In Too Deep (Grayton Series Book 4)

by Jill Sanders

  Walking inside, he locked the front door and made sure everything was far from the windows. He changed his clothes and then walked around the outside of the house, shielding himself from the wind and rain with an umbrella.

  An hour later, Missy and Reagan had yet to return, and he was starting to freak out. Pulling his keys out, he jumped in his car and drove the few blocks to the store. When he saw her car parked out front, he sighed with relief.

  However, when he entered the store, he quickly realized that they weren’t there. He rushed around the small place, calling their names over and over again.

  Just as he was about to call the police, Missy rushed in the front door, soaking wet.

  “I can’t find Reagan!” Tears were streaming down her face as her breath hitched out.

  “What?” He rushed to her, taking her shoulders into his hands. She was freezing cold to the touch. “What happened?” he asked, pulling her closer.

  “I…” She cried into his chest. “He’s mad at me and he ran off.”

  “What?” He pulled her back, looking into her eyes. “Why is he mad?”

  “I…” She closed her eyes. “I told him that we are leaving.”

  He felt his fingers tighten on her shoulders. “Going where?” he said with clenched teeth. He knew the answer wasn’t Spring Haven when she looked up at him. “You’re running again?” he growled out.

  She looked down at her feet and nodded. “It’s the only way I can keep him safe.” Her eyes moved back up to his, begging him to understand.

  “Where did he go?”

  She shivered. “I didn’t see. I was packing up some stuff that we’d need.” She nodded to two large boxes full of food, clothing, and items. “He asked what I was doing. Before I knew it, he was gone.” She looked around. “I’ve looked everywhere.”

  “How long ago did he go?” he asked, rushing over and yanking off his soaked jacket and pulling a heavier raincoat off the hook. He slipped on his boots and grabbed a flashlight from behind the counter.

  Missy was looking at the clock on the way. “Half an hour?” She looked at him, feeling the need to explain. “Roman…”

  “Save it,” he growled. “I’ll find him. Stay here.” He glared at her then rushed out into the storm to find his son.

  ***

  Missy paced in the store for almost an hour. When the worst part of the storm was wailing outside, she picked up the shop phone and called the police, who informed her that they had patrols out and would look for the pair. Less than half an hour later, a patrol car stopped by.

  When she let Kim, the only female officer in town, in the store, she realized just how bad the storm had grown outside.

  “It’s getting bad out there,” she said, biting her bottom lip.

  “I’m sure Mr. Grayton and Reagan have taken shelter from the storm. We lost the power lines a few minutes ago,” Kim said, wiping her feet. “The chief wants me to hang around here, in case they come back. He’s pulled all the units from the streets.” She shook her head, sending water dropping from her dark hair.

  “I’m surprised you still have—” A large bolt of lightning hit and the room went dark. “Power,” she said, frowning. “Sorry, guess I jinxed you.”

  Missy wrapped her arms around herself. “It was bound to happen.” She walked back to the counter where her camping lamps sat, ready for the storm. She’d tugged off her wet clothes and had pulled on new one’s she kept stocked on the shelves. The large hoodie was a few sizes too big, but she had needed the warmth. Her shoes were still soaking wet, but she didn’t mind.

  Several times, she’d thought about heading out in the storm, continuing her search, but something had told her to stay put.

  Less than an hour later, when the storm had died down a little, Jenny showed up with her grandfather. Bob came a few minutes later.

  “We heard. What can we do to help?” John asked.

  Her eyes stung as more and more of the townspeople she’d come to know flooded into the small store. Apparently, as they had looked, the police had spread the word that Roman and Reagan were missing.

  Someone was always with her, as townspeople flooded the streets of Carrabelle, looking for her family. A hot cup of tea was always kept in front of her, along with Jenny’s hurricane cookies and desserts.

  She couldn’t even swallow a bite or sip. Instead, she worried constantly.

  By that evening, the storm was pretty much over and still no one had seen or heard from Roman or Reagan. Missy had worried herself into such a state that no matter what anyone said to her, she was sure that they were both dead somewhere.

  Walking over to where Roman hung his jacket, she pulled it on and closed her eyes when his scent hit her. She’d been such a fool. Had she really believed that running away would solve anything? Especially after she’d finally admitted that she’d been in love with him her entire life.

  When her hands dropped down, she banged something solid and slowly pulled out his cell phone.

  When she turned it on, she flipped through the numbers and when she saw Marcus’ name, she hit dial without thinking.

  “Yo,” the familiar voice said in her ear, causing her breath to hitch.

  “Marcus?” It came out as a whisper.

  She could hear loud voices and a bunch of noises. She heard him moving around, and then the line was silent for a while.

  “Marissa? Is that you?” She heard his voice hitch.

  Nodding, she wiped the tears from her eyes. “Yes,” she sighed.

  “My god.” She heard the emotions in his voice. “I never thought he’d do it.” Then he laughed. “Tell that brother of ours—”

  “He’s missing,” she broke in as her voice hitched. “I… we can’t find him. He went to look for Reagan, but they never came back.” She continued with the entire story quickly. She had to lean against the wall since she’d become light-headed.

  “Where are you? Carrabelle?” he asked once she was done, which only reassured her that her family already knew where she was.

  She nodded again. “Yes.”

  “We’ll be there shortly.” She heard him moving around. “Missy, don’t go anywhere again.” She heard the begging in his voice and could only nod once more as he hung up.

  ***

  Marcus walked into Wendy’s hospital room and coughed lightly when he saw Cole leaning over the blonde bartender, kissing her like there was no tomorrow.

  “Sorry, Cole, I need to borrow you for a moment,” he said in a strained tone.

  Cole stood up and reached for Wendy’s hand. “I’ll be right back.” He leaned in and kissed her once more.

  “What is it?” Cole asked the second he stepped out into the hallway.

  “Roman and the kid are gone.”

  “What?” Cole gripped his arm like he needed the extra strength.

  He nodded. “I guess she was going to take off again, but the kid beat her to it. Roman went to look for him just before the storm hit.” He shook his head. “They’ve had the police and the entire town looking for them and have come up empty-handed.”

  Cole nodded. “Get as many guys as you can. I’ll be right out.” He watched his brother walk back into Wendy’s hospital room.

  Marcus turned back to the waiting room where Shelly, Marcus’s fiancee, Cassey, Luke, and Wendy’s sister, Willow, were sitting all hunched together.

  “Luke, you’re with me.” He nodded as he started walking out.

  “Wait!” Cassey stood, her hands going to her hips. “Where in heck do you think you’re taking my husband?”

  He turned to her, his eyes full of sadness. He’d hoped he could escape without telling her, but he should have known better.

  “Marcus.” Shelly walked over to him, her arms wrapping around his waist. “What’s wrong?” He should have known that he couldn’t have hidden anything from his fiancée, the mother of his child. He smiled down at her at that thought. Putting a protective hand over their growing child, he looked over to his s
ister.

  “To find Roman.”

  “What’s happened?” Cassey rushed over to him.

  “He’s missing.” He hoped she would end the questions there, but she just crossed her arms over her chest as Cole rushed out.

  “Where does Missy say she saw them last?” his brother blurted out. Marcus’ eyes moved to Cassey, who had turned very pale. Luke noticed and rushed to his wife’s side.

  “Missy?” Her voice was very soft as her eyes bore into his.

  He nodded. “Roman found her in Carrabelle. She has a son. The kid took off before the storm, and Roman went to look for him. Now they’re both missing.”

  Cassey wrapped her arms around Luke as tears streamed down her face. Then she shocked him by pulling back and exclaiming in a loud voice, “I’m going with you.”

  Marcus drove, since Cole looked too tired and worn out from his excursion in the wild surf and his whole ordeal with Wendy being hurt. Luke sat in the back seat of the truck, holding Cassey as she glanced out the window silently.

  When they arrived in town, which appeared to have been hit harder than Surf Breeze had, it was shortly after dark. They drove up to the small store, Dog’s Landing, which Cole had directed them to. There were two police cars in the parking lot.

  When they walked in the store, the three of them stood there, looking at their long-lost sister.

  ***

  Missy heard and saw the lights from the car when it drove in. Her breath stilled at the thought that she would be coming face-to-face with one of her family members. She stood up and walked towards the doors, waiting.

  Instead of one of her brothers, she was shocked to see her entire family walk in. Her eyes ran over her brother’s and Cassey’s faces. So much had changed in each of them, but still, she would have recognized them anywhere.

  She didn’t know what to do, so she stood there, hugging her arms tightly around herself until Cassey finally cried out and rushed to her, wrapping her arms around her shoulders and pulling her close.

  Tears streamed from her eyes as her sister held onto her tightly. Then she felt Cole and Marcus join in and she completely lost it and cried until her head hurt and she’d gone blind with tears.

  Someone in the room cleared their throat, breaking the spell. Marcus and Cole pulled back, wiping their eyes quickly. Cassey still held onto her with one arm wrapped around her shoulders.

  “Tell us everything and do it quickly so we can get out there and look for them,” Marcus said.

  She repeated her story, leaving out the part about how she had been determined to leave a second time. She told them that Reagan was Roman’s son, not looking one of them in the eyes the entire time she spoke. She was handed another cup of hot tea, and had taken several sips when her throat closed up.

  “Do you have any clue where they might have gone?” Cassey asked, taking her hand in hers.

  She shook her head. “They’ve checked my house and the boats are all still here. Even the sailboat.” She closed her eyes feeling the sinking feeling again in her chest.

  She watched as Marcus, Cole, and Cassey’s husband, Luke, disappeared out the front door of the store to join the search.

  “There’s so much destruction out there.” She nodded towards the door.

  “This place doesn’t look like it got hit too bad.” Cassey smiled.

  She nodded. “I’m thankful, but still, they could be trapped…”

  “Don’t think about it. If I know Roman, he’d do everything in his power to protect your son.”

  Missy sighed and looked over at her sister. “I’m sorry.”

  Cassey’s eyes teared up again.

  “I was young and stupid. Most of all, I was scared.”

  “Of?” Cassey blinked a few times. “Of us?”

  Missy shook her head. “No, of my family.” She sighed and settled back to tell her sister the entire story.

  By the time she’d run through everything, her head was throbbing. Walking over, she grabbed a bottle of aspirin and swallowed two pills with her warm tea.

  “Here, have something to eat.” Cassey shoved a plate of spaghetti someone had brought for the searchers.

  Shaking her head, she started to push the plate aside. “I can’t…”

  “Eat. You need it.” She pulled a plate in front of herself and took a bite. “See, it’s good.”

  Missy laughed. “Fine.” She sat next to Cassey and took a few bites.

  When the front door chimed, they both rushed out of the back room.

  Marcus, Cole, and Luke walked in with two deputies. “Sorry, we’re just dropping Cole off.” Marcus nodded to his brother. Cole looked like death.

  “Are you okay?” Missy rushed to his side.

  He nodded. “Yeah, just wiped.” He ran a hand through his hair.

  “Wiped and worried about Wendy,” Luke said, helping his brother-in-law to sit.

  “Sorry,” Cole said, looking into Missy’s eyes.

  “It’s okay.” She smiled at him. “Rest a while.”

  “I’d like to get back to Wendy. Then maybe in the morning I can come back.”

  She nodded. “Is Wendy…?”

  He smiled slightly. “My fiancée.” Then he frowned. “She was hit in the head with some debris.”

  Worry instantly flooded Missy’s mind. Hadn’t she thought that about Roman and Reagan since the moment they’d walked out the door?

  “Hey,” Cole said softly, “I’m sure they’re okay. Wendy just has a conk on the head. She’s okay and our brother and your son will be too.”

  She nodded, swallowing her worry.

  “I can take you back to the hospital,” one of the officers said. “I’m off duty and I wanted to check in on my folks who live near there.”

  Cole nodded. “I’d appreciate it.” He looked towards Marcus. “Keep me posted.”

  After Cole left, the rest of the crew disappeared back into the darkness. Missy and Cassey waited along with Jenny and a few other people. They had set up cots in the back room and they were taking shifts napping. She’d even tried to catch a few minutes, but her mind kept whirling, not allowing her to sleep.

  By mid-morning, Cole had joined the search again.

  In their search, they had helped several families trapped in the rubble that used to be their homes. As the day passed, more and more people crowded the store. She’d opened it up and had fed everyone with items on her shelves and had given some in need new clothes as well.

  The Red Cross had arrived early that morning and had set up in her parking lot. She walked around like she was in a trance until that evening when Marcus walked back in with the police chief on his heels.

  “Missy,” he said, looking towards Cassey, who hadn’t left her side the entire time. “We just ran into Mrs. Miller at the school. As you know, she lives across the street from the school.” He walked over to her and leaned down. “She claims she saw Reagan sitting outside on the playground in the rain, and when she went out to get him, she noticed that Roman was already there, talking to him. This was just before the storm hit.”

  Missy’s heart skipped and she felt her breath hitch. “Are they…”

  Marcus shook his head. “We’ve searched the entire school grounds. It’s empty. But she does remember a strange van in the parking lot as they started to leave. She was busy trying to make sure her house was secure, and by the time she turned around, Roman and Reagan were gone. So was the van.”

  Missy’s head spun as realization dawn. “My father,” she said, just before everything went black.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Roman held his head up and groaned with pain. Blood was dripping down the side of his face, getting into his eyes. He felt Reagan’s small body next to his and when he reached out to pull him close, he realized his hands were tied tightly behind his back.

  When he opened his eyes, it was pitch dark. He could hear that the storm was in full force outside the vehicle, but it was too dark inside to see clearly. He could tell they we
re driving slowly, since the van kept swaying with the wind. From the sound of it, they were traveling less than twenty miles per hour.

  There were no windows in the back of the van and when he kicked out, he hit someone, who grunted.

  “He’s awake,” the man said.

  “Don’t worry, he’s tied up,” a deep voice from the front said.

  “What about the boy?” the first voice asked.

  “He’ll be out for a while,” the deeper voice said.

  “Are you sure of the amount you gave him?”

  “Quiet,” the deeper voice growled.

  “What are we to do with the man?”

  “He’ll pay for his crimes.”

  After that, it was silent.

  Roman felt around with his hands, trying to see if there was anything he could use to cut his hands free. He’d removed his own jacket and was wearing the raincoat, which didn’t have any pockets. He remembered his cell phone in his other jacket and almost groaned out loud.

  Maybe Reagan had something in his pockets that could help him. He rolled over and started running his hands over his son.

  “Easy,” the person sitting next to him said. “Just stay still. This will all be over soon enough.”

  “Where are you taking us?” he demanded, wanting to keep the man busy while he searched Reagan’s pockets.

  “We’re taking the boy home,” the deep-voiced man answered.

  “What about me?” he asked, finally feeling Reagan’s house key in his jean pocket. He pulled it out and started working on the duct tape around his wrists.

  “You’re just in the way,” the driver said.

  “You’re from the Council of Friends,” he said, feeling the tape give a little.

  “What do you know of the CoF?” the driver growled.

  “Plenty.” He smiled. In the time he’d been in Carrabelle, he’d done lots of research into the cult.

  “I know that the branch moved to just south of Tallahassee in the early 80s. That it’s run by a man named Kevin Smith, who claims he’s Reagan’s grandfather.”