by Jana DeLeon
In the distance, I could hear the buzz of a boat motor and knew Lucas was getting close. I kicked again, feeling my lungs tighten from the exertion and the lack of air.
You’re not at a hundred percent.
I tried to push the thought aside, but I knew it was true. My dive for Carter had strained my lungs and I wasn’t back to full capacity. If I didn’t make that grass soon, I’d have to come up for air. And it would all be over. I closed my eyes and gave one final kick and my hands sank into a slimy grass. I grabbed hold of the sharp blades and pulled my entire body into the clump before poking my head up to draw in a breath.
The air hurt as it hit my lungs and my hands stung from lacerations from the marsh grass. I blinked a couple of times to clear the water from my eyes and looked down the bank.
My heart sank.
I saw Hank, Gertie, and Ida Belle climbing up the bank just down from the spot where Carter had taken me. Directly behind them, standing on the bow of his boat, was Lucas, and he had the AK-47 trained right on them.
Lucas looked down at them and shook his head. “What the hell were you two old bats thinking? You must have lost your minds.”
“Leave them out of it,” Hank said. “This is between you and me.”
“No can do, bro,” Lucas said. “The boss doesn’t like loose ends. You’ll be coming with me, but the trail ends here for all nosy old women.”
I pulled my Glock from my waistband and gently shook it. Chances were good it would fire. The question was whether or not it would fire correctly. I had one shot at Lucas, and it had to be perfect. Otherwise, he’d simply sling that AK in my direction and cut me and the marsh grass in two.
I leveled my gun at Lucas’s head, zeroing in for the shot, when he jumped off the bow of his boat and onto the bank. “On your knees,” he said to Gertie and Ida Belle.
They dropped down onto the muddy bank and I could see the stark fear on their faces. It was the end of the line. Lucas walked over in front of Hank and smiled as he glanced down at the handcuffs. I cursed silently, wishing I’d had time to remove them before we bailed. At least Hank would have been able to try a sucker punch. Something, anything, to change the balance.
I looked down my sight, but Hank was blocking me from a clean shot at Lucas. All that was visible was one arm and leg. I cursed again and lowered my gun, silently willing Hank to move over to the side.
“You can stop pretending to be the big man,” Hank said. “You don’t know the boss. You’re not important enough.”
Lucas smiled. “That’s where you’re wrong. I’ve known the boss for a long time. So have you.” He waved his arm at his shrimp boat and I saw a shadow move in the cabin.
Then Laurel Eaton stepped out.
I’m not certain who was more surprised, but I would have put my money on Hank. He turned to look at his wife, his eyes wide, jaw dropped.
“Laurel?” Hank said. “I don’t understand. What are you doing here?”
“Cleaning up your mess,” she said. “Did you really think you could turn yourself in to the ATF and just walk away?”
“No. I came back for you…for our son. They promised us a new life. I have all the money I made smuggling. I was coming back for you. That was always the plan.”
“That was always your plan,” Laurel said. “I hadn’t planned on a happy reunion.”
“I don’t understand. What are you doing here? How do you know about any of this? Did Lucas tell you?”
Lucas laughed. “He still doesn’t get it, baby.”
I felt a chill run through my body as it all fell into place. Lucas wasn’t the delivery boy. Laurel was. All those trips to New Orleans, under the guise of care for her sick baby, were drop-offs. Laurel, who worked at the hospital, had access to the locked-down wing. Laurel, who had brown eyes like her husband Hank, but had a baby with blue eyes.
Like Lucas.
Hank’s expression shifted from confused to shocked to sad. “You set me up?”
Laurel nodded. “I met the supplier’s representative one night at the Swamp Bar. I was depressed about the medical costs and we got to talking. When he found out about the insurance policy, I knew he’d hit on a way for me to get the cash I needed right then and get rid of you in the process, so he found you the next night and pitched you the job. Deliverymen don’t usually have a good life expectancy, but you proved to be more resourceful than most, much to my dismay.”
Hank shook his head, completely defeated. “Why did you marry me?”
“Because you were steady. I needed a house and someone to take care of me and my son. Lucas has his good traits, but domestication isn’t one of them.”
“Got that right, baby,” Lucas said and grinned.
“Anyway,” Laurel said. “This has become a circus and I never liked the circus. Load up Hank, pop the two old biddies and let’s get the hell out of this town once and for all.”
I’d scanned Laurel up and down as she stood on the bow of the boat. I hadn’t seen any indication that she was packing, but I had no doubt more weapons were stored on the boat. If I got my shot off on Lucas, I had to hope Hank retrieved the AK before Laurel came out with something equally deadly.
I leveled my gun at Lucas and waited as he motioned Hank toward the boat. Just another two inches and I’d have the perfect shot. I sighted in Lucas’s head and my mind and body shifted into the zone. When the shot came, I flinched.
Mainly because I hadn’t fired it.
Chapter Nineteen
I twisted my head to look behind me, where the shot had originated, and saw Riker standing on the bow of a ski boat that was easing around the corner of the island, his gun leveled at Lucas. Unfortunately, his shot had only nicked Lucas and had given him time to wrap his arm around Hank’s neck, the AK shoved against Hank’s temple.
The rest of us were frozen in place—Ida Belle and Gertie still kneeling on the muddy bank, Laurel standing stock-still on the bow of Lucas’s boat, and me in my patch of marsh grass, as yet, still unknown.
“Throw your weapon in the lake,” Lucas said. “Or I’ll blow his head off. And you, driver, get up on the bow. Slowly and hands in the air.”
Mitchell lifted his hands and inched forward to stand next to Riker.
“The weapon, Agent!” Lucas shouted. “Do you think I’m playing?”
I have no idea what Riker thought, but I was certain Lucas wasn’t playing. If Riker didn’t disarm, I had no doubt Lucas would shoot Hank and then swing that AK down and level the rest of us. Unfortunately, if Riker tossed his weapon, I expected the same outcome. Our only hope was if Hank could get control of the weapon, but he wasn’t in a position to make a move. The slightest flinch and Lucas would pull that trigger.
I could see the indecision on Riker’s face. He knew the score, but he didn’t want to be the one responsible for the bloodbath.
“I just want this man,” Lucas said, “and to leave. Once he’s secured on board, I’ll sink your boat and you’ll never see me again.”
I frowned. Yeah, it sounded good, and I’m sure that’s exactly what Lucas wanted Riker to think, but I didn’t believe for a moment that he’d leave anyone alive to pursue him. Lucas was going to create a path of bodies wide enough to get him out of Louisiana and probably somewhere with no extradition laws.
Riker moved his finger off the trigger. Damn it, he was going to take the bait. I had about one second to make a decision and execute it. With Hank in the way, I didn’t have a clear line of sight to Lucas, so a kill shot wasn’t an option. And given my submerged weapon and reliance on Hank to instantly react, I gave the only other option about a 1 percent success rate.
As Riker tossed his gun into the lake, I took aim and fired, hitting Hank right in the middle of the thigh. Bull’s-eye!
Hank’s legs involuntarily buckled, causing Lucas to lose his grip on Hank’s neck. It was all I could do not to cheer when he grabbed the AK-47 on his way down. He’d done exactly what I hoped, but the battle was far from over. Lucas stil
l had a good grip on the weapon and as Hank yanked on it, Lucas pulled the trigger, sending a spray of bullets over the lake. I ducked as low as possible in the weeds and saw Ida Belle and Gertie fall face-first onto the bank.
Riker and Mitchell dived off the sides of their boat as the bullets tore across the hull. Laurel crouched down on the bow of the boat, covering her head with her arms, like that was any defense against the wrath of the AK. I lifted my pistol to aim again but Hank and Lucas were struggling too close to each other for me to risk the shot. If I hit Hank instead of Lucas, we were right back where we started and I was exposed.
I watched as they fought, praying that Hank would get the better of Lucas, but the longer the fight lasted, the more I could see Hank’s energy starting to lag. Being bound up for so long had made him weak. He was no match for the stronger, meaner Lucas. Hank made one last attempt to tear the rifle from Lucas and caused Lucas to squeeze off another round. Hank lost his grip and fell onto the muddy bank. Lucas stumbled backward a step and I zeroed in on him and squeezed the trigger.
The gun jammed.
I tapped the bottom of the magazine and pulled the rack back to release the lodged bullet and load a new round. I took aim again just as Lucas leveled the rifle at Hank. My pulse beat like crazy in my throat as I squeezed the trigger again. Last chance.
It didn’t fire.
All the blood rushed out of my face as I saw Lucas’s finger move to the trigger. Ida Belle and Gertie looked up, the finality of the situation registered in their expressions.
When the first shot rang out, I closed my eyes and tried not to sob. A second followed.
Then there was only silence.
I opened my eyes and blinked, certain I’d died and was dreaming.
Lucas lay flat and unmoving on the bank. Hank slumped beside him. Ida Belle and Gertie uncovered their eyes and looked up.
At Carter’s smoking gun.
My heart leaped in my throat at the sight of him. He was pale and his hand holding the pistol shook slightly. I’d never seen someone sexier in my life.
Move over, Daniel Craig. Carter LeBlanc is the real James Bond.
Gertie and Ida Belle jumped up as Carter and Deputy Breaux leaned over Lucas and Hank, checking for a pulse. They looked at each other and shook their heads.
“No!” Laurel began to wail and crumpled on the bow of the boat.
“She’s the ringleader,” Ida Belle said.
Carter and Deputy Breaux looked over at her, their surprise clear, but Deputy Breaux climbed on board and cuffed her. She didn’t even bother to struggle. It was over. All her carefully laid plans had ended in death.
“Help!”
I heard Riker shout and looked to the side to see him swimming around the front of his sinking boat, clutching Mitchell under his arm. “He’s been shot!”
Carter ran down the bank and helped Riker get the unconscious Mitchell out of the water. I blew out a breath. I’d been hiding in this clump of grass for too long. It was time to face the music. Even though I knew exposing myself to the ATF ultimately meant I’d have to leave Sinful.
I looked over at Ida Belle and Gertie and saw Ida Belle looking straight at me. I shouldn’t have been surprised that she figured out where that first shot had come from. Ida Belle was one sharp cookie, and she knew her guns.
“Go,” she mouthed. “Hurry.”
I looked behind me and saw that the area of marsh grass I was hidden in stretched all the way to the corner of the island. She was right; I could wade through the grass and walk away from the entire thing.
And then what?
I had no way to get off the island. Boats were sorta at a premium at the moment. I couldn’t walk back to Sinful, and although I knew Ida Belle would come back for me as soon as she could, both she and Gertie would be tied up forever trying to sort this mess out with the ATF. I’d be waiting for hours, and there was no way Carter would believe I wasn’t involved. He’d send someone for me right away, and when I couldn’t be located, the gig was up.
So what?
I smiled. Yeah, so what? So it was the longest shot in the world that I’d actually get back to Sinful and never land on the ATF radar. It wasn’t any more unlikely than the shot I’d made earlier, and Carter riding in to the rescue when it looked like everything was going to end with lights out for all of us.
I gave Ida Belle a thumbs-up and turned around, easing myself through the marsh grass, keeping only my head above water. It took several minutes of slogging through the thick mud, especially since I had to keep the noise to a minimum, but eventually, I rounded the corner of the island and climbed up onto the bank. I didn’t even glance back before disappearing into the swamp.
The smartest thing for me to do now was put some distance between myself and the fray. Backup would be on its way, and I didn’t want to risk a random sighting by law enforcement. So I stayed inside the tree line but close enough to see the bank and skirted the side of the island. If I remembered correctly, it was only a mile or so long. The other side ought to be far enough away to escape detection. I would get there, then sit down, lean my exhausted body against a tree, and rest until the Swamp Team 3 cavalry arrived.
But when I reached the far side of the island, another option presented itself. I had no idea why Sheriff Lee was fishing just off the bank, but there he was, Methuselah wearing a fishing hat and packing up a rod.
“Sheriff Lee!” I shouted as he made his way back to the outboard motor of the bass boat. He didn’t so much as flinch, so I ran down to the edge of the bank and yelled louder.
He turned around and looked at me, frowning, then squinting. “Is all that hollering necessary?” he asked.
“You didn’t hear me the first time. Can you give me a ride back to town?”
“Where’s your boat?”
“Sank.”
He shook his head. “I ain’t running no taxi service, but I suppose it wouldn’t be right to leave you stranded. Get in.”
I waded into the lake and climbed over the side of the boat. “Are you off today?” It seemed an odd time for any of the local law enforcement to have a day off.
“What the hell are you talking about? I’m off every day. Been retired for almost thirty years.”
I blinked. It had finally happened. His mind had turned to dust. “You’re the sheriff. At least you were yesterday.”
He gave me a disgusted look. “I oughta make you get out of the boat, confusing me with that old coot. I am not my brother.” He turned around and started the motor and took off down the channel.
I clenched the metal bench and stared. Brother? There were two of them? That was some seriously long-lasting DNA.
“Sorry,” I yelled. “I didn’t know the sheriff had a brother.”
He waved a hand at me. “Women.”
I laughed, and all the tension slipped away.
Life in Sinful was back to normal.
Chapter Twenty
It took hours and hours for Carter and Riker to sort everything out. While I was hiding in the marsh grass, Ally had called me a million times in a panic, certain that I’d been killed in the showdown. Fortunately, I had been smart enough to leave my cell phone at home, otherwise it would be swimming in Lake Pete. I returned her call and feigned having been asleep due to not feeling well, then rushed up to the sheriff’s department, hugging Ida Belle and Gertie and surprising myself when I managed some real tears. For good measure, I threw in some butt-chewing about them taking off to look for Hank without me. They’d been shocked when I burst in, clearly expecting me to still be sitting on the island, but had covered it quickly.
Despite the best attempts by the paramedics, Agent Mitchell didn’t make it. It was an unfortunate loss for the good guys, but quick-thinking Ida Belle used it to my advantage by claiming it was Mitchell who had fired the shot hitting Hank in the thigh. Mitchell had been packing a nine-millimeter that wasn’t recovered after their dive in the water, so there was nothing to prove it didn’t happen exactly
that way.
With both Lucas and Hank dead, Laurel broke down and gave up everything to Riker—the drop-off, her original contact, and how she was paid. I hoped if they offered her some sort of new identity, she was smart enough to leave her baby in Sinful with his grandmother. She’d admitted that after the first surgery and treatments, his heart was stable. The rest of the doctor’s visits had been cover for her weapons drops.
Carter had finally remembered seeing Hank on the lake and had thought he recognized him, but couldn’t place his face. Probably because he was trying to place that face on a live body, and Hank wasn’t supposed to be alive. When he’d seen the missing persons show on television, it clicked why he recognized Hank and why it had troubled him. Hank knew that Carter had seen him and told Lucas to be extra careful around the deputy. Lucas had taken it upon himself to eliminate the problem.
I worried at first that Sheriff Lee’s brother would tell someone he’d given me a lift back to Sinful, so I’d had him drop me off at the beginning of the channel instead of my house, to help hide my identity. I’d stepped off the boat and when I turned to thank him, he stared up at me with a completely blank expression and asked who I was and what I wanted. With that bad a memory, it was a wonder he made it back home every day, but it came in handy for me.
Carter, who’d finally remembered everything and sneaked out of the hospital prior to saving our collective butts, showed signs of extreme exhaustion and everyone told him to go home. He was so tired he actually agreed without arguing. Ida Belle, Gertie, and I were close behind, all of us close to collapse but incredibly happy. It was all over. We were all alive. Carter was going to be fine.
Things in Sinful were going to return to normal. Again. Hopefully for longer this time.
###
At ten o’clock the next morning, I climbed into my hammock with a book, with every intention of staying there until I was starving or had to use the bathroom. It was already hot, but a breeze blew in off the bayou, making it tolerable. I’d already had an awesome breakfast of muffins and eggs and had filled my cooler with beer and hauled it outside with me.
