Her Only Protector (15 page)

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.

G
il pulled himself on board the catamaran as the raft began to sink. If he'd been quicker and a little steadier on his feet, he would have missed the left hook that connected with his jaw.

“Daddy!” he heard Sonny scream as he stumbled backward. “What are you doing?”

“That's for putting my little girl in danger. Now help me get us out of here.”

Gil rubbed his jaw with his hand, opening his mouth to test the damage. He'd survive but he'd be feeling that punch for a while and he wasn't so sure he didn't deserve it.

“Sonny, listen to your father and take the baby down below. And pray. I think we're going to need it,” Gil said.

“But you may need my help.”

“We can't worry about you and Ellie on deck while we try to outrun this boat,” her father said. “Just keep Ellie next to you but out of the way of anything that might get knocked over. This ride might get a little rough.”

“Okay,” she said.

When she turned to head for the cabin, she paused, leaned toward Gil and kissed him. If she saw the daggers her father's eyes threw at him, she ignored them and took Ellie down to the main cabin.

“Where are they, sir?” he said, looking the man straight in the eyes. Not with challenge but with determination to see this through.

“Coming in fast. We need to get this boat turned back around.” He gestured to the gun Gil had taken from Olof. “Do you know how to use that gun you've got tucked in your pants?”

“Four years in Army Special Forces, sir. Seven years in law enforcement.”

A look of admiration crossed his face. “Good. There are two rifles hanging by the radio in the cockpit. Use them if you have to. Anything comes close to this boat, shoot it!”

“You got it.”

Gil followed behind him, matching his step as he lifted the main sail. If the past few days on Olof's boat had taught him anything, it was his way around the deck of a sailboat. With all the sails raised and the catamaran turned into the wind, they took off.

As they started to move, Gil turned back to gauge the distance between them and the boat pursuing them.

“This boat may not look like much, but the gentleman I chartered her from said she could fly.”

That's good, Gil thought. They needed to fly if they had any chance of reaching Puerto Rico alive.

 

Sonny walked through the catamaran's cabin until she found a bunk. The boat was moving quickly and she had to hold on to the wall until she was able to sit down on the edge of the bed. She used the outer wall as leverage so she could take Ellie out of the carrier.

“Come here, Ellie,” she said after freeing her. “Come snuggle with me and say a prayer.”

She heard her father's voice mingling with Gil's as they shouted information to one another.

Anything comes close to this boat, shoot it. That's what her father had said. The thought of more shooting terrified her. The image of Lucia's body slumped over and the metallic smell of blood flooded her memory.
Lord, please take care of my father and Gil.

A tear trickled down her cheek. Ellie was looking around at her new surroundings. Oh, what a blessed comfort this little baby was to her. Ellie was completely unaware of what it had taken to get her back. She was just a baby and with the Lord's help, she would have no memories of this nightmare to carry through her life.

But Sonny would never forget a moment of the past few weeks.
Especially these past few days with Gil.

A shot rang out on deck and she heard a high-pitched ping, signaling the bullet had hit something on the boat. More shots, louder than the first, sounded above her.

Eduardo Sanchez had looked straight into her eyes with a kind of contempt she'd never seen. He was responsible for so much pain. He'd threatened Serena's family her whole life, he'd been responsible for Cash's disappearance and he'd taken Ellie from them all.

A chill raced up her spine with the memory of his eyes staring at her. She had the baby now. He couldn't hurt Ellie anymore. She closed her eyes and prayed for Cash and for her father and Gil, who were still in the line of fire.

It killed her not to know what was happening on deck. But she couldn't put Ellie in danger by leaving her here to check. What if something happened? Who would take care of the baby?

And what about Gil? The very thought of losing him nearly broke her in two.

Fear for her father and for the man she was falling in love with overwhelmed her. Hadn't they all lost enough? Didn't she and Gil deserve a chance to see where these feelings would take them?

Gil had told her to get down in the cabin and pray. She curled herself up in a ball and hugged Ellie to her chest. And she prayed. She prayed for her father, her brothers and for Gil. She hoped that God would give them all another chance at happiness.

 

Gil had radioed the Coast Guard their coordinates, telling them the catamaran was under attack by pirates. But waiting for reinforcements to arrive while trying to outrun Sanchez's men was maddening. Sonny's father steered the thirty-five foot catamaran, catching as much wind as he could with the sails while using the engine to give them maximum speed. He stood at the wheel using his binoculars to gauge the distance between the catamaran and the other boat.

Gil didn't need to use anything but his own eyes to see the boat was gaining on them. That last bullet was too close for comfort, Gil thought, looking at the way the railing on the boat dimpled before the bullet had ricocheted out to sea. They had a lot of sail up for Sanchez's men to use as a target. One bullet hole could slice the sail in two, causing the boat to lose speed and have both Gil and Sonny's dad reeling to control the damage.

It'd be all over then.

“How far out is the Coast Guard?”

“About ten minutes.”

At the helm, Sonny's father grumbled. “They're going to be ten minutes too late if we don't pick up some speed. Come take the wheel. I'm getting the other rifle.”

Gil got his first close glimpse of the approaching boat through the binoculars. Two rifles against the firepower he saw coming at them wasn't going to be enough. But he wasn't prepared to give up.

“If there are more bullets, get them, too. We're going to need them.”

 

Deep sobs racked Sonny's body as she listened to the gunfire above her. Her father's shouts intermingled with Gil's. She knew they were both exposed to bullets that were being fired at them from the other boat, and it was more than she could bear.

The sound of a helicopter in the distance began to grow louder. Within minutes, the noise of it was so pronounced, it scared Ellie and she started to cry for the first time since the ordeal started. The helicopter wasn't directly above the boat but it sounded as if it were circling them.

“This is the United States Coast Guard,” Sonny heard loud and clear. “Heave to and prepare to be boarded.”

A surge of relief consumed Sonny. The United States Coast Guard was here—finally.

The command to heave to was repeated, followed by the cut of the engine. The catamaran lost its speed and instead of cutting through the water it was floating.

“We're almost home, Ellie! Almost home.”

 

“You're still in international waters,” the Coast Guard lieutenant said. “Our being here was enough to chase them off, but we can't guarantee they won't come back once we fly out of here. There's a cutter patrolling the waters on the outskirts of Puerto Rico. I've radioed for them to come out and escort you the rest of the way. They should meet you by the end of the day. If you run into trouble before you rendezvous with the cutter, make sure you radio us again.”

The lieutenant and a Coast Guard crewman had boarded the catamaran after the boat chasing them took flight in the opposite direction.

“I appreciate your help. I thought we were done for,” Gil said.

“You say you logged your trip when you left port,” the lieutenant asked Sonny's father.

“Yes, you'll find it on file. I'm bringing three more passengers back with me. They all have their passports on board.”

The lieutenant nodded. “I'll make note of that for our log, but you'll need to check in with Immigration and the Coast Guard office in Ponce as soon as you dock, Mr. Montgomery. You'll need to file a report.”

“Will do. Thank you again.”

As the Coast Guard crew lifted to the helicopter and flew off, Gil turned to Sonny's father. “You look tired, sir.”

He was met with a scowl on the older man's face. “Let's cut it with the ‘sir,' shall we? My name is Kelin. Kelly to my friends.”

“So where does that leave me?”

He heaved a sigh. “I'm still deciding. Seeing how my daughter has taken a liking to you despite the mess you put her in, I'm thinking Kelly would be okay. Unless you only mean to use her for your own profit. In which case, you won't be calling me anything.”

“I care a great deal for Sonny.”

Kelly propped his hands on his hips. “And still you almost had her killed. And my granddaughter.”

“I can't change that. If I could, I would. But I didn't do it entirely on my own. From what Sonny has told me, she put herself in this position willingly despite your reservations and Dylan's.”

Surprise registered on his face. “She told you about her brother, huh?”

“She's talked openly about them both. She loves them very much.”

“That she does.” He paused a moment and looked hard at Gil. “You a praying man, Gil?”

He could lie and say yes, but he didn't really want to start his relationship with Sonny's father on that note. “I wasn't always. But it seems that's all I've been doing lately.”

Kelly nodded. “Worrying about loved ones can take a lot out of a man.”

Gil had been the cause of Kelly's worry for at least one of his loved ones, he decided. Judging by the worry lines on Kelly's face, Gil figured he wasn't going to let him off the hook easily. Even after the blow he'd delivered earlier.

“How's the jaw?” Kelly asked.

“Sore, but I'll survive.”

“If I'd really wanted to hurt you I would have. And believe me, there were times over the past week when I wanted to.”

Gil had no doubt. Despite the terse words from Kelly, he'd calmed some in the past few minutes, and then he surprised Gil by chuckling.

“It wasn't a very Christian way to behave, I'm afraid,” Kelly said, with a shake of his head. “My wife would be appalled. She can deliver her own left hook without even touching me, though, when she's displeased by something I've done. And she'd be displeased about this, especially seeing the way Sonny feels about you.”

Gil blinked. “I'm sorry, sir?”

“Are we back to that already?” Kelly said, scowling.

Gil shrugged.

Kelly eyed him speculatively. “You be careful with Sonny. No matter how much she's grown into a woman, she's still my little girl and I'm not going to let you hurt her.”

“I don't think you have to worry. We've been at odds a fair amount of the time we've spent together.” Well, that wasn't completely true, but they had argued.

Kelly chuckled, lifting his eyes skyward. “Lord, I'm in trouble with this one. He's clueless.”

A frown pulled at Gil's face.

“You might not have had the opportunity to figure it out yet, but my little girl doesn't pay much mind to men she doesn't like. I don't mean she's impolite. That's not Sonny's way. But if you got her riled up, she's seeing something in you.” Kelly pointed a finger at Gil. “Remember what I said, and watch yourself. I don't want my little girl hurt.”

Gil smiled. “You have my word.”

Kelly made a grunt. “Well, you got her back to me. And with my grandbaby, too. That says something. I guess I can't ask for more than that from the Lord.”

Despite his initial reaction to Gil, it was easy to see where Sonny's strong faith came from. More than a few times Gil had looked in Kelly's direction while they were being chased. He talked openly to the Lord as if He were a passenger on this vessel along with the rest of them.

But then, Gil supposed He was. He wasn't going to question how Kelly had managed to reach them before Eduardo Sanchez did, or how the Coast Guard had found them just in time to scare off their pursuers.

Kelly pointed to the captain's wheel. “What do you know about navigating a catamaran?”

Gil gave him a grin. “Enough to keep her true while you go introduce yourself to Ellie and have a real look. She's a sweetheart.”

That earned him a beaming smile from Kelly. “I hear she's the spitting image of my wife, too.”