Chapter Nine

"W e're almost there," Declan confirmed with a glance in the SUV's rearview mirror. Like everyone else in the vehicle, he was on edge.

Though the severe thunderstorms that could produce more flooding weren't predicted to strike until sometime after dark, the skies had continued to turn ugly, with high winds and rain.

Ellie shivered at the thought of being on the water with lightning strikes. She couldn't imagine how terrifying that would be.

She'd dealt with rain before but never one storm after the other like what was happening now. If Hope Island flooded, she had to wonder about Breakers, a much smaller piece of land that was vulnerable and more exposed to the ocean.

She sat in the back of the blacked-out SUV alongside Boone, while Declan drove and Eli sat beside him.

Peekaboo glimpses of the ocean winked at them through sheets of rain.

To ease her tension, Boone showed her a picture of Dottie with Sashi. She took the phone from him. "I can't believe someone would abandon her."

Boone squeezed her shoulder. "I think it might be divine providence. She's definitely better off now."

She smiled. Silly to lose her heart to a pig she barely knew. Dottie represented the first brick in her possibly having a forever home here on the island with her adorable little late-night intruder.

"There it is." Declan, navigating the SUV that belonged to Hope Island Securities, pointed to a weathered gray building perched beside the water.

Dreadful memories from the past and her narrow escape from the Dead Sea crept into her thoughts. The box intended to be her coffin filled with water. The effects of whatever medicine they'd given her weighed her limbs down. It had taken all her strength to swim to the nearby shore. Before she reached it, one of her captors spotted her and shot her in the shoulder. She'd almost passed out. Anger and grief were the only things that kept her going. She refused to die. Not without first finding out why Daniel had been killed.

"Sit tight. I'll get the door." Eli hopped out and went over to the building then opened the roll-up door. Declan pulled in alongside another parked vehicle, where a woman stood next to it.

"That's Janine," Eli told them.

Boone opened the door and got out. Ellie slipped out beside him. The woman she'd seen before with the bright red hair stood near the back of her car with her arms crossed.

"Did you have any trouble?" Boone asked as they neared.

"Nope. I wasn't followed. I think I got everything. I'm Janine by the way." She extended her hand to Ellie.

Ellie clasped it. "Thank you for taking the risk."

Janine shrugged off her thanks. "It wasn't a problem." She popped the trunk. A couple of boxes. All Ellie had to her life. It never bothered her before how sad it was that she'd condensed her life to two boxes. A few changes of clothes both warm and lighter depending on where she'd end up. A change of shoes. Some toiletries. A few books she'd gathered along the way to ward off the loneliness.

Pretty pathetic. She touched the ring in her jeans pocket. Daniel had proposed while they were on a mission in Iran. During a moment of calm, Daniel had gotten down on one knee and told her he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

It was one of the few times she'd cried. Those had been tears of happiness. The last joyful ones she'd shed.

"Let's get everything loaded onto the boat," Boone said from close by.

She turned. Those brown eyes watched her carefully. Was he wondering if she was the murderer her own people believed her to be? Had she made an awful mistake by telling him her ugly secret?

"I picked up some supplies for you." Janine opened the back door and handed over several bags of food. "I know you have a freezer full of meat at the cabin, but I thought you might need some vegetables and dairy. Depending on how long you'll stay there, I can arrange to bring out more."

"That's very kind of you." Ellie was humbled by how people who didn't know her at all were risking their lives for her. "I can't pay you right away, but soon, in time."

Janine squeezed her shoulder. "Don't worry about it. It's what we do for each other."

The building was large enough to fit the SUV comfortably. Above the dock and on a hydraulic lift was a twenty-eight-foot fishing vessel equipped with twin outboard motors that would cut through the choppy water quickly.

Once everything was stowed, Janine prepared to leave. "Be safe. According to the harbormaster, the winds are growing. Waters are treacherous. Waves are churning and might be dangerous." She hugged her people and then did the same for Ellie. "Take care of yourself. You've got some of the best people on your side. Let them help you." She turned on her heel and headed back to her car.

Ellie watched her leave, overwhelmed by the kindness these total strangers showed her.

"We'll leave the SUV here in case we need to evacuate Breakers."

Ellie shivered at Eli's words. For seven years she'd been living in shadows. She'd told herself she was working on getting answers, but in truth what she might find out scared her. What if the monster who had taken Daniel's life posed as a friend?

Now, she'd set into motion something that couldn't be stopped. Boone and the members of Hope Island Securities were good. They wouldn't stop digging until they had the answers she claimed to want. The truth would be known whether she liked it or not.

Boone held out his hand to help her onboard.

Eli closed the door they'd driven through. As soon as he returned and everything was secured below, Declan hit a button on a remote control that lifted the door to reveal the ocean. The rain appeared to give them a brief reprieve for which she was thankful for.

Declan fired the twin engines and idled out of the dock. The door closed, and they were on their way.

The vessel moved through chaotic seas with ease although the wind continued to kick up. Despite the windshield, a salty spray peppered her face as they picked up speed. She brushed her hair from her face and watched colors of the sunset barely visible through the thick clouds. Silvers of burnt orange colored the waters. Within the distant clouds lightning flashed. The storm was gaining strength.

Despite her concerns, Ellie couldn't look away from the fragmented sunset. She didn't remember the last time she'd enjoyed one. Tears stung her eyes. She turned her head away and brushed the tears aside.

Growing up, her parents hadn't been practicing Jews. They'd kept the high holidays but more as a time to get together with family than to remember the reason for celebrating the occasion.

During her adult life, Ellie hadn't believed in much of anything except what she could see.

But staring at the majesty of the storm and the sunset, seeing the way things had fallen into place to bring her to Hope Island and how she met Boone, her mindset began to shift. She'd trusted someone, something she'd never done before, and she believed Boone had been the right person to tell her story.

Now, she had a team working on her side to help get her answers. That couldn't be a coincidence. Maybe it was time for her to get better acquainted with the God she'd ignored for so long.

"Everything okay?" Boone touched her arm. She hadn't realized he was so close until he'd spoken.

She squared her shoulders and tried to control her emotions that simmered close to the surface. "I'm fine. Just admiring the sunset."

He claimed the seat beside her. "Yeah. I never really paid that much attention to them before either," he said as if reading her mind.

She turned her head and studied his profile. Handsome. The thought popped into her mind unexpectedly. Ellie couldn't remember the last time she'd thought of a man as attractive. During school and then in her training for Mossad she'd been focused. Being paired with Daniel had changed that. She'd lost her heart to him.

Ellie swallowed back the lump in her throat and realized she'd been quiet, but Boone didn't seem to mind. He kept his focus on the sunset.

"I grew up going to church every Sunday, but I never really believed in God until I was on the battlefield. Seeing someone die for the first time, well, it changed me. I thought about all those messages I'd heard about God's love, and I realized I didn't really know Him. It didn't take long for me to remedy that."

She looked at him curiously. "Did it help?" She tried not to flinch when another lightning flash lit up the sky. Ellie turned toward the cloud bank.

"It did. Knowing there was Someone up there watching over me made it easier to get through those dark days."

She thought about what he'd said. Could she have this type of relationship with God? She sure wanted to find out.

"According to Declan, we should be at the cabin in about an hour."

She shifted her attention back to him and realized he was watching her. Not as someone assessing her reactions like before, but as a man looking at a woman.

Ellie caught her breath when he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, his fingers brushing her skin. Touch. She'd gone so long without it. Ellie had forgotten what a simple touch felt like. She closed her eyes, her breath growing shallow and her heartrate racing. She was falling, and she couldn't afford to let down her guard.

Ellie cleared her throat and faced forward. Boone's hand dropped to his side. Regret made it hard to hide her sadness.

She expelled a breath. "Let's hope they don't locate us on the island." The enemy had a way of finding her she didn't understand. Being secluded on an island made for a good place to hide out unless the enemy tracked them there.

"Doesn't look as if we're being followed." Boone's voice held a roughness. "With the storm I doubt anyone would venture out on the water."

The last light of day slowly faded. With the settling dusk, the temperature on the water dipped lower.

"Hang on. I think I have a jacket in the stuff Janine brought from my place."

Before she had time to protest, Boone disappeared, returning a few minutes later with a camo jacket. He slipped it over Ellie's shoulders.

"Thank you, but aren't you cold?"

"Naw. I love this kind of weather. It's bracing. It reminds me I'm alive."

She could almost feel his smile though she didn't look at him. Boone was a complex man. Caring and kind.

"Are you glad to be done with the CIA?" The question popped out without her meaning to ask it.

He was silent for so long she wondered if she'd overstepped. "Sorry, I can imagine it's hard to talk about."

He inclined his head. "Some things are. I mostly think about the people who lost their lives along the way." She waited for him to elaborate. "We believed we were doing what was best for our country and others, and I honestly think we were. But on the flip side, the ones we were fighting against believed the same way."

She understood what he meant. "I felt the same. Our country is tiny, and yet there are enemies that want nothing more than to wipe us off the face of the earth simply because of who we are." An age-old battle that went back to her long-ago ancestors.

"I get that. A jealousy that dates to Isaac and Ishmael."

She brushed the spray from her face. "Something like that."

Up ahead, a dark silhouette appeared on the horizon.

Declan idled down the engines as they neared Breakers Island. Almost there. Almost safe.

As much as she wanted to believe she'd get the breathing room she needed to find answers, Ellie remembered the number of attacks she'd survived. Some happened so close together she'd barely had time to gain her bearings before she had to leave again. Like the small country of Israel, she felt surrounded by the enemy. They were closing in. This time she sensed the beast breathing harder down her neck. If she and the members of Hope Island Securities didn't figure out what had happened that night long ago, she might die without ever knowing the truth.