clothes and changed in the bathroom.

When she stepped out fully dressed, Aunt Debby looked her up and down. “Oh. They’re releasing you so soon?”

Sadie chuckled. “You act like that’s a bad thing.”

“Well, no, it’s not. As long as you’re better and they’re not rushing the process.”

“I’ve been waiting on a wheelchair for half an hour. I wouldn’t call that rushing.”

“Why didn’t you call me? I would have come right back and lit a fire under them.”

“Now that you’re here maybe you can alert the nurse so we can get out of here.”

“I will. Just a second.” Her aunt dug around in her pocket. “Oh, I found that item you were looking for.”

She handed it to Sadie, then left the room. Sadie lifted the small dolphin pendant up to examine it in the light.

“What’s that?” Gage asked.

“Proof that Karon was on that same boat that sank today.”

* * *

Gage stiffened. This could be an important piece of evidence.

She held the silver pendant out. “It’s a dolphin. I gave it to her on her twenty-first birthday.”

Scraping a hand through his hair, he paced the room. The nurse pushed a wheelchair through the door, Aunt Debby behind her.

“All right. Your aunt tells me you’re ready to go home,” the nurse said.

Sadie nodded.

Gage couldn’t walk away from this. He’d been to the beach, met with the coroner and watched as Sean’s body was removed. Sean’s death had likely occurred two weeks after Karon’s, but that didn’t mean they weren’t related. And it was tied to the attempt on Sadie’s life somehow. His drug running investigation would normally take second place to a Coast Guard murder investigation, but his SAC wanted to know if the deaths were somehow tied to the drug runners. He could still assign Thompkins and not Gage. Since Gage had absolutely no intention of leaving Sadie without protection, he’d give Jim another call to press him.

And if Jim gave him what he wanted—to work the investigation on Sadie’s attempted murder as it tied to Karon’s death, which would give him the opportunity to protect her, Gage had to be careful. Under no circumstances could he let himself crush on her again.

An image flitted through his mind of them walking the beach together years ago. He’d been enamored with her, but all she talked about was the Coastie she was in love with. Gage had been able to get over her then. He’d moved on and found someone who returned his affection, and he allowed himself to fully, completely love. But that had left him heartbroken in the end.

Lesson learned—love wasn’t for him.

And carrying that lesson in his back pocket, no way would he have a thing for Sadie this time, no matter how much time they spent together. But his protective instincts had kicked into full throttle. He had to stick close enough for long enough to protect her and help her find the truth. He’d make a call to his SAC and hope for the best.

All this he considered as he walked alongside Sadie as the nurse pushed her in the wheelchair down the hallway.

“Sadie. I have a question about the dolphin pendant,” he said. “You woke up on a sinking boat and you thought to grab that?”

“My cheek was pressed into the carpet. The pendant was there when I opened my eyes. It was small but I recognized it, so I grabbed it.”

Gage tugged a latex glove from his pocket and held his palm out as she handed it over.

“You think you’re going to find prints on that after what it’s been through?” Aunt Debby asked.

He eyed her. “Has it been through the wash?”

“Well, if you count the ocean...”

“You never know. Maybe the tiniest fiber could be important, and it’s still there.” He stuck it in one of the small evidence bags he kept in his pocket. The sheriff’s department would take the lead on murder and attempted murder investigations, but the Coast Guard would conduct a parallel investigation of their own since a Coastie had been a victim, and they believed it could be tied to the drug runners. CGIS had jurisdiction over maritime drug smuggling. Gage hoped he could find the evidence he needed for jurisdiction. He would have to consider if he should turn this pendant over to Crowley or send it to be analyzed himself—that is, if he was assigned to the investigation. Otherwise, it would go to Thompkins.

“Wow, you’re prepared, aren’t you?”

“Always. In fact, I’m going to grab my vehicle and meet you at the exit.” He took off down the hallway and headed out the door. He jogged over to his SUV, holding the dolphin, proof, Sadie claimed, that Karon had been on that boat. It could be something. It could be nothing.

Inside the vehicle, he called his SAC at the regional headquarters in Seattle as he maneuvered over to the hospital doors where Sadie and her aunt would soon exit.

“Jim, glad I caught you.”

“You’re just the man I was about to call.”

“Oh?”

“Both CGIS special agent Thompkins and the sheriff’s department investigated Karon Casings’s death. You likely already know that nothing led them to conclude her death had been foul play or that the Coast Guard had any jurisdiction, even if it had been. I’m reopening the investigation into Karon’s death.” Jim hesitated, then said, “Gage, I need fresh eyes on this. With what you’ve told me about Sadie Strand, if you dig into who put her on that boat to die, you might find a link to Karon’s death and to your drug runners. You and Thompkins can work it from different angles.”

“I agree, sir. It has to be related.” Gage thought he heard something more in Jim’s words—some emotion he couldn’t quite pin down. Suspicion? “What if Karon and Sean had been on a boat? Maybe they ran into trouble out there. Sean was held against his will then shot and killed later so they washed up on shore at separate times.” How did all of this play into Sadie’s abduction and attempted murder?

“It’s your job to figure it out. And Gage...”

“Yes, sir?”

“We need to wrap this up quickly. I don’t want another Coastie washing up onto the beach.” Anger infused Jim’s tone, but Gage knew it wasn’t directed at him.

He ended the call, pleased on the one hand that he could stay close to Sadie, keep an eye out, as he investigated. But there was a downside to that—he’d have to stay close to Sadie.

When he pulled around the circular hospital drive for pickup and drop-off, Sadie was just being wheeled out the door, her aunt Debby plodding faithfully behind her. He hopped out and went around to open the door for her.

“What are you doing, Gage?” Debby asked. “I can take her home.”

He assisted Sadie up into his SUV, soaking in her smile.

“But we’re not going home, are we, Special Agent Sessions?” Her blue eyes shimmered with expectation.

And her smile engaged his heart a little too much so he looked back at her aunt. “Debby, if it’s all right with you, Sadie and I have somewhere to go. But I’ll take you over to your car so you don’t have to walk.”

“Nonsense. I can walk. I need the exercise. And for pity’s sake, the girl just got out of the hospital.” Her aunt appeared nonplussed, but her eyes twinkled as though she was glad something was going on between them. And Gage wished he hadn’t noticed that. Because he wasn’t taking Sadie out for a date. Nothing was going on between them.

“He’s taking me over to Karon’s vacation house, Aunt Debby.” Sadie leaned out the door and kissed her aunt on the forehead. “Don’t worry. I’ll be home for dinner.”

She was right about their destination, but what on earth had given her the idea he was taking her to Karon’s vacation house? Did she really know him that well? Or was it just the next logical step in the investigation?

Her aunt shook her head and walked off, mumbling to herself, though she had a teasing tone. “Kids these days.”

Gage climbed into the driver’s side. After she settled into the passenger seat, Sadie tilted her head toward him.

“I didn’t tell you I was assigned the investigation yet,” he said. “It’s awfully presumptuous for you to think I was, and then to include yourself in it, which isn’t how I normally work.” Still, he couldn’t help but grin at her. “So how did you know?”

“What, that we’re going back to the last place Karon had been? The last place I was before the boat?”

He nodded and shifted the SUV into gear. He’d follow Debby to her car and see that she got in and drove off. Then he’d call Crowley to let him know in case the man wanted to meet them there. He hoped they had already put crime scene tape up again since Sadie had been abducted from that location. Gage would officially be investigating Karon’s murder. And yes, he’d refer to it as a homicide now even if Crowley objected.

Sadie glanced his way, and he felt the tug of her gaze. He idled in the parking lot while Aunt Debby climbed into her midsize sedan.

“Because I can show you what the other guys missed and you know that,” Sadie said. “And I figure that you’re a hero, Gage, and there’s a killer still out there. That’s a ticking time bomb waiting to go off and I’m at the center of that explosion once he learns I survived. Now what are you going to do about it?”

FOUR

A ticking time bomb. Man, she had a way with words—a way to put the situation into a whole new perspective as if it were only a matter of time before the killer got his hands on her again and would finish the job. Gage already believed she was in danger. Her words had a profound effect on him, causing fear to cinch his throat.

“What am I going to do about it? Glad you asked. I have every intention of finding the person responsible.” And of protecting you, while I’m at it, Sadie Strand.

“So you’re the one who is going to investigate?” Her tone held a measure of hope.

That shouldn’t make him happy, but it did.

Sadie’s aunt safely in her car, Gage steered his vehicle out of the hospital parking lot. “Yes. I talked to my SAC. I’ve been assigned to investigate. Though Karon’s death was initially ruled an accident, there’s been another incident in addition to your attempted murder.” He’d alluded to it earlier but hadn’t told Sadie about Sean yet.

“And what’s that?”

“Listen, Sadie, let’s make one thing clear. I’m taking you to where you were abducted so that it will possibly trigger your memory. Whatever you tell me will help me to find Karon’s killer and your abductor all in one, but other than that, you’re not investigating with me. Understand?”

“Oh, really? You need me, special agent man. I know things that can help you, like you just said. For instance, I brought up the wiped computer hard drive and we’re going to check on that now and see if we can find anything else.”

“We won’t touch the computer if it’s there. I’ll have to call in a computer tech if we want anything found to be used in a criminal case. The fact that you already touched it could ruin that for us, but we’ll take this one step at a time. For my part, I’m only interested in what we can find as it ties to Karon’s duties as a Coast Guard reservist or to the maritime drug smuggling ring I’m investigating.”

“I don’t understand. Aren’t you trying to find who killed her?”

Yes and no. How did he explain?

“I’m investigating her murder as it pertains to the ring. Finding whoever left you out there could lead me to those involved. Was Karon murdered by the drug runners? Those who are involved in the ring? Or was she involved with them somehow?”

“What? No way!”

“Those were just sample questions. Was she associated with anyone possibly connected to the drug runners and maritime smuggling ring?” Yes, with Sean, depending on how he tied into it. Thompkins was looking into that.

“I don’t know of anyone.”

“What else can I learn about her murder that will lead me to the smugglers who will either be arrested for her murder or for drug running, or both? That’s why I will work with the sheriff’s department and other law enforcement entities as necessary. My goal is to determine if charges can be brought under the laws the Coast Guard enforces.”

Sadie appeared to slump as if disappointed. He touched her arm. “You should know something. If my SAC hadn’t assigned me, I would have pushed for it.” Now, why did he think she had needed to know that?

But her spirits appeared to lift, so he’d been right to share.

“Thank you, Gage. I’m glad you’re the one to find Karon’s killer. And... I feel safe when I’m with you.” She averted her gaze as if it was too hard to see his reaction to her words.

They had served only to further ignite his protectiveness.

He needed to focus back on task. “I’ll have to meet up with the other CGIS special agent and get his notes. I’ll read them tonight. But the fact that you were abducted from Karon’s house and left to drown on a sinking boat suggests there must be something in the house worth looking at.”

“And someone doesn’t want me digging around and finding out who killed Karon.”

A lump grew in his throat. He’d saved Sadie from the ocean, from the attempted murder. He prayed to God he could protect her until they caught the killer. Karon’s killer. Like his SAC had said, he wanted this solved quickly so no one else would die. Gage couldn’t agree more.

On the lengthy drive from the hospital back to the coast, he contacted Deputy Crowley and left a message that they were headed to the Casingses’ vacation house. A long peninsula separated Coldwater Bay from the ocean. Several rivers emptied into the bay bordered by a few small towns—Joshua, West Plymouth, Oyster City, Bay City and Jackson—where Sadie lived with her aunt on the cove side of Coldwater Bay. Finally, Gage steered the SUV down Oceanview Drive on the Washington state coastline, nearing the rental house where Karon had been staying.

Before him, the rock-studded coastline slid by.

Sadie leaned her elbow against the door and rested her chin on her hand. “Everything seems so surreal.”

Gage understood what she meant. Sadie had been out in the middle of stormy waters mere hours ago and had almost died. Likely would have if the Kraken hadn’t been on those waters, and maybe even if Gage hadn’t been there. Still, he wanted to keep her talking and asked, “How’s that?”

“I was just thinking about Coldwater Bay. The history of this place. Decades ago. A century ago even, this place was busy with trafficking, smuggling, and other crimes. But now it’s so peaceful as if none of that ever happened, with a thriving tourist economy. I guess after everything that happened today, I should say it only seems peaceful.”

“It seems like a dream that I grew up here and am back in Coldwater Bay on an investigation.” With you, no less! It hit too close to home. Fate was cruel or God had a sense of humor. He could decide which when this was over.

Finally, they neared Karon’s vacation house. Gage parked in the street in front, half on the grass, half on the asphalt. A sand drive led up to the house.

He shifted to face Sadie.

“It also seems like a dream that I almost drowned today. And that Karon is gone. Murdered.” She angled her head.

He wished she wouldn’t look at him like that, her soft blue eyes reminding him of moments like this in college. But several years and life experiences had changed them both. And today’s incident had also likely changed Sadie in ways she didn’t even realize yet.

She reached for the door handle. “She would never have been out in the water that cold without a dry suit.”

“That’s why things like that are called accidents, but now that it appears someone tried to stop you from interfering, we have to look deeper.” And end this before someone else got killed.

She opened the door.

“Sadie, wait.” Gage jumped out and ran around to stand in her way. “Wait for me. I’ve been put on this case now, sure, but it’s more than that. You can show me things I might not otherwise notice, yes, but the initial investigators have already searched the house for clues. Though they didn’t find anything, as you know, we should still be careful not to disturb anything that could turn out to be evidence or help us find out who did this to Karon.” He might want to bring in forensics. Since neither Thompkins nor Crowley had thought Karon had been murdered, they had likely missed something.

“Don’t you think I know that?” Her brows furrowed. “The initial investigators missed the proof. They probably didn’t even look at her computer. But I did and found it wiped clean.”

“Maybe they looked and found nothing suspicious. Maybe it wasn’t wiped when they were there, or they had no reason to even look. I’ll have to read through the report, like I said.” He held out his hand. “Come on. Let’s go.”

The sudden sense that someone was watching them crawled over him. Trees butted up near the house, which faced the ocean. Waves crashed against the rocks behind them. He squeezed her hand. Was he making a mistake?

A door shut. A man in a red cap that shadowed his face exited the house.

Gage froze. The man spotted him and took off running into the thick temperate forest that hugged the Washington coast.

“Wait in the truck.” Gage tossed the keys to Sadie and ran after the man.

“I’m not waiting here!” She followed Gage around the house and into the woods, but soon fell behind. He couldn’t leave her there alone. He’d lost the man anyway.

Gage backtracked through the trees and found Sadie behind a tree. He grabbed her hand and kept walking back toward his SUV. “This is too dangerous. I should never have brought you here.” He tugged his cell out to call for backup.

The air whooshed from his lungs as a concussive explosion slammed his back, forcing him to the ground.

* * *

Sadie lifted her face out of the sand, gasping for breath. What just happened? Her ears were ringing. Strong arms gripped her. Pulled her up and against a wide chest. Once again she found herself in Gage’s capable arms.

His face appeared blurry. His mouth was moving, but she couldn’t hear his words, understand them. But she knew he asked if she was okay.

She nodded. “I think...” How could she be sure? She focused on Gage. “Are you okay?”

He looked dazed himself. They sat there together for a few seconds.

Flames consumed the house—Karon’s family vacation house. Gage stood and pulled Sadie to her feet.

Dizziness swept over her, but she ignored it as she took in the utter devastation heating up the air around them. “Oh, no, Gage.”

Though her ears were still ringing, she heard her own voice this time.

He searched the ground near their feet and closer to the SUV.

“What are you looking for?” Sadie noticed a few chunks of the house—the roof, shards of glass from the windows, a splintered door—all these unintentional deadly weapons littered the yard.

“My cell. I was about to call for backup. Now we need emergency services. A fire truck.”

They could have been killed a thousand times over. They could have been inside the house when it blew up. Thank You, God! Her knees wanted to buckle but she refused to give in.

“There. I see it.” Sadie pointed at his cell on the ground a few yards away. She stuck close to him as he found the phone and examined it.

His demeanor on edge, he made a call as he held her gaze. “It’s ringing. Seems to be working fine.”

Phone to his ear, he led Sadie back to his SUV and they both climbed in. He locked the doors as he relayed the information regarding the blast. When he ended the call, he reached for Sadie’s hand, hesitated, then pulled back.

“They’re sending an ambulance too. I want you to go with them. You need to make sure you don’t have a concussion or internal injuries.”

“I think I’d know if I did.” Wouldn’t she? Though she couldn’t say she’d ever experienced a concussion before, or internal injuries for that matter. “And what about you? You need to make sure you’re all right too. Don’t try to be all tough guy on me, CGIS special agent Gage Sessions.”

She dragged out his name as an attempt to add humor to the situation, but it rolled over him. His gaze darkened. “I’ve been through worse. I need to stay and talk to the sheriff. He might be calling in state police at this point. Lots of law enforcement to deal with, and I need to stay connected.”

“I understand, but I don’t want to leave. I want to be part of it too.”

“You’re not an investigator, Sadie. I know you tried by looking through her house, but it’s not safe for you here at the moment.” He worked his jaw. “Whoever was in the house must have planted an explosive device. Or they could have cut the gas lines and rigged it to explode to possibly look like an accident.”

“Except we saw him leaving. But I didn’t get a good look.”

“Unfortunately, neither did I, but I know it was a man. He wore a red cap. I know his height and approximate weight. And he could still be out there somewhere watching us from a distance.” He reached over and this time he took her hand. “I won’t lie to you. Investigating is turning out to be more dangerous than I thought, but I want to keep you close. I want to make sure you’re okay and stay that way. I want to protect you if I can, but I’m not sure how I can do both.”

Protect her? Sadie wasn’t sure how to take his words. Was he saying them from his position as a CGIS special agent? Or was it coming from somewhere inside of him? Something far more personal. At the thought, her heart tingled with warmth that was more than what she should feel for a friend. She and Gage had been friends before and they were still friends. She trusted him with her life, but feeling something more for him? That would never work. Even though he wasn’t active duty or reserve Coast Guard and instead worked for CGIS as a civilian, he might as well be a Coastie, and Sadie had written off falling for a Coastie ever again.

Another smaller explosion at the house rocked the SUV. Sadie jumped and let out a small yelp. Gage leaned closer to her and together they watched the house now completely destroyed as the bright, hot flames continued to devour it.

A shudder ran over her.

Sadie pressed her face in her hands and leaned forward. Sucked in a few breaths.

Gage’s hand pressed against her back. “Sadie?”

“I’m good. I’m fine.” Karon had been murdered. Sadie had almost been murdered. And now Karon’s house. “I don’t understand. Why would someone go to all this trouble?”

Sirens resounded in the distance, coming from Bay City to the south. She sat up and watched the volunteer fire truck that carried a huge tank of water lumber up the drive to the house. The sheriff’s vehicles soon followed and parked along the street next to Gage’s SUV, and then the ambulance.

“Here’s your ride, Sadie.”

She didn’t want to go. She wouldn’t argue with him, but would simply ask the EMTs to look her over and leave her behind. Then Gage would have to keep her close, and she could find out more.

He exited the SUV and she followed his lead, getting out before he had the chance to open the door for her. He guided her over to the ambulance and handed her off to the EMT that jumped out. “You’ll be in safe hands now. I need to talk to the sheriff.”

Gage disappeared up the drive.

The EMT’s name was Gary and he assisted her onto a gurney, but she refused to lie down. “I’m okay. You can give me a once-over, but I’m not going anywhere with you.”

The scrawny, much-too-young-looking guy arched a brow. “If I find something that needs attention, you might change your mind.”

“I just got out of the hospital earlier today. I’m not changing my mind. I don’t want to go back for any reason.”

Gary listened to her heart and checked her vitals. Looked in her eyes. Just the basics. Then he tucked the equipment away. “I think you should let us take you to the hospital. Get your head checked out just to be sure it’s not something to be concerned about.”

“I promise I’ll set up an appointment later if I start feeling any symptoms. But I didn’t lose consciousness.” For more than a few seconds. She hoped her smile would convince him.

She let her gaze roam the area around the burning house and then twisted around to look behind her.

Was the man responsible for the explosion watching them? The water hose spray drew her attention. Firefighters directed the hose at the burning house, but now and then a flame would crackle and shoot back up. The propane tank had blown too.

Again, the sensation that someone watched her washed over her. Sadie hugged herself and rubbed her arms. Time to find Gage.

She left the ambulance to search for him. He wasn’t going to be happy she’d followed him closer to the house and the action, and hadn’t stayed behind for her own safety, as he would put it. But she felt safer with him.

She found him speaking with the sheriff and another deputy—the same guy who questioned her in the hospital. Deputy Crowley. He’d seemed nice enough at the hospital, but she wouldn’t take the chance that he would send her away from the scene. Sadie hung back near one of their official vehicles, almost hidden, so she could catch some of their words, though with the fire hose and the residual ringing in her ears, she couldn’t understand everything said.

“Miss Casings must have seen something or knew something and it cost her her life,” the deputy said. “There was obviously something we missed in the house. At the time, her death appeared to be a drowning accident.”

Gage had his hands on his hips and his back to Sadie. “I think we can all agree this must be big if someone went to these measures to destroy evidence.”

The sheriff spoke up. “If that’s true, and someone purposefully destroyed the house, it’s likely connected with Miss Strand’s search of the house and her subsequent abduction. With the house now destroyed, we can assume the evidence went with it. We should get a deputy over to the aunt’s house to stand watch at all times. I’m concerned about Miss Strand’s safety.”

“You’re not the only one. I agree that she needs protection.” Gage suddenly twisted around and stared right at her, his gaze pinning her.

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