Waves of Solace

by Ariel Bonin

  Andrew looked down as a grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Well, we're about to have three kids in our tiny house. We need to enjoy this time together, right?"

  Lindsey's gentle gaze traveled over his seemingly amused expression. "You're right, we do. You are such a romantic. Do you enjoy making the other guys look bad?" she asked with a playful nudge.

  He chuckled and scratched his brow in an uncomfortable manner.

  "This wasn't your idea was it?"

  "Nope. Ana called me out," he confessed.

  Lindsey burst out laughing and stopped in front of him as she got on tip-toe to kiss his lips. "I still love you."

  When they emerged from the thick foliage, they were finally able to see the full sunset in all its glory. With hues of blazing orange and amorous purple fused together, it was positively breathtaking—the perfect start to a romantic evening.

  Andrew laid out the blanket on a patch of untouched white sand, scooching down to smooth out the bunched edges. He offered his hand and Lindsey took it, following him down onto the fleece material. She adjusted her black dress—the one he'd gotten her for Christmas—as it rode up her tanned legs, but Andrew stopped her. He slipped his hand under the thin fabric, caressing her thigh and upward.

  "Andrew Flynn, are you trying to seduce me?" she whispered against his lips.

  He moved the calloused hand to her pregnant belly and looked at her from under hooded eyes. "I think it's a little late for that, Mrs. Flynn, wouldn't you say?"

  "Mhmm…" she murmured, teasing his mouth with a lingering kiss, "and I'd do it all over again."

  As she deepened the kiss, Andrew hooked his hand into the side of her underwear and pulled it down the full length of her legs. He let it fall from his fingertips and land next to them on the blanket. Pulling her over him, Lindsey straddled his legs and sat up to start on his belt. Without the gun strapped to his hip, he was dressed like a regular guy in jeans and a plaid button-up.

  When he was free from the confines of his tight pants, he guided himself to the warmth at Lindsey's center and eased her down onto him. A hiss of satisfaction escaped from her parted lips as she grasped the top of his shirt and yanked it open, revealing his chest to her and a light dusting of hair. She flattened her hands over his taut chest, rocking her hips to take him deeper. Andrew groaned and reached up to fondle her round breasts, which were practically bursting out of her thin-strapped dress.

  Lindsey desperately wanted to kiss him, but her protruding stomach prevented her from doing so. Instead, she held his gaze and quickened the rhythm. She gave him everything she had, love shining in her brown eyes. Andrew gave it right back as he lifted her hands from his chest and intertwined their fingers together. After a few more thrusts, pleasure crashed over the couple like the waves rolling onto the shore behind them.

  The sun was gone now, replaced by a dark swathe of shining stars. Andrew finished buttoning up the top of his shirt and then laid back to take the spent woman into his arms. Lindsey snuggled close, burying her face in the soft cotton at his neck. She breathed him in, an alluring mixture of musk and man.

  Turning her gaze skyward, she stared at the twinkling lights and allowed a distant memory to revisit her. She remembered the night she'd sat with Charlie after losing Nadie. They'd looked up at the stars and she had felt cold, empty—hopeless.

  Tonight, those feelings were, in fact, the opposite.

  "We're going to have this baby, Andrew. We…we're going to be okay. I can feel it."

  The man smiled, pressing a kiss to her forehead as the sea breeze cooled their damp skin. "We are," he whispered.

  Chapter 24

  As the end of August approached, so did Lindsey's due date. She'd had enough of being pregnant and wanted the baby out as soon as humanly possible. The summer heat would not ease off, which in turn, made her body ache. She could only wear sandals or go barefoot from the swelling in her feet. She still considered the sensation of a baby moving in her stomach to be amazing, but was more than ready for it to be over. What she wanted more than anything was to hold that baby in her arms and look upon its beautiful face for the first time.

  Andrew on the other hand, shared her enthusiasm for the new life that was about to come into their world, but could not shake a lingering feeling of unease. He wasn't sure if it had more to do with the upcoming birth or their lack of disastrous events in past months. He certainly didn't want anything bad to happen; it was just unusual after everything they'd been through up until that point.

  On one overcast morning, that wariness came crashing down—just as he feared it would.

  "Andrew, we have a problem," Phil said as they crossed paths near the clinic. Charlie stood on the man's left side, his face grim.

  "What is it?"

  "That speedboat you got on your last shit storm of a run—it's missing."

  Andrew scoffed as the bottom of his stomach dropped out. "What do you mean 'missing'?"

  "It's just…gone."

  "The water was calm last night. Did it look like it broke away from the dock? Were the ropes cut? What?"

  Phil dipped his head down to whisper, "I think someone took it."

  Andrew closed his eyes. He did not need something like this now—wait, make that ever. "All right, we need to find some paper and then go door to door to get a headcount. Make sure everyone is accounted for," he said, his voice stern.

  After Phil was able to collect the requested sheets of paper, Andrew broke up the island into blocks and assigned each person a section. Once they had completed their list of inhabitants, they were to meet up at the dining pavilion.

  It only took the men just over an hour, which was quite a feat considering the sheer size of the island. Andrew laid out his paper on one of the picnic tables, and Charlie and Phil followed suit.

  "So where're we at?" Andrew asked, his clear eyes scanning the wrinkled parchment.

  "There was one person I couldn't find," Phil began. "He's a young man—name's William, but goes by Will."

  "What do we know about him?" Andrew asked.

  "Not much. He got here a couple of weeks after your group and has pretty much kept to himself. Though, I do know he talks to Hannah sometimes—seemed sweet on her."

  "Seen him down in the fields with Ana—works hard from the looks of it," Charlie said.

  Andrew settled a hand on his gun belt and squinted at the two men. "But other than that, we know nothing about him?"

  Phil shrugged. "I'm sorry, man, I guess not. Actually, come to think of it…he went on a run with us last month. We lost track of him for about an hour—said he went to find a special medication for his migraines."

  "Well, did he find it?"

  Phil shook his head and Andrew felt his chest tighten with suspicion and uncertainty.

  "There was someone else I couldn't find," Charlie said, shifting his rifle to the opposite shoulder.

  "Who?" Andrew asked.

  "Nicholas."

  Now that didn't make any sense. The former police officer was their ally and close friend. It wasn't in him to steal a boat and possibly put the entire island in danger, especially since he'd forged a special connection with Hannah. He wouldn't just leave her behind.

  Andrew looked between the two men. "When was the last time someone saw him?"

  "He was on watch last night," Phil said. "We talked for a couple minutes at dinner... He left for his shift right after that."

  "Okay, I need to speak with Kirkman about all of this—he needs to be aware of what's going on…" Andrew said, expressing his thoughts aloud.

  "Need us to do anythin'?" Charlie asked.

  "Just keep your guard up. I don't want to cause a panic, but we should probably start warning the residents. We need to be prepared for anything—"

  "Do you really think it's going to come to that?" Phil questioned, his dark gaze skeptical.

  Andrew stepped toward the other man and tilted his head. "I sure as hell hope not, but I'm not in the position to take any of
this lightly. I have a baby that's due any day now and two more children that I'm responsible for. I'd rather be wrong and live with the embarrassment rather than the guilt of getting someone killed. If you can't accept that, then you'd be better off getting out of my way."

  Phil cleared his throat and stared down at his feet. "I didn't mean no disrespect, man. I've got your back. If you think that's the right decision, I won't stand in your way."

  Andrew blinked as he swallowed hard, then gave Phil a nod. "If you need me, I'll be at Kirkman's…"

  With those words, he spun around, stalking down the trail that led to the radio building. He reached his destination within minutes and knocked on the door. The general answered and stepped back to let him in.

  "What brings you to this part of the island, Andrew?"

  "Unfortunately, it's not a friendly visit today."

  "I figured as much," the older man said with a smirk.

  Andrew made no move to sit down, as he wouldn't be staying long. He was anxious to get back to his family—the one constant in his life that he could rely on.

  "We're missing two residents and one of our boats is gone. We think there's a connection, but we've got nothing to go on."

  "Well, I can't say I'm surprised. One of my SATCOMs is missing. I always keep them in the same spot. Somebody had to have taken it when I stepped out yesterday. I didn't notice it was gone until about twenty minutes ago."

  "Okay," Andrew said while he attempted to ignore the swelling anxiety in the pit of his stomach. "Try callin' out to it—see if you can get someone to answer. I've got some of the guys out warning the residents to stay alert and I need to go check on my own family. Let me know right away if you hear anything."

  Kirkman opened the drawer next to his chair and extracted a handful of batteries. Lifting a walkie-talkie from the dock between them, he popped in the batteries and handed it to Andrew. "Set it to channel two. That way we can reach each other a little faster."

  "All right," Andrew said, accepting the worn gadget.

  After leaving Kirkman's place, he walked quickly to his own bungalow. When he got inside, he found Lindsey and Zoey each lounging with a paperback in the living room chairs. Jacob sat at their feet, blocks strewn about the floor. It was quite convenient to find them all together like this.

  "Hey, Dad, what're you doing home so early?" Zoey asked.

  "Hey. I'm just checkin' in. Wanted to see how you're holding up," he said to the very pregnant woman sitting before him.

  Lindsey gave him a cynical smile. "Well, other than fulfilling my full-time job as a beached whale, I'm doing fine."

  Andrew grinned and shook his head. "You're just as beautiful as the day I met you."

  "I looked like crap the day we met."

  "And yet, here we are," he said, shooting her a wink.

  Lindsey struggled to push herself upright and Andrew reached for her hand, helping her out of the wicker chair. They exchanged a brief kiss before she wandered into the kitchen, saying, "I can't tell if that was a compliment… I'm gonna try not to read into it though, because it makes my head hurt. I think I'm getting an early case of 'mommy brain.'"

  Andrew followed her into the kitchen and cornered her near the stove. He lowered his voice as he said, "Something's going down on and off the island, but it's too soon to say what. I have a really bad feeling, Lindsey…"

  Her playful expression vanished and became serious, a frown creasing her brows.

  Suddenly, the walkie-talkie on his hip crackled to life.

  "Andrew, come in. Andrew, do you copy?"

  He unclipped the device and pressed a button as he brought it to his lips. "Andrew here. Over.

  "I need you down here right fucking now."

  The panic in Kirkman's voice and unusual cursing sent a chill through Andrew. That couldn't be good.

  "I'll be right there."

  He turned to face Lindsey and she'd obviously heard the short conversation between the two men. Her wary gaze couldn't hide the fear she undoubtedly felt at that moment.

  "I need you and the kids to stay put. Do not leave until I get back, all right?"

  "Andrew, you're scaring me," she whispered.

  He held her shoulders with a tender grip and said, "I'm sorry. It's just a precaution. Promise me that you'll stay."

  "I promise."

  He leaned in to kiss her again, deeper than before. She responded with her whole body, grasping the nape of his neck as he swallowed her in his arms. They embraced for a few seconds, but he knew he needed to go.

  On his way out the door, he bumped into Hannah.

  "Hi, Andrew. I was just stopping by to see how Lindsey's doing. She's about ready to pop, huh?"

  "Yeah," he said in what he hoped was a light manner. "She's right inside. I know she'll be happy to see you."

  Before the young woman could reply, he'd already taken off. The thought had crossed his mind to ask her about Will, but it would have to wait—this was much more urgent. He jogged down the path back to Kirkman's, not bothering with formalities as he pushed open the door and let himself inside. The general was sitting in his chair by the radio equipment, per the usual, but his demeanor was entirely foreign to Andrew. The man's jaw was clenched and his eyes were fiery as he held out his main SATCOM.

  "Who is it?"

  Kirkman slowly shook his head. "She won't talk to me…she asked for you."

  Andrew grabbed the telephone-like device from the other man, but hesitated with his thumb over the button. His heart slammed in his chest. He took a moment to catch his breath, exhaling through his nose. It didn't help. He punched the button.

  "This is Andrew Flynn. Who am I speaking with?" He let off the button and stared at Kirkman as the two men awaited a response.

  "Well, well…I didn't think we were going to hear from you, Andrew. I've been waiting a long time for this moment—a lot longer than I've wanted to…" the voice said. Somehow it sounded familiar to him.

  "Your name?" Andrew demanded again.

  "I'm disappointed that you don't remember me… I thought I had left a bigger impression."

  He'd met this woman before? Forgoing the name for now, he asked, "Are Will and Nicholas with you?"

  "They are. One came willing—the other didn't. Will's done good by me. You've got a beautiful island there, Andrew. He's been nice enough to show it to me. Your wife…she was pretty when we first met. She's getting a little fat now, though."

  Andrew's eyes widened. She'd been on the island without them knowing? That did not sit well with him. "What do you want? Why are you doin' this?" he asked, fearing the answer.

  "Honestly, I'm surprised you haven't figured that out by now. Maybe this will jog your memory... Do you remember that time Bill gave up his friend instead of sacrificing himself? I mean, wow. I never thought I'd see someone stoop that low…"

  Andrew was suddenly paralyzed. It all made sense now—he'd met this woman because they all had met in the middle of the road in a small town on the mainland.

  "Victoria. You killed Hank…"

  "There you go," she said. "I thought justice was served for my 'son,' you know, the person we thought Bill had killed? Well, it finally came to surface that there was a mix up. It was actually your Lindsey who so horribly took his life. I pondered what to do until another group came through. It finally clicked that maybe I should ask these people where the hell they were all going! You'd think the apocalypse had never happened; we had so many people traveling through our little town. Will here was nice enough to tell me where they were going—a grand place called New Canaan. When we went to scope it out, there she was—the woman who I had been thinking about for days. God led me to her. He knew I was suffering and He delivered."

  Andrew's head spun—he should have seen this coming. Why had he been so damn naïve about the safety of their surroundings?

  As his stormy eyes darted around the room, he quickly licked his lips, held down the button and said, "Your 'son' was going to kill mine—an
infant. Lindsey protected him. That was the way things were supposed to go down. That was God's plan." He paused, but got no reply. Getting back to business, he said, "This place is ours. We're not gonna let you just take it from us."

  "Well, wait a second, Andrew. Don't you at least want to know why I have Nicholas? I mean, maybe you've already figured it out?"

  Andrew heaved out a sigh and closed his eyes as he asked, "What do you want, Victoria?"

  "I want Lindsey. That's it. Give her to me and we'll consider everything even between us. 'An eye for an eye.' If you don't, well, I'm sure you've heard that saying about a mother's wrath. That's why I have my insurance policy—my gun under Nicholas's chin may influence your decision…"

  "How do I know you haven't already killed him? Maybe you're just full of shit," Andrew retorted.

  There was a pause and then, "She's lying, Andy! They'll kill Lindsey and take it anyway—!" Nicholas's voice cut off as a blow was delivered, his groans drifting into the quiet space around Andrew and Kirkman. "Don't do it, man! Don't give her up—!"

  The radio went silent. Andrew had never wanted to be put in this position again. So many lives, so much responsibility. Nicholas was his friend—his family—and they may have disagreed on things in the past, but today they were on the same page.

  "No…" Andrew said, cringing as the word escaped from his mouth. "I'm not giving you Lindsey, and we're not letting you take the island. It's ours…and we'll die protecting it."

  A smile was clear in Victoria's voice as she replied, "I knew you'd say that, Andrew. Your wife will still die… It's too bad that everyone else has to go with her."

  The final sound to come through their radio was the harsh crack of a bullet exploding from the chamber of a 9mm Glock.

  Chapter 25

  Lindsey tried to focus on what Hannah was saying, but could not stop thinking about Andrew's warning right before he left—and that radio message from Kirkman hadn't eased her concerns. Her husband had been so vague and she kicked herself because she really should have asked for more information. They were completely in the dark and that notion caused her stomach to twist painfully. A wave of nausea consumed her and she felt her face become hot.