See You at Sunset (32 page)

Logan Cain.

A moment later her brain unstuck, and she took in the way he hovered over Brandy Keele, who was sitting on one of the benches, a small suitcase and a sports bag on the floor beside her. She looked nervous as hell.

Shit.

While Micah was waiting for a warrant so he could comb through their house for evidence, Cain and his girlfriend were on the ferry, obviously leaving the island. Maybe it was a completely innocent coincidence and they were just going on a planned trip. But Holly’s head and gut told her they were skipping town.

No doubt with her aunt’s jewelry and whatever else they’d stolen.

Whatever they were up to, Micah needed to know immediately that they were on the ferry. Holly slipped farther away from the cabin door and punched in his cell number.

He picked up after the first ring. “Holly?”

“I’m on the ferry,” she whispered, as if Cain could hear her. It was silly, but she suddenly felt supernervous. “We’re just about to dock at Diamond Cove. Logan Cain and his girlfriend are on this boat, Micah. And they’ve got luggage with them.”

“Damn,” he said, his voice a low growl. “Have they seen you?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. They’re inside the lower cabin, and I’ve been standing outside since we left Seashell Bay.”

“Are there a lot of other people around?”

“Not out here,” she said. “Some in the cabin.”

“Then get up to a deck where you’re surrounded by people. I’ll call Turner and have him stop those two as soon as the boat docks in Portland. He’ll hold them in custody until I’ve searched the house.”

She nodded, as if he could see her. “I’ll go upstairs right away. I have to say I’m a little creeped out.”

“Honey, you’ll be fine. Just don’t go near them, and stay close to other people.”

His warm, steady voice helped slow her racing pulse. “I will. But what if they get off before the city? I know it’s unlikely, but this ferry stops again at Great Diamond.”

“Okay, keep an eye on the gangway if you can and call me back if you see them getting off. But only if you can do it safely, all right?”

“I’ll be careful. I promise.” She risked a glance back into the cabin. Cain was staring right at her, his gaze narrowed and intent.

Uh-oh.

“Holly, I’m going to head right to—”

“He’s spotted me, Micah. I have to go right now.”

Holly disconnected but kept the phone in her hand. She fully intended to follow Micah’s advice and get up to the crowded second deck as fast as she could. Unfortunately, to get back upstairs, she had to pass through the lower cabin.

Well, it’s not like they’re going to attack you or anything, right?

Screwing her courage to the sticking point, Holly strode to the cabin door and pushed it open.

Micah’s gut was doing a high-wire act as he blasted north on Island Road and then cut straight across the island to the marina. Fortunately, he’d reached Turner right after Holly disconnected, and the detective had said he would personally intercept Cain and Keele at the Casco Bay Lines terminal in Portland.

Micah had every intention of joining that welcoming party—after he made sure Holly was safe.

Two minutes later, he wheeled the cruiser into Sea Glass Marina, parked in the closest open spot, and then raced down to the float where his boat was moored. With its massive 250-horsepower engine, he figured his Catalina stood about a fifty-fifty chance of catching up by the time Holly’s ferry reached its Great Diamond stop. His plan was to board the ferry, stick close to Holly, and not let Cain and Keele out of his sight until Turner put cuffs on them. He didn’t want to arrest them on the boat unless he had to, not when a confrontation could put the safety of the passengers in jeopardy.

And knowing that asshole Cain, he could be carrying a gun or other weapon.

If he didn’t make it to Great Diamond in time, he’d just power past the ferry and wait with Turner at the terminal. But that was definitely not his preferred option. What he needed to do was get between Holly and Cain fast.

Holly hurried through the lower cabin and up to the second deck, not even glancing at Cain and his girlfriend. But when she reached the top of the staircase, she risked a look back.

Logan Cain was starting up the stairs behind her.

She rushed through the passageway and out onto the open deck. Dozens of people stood at the rail, taking in the sun-dappled blue waters of the bay and the islands in the distance. Holly headed for a group clustered around a baby stroller. A Border Collie was sitting like a guard dog beside it. Right now, she was wishing she had a dog too—a great big Doberman with enormous teeth.

When she reached the red metal railing, she turned around, trying to look natural.

Cain was heading straight toward her through the crowd. Despite the warm day, he wore a blue windbreaker, partly zipped, and a black baseball cap. His right hand was stuffed into his jacket pocket. She couldn’t see his eyes because he’d put on sunglasses, but he had a big, phony smile on his face.

“I didn’t expect to see you here, Holly,” he said in a friendly voice when he approached, as if they were old friends. “But I’m glad we ran into each other.”

He gave the wagging dog a quick pat on the head and then leaned in close to Holly. “There’s a big fucking knife in my pocket,” he whispered, “and my hand’s on it right now. So don’t move or do anything stupid. I swear I’ll cut you right here if you do.”

His menacing tone froze her feet to the deck. She darted a glance to the group beside her, but no one was paying any attention.

This cannot be happening.

A few seconds later, her mental wheels started turning again and she heard the echo of Micah’s words.

Do not take any risks.

He was right. If she just kept her mouth shut, Cain would probably leave her alone. Doing something dumb now could endanger not just her but possibly others too, like that sweet baby in the stroller. The man was obviously crazy to threaten her in the middle of a crowd, so who knew what he would do if she defied him?

“Fine,” she said. The word sounded like a frog’s croak.

“Good. We’re just going to have a quiet chat. Smile, okay?” He turned around so he was standing side by side with her, his back against the rail like hers. She could feel the hand in his pocket as it pressed into her side.

“What do you want?” Fear roiled her gut.

“I want your phone.”

Her heart skipped a few beats. If he checked the call log, he’d see she’d just called Micah. But what choice did she have? She reached into her bag and pulled out her phone, handing it to him.

He hit a couple of buttons. “I know you were calling your boyfriend the deputy. You’re not very good at hiding shit, Holly. It was all over your face.”

Now she was starting to get pissed off, but she kept her mouth shut.

“I know he and that Portland cop are getting a warrant,” Cain said, his voice still very soft but now flat. “So Brandy and me are heading out. Time to say good-bye to your weird little island and all the morons who live there.”

“Guess we’re not all morons,” she said tersely. “What with you having to flee and all.”

He ignored her jab as he fiddled with her phone. “Ah, there it is. Okay then. Now we’re going to go back downstairs and sit for a while. And just before we get to Great Diamond, you’re going to call Lancaster again.”

Holly stared at him, struggling to understand. “Seriously?”

The bastard laughed. “Sure. And I’ll tell you exactly what you’re going to say. Come on, let’s go.”

“You’re on a boat,” she said in disbelief. “Where the hell do you think we can go?”

He took her arm in an unforgiving grip. “That’s my problem. Now, move.”

Chapter 28

C
ain pushed Holly onto the bench beside Brandy Keele and sat down, sandwiching her between the couple from hell. The few people sitting in the lower cabin paid them no notice. Everyone was either reading or looking at their phones or talking to the person beside them.

Holly had no intention of causing a scene anyway. Cain still held his hand against her side, and she could feel what she thought was the butt end of his knife.

“Stupid bitch,” Brandy softly hissed at her. Her slender body was practically vibrating. “I told Logan he should push you overboard. Make it look like an accident. You deserve it.”

Actually, going overboard would have been Holly’s preferred option. She was a strong swimmer and would have been thrilled to get away from these two.

Maybe Cain and Keele were high on some drug. Holly had always been a straight arrow, so she didn’t really know what to expect in terms of how they would look or act if they were, but Brandy did seem wired to the point of nuttiness. The woman’s wild-eyed gaze and jiggling legs certainly made it clear she was pretty close to the edge.

Don’t take any risks.
Micah’s voice filtered through her fear, calming her. Holly took a deep breath and felt her heart rate start to slow.

She glanced out the cabin window and saw they were getting close to Great Diamond.

Cain handed her the phone. “Here’s what you’re going to tell the deputy,” he said quietly. “You’re going to tell him the ferry’s just pulled away from Great Diamond, and you thought he’d want to know that we didn’t get off.”

Damn.
That meant they were planning to get off the ferry and wanted her to misdirect Micah. But what did they plan to do about her? They must know that as soon as they left the boat, she’d call Micah right back and tell him the truth.

Unless they intended to take her with them.

Her heart fluttered for a moment until she managed to tell herself that trying to take her with them would be really stupid. Logan Cain might be a dirtbag and a criminal, but he didn’t strike her as stupid. No one in his right mind would try to kidnap someone off a public ferry, with only a knife to keep her in line.

Would they?

She sucked in a few more calming breaths to try to settle her stomach and clear her brain. Maybe Cain had a boat stashed away on Great Diamond. If so, they could be long gone by the time Micah or the Portland police could do anything about it.

“Did you hear what I said?” Cain’s voice, low and hard, interrupted her thoughts.

“I heard you.”

“Then call him now. Say what I told you to and get right off the phone. Make something up if you have to, but don’t get in a conversation.”

When Holly dialed Micah’s number, he answered immediately. “Holly, what’s happening?”

She tersely told him what she’d been instructed to say.

A moment passed before he responded. “I know he made you say that.”

Holly nodded her head as if she was continuing to listen. Cain shot her an impatient look.

“Just hang on, babe,” Micah said, his voice calm and low. “I’m in my boat not far behind you. I can see the ferry ahead.”

Thank God.
Micah could always tell when something was wrong. Ever since they were kids, he’d always known, even when she’d tried to pretend everything was fine.

“Yes, I’m absolutely sure they didn’t get off,” she said in a stronger voice. She gave a nod as if she were acknowledging a response and then said, “Okay, I’ll meet you at the Portland terminal.” She hung up.

“Good. Give me back the phone,” Cain said.

He took it from her and shoved it in his jacket pocket.

When the ferry bumped against the dock, nobody in the cabin moved. That wasn’t surprising, since hardly anyone got off at Great Diamond going in this direction. The stop would be just long enough to board a few more passengers heading to Portland.

As soon as the gangway banged down onto the dock, Cain stood up, followed by Brandy. He slung the sports bag over his shoulder while his girlfriend grabbed the suitcase.

“Get up,” Cain said in that low, menacing voice. “You’re coming too.”

Holly’s stomach dived. “What? Why?”

Cain grabbed her arm and made her get up, then pulled her along with him. His free hand—the one with the knife—dug into her side again. As he hustled her up the stairs and then across the deck and the gangway, she frantically tried to figure out what to do. Part of her wanted to struggle, fighting back and taking her chances, but another part of her was paralyzed with shock.

Cain hustled her over to a nearby ramp that led onto a small floating pier where a single motorboat was tied up. There, Holly’s brain finally kicked back into gear. They were obviously going to take that boat and race off somewhere—there were certainly thousands of places to hide in the islands and coves all along the coast. But what did they intend to do with her? Let her go or make her go with them? Surely they must be thinking that, if they let her go now, they’d be long gone by the time she was able to alert Micah or anyone else.

Little did they know that Micah was closing in.

A moment later, Cain handed her off to his girlfriend—along with the knife—and jumped down into the skiff. Brandy held on to her arm while Cain flipped up the cover of the ancient-looking Mercury outboard engine. He was clearly intending to hot-wire the old thing.

Cain looked back up at Brandy. “Get her down here in the boat now and then untie the mooring lines.”

Brandy gave Holly a poke in the side. “You heard him, bitch.”

She stared at the two idiots. “You’re really going to kidnap me?”

God, she was
so
seriously tired of bullies pushing her around. Like these two, and even people like Jackson and her business partners. Yes, the knife made her nervous—very nervous—but she had no intention of just caving in to these insane threats. She’d figured out what she had to do.

Micah should be appearing any minute now. He had one of the fastest boats on the bay, and he knew they were at or very near the Great Diamond ferry dock. All she had to do was get away from Cain and let Micah take care of the rest.

“Of course, you’re our insurance,” Cain snapped. “Now get in the goddamn boat.”

Insurance?
Clearly, Logan Cain had been watching way too many bad cop shows or thrillers, probably while he was stoned.