Page 48 of Betrayal In Calusa Cove
She grabbed a flare from the emergency kit, but the container was empty.
“This can’t be happening,” she whispered, scanning the horizon. The Glades stretched in every direction, the sawgrass endless, the water black and bottomless.
And then she saw them—gator eyes. Low, steady, moving closer.
She didn’t scream. Yelling didn’t help. She stood slowly, trying to keep her balance as the boat dipped lower.
She waved her arms, hoping to catch the sun’s reflection, praying someone—anyone—was out there.
A motor buzzed faintly in the distance.
Then again—closer.
She turned, heart racing.
An airboat rounded the bend, and at the helm was Silas, sunburned and wide-eyed. He spotted her instantly and cut the motor with a hard skid, gliding in.
“Hey, Baily… Oh crap. Jesus. You’re about ready to sink,” Silas said.
“No shit.” She took the hand he offered and climbed onto his skiff.
“What happened?”
“Sabotage,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady. It waffled between fear and rage. “Radio’s fried. Bilge pump line’s been cut, and I think there’s a hole in the hull. Tank’s empty. I check this boat every couple of days. I didn’t check it today, though.”
“That boat’s going down fast,” he said. “Don’t think we can tow it.”
“Wonderful. I’m not going to be able to afford to replace that, Silas.”
“I know.” He looped an arm over her shoulder and eased her onto the bench. “I’ll radio Fletcher and Hayes. They’re about thirty minutes past Boone Bend.”
“I’ve got a rental in trouble,” she mumbled. “They’re between here and Boone Bend. They said they were floating dead in the water by Cypress Island.” She lifted her feet and rested them on the console. “We need to let Bingo know what’s going on, too.”
“I got you.” Silas lifted the mic off the handle. “Gatoreater, Gatoreater, Gatoreater, this is Rodfather, come in.”
“This Gatoreater, go ahead, Rodfather,” Fletcher’s voice cut through the thick swamp air like butter.
“Don’t be alarmed, but I’ve got Baily with me. Her boat was taking on water. It’s actually about to be a salvage vessel,” Silas said. “Also, one of her rentals is going to need a tow. They should be around the Cypress bend.”
“Rodfather, this is Flame Tamer,” Hayes said. “I’m coming around that bend right now. No one’s there. Not a single boat. Especially not one of Baily’s. As a matter of fact, I saw one of her boats take the loop around the south island half an hour ago. They should be south of you. If they were having engine trouble, with the tide going out, they could’ve floated in front of the canal opening by now.”
Silas snapped his gaze at Baily.
“Hayes, take the starboard loop,” Fletcher said. “I’ll take the port. Silas, get Baily back to the marina. We’ll see you soon.”
“Copy that.” Silas rehooked the mic and pressed the throttle down.
She glanced over her shoulder and stared at the sinking airboat as Silas turned them back toward the marina. “Silas,” Baily started, “I’m gonna ask you a strange question, and I want an honest answer.”
“Of course.”
“Do you think my brother was capable of destroying my dad? Of burying me and him so deep in debt that it would take a flipping miracle to save us?”
“That depends on which Ken we’re talking about.” Silas raised a brow. “Because the Navy SEAL hero Ken couldn’t have done that. Nor could’ve the little kid who used to run around these parts barefoot with a frog between his fingers and smile so wide it was contagious. But the Ken that whispered in dark corners of the street where the lights were broken, or in the back of the bar, with the likes of Benson, yeah, that Ken could lie, cheat, and steal if he needed to. And the Ken who married Julie?” Silas let out a long breath, running a hand over his white beard. “Well, that Ken was the kind of man who believed money talked and dollar signs mattered more than family and hard work.”
“Wow,” she said softly. “Have you always thought that, or is this new, and you’re telling me now because I asked?”
Silas squeezed her shoulder and kissed her temple. “I had my doubts and reservations about Ken when Victor went missing because of the way he treated Audra. But hell, I wasn’t much better when that fiery redhead up and left this town.”
