Deadly Undertow

by Christy Barritt

  Ryan mirrored his look, looking equally surprised to see Ty there. His hands went to his hips, and his eyes narrowed.

  “Ty.” Ryan’s voice sounded icy cool. “What are you doing here?”

  Ty got right to the point. “Have you heard from Cassidy?”

  Ryan’s face remained masked and expressionless. “Not since earlier. Why?”

  “I got a text from her saying that she left.” The words still caused a bitter taste in Ty’s mouth.

  The mask slipped, and Ryan’s eyebrows pushed together. “What do you mean by left?”

  “I mean, she thought it was best if she got out of town. Yet you’re still here.”

  “She didn’t talk to me,” Ryan said.

  “So you have no idea where she is?” Ty still wasn’t sure he bought it.

  “I have no clue.”

  Ty released his breath and turned away from the man. His thoughts barreled through his mind like a runaway freight train.

  “You think she was taken?” Ryan asked.

  “I do.” As Ty said the words, another thought hit him. He needed to talk to Ralph again. He pulled out his phone and dialed his number.

  Ralph answered on the first ring. “What’s up, Ty?”

  “Ralph, did you tell anyone you were coming here?”

  “I guess you could say that. I put it on Facebook. Figured you never checked it, so it didn’t make a difference.”

  “So anyone who went to your page could have seen it?”

  “I guess. Why?”

  “Just wondering. Thanks.” Ty hung up, and the truth washed over him.

  That accident hadn’t been a mistake. No, someone had wanted Ty to get out of the house, to leave Cassidy. And Ralph had offered the perfect excuse.

  “I’m going to look for her.” Ty started toward the door.

  Ryan followed behind him. “I’ll help.”

  “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

  Ryan grabbed his arm, and Ty stopped in his tracks. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

  “Because how do we know we can even trust you? You waltz back in here and that same day she disappears?” Anger crept into Ty’s words. Things weren’t adding up, and Ty couldn’t shake the thought that Ryan was somehow involved.

  “If I was the bad guy and I’d shot at her, I wouldn’t have missed.”

  “Do you have any idea who was behind that?”

  “Samuel, if I had to guess. Maybe he wanted her off the island so he could attack. When that didn’t work, he moved on to Plan B.”

  “An FBI agent with aim that bad? It’s suspicious, to say the least.”

  Ryan stared back, his eyes blazing. “Listen, I came here to protect Cassidy. I came here because I knew if I could find her, others could. And I heard about the gunshot down at the boardwalk today. Do you think that’s a coincidence?”

  “I don’t know what to think anymore.”

  “Well, if someone did take her, it wasn’t me. I’m here. Besides, my bets are on Samuel.”

  Ty didn’t say anything.

  “We can stand here and argue for the rest of the night, or we can get out there and look for her,” Ryan said. “I know which one I’m in favor of.”

  Ty still wasn’t sure if he trusted the man or not, but standing here wasn’t doing any good. “You’re right. Let’s go.”

  “I’m going to call some people to help,” Ty said. “And then I’m going to take this island street by street.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Cassidy froze on the grass. The man squeezed her arm so tightly she nearly yelped. Now that she was out of the car’s trunk, she could smell the scent of sea air.

  Somewhere in the far distance, she thought she heard a car. Maybe she wasn’t as far removed from civilization as she’d thought. The sounds had just been muffled.

  The man’s voice came back to her. He sounded strangely familiar, yet she couldn’t pinpoint where she’d heard him before. Still, she knew who her abductor most likely was.

  She licked her lips. “You’re Greg, aren’t you?”

  “I presumed you’d be smart enough to figure that out.”

  “Samuel sent you?” She desperately wished she had her vision, that she could take in her surroundings. Though she assumed she was still on Lantern Beach, what if she wasn’t? Greg could have taken her somewhere else.

  Not knowing made her feel disoriented and off-balance.

  “You ask too many questions,” he growled.

  “I only asked one.”

  He jerked her, and Cassidy lurched forward, nearly stumbling to the ground. She struggled to remain upright as he dragged her away. Her bound legs couldn’t keep up.

  “We’ll have plenty of time to talk,” Greg assured her, a hint of amusement in his voice. He was enjoying this.

  The air left her lungs. Getting enjoyment out of the suffering of others? That was never a good thing.

  “You were the one who shot at me earlier, weren’t you?”

  “Smart girl.”

  “You missed. On purpose.”

  “I was trying to get you away from your friends and off this island. Thought it would be easier. But it became apparent that wasn’t going to work.”

  “So you lured me out to the beach and tried to drown me?”

  “That’s right. I knew you couldn’t turn down helping a poor girl whose mom was drowning.”

  “Why not just let me die?”

  “Because I have other plans for you.”

  Cassidy’s lungs froze until she could hardly breathe. This man was desperate to hurt her. And he was going to do just that unless she stopped him.

  “Where are you taking me?” Her words came out in rasps as she slid along the ground behind Greg.

  “Somewhere secluded, where no one will hear you if you scream.”

  Her blood frosted as fear ricocheted through her.

  This was it. This was the moment she’d been dreading.

  Cassidy had known from the start of her assignment with DH-7 how things might end. She’d just prayed those were only worst-case scenarios. Now they all seemed to be coming to fruition—to her detriment.

  She didn’t want to go anywhere with this man. Because anywhere she went would certainly lead to death.

  Using a burst of strength, Cassidy jerked out of the man’s grasp and swung around. Without her feet or hands—or even sight—there wasn’t but so much she could do.

  But she could use her head.

  Literally.

  Before she could second-guess herself, Cassidy charged toward him.

  A click stopped her cold.

  The click of a gun being cocked.

  “I have my Glock aimed at you.” Greg’s voice sounded cool enough to cause a new rush of nerves in Cassidy. “If you try anything, I’ll shoot your shoulder. Then your knee. And anywhere else I want that won’t kill you. You’ll slowly bleed out. Do you understand?”

  She cringed, believing every word he said—without a doubt. “Yeah, I hear you.”

  “Good. Then move.” He shoved her again.

  This time, Cassidy hit the ground, unable to catch herself. Her shoulder ached on impact, and even her teeth felt jarred.

  Greg grabbed her arm and pulled her upright again. He didn’t let go this time—his grip was vise-like—as he dragged her up two steps and into a building.

  A house, maybe?

  Once inside, he shoved Cassidy into a chair, wrapped a rope around her midsection, and then tugged off her blindfold.

  Slowly, things came into focus.

  A small cottage.

  Old, outdated furniture.

  Everything covered in dust.

  Only a candle to light the space.

  And Greg stood there with a gun in his hand. The man matched the one Cassidy had seen on that surveillance video—except he was shorter than she’d anticipated. But his height didn’t make him any less scary. His arms were muscular, his neck thick, and his eyes contained the wrong kind of focus—the deadly ki
nd.

  He wore black, military-style pants with a white T-shirt that hugged his toned chest.

  When the whole picture came together, Cassidy realized one thing: this man was no joke. And she felt certain she’d seen him somewhere before. She just wasn’t certain where that place was.

  Her gaze traveled beside him. A table of sharp, shiny objects waited there.

  Cassidy’s pulse surged as she realized the truth.

  Torture devices.

  This would be her worst nightmare coming true.

  “Now, let’s not waste any more time.” Greg turned to her with a gleam in his eyes. “Where did you hide the information?”

  Ty had hit nearly every street on the island—twice.

  The problem was he didn’t know what he was looking for. But he was pretty sure he hadn’t found it.

  As his frustration mounted, he pulled his car to the side of the road to gather his thoughts. It had already been two hours—two long hours of searching with no answers. Darkness had long since descended over the island, and people had begun to settle down for the night.

  But for Ty, this night was just starting.

  He was ready to go door-to-door, but even doing that, he wasn’t sure how far he’d get. It seemed futile, like it would take too much time without enough payoff.

  If Cassidy was still on the island, her captor wouldn’t readily give up information. Wouldn’t easily share that she might be held captive in one of the houses here. And that made all of this feel like a wild goose chase.

  What if Cassidy wasn’t here? What if no one had taken her? What if, as her texts suggested, she’d left on her own?

  Ty couldn’t believe it—wouldn’t believe it.

  Mac was trying to trace the location of Cassidy’s phone, but it was taking time. Ryan was supposedly hitting the streets and talking to people as well. Maybe his big-city charm would win people over and he’d find answers—though Ty doubted it.

  But it was now almost midnight. With every minute Cassidy was gone, the likelihood she wouldn’t return increased.

  Ty leaned toward the steering wheel as he tried to get some deep breaths.

  He needed to think this through. What was he missing?

  Think, Ty. Think.

  Where would Cassidy be? What was the best way to find her?

  He closed his eyes. What would he have done as a SEAL to locate a missing person? He’d use every resource at his disposal—satellite imagery, word of mouth, surveillance video. He’d trace the person’s last steps. Look at any evidence left behind.

  Ty didn’t exactly have satellites here, but there were security cameras on some of the local businesses. He could talk to people. Maybe someone had seen something.

  Those were really his only options right now.

  Just then, his phone rang. Mac’s number popped on the screen.

  Maybe the interim police chief had better news.

  “What’s going on?” Ty asked.

  “We just had a woman come into the police station. Said a man bribed her daughter. Said she could audition for a new reality show. All she had to do was go up to another cast member and convince this woman that her mom was drowning in the ocean.”

  “Cassidy?” His heart beat out of control.

  “You know it.”

  That just confirmed what Ty already thought: Cassidy hadn’t left the island. No, someone had done something to her.

  Chapter Thirteen

  23 weeks earlier

  Orion kept his vise-like grip on Cady’s arm as they walked down the street, and Tyron remained behind them, his presence menacing and ensuring there wouldn’t be any funny business.

  It was dark outside—scary dark. At one time, there had been overhead streetlights, but delinquents had thrown rocks at them and busted the bulbs. The darkness helped conceal their escapades—helped to conceal them—while it made other people victims.

  “You have no idea what’s going on?” Cady tried to pull out of Orion’s grip, but it was no use. “You’re probably going to make me lose my job, you know.”

  “I’m just doing what I’ve been told. I heard we have a narc.”

  Her blood felt icy enough to cause heart failure. “Is that right? Who would be that stupid?”

  “No idea. I think Raul wants to root that person out.”

  Why hadn’t Cady just run? Not even gone into the drugstore? She should have kept walking and feigned an excuse. Instead, she’d fallen back on logic and reasoning. She should have trusted her instinct instead.

  “I wonder how he plans to do that.”

  “I heard it’s going to be heart-wrenching, whatever it is.”

  What did that even mean? Did she want to know? And why wouldn’t Orion let go of her?

  Sweat scattered across her forehead and skin. Her skin felt burning hot, yet her insides felt like they’d frozen. The mix had been like two fronts colliding inside her, creating the storm of the century.

  She and Orion were the last ones to arrive back at the compound. Everyone else had gathered in a large space on the bottom level, one that had been used as a laundry area at one time. Now it was just cement walls that were stained with unimaginable things.

  Cady’s stomach turned when she stepped into the doorway and everyone turned to stare.

  Don’t go in. Don’t go in.

  But as much as her internal voice warned her to stay away, she knew she couldn’t turn back. The instant she did, everyone would know she was guilty. She was the traitor. The rat.

  “Now that we’re all here, I have something to talk to you about,” Raul said. Tattoos stretched across his skin—nearly every visible inch of it. The man’s eyes were dark—so dark they reminded Cassidy of black holes—empty yet deadly. He was tall with thick muscles.

  Everyone had formed a loose circle around him, and he began to pace the perimeter. The gang’s full attention was on their infamous leader—someone who not only was street smart, but who had more business sense than the leaders of most of the start-up companies here in Seattle.

  Cady had underestimated him.

  And that had been her first mistake.

  Raul grimaced as he stared each member in the face. Only the people he trusted were allowed here. The rest of the gang members were spread out across the West Coast. They did Raul’s dirty work and were minions in his quest for dominance.

  His need for power and control was unlike anything Cady had ever seen. It was like a virus that consumed everything in its path—a virus that was nearly at epidemic levels.

  “My men found a traitor. They didn’t give me a name. Not yet. So I told them to do what they needed to do.” He paused and held something up. “And they did.”

  Cady squinted, trying to see what was in his hand. It was a photo of . . . something.

  It was red. And messy.

  Part of her didn’t want to know.

  Yet she couldn’t unglue her eyes.

  She had to know.

  Raul walked closer, holding out the photo so everyone could see it better. When he circled near her, her stomach dropped like an elevator whose cables had snapped.

  That was an organ. A . . . heart?

  “That’s right. This is what happens to traitors. They rip my heart out. So you know what I do to them? I rip their hearts out too.”

  His guys had literally taken out someone’s heart?

  Cady could hardly breathe.

  What kind of vile people were these? Did they not give a second thought to the sanctity of life?

  She knew the answer.

  No, they didn’t.

  “We have another traitor in our mist.” Raul started to pace again. “And I’m going to figure out who it is. And you’ll be treated the same way that you’ve treated me. You knew from the start that I demand loyalty. And, in return, I provide for you. You all have a good life here. Nothing makes me more disgusted than this.”

  The air in the room changed. Everyone was scared—even those who were loyal. Cady could f
eel it.

  While, on one hand, these people would take another life without batting an eyelash, on the other hand, they feared dying. Did anyone else see the irony? Probably not.

  “We’re going to figure out who you are,” Raul said.

  “How do you know there is someone?” another member asked before pounding his fist against his chest. “I’d never betray you.”

  “Some information has come to light recently. That’s all I need to say.”

  Cady tried to keep her face expressionless. No one knew she’d copied some files from Raul’s computer. That she was the one who would betray him. That she was the narc.

  “Now we’re going to have some one-on-one talks,” Raul continued. “And we’re going to figure this out. No one is leaving until we do.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Today’s Goals: Survive.

  Where did you hide the information?

  The question echoed in Cassidy’s mind as she stared at Greg. Her jaw throbbed. Her shoulder hurt. She continued to cough up water.

  And now this headache. What information was he talking about? The jump drive Samuel had sent her? That didn’t make sense. What if Greg thought she had other evidence? Was that what this was about?

  “I don’t know what information you’re talking about,” she finally said.

  She glanced at Greg’s watch as he paced in front of her.

  It was already well past midnight. A new day.

  It had been three hours since she disappeared.

  Was Ty out looking for her? Would he ever find her? Or would it all end here without so much as a goodbye?

  The thought clogged her throat.

  “Of course you know what the information is.” Greg paced in front of her, the gun still in his hands.

  Fear seemed to crackle in the air, filling the space like a gas leak. And, just like the aforementioned leak, one spark—one mistake—could ignite the world around her in an explosion she couldn’t escape from.

  Cassidy tugged against her restraints, but it was no use. She couldn’t move. Greg had tied her tightly to the chair, and she’d be hard pressed to get away.