Ripple Effect: Lantern Beach Blackout, Book 3

by Barritt, Christy

  Bethany trembled but remained quiet a moment, as if thinking through his statement.

  He meant the words. These guys were ruthless. The walls of this house gave them a false sense of security. Though it might seem like staying inside was the safest option, with the right amount of protection, Griff didn’t see anything wrong with venturing outside for a little while. If trouble wanted to find them, then trouble would find them.

  “If you don’t mind, then, yes, some fresh air sounds nice.”

  Griff stood. “Let me talk to the guys so we can make sure we have enough eyes on us. I don’t think there are very many sand toys here, but hopefully we can make do.”

  “Just getting outside will be enough,” Bethany said. “Fresh air can do a world of good.”

  Getting outside seemed like just what the doctor ordered. Griff just hoped that he didn’t regret it.

  * * *

  Bethany drew in a deep breath of the heavy salt-laden air and felt herself relax. The feeling was short-lived, however. Immediately, she turned, looking for any signs of trouble as they walked along the shoreline.

  She saw nothing.

  The area near Ty’s house was away from the tourist area farther down. The only people who used this beach were the ones with little cottages in the area. Since Ty’s house sat at the end of that area, his stretch of shoreline was fairly secluded.

  She hoped Griff was right and that this was all safe. But she knew that she wouldn’t feel safe for a long time. Every time she closed her eyes, the horrifying events of the past few days began replaying again and again.

  The drone. Finding Benjamin knocked out. Seeing that man with a gun held to Ada and Elise.

  That man was dead, so maybe they’d be safe for a while.

  Bethany wished she believed that.

  As she and Griff walked beside each other, Ada swung between them, holding each of their hands. Bethany felt the tension stretching between her and her ex. She almost preferred that they bickered to the awkwardness she felt now.

  She knew that last night had changed things. Though nothing had happened, it reminded both of them of what had been lost when they had split. Their family had been torn in two, and Ada was the one who would pay the price for that.

  Seeing how tender Griff was with Ada didn’t do anything to make the situation better. Bethany only wished she could understand why Griff had reacted the way he did. Maybe if she understood, she could feel some peace.

  Maybe.

  “You and Mason, huh?” Griff glanced over at her.

  So he’d heard that part of the conversation. Bethany shouldn’t be surprised. “There is no me and Mason.”

  Had she just been imagining it or had there been a twinge of jealousy in his voice? She couldn’t be sure.

  “That’s not what it sounded like,” Griff said.

  “Don’t believe everything you hear. He’s my neighbor, and that’s all.”

  “But he wants to be more?”

  She cast him a sharp glance. “Why does it matter?”

  Griff shrugged. “I suppose that it doesn’t. Just trying to get a feel for who might be in Ada’s life.”

  Was that why he was asking? Maybe Bethany had misread the jealousy she thought she saw there.

  “I suppose you lost the right to have any input when you left us.” Bethany rubbed her throat.

  She hadn’t intended for the words to escape, but they had. Months’ worth of emotions had built in her, and this was the first opportunity she had to release them. She always tried to be nicer than necessary, and she thought being blunt would make her feel better.

  It didn’t. Guilt bit at her instead.

  “I guess I deserve that.”

  “I don’t know what to say,” Bethany said. “Part of me thinks I should apologize, but the other part of me knows that I’m only speaking the truth.”

  “Bethany . . . I wish I could explain. That I could have explained. But . . . it’s complicated.”

  “I can understand complicated things.” Irritation pinched at her. She was an intelligent woman. She could handle the facts and didn’t need to be coddled or protected.

  “I wasn’t trying to imply that you couldn’t. But Bethany—”

  Before he could finish what he was saying, Bethany’s phone dinged. She expected it to be her boss calling with an update. Instead, it was an unknown number. Despite her better judgment, she clicked on the message.

  It was a video. Her eyes widened at what she saw there. The footage had been taken outside her parents’ house.

  Somebody was watching her mom and dad.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  As Griff looked at the video, his stomach clenched again. The lengths these people had gone to were astounding. Exactly what were they trying to prove? This video seemed to indicate that Bethany was the target.

  However, that didn’t make any sense.

  Bethany squeezed the skin between her eyes and lowered the phone. Her eyes met his. “What should I do?”

  Griff had already pulled out his phone. “I have some contacts, some guys I used to work with who are now police officers up in Virginia Beach. I’ll give them a call, make sure they go past your parents’ house and keep an eye on them.”

  “Should I call my parents and warn them?”

  “It can’t hurt to let them know what’s going on.”

  Bethany looked halfway in shock as she nodded and began dialing their number. While they were on the phone, Ada sat on the shoreline and began building mountains out of the sand. Dez and Benjamin stood lookout on either side of them. At the first sign of trouble, they would be out of here.

  Griff hoped it didn’t come down to that.

  After both their calls ended, Griff and Bethany turned to each other. He wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and to tell her that everything would be okay. But he couldn’t do that. Everything might not be okay.

  “What did they say?” Griff asked.

  Bethany paused long enough to take a deep breath to compose herself. “They’re concerned, of course. But they said they would keep their eyes open. They plan on staying in for the rest of the day anyway.”

  “That’s a good start. We’ll make sure the police keep an eye on them as well.”

  She nodded but didn’t look convinced. This was all getting to her, wasn’t it?

  Griff cleared his throat, determined to distract Bethany from her heavy thoughts. “Your dad still working at the church?”

  Bethany stared at Ada, almost absently, and nodded. “He’s been there for thirty years now.”

  “That’s great. Is that still where you attend?” Griff knew she did, but he wanted to hear it from her.

  “It is. Still singing in the choir, even.”

  He smiled as he remembered when he’d seen Bethany up there the first time. She’d looked so earnest, so happy. He’d wanted some of that in his own life.

  “People got really shaken up when the preacher’s daughter came into church with me by her side.” Griff remembered the looks they’d gotten when the two of them had walked into a service holding hands for the first time.

  That got a small smile out of Bethany. “I know you think I care about what people think, but I really don’t. People may have seen a brawny Navy SEAL who’d experienced more of the world in his two decades than most had seen in their lifetimes, but it was never about that for me.”

  “What did you see?” A lump formed in Griff’s throat as he waited for her answer. He shouldn’t have asked. He knew better. But he hadn’t been able to stop himself.

  Bethany’s eyes met his. “I saw someone who wanted to change the world. Someone who would overcome incredible obstacles. Someone who had a kind heart behind his tough exterior.”

  His heart pounded in his ears. She’d always believed in him, hadn’t she?

  An ache began in Griff’s heart at the realization.

  Things should have been so different. So, so different.

  Was it too la
te to go back?

  Silence fell and that familiar tension stretched between them again. Thank goodness, Ada didn’t seem to notice. She happily played in the sand, granules sticking to her skin. But she didn’t seem to mind.

  Griff wished more than anything that this was just a normal, ordinary day. That he and Bethany were together. That they were on a family vacation to a happy little island.

  But nothing could be further from the truth.

  He felt Benjamin bristle beside him and followed his friend’s gaze.

  Farther down the beach, a man walked toward them.

  Griff rose to this feet, trying to be cautious.

  This could just be a vacationer taking a stroll down the shoreline. But they had to be safe.

  Griff exchanged a look with Benjamin and Dez, and their silent communication made it clear that they were all on the same page. Caution was paramount.

  “What is it?” Bethany’s voice quivered.

  “Probably nothing. We’re just being cautious.”

  But as soon as the words left his mouth, Griff saw another man appear. He came from a crossover about two blocks down. He walked toward them also.

  This wasn’t a coincidence, Griff realized. Now he had to figure out what he was going to do about it before they had another deadly situation on their hands.

  * * *

  Bethany felt her pulse racing. She followed Griff’s gaze and saw two men walking their way. Though they wore shorts and T-shirts, there was something strange about them.

  Perhaps it was the fact that they were two separate individuals, but both were walking this way by themselves. She didn’t know. But if Griff’s and his friends’ intuition told them this was something to be concerned about, she was also concerned.

  She reached for Ada and put a hand on her shoulder, ready to spring into action. To shield her. She wanted to pull her close.

  Who was she kidding?

  Bethany wanted to grab her daughter and run. She wanted to escape all of this. She knew that was not possible. Wherever she went, these guys were going to be there.

  How long could they live like this? What if this didn’t end in a few days? What if the threats continued on and on? What did that mean for her future? For her job?

  She had so many questions and so few answers.

  Bethany glanced down the shoreline. A third figure appeared. Another male. All three walked toward them. Their steps seemed casual, and she saw no weapons.

  Despite that, she could still sense that these guys were dangerous.

  “Griff . . .” Her voice trailed as she glanced at him.

  Based on the rigid line of his jaw, Griff was taking this very seriously. As were the rest of the guys.

  “Should we go after them?” Benjamin asked.

  Griff finally said, “That’s what they want us to do. I think these guys want to lure us away so they can move in on Bethany and Ada—just like on the ferry.”

  Another shiver wracked down Bethany’s spine.

  “So do we just sit here?” Dez’s gaze never left the men. “It’s your call. Your family.”

  “We need to start back to the cottage.” Griff’s hands fisted at his side. “But we move slowly and carefully.”

  That sounded good to Bethany. She turned toward her daughter. “Ada, we’ve got to go.”

  “No . . . !” Her daughter clawed at the sand.

  “Ada, this is no time to argue with me. We need to go.”

  Her daughter dug her hands into the sand and looked up at Bethany with a defiant look in her eyes. “I want to stay!”

  Great. Of all the times her daughter had chosen to throw a temper tantrum, it was now.

  Bethany didn’t have time for this. She scooped down, lifting Ada into her arms.

  Her daughter kicked and screamed and reached back for the mound of sand she’d been working on. She wasn’t going to make this easy, was she?

  Griff cast a glance full of both compassion and concern. He hadn’t seen his daughter like this before. It usually only happened when Ada was tired. The girl had definitely been through a lot in the past couple days.

  Bethany continued to walk with her daughter toward the cottage, amidst her screams and cries.

  “Have you got her?” Griff asked.

  She wanted to tell him that she always had Ada. That, as a parent, you didn’t walk away. You were there in the good times and bad.

  But she held the words back and nodded instead. “I’m good.”

  She only hoped this situation didn’t turn any uglier.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Griff glanced behind him again and saw that the three men were still there.

  The men had stopped walking and now stared at Griff and his crew. Benjamin had called the police, and they were on their way. But Griff couldn’t risk any of his team leaving Bethany and Ada right now. He felt confident that that was exactly what these guys wanted. To draw them away.

  He couldn’t let that happen.

  Finally, they reached the cottage. Griff ushered Bethany and Ada back inside and instructed Dez and Benjamin to stay with them.

  “You’re going out there?” Dez’s voice sounded tinged with surprise.

  “I want to talk to these guys,” Griff said. “I need to know what they’re up to.”

  “Isn’t that obvious?” Benjamin asked. “They want your family.”

  Hearing him say the words caused more adrenaline to pump through Griff. “I want to be there when the police come and capture them.”

  “You don’t really think they’re going to let that happen, do you?” Dez asked.

  “No, but I don’t want them to think we’re just going to run away either.”

  Grabbing his gun, Griff stepped outside. As he did, his phone rang.

  It was Colton.

  If he was calling, there was probably a good reason.

  Still on guard, Griff put the phone to his ear. “What’s going on?”

  “Brian is awake, like I told you,” Colton started. “But we think someone is watching him. Elise and I are going to stay here to keep an eye on him. I just wanted to let you know.”

  That didn’t surprise Griff. Brian was probably supposed to die in that accident. When he didn’t, someone had come back to finish him off.

  “Thanks for the update,” Griff said.

  By the time Griff stepped over the sand dune, the men were nowhere to be seen. The beach was empty, almost as if nothing had ever happened.

  Disappointment bit deep. They’d gotten away. Again.

  But these guys were sending the message loud and clear. Nothing was going to stop them. Nothing at all.

  * * *

  Bethany watched as Griff stepped back inside, and she held her breath, waiting to hear what happened.

  “They’re gone,” Griff announced, a scowl on his face.

  She’d expected his words but hoped for something different. But if those men were gone from the beach, where were they now? What were they planning next? Were they preparing for another attack?

  None of those questions settled well with her.

  Ada continued to fuss in her arms. She’d given her daughter some water and crackers, but it was obvious she was sleepy.

  CJ looked up from cleaning out one of the kitchen cabinets. “If she needs to lie down, you can use my room.”

  “I think I will try that.” If Bethany could get her daughter to take a nap, maybe Bethany would also be able to think more clearly. Her head felt like it might explode right now.

  In CJ’s room, Bethany lay down next to Ada and rubbed her daughter’s back, murmuring soothing words and singing lullabies. Finally, fifteen minutes later, Ada’s breathing evened out and sleep found her.

  Bethany lay there a moment, trying to clear her head before returning to face reality. As she did, she picked up her phone.

  Before she turned it on, she prayed there wouldn’t be any more messages that caused her blood to spike. No more videos of her parents’ house.
<
br />   She would never forgive herself if something happened to her parents because of her. Her parents were wonderful people who had given their lives to serving the community and the church. They didn’t deserve to be pulled into something like this.

  Then again, neither did Ada.

  Thankfully, Bethany saw no new mysterious text messages. Instead, she checked her email one more time.

  There was another email from her boss.

  She read the words. I’ve gotten several questions about the document I sent you all to sign via email earlier today. I want to assure everyone that I did send it, and I do require your signatures on this new document so that we can be HR compliant. I need this document to be signed by the end of the day today. Thank you all for your understanding, John.

  Her heart pounded in her ears. This wasn’t what he’d told her earlier. Had something changed?

  She’d gotten phishing emails before. Scams popped up all the time. But the fact that this one sounded so personal and professional set off all kinds of alarms in her head.

  Eager to dispel her doubts, she dialed John’s number again. Her boss answered on the first ring.

  “Did you just send out a follow-up email?” Bethany asked, keeping her voice low.

  “Follow-up email? No, I told you I didn’t send the first one.”

  “I just got a new one that’s supposedly from you. It assures everybody that you did indeed send the first one and that the document needs to be signed by the end of the day. Do you know what’s going on?”

  “The IT guys couldn’t find anything, so we’re not really sure how these emails are being sent from my account. They said our firewall is one of the best.”

  “I don’t know either, but it’s concerning.”

  “It is. I’ll make sure everyone gets the message not to sign. I don’t know what’s going on here, but until we do, I’ll be cautious.”

  “Good idea. I just wanted to let you know.”

  With Ada snoozing, Bethany crept from the room and found Griff in the living room area. He paced by the door, still looking as ticked off as he did earlier. These guys were obviously getting under his skin.