Ripple Effect: Lantern Beach Blackout, Book 3

by Barritt, Christy

  Griff’s gaze stopped on Bethany again. She was so good with Ada.

  A memory of the first time he’d seen her filled his mind. Griff had been in the military for four years, and Daniel had invited him to church. Griff had been uncomfortable from the moment he’d stepped inside, but he had been determined to go once, get it over with, and never go back again.

  Then he’d seen Bethany singing in the choir, and he’d been enamored.

  He’d found himself back at church week after week after seeing her for the first time. Eventually, he’d even managed to show up to Bethany’s Sunday school class. They’d been in the same prayer circle at the end. When Griff had mentioned he was in the military and was thinking about trying out for SEAL training, Bethany’s eyes had met his and she’d smiled.

  “You should go for it,” she’d told him.

  He was already in love, and the two of them had never even been on a date. But Griff was determined to ask her out. Only, every time he started, he faltered. One day, Bethany had asked him to help with a building project in a local low-income neighborhood. While there, they’d talked. Flirted. Connected.

  Bethany seemed so out of his league. Despite that, Griff had finally managed to ask if she wanted to have dinner together the next day. She’d said yes. When Griff had admitted that he was nervous, Bethany had asked why. He’d told her it was because she seemed too perfect, especially compared to him.

  She laughed. Told him about her shortcomings. About how she held grudges, especially when people hurt her family. How she loved validation. How she had a touch of a rebellious spirit at times.

  Those things only made her seem more perfect.

  But Griff remembered those words now. I hold grudges, especially when people hurt my family.

  Bethany had to have the ultimate grudge against him now. Griff would never forget her expression when he’d told her he was leaving. Her eyes had been orbs of hurt, so full of pain that the image haunted Griff’s sleep at night. He wasn’t even sure he could ever forgive himself.

  Maybe it was better that she kept her walls up. They needed to keep their distance.

  As they finished eating, Dez and Ty left to go down to the ferry. They’d taken Kujo, Ty’s dog, with them. The man who’d jumped yesterday had left his car onboard, and Cassidy had given them permission to look at it.

  That left Benjamin, Griff, and Colton here at the cottage, along with Elise. Colton had some administrative work to do for Blackout and would be working in his cabana for a while.

  Griff’s eyes met Bethany’s. “You want to take a walk and talk?”

  “I’ll watch Ada,” Elise called. She was already sitting on the floor with the girl, drawing pictures on a pad of paper.

  Bethany hesitated a moment before rising. “If you’re sure, then okay. Let’s go.”

  Griff prayed he would find the right words.

  Because he was about to drop a bombshell on her.

  Chapter Eight

  As Griff and Bethany stepped from Ty’s cottage, he noticed the frown on Bethany’s face. She was worried about leaving their daughter—like any mother would be in a situation like this.

  “Ada will be fine,” he assured her. “Elise loves kids, and Benjamin is stationed outside to keep an eye on everything.”

  “I know.” Bethany shoved her hands into the pockets of her gray sweatshirt. “I trust both of them. It’s just so hard to be away from Ada with all of this happening.”

  “I figured we could walk down to the beach and get some fresh air. Thought it might do you some good.” Griff had known Bethany would love it. She’d always been a sucker for the beach.

  “It does sound nice, especially with the weather like it is today. Plus, I don’t want Ada overhearing too much. I know she’s only three, and she can’t possibly understand the implications of all that’s happened. But the girl’s got good intuition. She can sense when something is wrong.”

  They climbed down the stairs at the cottage, crossed over the dune, and their feet hit the sand on the other side. The ocean was beautiful today, almost a turquoise color, and the waves were gentle and rolling.

  He glanced at Bethany and saw her eyes light up. Delight filled him. He’d always thought there was something healing about saltwater. He hoped being here might help Bethany also.

  They continued to stroll along the shore together, their feet gently sinking into the sand and leaving two sets of impressions behind them.

  “So, did I hear that Dez is dating popstar Bree Jordan?” Bethany started.

  “You did. They met during her concert here in Lantern Beach.”

  “The one where the shooting occurred?”

  Griff nodded. “Unfortunately, yes. But, despite the way they met, the two of them seem really happy together. She’ll be back in a couple weeks to do another concert here. I know Dez is looking forward to seeing her.”

  “I never thought I’d see Dez in a serious relationship.”

  “Yeah, none of us did. But I guess when you meet the one, you just know.” Griff’s grin faded as his words sent a cold, stark reminder through his heart of what he’d lost. But he couldn’t think like that. Not now, especially.

  Right now, he needed to remain focused on keeping Bethany and Ada safe.

  A few minutes of silence passed as they paced down the shoreline. Griff gave Bethany the time to sort her thoughts.

  Finally, she cleared her throat and glanced at him. “Did you hear yet if they found the man who jumped off the ferry?”

  “I checked in this morning, and they hadn’t found his body yet. My guess is that this man somehow managed to get away and avoid being captured.”

  Bethany’s lip drew into a thin line. “Whoever is behind this, he knows what he’s doing, doesn’t he? This isn’t some amateur with no experience. Instead, these guys are thorough.”

  Griff frowned. “You could say that.”

  “Do you really think the Savages are responsible?”

  “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” Griff sucked in a deep breath, knowing there were things he needed to say that he had no desire to say. It was better, however, just to rip the bandage off than to keep delaying the inevitable. “The guys and I . . . some of our last missions involved the Savages. We believe that one of them may be targeting us now.”

  Bethany froze on the sand and turned to him, her lips parting with surprise. “So you think Ada is a target because of that?”

  Hearing the words leave Bethany’s lips caused a grueling ache to rip through his heart. “I’m sorry, Bethany. It wasn’t supposed to be this way.”

  She stared at him a moment as if processing the revelation and then she shook her head in disbelief. “How long have you known that Ada might be a target?”

  “If I had any clue that these guys might take things to this extreme, believe me, I would have let you know about it. But I assumed it was just my former SEAL team in the crosshairs.”

  “Griff, you’ve got to tell me what’s going on. I deserve to know that much.”

  More than anything, he wished he could spill the truth to her, that he could tell her everything. But certain information was classified, and he was sworn to secrecy on it.

  “You know I wish I could tell you more . . .”

  She crossed her arms. “Then tell me what you do know, what you’re allowed to say.”

  Griff ran a hand over his face and stared out over the water for a moment.

  How much could he say? If the roles were reversed, he’d want all the facts.

  He had to make a decision—a choice he could live with.

  * * *

  “Let’s sit,” Griff said.

  Bethany didn’t want to sit, but she did it anyway. If Griff’s explanation had the implication she thought it would, this conversation was going to be a doozy. Maybe her legs wouldn’t hold her up.

  Bethany listened as Griff explained the situation to her—every grueling detail. She was thankful for the warm sunshine on her shoul
ders. It brought her a small measure of comfort. She would take whatever she could get in this gut-wrenching situation.

  “So you’re telling me that the Savages have a personal vendetta against each of you and there could be someone who’s been planted inside your former command who’s feeding this group information?” Bethany repeated it out loud to make sure she understood.

  Griff’s gaze locked on hers. He meant business. His normal playfulness was gone. “This is all highly classified information that I’m giving you. I shouldn’t even be sharing this much. But when I consider what’s on the line, I think you deserve to know.”

  He was taking a risk, and Bethany appreciated that. Throughout their married life, she hadn’t known where he was most of the time, just that he was answering the call of duty. But now her daughter was at risk, and that protocol meant nothing to her.

  “So what have these guys done so far?” Did Bethany really want to know? Part of her said no. But she had to know the truth, had to know what she was up against.

  Griff stared off into the distance a moment. “They went after Elise, for starters. Daniel had been talking to a CIA agent who suspected there was an insider within the command. They were both trying to track down who this person was when the CIA agent was killed.”

  “And then Daniel was killed during that training exercise, right?” She tried to put the pieces together, though she hated the picture that formed.

  Griff’s face turned to stone. There was obviously something he was not saying . . . Bethany waited for him to gather his thoughts.

  He let out a long breath. “That training exercise was actually a black ops mission. Daniel, Colton, Dez, Benjamin, and I were all a part of it. We believe this traitor sold us out, and that the Savages knew we were coming. We were ambushed, and that’s why Daniel died.”

  “No . . .”

  Bethany gasped as the images played out in her mind. She’d had no idea. She’d only known that Daniel’s death had been a turning point in her relationship with Griff. She’d assumed Griff suffered some kind of PTSD afterward. She knew when Griff left her, it had something to do with that time in his life. But she’d never expected this.

  “I wish it wasn’t true, but it is. We caught the mole. He was a member of the commander’s entourage—one of his drivers, to be precise. He was in the perfect position to overhear private conversations. He then shared that information with the Savages.”

  Bethany rubbed her temples, still trying to make sense of things. “But if this guy is now behind bars, why are we still in danger?”

  Griff found a broken shell in the sand beneath him and tossed it into the water. “That’s what we are trying to figure out. Another member of the command, the commander’s chief of staff Brian Starks, came to Lantern Beach about two months ago to tell us he suspected there was still a traitor in our midst. As he was leaving the island, he was run off the road, and he’s still in a coma.”

  “That’s awful . . . but I don’t understand. Why are they targeting Blackout? You guys aren’t Navy SEALs anymore, so why do they feel threatened by you?”

  He pushed his sunglasses higher. “Because we started asking too many questions. Someone had to do it. Nobody else was stepping up. Maybe because nobody else knows.”

  “So if they eliminate all of you, then their secret is safe and they can continue on with their plans.” Bethany’s stomach clenched as she said the words. It all seemed surreal, like something that would happen in a movie, not in real life. But Griff wouldn’t make something like this up, especially not if Ada was affected.

  “Exactly,” Griff said. “I just had no idea that they might target you and Ada in order to get to me.”

  Despite the sunshine, a shiver raked over Bethany. She pulled her knees closer to her chest and stared at the water. “I don’t like this, Griff.”

  “Believe me, neither do I.”

  “What are we going to do?”

  “We are still going to try to find answers. And, in the meantime, we’re going to keep you safe.”

  It sounded so easy when he said it that way. But nothing about this was going to be easy. Terrorists were after them, for goodness sake.

  “That seems almost like an impossible task. These guys—I assume there’s more than one—went after Ada in the park. They somehow still managed to follow me here, even though I saw no one behind me during the drive. What will they do next?” Bethany watched Griff, waiting to see his reaction.

  A frown twitched at his lips. “That’s what we are all wondering.”

  She almost wished that Griff had denied her statement. That he would say all the scary stuff was done and over with. But that wasn’t the case.

  Bethany had always appreciated that Griff was forthright with his opinions—the good, the bad, and the ugly of them.

  Just as the thought entered her mind, something in the distance caught her eye. She pointed to the sky. “Griff . . .”

  Griff looked toward the cottage. Something hovered near the roof. It didn’t move like a bird, so what could it be?

  “That’s a . . .” Griff shook his head, as if he didn’t believe his eyes. “It’s a drone. Come on.”

  The next instant, he grabbed her hand, and they took off running toward the cottage.

  Chapter Nine

  Griff’s muscles burned as he sprinted through the sand toward the cottage. He didn’t know what was going on, but he didn’t like any of the conclusions that came to mind.

  Thankfully, Bethany kept pace beside him. She’d always been a runner, and he was exceedingly grateful for that right now. His gut told him they had no time to waste.

  As they reached the dune near Ty’s cottage, he saw someone sprawled in the sand.

  Benjamin.

  Griff darted toward his friend and knelt beside him, quickly checking for wounds. He saw nothing.

  “Benjamin?” Griff rushed. “What happened?”

  The man’s eyes fluttered open. He moaned before rubbing his head. “I saw a drone. I went to check it out, and someone must have hit me over the head. I blacked out.”

  Griff’s pulse quickened. “Where is Ada?”

  Benjamin shook his head and pulled himself to his feet. He staggered, still unsteady. “I . . . I don’t know. Go. I’ll be fine.”

  Griff and Bethany darted toward the cottage. But it was too late.

  A man in a black mask stood beneath the house, holding Elise and Ada hostage as he backed toward the lane in the distance. As Elise held Ada, the man shoved a gun to the woman’s head. His other arm wrapped around both his hostages.

  Tears streamed down Elise’s face as she looked back at them. Her eyes communicated plenty. That she was sorry. Scared. Unsure.

  And Ada . . . her eyes were wide and confused.

  “Stay back or I’ll shoot!” The man continued to back away with his hostages.

  Griff paused where he was, not wanting to take any chances. “Let them go.”

  Bethany and Benjamin also froze behind him.

  “It’s too late for that,” the man said. “If you know what’s best, you’ll step back.”

  Griff didn’t move. “That’s not going to happen.”

  “Please, let them go.” Bethany’s voice quivered, her gaze on their daughter. “Ada is just a little girl. She’s not a part of this.”

  The man let out a little chuckle and backed up even more. “This is bigger than any of you know. If you had just left it alone, it wouldn’t have come down to this.”

  Griff had to do something. But he couldn’t put Ada or Elise at risk. Tension pulled inside him.

  The man inched closer to the lane. Exactly what was he planning? Griff didn’t see any cars waiting for him.

  Something didn’t make sense. How did the man think he was going to get away?

  At once, the man let out a yelp. His arm loosened enough for Ada to scramble to the ground.

  She’d bit him, hadn’t she? Griff hid his smile.

  That’s my girl . . .


  She rushed over to her mother’s outstretched arms, and Bethany pulled her daughter into a tight embrace.

  “Get her out of here,” Griff said. “Benjamin—go with her.”

  Bethany hesitated only a moment before she ran back toward the cottage. Benjamin followed close behind her.

  Now it was just Griff and this man with Elise.

  From the corner of his eye, Griff saw some movement. Colton had stepped from his cabana.

  The good news was that the man didn’t appear to notice Colton. Griff didn’t think so, at least.

  They had to think of a way to get Elise away from this man. There couldn’t be any more casualties. There had already been too many.

  * * *

  Bethany held Ada in her arms and rocked her back and forth as she sat on the couch. Benjamin had led them back into the cottage and checked out the rest of the place. Everything appeared safe.

  But nowhere was safe. Not really.

  Life was driving home that reality again and again.

  What was going on outside? Was Griff okay? How about Elise?

  Bethany pressed her eyes shut and began whispering silent prayers. This nightmare didn’t even seem real. How could she be a normal associate editor one day and going through this the next? It didn’t seem right.

  She pulled Ada closer and continued to rock her in her arms. But Ada seemed okay. Bethany was the one who needed comforting right now.

  Warrior Princess.

  Maybe Griff had it right when he called Ada that. The girl could be fearless at times. The fact that Ada had bitten her attacker’s arm may have ended up saving her life.

  Bethany couldn’t stop the tears from streaming down her cheeks. She’d been so certain she was going to lose her daughter. So certain that man was going to take Ada and that Bethany would never see her again.

  Thank goodness, that wasn’t the case.