“No. Not yet, anyway.”

  She saw his shoulders slump. “Then you all have quite the fight ahead of you.”

  “I believe he knew that. Cash has never backed down from a fight.”

  “He’s a brave man to be an army of one against the DEA.”

  She glanced down at the baby, who was looking up at the ornate ceiling. “He’s not fighting against the DEA. There’s someone behind it all. Just one man or maybe a few. I don’t know. Manuel Turgis and Eduardo Sanchez are only part of it. It wouldn’t be so hard to fight if we could just see their faces and know what they’re truly after.”

  “That’s a mighty tall order.”

  “Then we’ll reach high.”

  He chuckled. In the quiet of the church, it seemed to boom. “I wish I had your kind of faith.”

  She smiled as she looked at him. “You might surprise yourself.”

  He paused, and his face changed. “You know I’m going to have to take Cash in when I find him, Sonny.”

  “You don’t mean you’re still going to go after him.”

  “Not right now, no. But when I get you and Ellie to safety, I’m going back out.”

  She sighed. “Why do you need to do this? You just admitted you believe in his innocence. You know he’s not guilty of these crimes he’s been accused of.”

  “My belief isn’t enough. The only way he can prove his innocence is if he comes in to face justice.”

  She looked at him hard. “His bondsman must really be paying a lot for his return.”

  “It’s not about the money.”

  “Isn’t it?”

  Gil sighed. “At first it was. It’s what I do, Sonny. It’s how I make my living. When you have money like that dangled in front of you, it’s hard to pass it up. That’s my burden to bear in all this. I wanted that bounty and look where it got me—and you.”

  He draped his arm across the back of the seat and touched her hair. “I can’t help but think how my greed put you in harm’s way.”

  She spoke soberly. “It’s out of our hands. If we could go back and change things, we could keep my brother from ever getting arrested. Go back even further and we could keep Ellie’s grandfather from working with Aztec Corporation and putting the family in danger in the first place.

  “Don’t you see? You’d have to keep going back to change things. You can’t do that. You can only move forward. You can’t change what Manuel Turgis and Eduardo Sanchez have done to my family.”

  “Did I hear you say Manuel Turgis?”

  Sonny turned to find the priest standing at the end of the aisle. She’d been lost in the conversation she’d been having with Gil, encompassed by the safety of the church walls.

  “Did you know him?” the priest asked them with interest.

  Gil turned in his seat, his body acting like a shield. “Why?”

  “The soldiers are searching for anyone with a connection to the man whose body they found in the alley.”

  “Let me guess,” Gil said. “His name was Manuel Turgis.”

  The streets of Cartagena were dark when they finally emerged from the back door of the church. The priest led them to a stone path that brought them to the pier. It was well past midnight and the activity that had dominated the street had vanished.

  “You’ll need to be careful,” the priest said. “There may be some soldiers on this path, in the shadows. It is sometimes guarded to prevent crime.”

  “I appreciate all your help,” Sonny said. “And thank you for not giving us away to the soldiers.”

  The pastor looked at Ellie, then at Sonny. “Colombia has its law to follow. But I follow the Lord’s law. Stay safe on your journey.”

  “Thank you,” Gil said.

  Sonny didn’t feel as sure-footed as she wanted to, taking the footpath down to the small pier at the end of a private beach.

  “Do you think anyone saw us?” she asked Gil.

  “Let’s hope not. It wouldn’t be anyone we’d want to meet.”

  They reached a stairway that led to a tunnel. From the small light Gil held in his hand, she could see the red tile on the floor and green moss growing up the cement walls. It was damp and hot, and no place she’d ever think of venturing on her own.

  “Take my hand. There’s no railing,” he said, holding a hand out to help her down the stairs.

  The chill of the cement underground seeped into her bones, mingling with the chill of fear. She walked quickly to keep up with Gil. The baby babbled beneath her poncho, warm against Sonny’s body, protected from the chill and wondering eyes.

  “The pier is just beyond these stairs.”

  As they emerged from the tunnel, he pulled her close, draping his arm around her and slowing his pace.

  “Stay close to me,” he said, walking with her like a couple in love would do. “I hear voices.”

  “They’ll hear the baby,” she said quietly, looking up into his eyes. The moon that had been so bright last night was hidden behind clouds. But she could see his eyes shining back at her. She loved their dark-brown color and the way they looked at her intently. Now they were stormy and showed the gravity of their situation.

  “No one will notice us, unless we give them a reason. We’re almost there.”

  As they reached the beach, the small pier came into view. Although there were two boats moored against the dock, only one boat was lit up. The ghostly looking sailboat that was tied to the other side looked abandoned.

  “Good, he’s here,” Gil said. “I wasn’t sure he’d wait with all the commotion in the square this afternoon. Don’t worry. We’ll be safe.”

  Sonny nodded. But nothing was really going to feel safe to her except standing on solid ground in Puerto Rico. She couldn’t help but wonder what she’d find when they reached the boat.

  Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from the violent man who has purposed to overthrow my goings.

  “Are you ready for this?” Gil asked, breaking into her quiet reflection.

  “Do we have a choice?” He said nothing, which was answer enough. “There’s no way out of Colombia for us, except by boat, right?”

  “Yes,” he said honestly.

  “Are there still pirates in these waters?”

  “Possibly. There hasn’t been an attack on Cartagena in a long time but out there on the water…Boats have been known to be overtaken by pirates.”

  He held her gently by the upper arm and looked into her eyes.

  “Sonny, there’s no other way. I know you’re scared, but remember, Olof doesn’t have loyalty to Eduardo Sanchez or anyone else who might be looking for us. We’re just tourists to him and he’s just a sailor who wants to make some money.”

  She sighed. After all this, how could she be such a coward? “Once we’re on that boat, there’s nowhere to run.”

  “You’re right. But you’re going to be with me. And I’m not going to leave you. You can be sure of that. Come on.”

  His words gave her some measure of comfort and, despite her fear, she felt a smile tug at her lips. When her feet hit the rough weathered boards of the dock, she said, “If I have to be doing this with someone, I’m glad it’s you.”

  Gil stopped and turned to her. “Are you sure?”

  “Positive. Since I’ve been in Colombia, I’ve prayed to the Lord for safekeeping. I think He answered me by sending you.”

  “Lest you forget, I’m the one that kept you from getting on the plane to Miami.”

  “I’m not talking about the plane.”

  She gazed up into his eyes and saw him grasp what she was trying to tell him. She felt a connection to him so powerful that it rivaled the force of a hurricane.

  “Hey, we have Him on our side, too,” she said. “Between you and the Lord, how much more safe can a girl be?”

  She felt his smile against her lips as he kissed her. It wasn’t that quick, sharp kiss she’d given him at the airport when they’d been detained by the guards. This one was gentle, steeped with emotion that threatened to sweep her away and make her forget her reason. Just like the kiss they’d shared in the courtyard last night.

  She knew she was safe following this man wherever he led.

  THIRTEEN

  Sonny’s lips were as soft as he remembered. The warm air of the Caribbean Sea stirred her hair around her face as he kissed her. This felt good and right and where he wanted to be. Yet there was still so much uncertainty ahead of them—he had to stay focused. So he reluctantly pulled away.

  Finding his voice, he looked into her eyes. “We need to go. I want to be out at sea before first light. Far enough away so that we aren’t visible from the shore.”

  Sonny’s eyes glowed from the moonlight. Her lips were moist from their kiss and he resisted the urge to touch them. He wanted to hold her in his arms. He loved the way she fit so perfectly against him. But this wasn’t the right time.

  “Okay,” she said, her voice as gentle as the warm breeze bathing him. “Let’s do it.”

  “You amaze me.”

  “I do?”

  “Your conviction that everything is going to be all right is so strong,” he said. “You don’t waver at all. You’re ready for anything.”

  “Not anything. There are a lot of things I’m not ready to face. And I won’t. That makes me a coward.”

  He chuckled. “I don’t think anyone would use the word coward to describe you, Sonny Montgomery.”

  He took her by the arm and led her down the quiet dock, unsure of what lay ahead of them.

  Gil knew the Lord would be a guide for them and that her feelings of faith were strong. He just wasn’t sure he was worthy of her faith in him. Especially since he had no idea if they’d ever make it to Puerto Rico.

  “You never mentioned anything about a kid and a woman when we talked,” Olof said to Gil as a way of introduction.

  He was a man tall in height and short in small talk, Sonny decided as the wiry man stood on deck.

  Olof stared at Sonny. His gaze didn’t make her skin crawl but it filled her with enough uneasiness to put her on edge. Was this really a good idea?

  “Didn’t I?” Gil said. “I thought I had. Why? Is that going to be a problem?”

  Olof hesitated, then said, “No, no problem. Except I don’t have provisions for the little one. There’s enough food here to last adults a month, though.”

  “I brought baby food with me,” Sonny said.

  “Hmm, well, that’s good. We’re going to have to think of a way to store those dirty diapers. Gets crowded in the cabin real fast and clean air is precious. But I think I have enough plastic bags to handle it for a few days.”

  She bit her lip, her eyes shifting from Olof’s skeptical face to the thirty-foot sailboat they were about to board. The Kia II looked as if it had weathered many storms.

  “Don’t worry yourself about my girl. She may not seem like much of a boat, but she’s seaworthy. Strong and steady,” Olof said in his Swedish accent, reading Sonny’s mind.

  “It’s a beautiful boat,” she said. It wouldn’t do her any good to offend her captain before they even set sail.

  “Kia II is named after my late wife. Her name means ‘follower of Christ.’”

  Sonny smiled, relaxing a bit. “That’s lovely.”

  “She was,” he said warmly.

  “Do you maintain her yourself?” Gil asked.

  “When I can. I know her inside and out. Don’t you worry. She’ll get you where you’re going. Well, don’t just stand there. Hop on board. We’ll take care of business and then I’ll show you around before we shove off.”

  If this was what she had to do, Sonny was up for it. She’d seen it this far, she’d see it the rest of the way. No matter how rickety the boat felt beneath her feet when she climbed on deck.

  “So, you’re headed to Puerto Rico, huh? Ever been there?”

  “Yes,” Gil answered, extending his hand to shake Olof’s in greeting. “When I was in the military. I was stationed there for about six months.”

  “So have I,” Olof said, gripping Gil’s hand in turn. “It’s a pretty island. So long as I’m not bringing fugitives into the country, we’re fine. I like my freedom to come and go. Don’t want the U.S. to suddenly ban me from their borders. You know what I mean?”

  “We have a boat from the U.S. meeting us halfway,” Sonny said. “We know you don’t want to take us the whole way in.”

  Olof motioned to the bag Gil was holding. It was filled with baby essentials for the next few days.

  “I don’t mean to be suspicious or anything, but there were a lot of soldiers crawling that wall through the afternoon. Do you mind if I take a look in your bag? You know, just to make sure?”

  Gil unzipped the overnight suitcase. “Go right ahead. We don’t have anything to hide.”

  Olof scrutinized the bag, moving various sundries around to view the full contents. Satisfied, he zipped the bag shut.

  He shrugged as if embarrassed. “You can never be too careful. I don’t want any drugs on my boat. Don’t need that kind of trouble.”

  “I understand completely and I agree.” Gil reached into a zippered pocket on the bag and pulled out an envelope. “Here’s half the money. When the other boat meets us midway in the Caribbean Sea at the coordinates we’ve agreed on, you’ll get the rest.”

  With a quick check of the bills in the envelope, Olof nodded. “Much appreciated. It’ll go a long way toward my journey back home.”

  “I’m just glad you were available to help us,” Sonny said.

  “As long as the boat meets us at the right coordinates, we should have an uneventful trip. You can sit back and let yourself enjoy the beautiful Caribbean Sea. I hope you brought your sunscreen,” he said, turning to Sonny. “The sun’s reflection off the water will give you sunburn like you’ve never had before. Make sure you keep the baby covered up. Don’t want the little one to get a burn.”

  He pocketed the envelope and turned toward the stairway leading down to the cabin. “Let’s get you settled. I cleaned out the front bunk, figuring you could use it since you’re the paying guest. Oftentimes I sleep in the bow. The seat cushions there convert into a bed.”

  When he got to the bottom of the stairs he turned and squinted his eyes as Gil descended the stairs. “I barely make it in there myself and I’m about your size. I’m not sure if the lot of you are going to fit.”

  “Give the bunk to my wife and the baby,” Gil said, looking at Sonny.

  Olof shrugged. “There’s plenty of room in the main cabin to make another bed. The Kia II sleeps five people fairly comfortably.” Glancing at the baby he added with a chuckle, “It can handle three and a half when they’re this small.”

  He smiled and the unrest that Sonny had felt before boarding seemed to wash away.

  “Don’t know why you didn’t decide to just take a plane back to the U.S. Cartagena has a nice airport. Miami is only a two-and-a-half-hour flight. Much quicker than sailing.”

  “I haven’t quite conquered my fear of flying,” Sonny said, holding back a grimace at her fib. “I just barely made it through the flight down.”

  That much was true, she thought, recalling how nerve-racking her flight to Colombia had been in anticipation of what she was about to do.

  “Just barely,” Gil chimed in, as if to give credence to her story and appease the curiosity of their captain. “I still have the fingernail marks in my arm to prove it.”

  Olof laughed loud. “Women.”

  Sonny bristled inside. She hated blanket comments aimed to put down women. If he only knew the truth, he’d think differently. But he never would know because she wasn’t about to tell him.

  “You’ll be comfortable in that front bunk. Holler if you need anything.”

  “Is it safe to sail at night?” Sonny asked.

  Olof looked at Gil and then Sonny. “You’re not nervous about sailing, are you?”

  “No.”

  Olof moved aside to let Sonny pass. “Good. To make the kind of time you want to make and meet the other boat on time, we’ll need to do some night sailing. Don’t you worry, though. I’ve been sailing since before you were born.”

  Sonny took in the bunk at the front of the ship. She had no idea if it was starboard, port or bow since she didn’t know what those terms meant. But it didn’t really matter. The bunk was private and gave her plenty of room to sleep with Ellie right beside her.

  Gil poked his head inside. “Why don’t you try to get some rest. It’s been a long day.” He dropped the bag on the mattress. “Are you okay?” he asked quietly.

  “I’m just eager to get out to sea. I want to get home.”

  He reached up and traced his fingers along her jaw, caressing her cheek with his thumb. Her head grew light and she leaned into his touch.

  “We’ll be home soon. You can sleep easy tonight.”

  Gil rolled out the blankets Olof had left for him on the cushions. He felt better sleeping on the other side of the wall from Sonny and Ellie. Call it his overprotective nature, but he wanted to be right there in case Sonny called for him.

  Although they’d chosen to sail during the night, they couldn’t sail at a fast clip. They had to be careful. In the Caribbean, most charter companies forbid sailing at night, but since Olof owned his own vessel and was an experienced sailor, they kept the jib up.

  Gil punched the pillow and looked out the porthole toward the shoreline. Lights were still visible in the city. In a matter of time they’d fade in the distance. By the time they woke up tomorrow morning, Cartagena would be a distant memory.

  It would be a two-and-a-half-day sail to the coordinates he’d given Olof. With any luck, they’d be meeting either Marco or Sonny’s father with another boat that would bring them the rest of the way to Ponce, Puerto Rico. The total trip would take four to five days if they didn’t hit a snag.

  And if they did, they could always call the U.S. Coast Guard in Puerto Rico to help. He only hoped there wouldn’t be a need for that.

  He stretched out on the bed and pulled the light blanket over him. Four or five days was all he had left with Sonny before the reality of their lives crashed down around them. It seemed too short a time and yet the amount of time they’d already spent together was half that. Given how much he felt for her, it didn’t seem possible.