Leaving Lavender Tides

by Colleen Coble

  Iona and some of the Coast Guard guys were motioning for them to return. They must have seen something. He swam quickly back to the boat and climbed the ladder behind the diver.

  He was gasping for breath when he stepped on deck. “What’s happened?”

  Iona pointed. “There’s someone swimming close to the rocks there. From this distance we can’t tell whether it’s a man or a woman, but they’re alive.”

  It had to be Shauna. Zach ran to his spot at the front of the ship and held on to the railing as the bow lifted out of the water and practically flew across the top of the waves toward the floundering swimmer. Zach grabbed the binoculars and trained them on the figure struggling against the waves. His hope crashed.

  “It’s Raul,” he told Iona.

  “That means Shauna should be around here somewhere.”

  The boat slowed as it neared Shauna’s stalker, and two swimmers went overboard to help haul him to safety. In minutes Raul was gasping on the deck. The man was blue and trembling. He saw Zach and turned his face away.

  Zach wanted to grab him and shake him, but he clenched his fists and knelt by his side. “Where is she?”

  “Shannon’s fine. She’s fine. I made sure of it. I gave her my life vest.”

  “Her name is Shauna. Where is she?” he growled.

  “The last I saw of her she was drifting out to sea. But she’ll be fine. I gave her a life vest. I couldn’t lose her when she’d just come back to me. My beloved Shannon.”

  Zach couldn’t listen to the man’s raving anymore. Not without wanting to choke the life out of him. He rose and went to grab the binoculars again. She had to be out there somewhere, waiting for him to find her.

  Hang on, Fly Girl. I’m coming.

  So tired. The cold and fatigue slowed her mind and muscles. Shauna floated on her back as much as possible and stared up at the sky. A bit of blue was beginning to peek through the glowering clouds. The glimpse of the sun was like a tiny ray of hope in a gray world.

  Hold on, Fly Girl.

  Her eyes flew open, and she searched for Zach. She could imagine him saying those words as he searched frantically for her. She knew he was out there somewhere, doing his best to find her. She had to do her part too. Knowing Zach, he would mobilize the Navy if he had to, plus commandeer all of the Coast Guard boats stationed here.

  She smiled at the thought. Her husband was single-minded in his devotion. She kicked her legs and looked around. If only she knew which way to swim. But wait, the clouds had parted enough that she could see the sun now. By this time it had to be afternoon, so the sun would be toward the west. She had to swim east, back toward the island. But was that right? She was too tired to work it out, but she had to try. Keeping the bit of sun to her back, she began to put some effort into swimming. Stroke, kick, stroke, kick.

  If nothing else, the effort lifted her mood and made her believe she could survive this, that she would see Alex and Zach again. That she would hold Connor and Brenna in her arms after all these years.

  Something gleamed in the water in the dim light. Was that a shark? No, God, please, no!

  Her lungs squeezed, and she tried to stop kicking so she didn’t attract its attention, but a big wave crashed over her head, and she went under. She had to try or she’d drown. Kicking her legs, she surfaced and coughed the sting of saltwater out of her lungs.

  Where was it? The terror nearly overwhelmed her when she saw the fin even closer. Would death come quickly, or would she feel every bit of the pain from being eaten? She gasped and inhaled water. Breathe, breathe.

  Wait, there was more than one fin. Dolphins. It was a dolphin pod. Tears stung her eyes. Thank God, thank God.

  She gradually became aware of a throbbing noise in the air, and she looked up to see if there was a chopper coming her way, but no. The sky held only disappearing clouds as the storm began to pass.

  Maybe it was her blood thundering in her ears from fatigue and exertion. With the sun at her back, she began to swim again. Where was the land? Was she even making any headway against the current?

  The sound grew louder, and she paused again to turn around in the water. Then she saw it. A boat! Was there a more beautiful sight than that white bow cutting through the blue waves?

  She waved her hands. “Here! I’m here!”

  The boat didn’t slow but continued to move past her. Didn’t anyone on board see her? She shouted again, “I’m here!”

  She heard a responding shout, then the boat slowed. Someone jumped into the water, and she swam in that direction. In moments she saw his beloved face. Zach. He’d come for her, just as she’d known he would. Her vision blurred as he reached her and pulled her close.

  “I’ve got you, Fly Girl.”

  A sob escaped and she clung to her husband. She’d tried to be so strong, but it was over. Raul hadn’t been able to defeat them.

  A flotation device landed near them, and Zach grabbed it, thrusting his arm through the center hole. “Hang on to me, honey. They’ll pull us in.”

  “I don’t ever want to let you go.” She wrapped both arms around his waist and pressed her cheek against his wet chest.

  They reached the side of the boat, and eager hands reached down to lift them both up. Someone draped a warm blanket around her, and someone else thrust a hot cup of coffee into her hands. It was a little slice of heaven.

  But mostly, all she wanted to do was stay in the circle of Zach’s embrace and thank God that he’d saved her, saved them both from Raul’s terrible plans.

  She nestled against Zach as they huddled together in the blanket. “I was so scared I’d never see you again, Zach. That I’d never see Alex or Connor or Brenna. But you came.”

  His grip on her tightened. “Always, Shauna. Always. I asked God to hold you up until I found you.”

  “And he did.”

  Zach pressed a warm kiss on her cold lips, and the passion in him heated her blood, chasing away the last of the shivers. “I knew he would.”

  “How’d you know I was out there?”

  “We hauled Raul out of the water. He said you were drifting out to sea, so we headed out to look. It’s a miracle we found you in these seas.”

  “He’s under arrest now?”

  “Yeah, he’s down in the hold. Detective Iona will file a ton of charges against him. I doubt he’ll get out of jail anytime soon.”

  “Did we miss the cruise ship leaving port?”

  “Yeah, it left at two, but it’s a short flight to Honolulu. We just have to be there by four tomorrow to catch our flight to North Carolina. I can reschedule that though. It’s been quite an ordeal.”

  She turned her face against him and sighed. “I found out I was stronger than I thought. It was scary, but I had such peace out there, Zach—such faith that God would hold me no matter what happened. I don’t ever want to forget it.”

  She could feel him nod against the top of her head and knew he’d felt it too. “Let’s find a peaceful hotel to hole up in for the night. I want the biggest lobster we can find for dinner, and I want to watch the sunset with you one last time in paradise.”

  “Wherever you are is paradise for me,” he murmured against her hair.

  She smiled and rested against him. Safe. He made her feel safe and treasured. This was a honeymoon no one could ever forget, and she would try to hold on to every memory. Or maybe only the good ones.

  She lifted her face to his. “Kiss me, Cowboy.”

  His kiss grounded her and promised a lifetime of passion, trust, and commitment. Everyone should be so lucky.

  Discussion Questions

  1.Where is your dream vacation? No matter how many times we go, mine will always be Hawaii.

  2.Have you ever witnessed obsession? If so, how did you deal with it?

  3.Has an experience ever caused you to have lingering fear that changes your behavior?

  4.Have you ever faced death like Shauna? If you have, how did you cope?

  5.Shauna turned to God du
ring trying times. How do you cope with challenging circumstances?

  6.Have you ever experienced what you knew was God’s hand working in your life?

  7.Most people are a mix of good and evil like Raul. Have you ever seen someone turn around and leave evil behind?

  Acknowledgments

  I’m so blessed to belong to the terrific HarperCollins Christian Publishing dream team. I’ve been with my great fiction team for fifteen years, and they are like family to me. I learn something new with every book, which makes writing so much fun for me!

  Our fiction publisher and editor, Amanda Bostic, is as dear to me as a daughter. She really gets suspense and has been my friend from the moment I met her all those years ago. Fabulous cover guru Kristen Ingebretson works hard to create the perfect cover—and does. And, of course, I can’t forget the other friends in my amazing fiction family: Becky Monds, Kristen Golden, Allison Carter, Jodi Hughes, Paul Fisher, Matt Bray, Kimberly Carlton, and Kayleigh Hines. You are all such a big part of my life. I wish I could name all the great folks at HCCP who work on selling my books through different venues. I’m truly blessed!

  Julee Schwarzburg is a dream editor to work with. She totally gets romantic suspense, and our partnership is pure joy. She brought some terrific ideas to the table with this book—as always!

  My agent, Karen Solem, has helped shape my career in many ways, and that includes kicking an idea to the curb when necessary. We are about to celebrate fifteen years together! And my critique partner of twenty years, Denise Hunter, is the best sounding board ever. Thanks, friends!

  I’m so grateful for my husband, Dave, who carts me around from city to city, washes towels, and chases down dinner without complaint. My kids—Dave, Kara (and now Donna and Mark)—love and support me in every way possible, and my little granddaughter, Alexa, makes every day a joy. She’s talking like a grown-up now, and having her spend the night is more fun than I can tell you. Our little grandson, Elijah, is fourteen months old as I write this, and we look forward to his baby brother’s arrival in May. Exciting times!

  Most important, I give my thanks to God, who has opened such amazing doors for me and makes the journey a golden one.

  About the Author

  Colleen Coble is a USA Today bestselling author and RITA finalist best known for her romantic suspense novels, including Tidewater Inn, Rosemary Cottage, and the Mercy Falls, Lonestar, Rock Harbor, and Sunset Cove series.

  Visit her website at www.colleencoble.com.

  Twitter: @colleencoble

  Facebook: colleencoblebooks