Dancing with Fire

by Susan Kearney

  They’d resorted to walking single file. He kept their direction steady by keeping his left shoulder pointing west toward the setting sun. To prevent the saw grass from shredding their skin, Sawyer picked up a long stick and held it horizontally, bending the leaves downward to keep the sharp edges away.

  In the heat, without water, he insisted they stop frequently and take breaks whenever they found shade. Finally, just as the sun began to set, streaking across the horizon in pale pink streaks and slashes of deep purple, they reached the sea. He’d hoped to find footprints in the sand, a boat, a town, some sign of civilization. But the beach looked as if no one had ever walked here. The last tide had deposited driftwood, seaweed and a variety of shells, but as for evidence of people—not so much as a candy wrapper.

  At least there were no signs of pursuit, and they could probably risk showing themselves on the beach. A breeze kept away mosquitoes, and he longed for a swim. Kaylin ran toward the beach without taking off her coveralls, and he called out softly, “Wait. Don’t get your clothes wet.”

  She slowed and looked over her shoulder at him. “They’re filthy, and it’s still hot enough for us to dry them in under an hour.”

  “All right,” he agreed. They dived into the water, frolicked a bit, and rubbed sand on their clothing to clean them. Then he left her in the water, wrung out the clothing, and set the coveralls on branches to dry before returning to her.

  “All this water and nothing to drink.” She floated on her back. “Think we can crack that coconut?”

  “I’ll try. Those husks are tough. Without a knife . . .”

  “We could always shoot a hole in it and drink the milk.”

  “If we shoot it, it might splatter everywhere. And the noise from a shot could lead Pavel here.”

  “Fine.” She sighed. Her skin had turned red during their trek, and he hoped they might find more aloe to soothe it. In addition, her split lip had opened again and bled into the water. He didn’t mention sharks, but it was dusk, feeding time.

  “Come on.” He took her hand and tugged her toward shore. Although the cool water felt wonderful on his skin, and he hoped the salt had cleansed his wounded arm, which had started to bleed again, swimming was not a good idea. They probably shouldn’t have gone in.

  “Wait.” She pulled back. “I think—” She tugged her hand from his, dived under, and came up with a clam. “Look, dinner. This sandbar is full of clams.” Before he could stop her, she handed him the heavy shell and dived down for more. Less than thirty seconds later, she surfaced with three more.

  “That’s enough.” She must have heard the urgency in his tone because she didn’t protest and accompanied him to shore.

  But after they reached the beach, she searched the water, her gaze narrowing on the shadows. “Did you see anything wrong?”

  “Sharks feed at sunset, and we’re both bleeding,” he pointed out now that they’d made it back to land.

  “Yeah, I thought of that.”

  “You did?” And she’d gone in anyway?

  She shrugged. “Shark attacks are rare, and I needed that swim to revive me.”

  Totally unselfconscious about her nudity, she placed the clams on some driftwood. “Dad, Mom, Becca, and I used to go to the beach and do some clamming. Lia wasn’t born yet. At night we’d make a campfire, sit around the blaze, and sing. After dinner, we’d make s’mores. Melted marshmallows over graham crackers and Hershey chocolate bars. Delish.”

  “You cooked the clams?”

  “Sometimes we ate them raw.” She must have read the squeamishness in his eyes. “They’re good. Really. Dad said we couldn’t eat them straight out of Tampa Bay because of the pollution, but the Gulf of Mexico was safe unless we had a red tide.” She sniffed. “I’m sure this water is clean.”

  He supposed after all he’d survived, he could manage to ingest a raw clam. The shell was already partway open, and he pried back the rest. Tilting back his head, he slid the clam into his mouth, but then as a light caught his eye, he forgot about food. “Do you see that?”

  Kaylin turned her head. “What?”

  “Over there.” He pointed. “Those are lights reflecting into the sky.”

  Kaylin squinted. “You think?”

  “Yes. Come on, get dressed. If we head down the beach, we should be able to hike there in a few hours.”

  The clams forgotten, both of them hopped into their damp clothing, then put on their shoes. They walked for hours. Sometimes the sea covered the beach, and they trudged inland where the saw grass whipped at them like a cat-o’-nine-tails, but their clothing protected them from the worst of it.

  They scaled several boulders and climbed over fallen trees, but the light in the sky kept growing brighter, a beacon to keep up their hopes. When they heard a helicopter flying a search pattern overhead, they ducked under trees to avoid being spotted. Dammit. They hadn’t given up. But after a few minutes, the chopper flew away again.

  Finally, about an hour later, Sawyer and Kaylin came across a tiny wood cabin with a tin roof. Sawyer didn’t stop. “This place doesn’t have phone lines or electricity. Let’s keep going.”

  He wanted to make certain they didn’t accidentally walk into any of Pavel and Asad’s people. In a city this close to the oil plant, Pavel might have excessive influence with the authorities. Sawyer hadn’t journeyed all the way across the island to stupidly walk back into their clutches.

  Kaylin remained silent. She hadn’t complained during their walk, but he could feel weariness radiating from her. He didn’t blame her. He estimated they’d walked over fifteen miles, and he ached just about everywhere.

  Tired men made mistakes, and he slowed his footsteps as they neared several buildings. “Let’s stop and use the cover of these trees for a few minutes.”

  “Okay.” Kaylin slid her back against a trunk and sat in the sand.

  They appeared to be near a marina. Several boats were moored in the bay. A nearby office building looked dark and empty. Lights had led them to the outskirts of a town, but along with civilization, they’d find attention that might prove dangerous.

  “Stay here,” Sawyer whispered. “I’ll see if that office has a phone.”

  “You think we should split up?” Kaylin asked, her tone weary and uncertain.

  “If I get caught, you’ll be my best chance to find help,” he told her, praying that wouldn’t happen. They didn’t both need to expose themselves. And if only one of them could get away, it should be Kaylin. Her sisters needed her. But even if her sisters hadn’t needed her, he’d still want her to be safe.

  Kaylin stood and flung herself into his arms, kissed him on the mouth. “Be careful.”

  “I promise.”

  He gave her a hug and then slipped into the shadows. The tiny office was unlocked. He stepped inside, banged into a chair, and wished he had a flashlight. Sawyer felt around and eventually discovered a desk. And a phone.

  Bingo.

  He lifted the receiver, and relief washed over him as he heard a dial tone. He charged the call to his phone card and asked the operator to connect him with Deputy Bryant and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. A few minutes later, Sawyer closed the door and made his way back to Kaylin.

  She remained where he’d left her, and she jumped up when she saw him. “Are you okay? Did you find a phone?”

  “You aren’t going to believe this.”

  “What? Was the phone dead?”

  “I got through to Deputy Bryant.”

  “Great!”

  “That helicopter, the one we’ve been avoiding . . .”

  “Yeah?”

  “Your grandmother sent them. They’ve been looking for us. We hiked all night for nothing. They’re coming back to pick us up.”

  43

  WHEN THE HELICOPTER lan
ded on the marina’s sand beach, Sawyer and Kaylin were only fifty yards away. Close enough to feel the wind of the rotors, close enough to hear the engine’s whine. A man called out their names over a loudspeaker. “Sawyer Scott. Kaylin Danner. We are search and rescue specialists.” The sound blasted through the tropical heat. “Kaylin’s grandmother, Mrs. Carstairs, sent us.”

  “I was afraid to believe it until now.” Kaylin’s tone was happy. “But, Sawyer, you did it. You saved us.”

  He hugged her against his side, and they hurried to the chopper. “I didn’t do it alone.”

  A man opened the door and greeted them with a wide smile. “Kaylin Danner and Sawyer Scott?”

  “That would be us.” Kaylin held out her hand and jumped into the machine.

  Sawyer followed, his adrenaline rush gone. Tired and happy, he couldn’t contain his curiosity. Deputy Bryant had been brief on the phone. He had no idea how Mrs. Carstairs became involved in their rescue.

  While the pilot radioed they’d been found, the other man handed them water bottles, sandwiches, and a tube of antibiotic ointment. “We’ll have you back home in two hours.”

  “My grandmother sent you?” Kaylin asked, clearly as curious as Sawyer.

  “She hired us to find you,” the copilot shouted as the chopper soared into the sky.

  “You searched for us after the plant exploded?” Sawyer guessed, putting the pieces together.

  “Yeah. You guys sent up a great SOS signal. Every satellite in the region picked up that blaze. And since no permits had ever been pulled to build that plant, it caught law enforcement’s immediate attention, and they suggested we search the island.”

  Sawyer didn’t bother telling their rescuers their intent had been to get away, not send up a signal for help. He munched on his sandwich, downed the entire bottle of water, and happily accepted another.

  Kaylin ignored her food and sipped her water. “Is my family—”

  “They’re fine, ma’am. And you needn’t worry about those men down there coming after you. The appropriate government agencies have been notified of their illegal activities and will round them up. They won’t bother you again.”

  “Great.” Kaylin finally bit into her sandwich, her eyes mischievous. “Too bad you didn’t wait a bit before rescuing us. Sawyer couldn’t wait to eat the dinner we’d caught. He was really looking forward to his raw clams.”

  “We could go back,” their rescuer suggested, catching on to the byplay.

  “That’s all right.” Sawyer chewed his roast beef and grinned. “I can make do with this.”

  Although they’d swum in the ocean, his clothes still reeked of smoke and sweat. When they got back, he hoped to hit the shower, then crawl into bed, but he suspected they would be up for hours, talking to Kaylin’s family. Taking advantage of a headset that drowned out all background noise, Sawyer closed his eyes and slept.

  For the first time since they’d been captured, he slept soundly. He didn’t even dream—or didn’t remember dreaming. When he awakened, it took a few moments to regain his bearings.

  That a herd of photographers surrounded the helicopter as it landed in his backyard didn’t help. Apparently news trucks, both local and national, had interest in their story. He expected Kaylin to look as bewildered as he did by the fuss, but her gaze was trained on the back deck where her sisters and grandmother waited for them.

  Jumping out of the chopper, she put her head down and marched through the crowd like a celebrity accustomed to dealing with the press. Meanwhile, reporters shouted questions.

  “Ms. Danner, were you held captive?”

  “Did you blow up that plant in order to save—”

  “Did the plant down there have anything to do with Dr. Danner’s—”

  “Why are you living with Sawyer Scott? What does he have to do with—”

  Sawyer didn’t answer any questions, either. That didn’t stop the news people from shoving mikes in their faces or the photographers from snapping photos. But finally they reached the back deck. Kaylin’s sisters flanked her, Mitzy guarded her back, and Billy stepped forward to open the door. Finally, they all moved inside. Sawyer drew the blinds shut against the press, then stood back, folded his arms across his chest, and watched the tears flow.

  Becca, Kaylin, Lia, Mitzy, and Mrs. Carstairs were all hugging, squealing, kissing, and crying. Shadee caught Sawyer’s eyes from across the room full of emotional females and nodded. Billy hunkered down in a chair, right in the middle of the women. Randy sat on his lap and barked to add to the commotion. Sawyer breathed in the scent of the women and took pleasure in Kaylin’s happy face, especially when she hugged Lia.

  “You okay?”

  Lia nodded. “A few nightmares, but otherwise I’m fine.”

  Mrs. Carstairs took over the kitchen, passing out fruit plates, gourmet cakes from a nearby bakery, and cookies. She fussed with the coffee, and eventually everyone settled around the kitchen table.

  “Grandma,” Kaylin spoke softly. “How did you know we needed help? How did you find us?”

  Her grandmother rubbed her forehead. “I had lots of help.” She looked across the table at Shadee.

  Shadee held Becca’s hand and cleared his throat. “Deputy Bryant asked me to watch out for all of you. Because of my military background, law enforcement sometimes calls on me if they suspect trouble in the Arab-American community. And, of course, I wanted to look out for Becca’s sisters. So I followed Kaylin and Sawyer to Pasha’s that night. I saw men take them away by chopper. Deputy Bryant pulled some strings, and we tracked the chopper to the airfield. But the plane they transferred you to flew under the radar, and we lost you.”

  “So I hired a security team,” her grandmother continued. “We found a migrant worker who’d seen the plane take off and head south, so we focused in that direction. But until you blew up that plant, we had no idea where to narrow the search.”

  “Hiring that helicopter to rescue us must have cost a fortune.” Kaylin’s eyes teared up again.

  And then she saw Sawyer take a piece of cake. He never ate cake. He’d once told her that after his parents died, he’d thought he didn’t deserve to be happy. But there he was drinking a cup of coffee with a big corner piece of cake on his plate, happily eating away. She longed to give him a big kiss, but first she had to hear everything her grandmother had done.

  “I hired your rescue helicopter and several others. I had to help. Getting you back safe was all that mattered.”

  “Thank you.” Kaylin hugged her grandmother. “Thank you so much.”

  “Tomorrow the deputies are going to need statements from everyone,” Shadee warned them. “It’ll take a while to get through the red tape, but—”

  “We think Dean Witman’s connected to the group of men on the island.” Kaylin looked at Sawyer, and he nodded. “He supplied the containers to the biodiesel plant, and they never paid him—which makes sense if he’s a partner.”

  “And we saw him inside the lab on the surveillance DVDs before Henry died,” Sawyer reminded them. “He told us he intended to make an offer on the business and then never did. If he was in on the kidnapping, it would make sense not to make an offer. Why purchase what he could get for free?”

  Shadee frowned. “So he’s still on the loose. I’ll notify Deputy Bryant.” Shadee made a call on his cell. “He’s likely too busy covering his tracks to bother us again. But I’m still checking all the door locks before we sleep.”

  Sawyer thought they’d covered everything when Lia poked Billy. “Tell them.”

  Billy squirmed in his seat, then stood. In his hand he held a black case. “This is Henry’s laptop.”

  44

  KAYLIN STARED. “You found it? You found Dad’s laptop?” She hadn’t thought she’d ever see it again, especially after they’d searched and couldn’t
find it. After returning home to find Lia safe, her family united, she couldn’t have hoped for more. Seeing that laptop stunned her and filled her with hope.

  “I didn’t find it. Not exactly,” Billy admitted.

  “You stole it?” Mitzy accused.

  Billy raised his chin. “I don’t steal. Henry gave it to me.”

  “I don’t understand.” Why would her father have given Billy the laptop? And if he’d had it all along, why hadn’t he said anything until now?

  “Henry was worried about security. Apparently his visitors scared him. The morning the lab exploded, he told me to take the laptop to school with me, not to tell anyone, to keep it safe. I put it in my locker. He said the formula on it was his legacy.”

  Becca frowned. “But you knew we were looking for it. Why didn’t you tell us?”

  Billy hung his head in shame. “Because I used the laptop as collateral for drugs.”

  “Drugs?” Kaylin’s eyes narrowed.

  “I thought I could sell the drugs and get back the laptop before anyone really needed it. And I would have.”

  “Only those guys who vandalized the house stole the drugs,” Lia said.

  Billy raised his head. “I did what I had to do to get the laptop back. Then I heard Lia had been kidnapped, and I would have given the laptop to Kaylin, but then Lia was back, and Kaylin was gone.”

  Kaylin took in the frustration on his face, the fear in his tone. She believed that Billy had been terrified, that he hadn’t meant any harm. “Billy, the drugs—”

  “Don’t send me away. Please.” Billy’s lower lip trembled, and Kaylin’s heart went out to him. Clearly, he felt remorse for letting the laptop out of his hands.

  “Why didn’t you say something to me after Kaylin and Sawyer disappeared?” Mitzy asked.