He glanced at the closed door to the bunk. Sonny and Ellie were sleeping soundly inside. At least he hoped Sonny was sleeping. It would be good if at least one of them had a good night’s sleep. Gil had the feeling he wouldn’t truly rest at all until they set foot on the sands of Ponce.

  Sonny bent down and blew a raspberry on Ellie’s stomach. The baby responded by giggling loudly and kicking her legs wildly as if she was doing top-speed aerobics.

  “I think you’ve grown an inch in the last few days! I must be feeding you well.”

  The smile on Sonny’s face wilted just a little. If Sonny could see the change after just a few days, she knew Serena would see an enormous change in her daughter. And Cash wouldn’t even recognize Ellie.

  What had Ellie been—barely a month old—when she was taken? Now at almost five months old, she’d changed so drastically from the picture Serena had given her that Ellie looked like a different baby.

  Sonny watched her wiggling and squealing, almost begging Sonny to kiss her belly again. No, Cash would recognize Ellie. How could he not? She looked just like their mother.

  She heard Olof and Gil on the deck of the boat. At first, it just sounded like they were talking. But Sonny realized that Gil’s voice was raised in what sounded like anger.

  Sonny grabbed Ellie, leaning her against the blanket on her shoulder, and climbed the stairs carefully, holding one hand on the baby and one on the railing.

  “What’s going on?” she asked when she made it on deck.

  “We’ve got company,” Gil said, eyeing Olof.

  Sonny’s heart leaped. “My father?”

  “No,” Gil said, staring out at the small pebble-sized boat in the distance. He grabbed the binoculars and looked in the direction of the small boat.

  Sonny pulled the small blanket over Ellie’s head to protect her from the sun. “How do you know?”

  “I can’t get them to answer on the radio,” Gil said.

  “It still could be my father,” she said, feeling hopeful. “Maybe he’s just being cautious.” She knew her father would move mountains to get to her if he could.

  It had been four days since they’d left Cartagena. They should have met her father yesterday afternoon—that is, if Marco had been able to get in touch with him. The wind hadn’t been on their side during the trip, slowing down their progress. Even so, they should have connected with her father by now.

  “And maybe it’s someone who doesn’t want us to know they’re coming,” Gil said.

  “You’re overreacting. It’s probably just a charter boat with a novice captain,” Olof insisted. “It’s nothing.”

  Gil dropped the binoculars down on the shelf. “That’s no charter cruise.”

  Worried, Sonny asked, “How do you know?”

  “Because I’ve never known sunbathers out for a good time to pack weapons with their sunscreen. Let’s get the sails up.”

  “I’d feel better if you both went below,” Olof said.

  “Sonny, take the baby below and get her ready in the carrier in case we need to board another boat quickly. Go on,” Gil said. “I’ll stay on deck.”

  Her heart hammered and she clutched the baby tighter. The trip this far had been uneventful. She’d spent yesterday sunning on deck while Ellie slept in the bunk below. She’d felt so good by last night that she’d made dinner for all of them. Not once had there been any sign of Sanchez’s men following them, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t.

  Dear Lord, please let this be my father in that boat. Please don’t let it be someone here to take Ellie.

  She said her prayer over and over as she set the baby down in the makeshift crib she’d built to keep Ellie from rolling around the bunk. They hadn’t brought too much with them, and even if they did, Sonny didn’t have time to gather it. Instead, she quickly dressed Ellie, then strapped the baby carrier on before slipping the baby inside.

  “Sonny!” Gil called, as the pitch of the boat suddenly shifted. It began to rock in a way it hadn’t since they’d been on board, making it more difficult for her to move. She was glad Ellie was in her front carrier—she wouldn’t have been able to hold on to her and keep her hands supported on the cabinet above as the boat rocked.

  She made her way through the galley kitchen. “I’m coming.”

  “No, stay down there.”

  Puzzled, she peered up the stairs leading to the deck. Olof had a gun, but instead of pointing at the fast moving boat, he aimed it at Gil. She gasped, and her hand protectively went to the baby.

  “I changed my mind. I’m going to need you up here, little lady.”

  Gil didn’t look at her. Instead, his eyes were fixed on the gun directed at him.

  “Why are you doing this?” she asked, as she climbed the stairs.

  “Get behind me with the baby,” Gil said, holding out his hand and guiding her to a place where he could shield them.

  Olof shrugged. “I’m sorry. I am, really. But I’m a businessman, too.”

  “I don’t understand,” Sonny said, looking around. The main sail had been dropped and the fabric was flapping in the wind because it hadn’t been tied down. The jib had been rolled in. “What’s going on here? Why did we stop?”

  Gil’s voice was cold. “My guess is Eduardo Sanchez has already gotten to him.”

  “The word in Cartagena is that you’re fugitives and that you stole that baby. I’m merely making sure the baby is returned to her rightful parents.”

  Sonny closed her eyes at the irony of it.

  “I’m sure the money they’re offering doesn’t hurt, either,” Gil said.

  “I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t a factor. It’s significantly more than you offered to pay me. It costs a lot of money to do what I do, sailing around the world.”

  “We could get you more,” Sonny pleaded. She knew Serena had more money in her trust fund. She’d willingly hand over the entire Davco fortune to get Ellie back.

  “I’m sure Eduardo or one of his people made you some offer you couldn’t refuse,” Gil asked quietly. “Who was it? Manuel Turgis?”

  “I saw the news. Sanchez is loaded,” Olof replied, shrugging. “When Turgis came to me to find out if anyone had chartered a boat, I figured I could just bypass him and go straight to the source.”

  “Did you kill Manuel Turgis?” Sonny asked.

  “He wouldn’t pay me what I wanted.”

  Sonny’s mouth dropped open. “Just like that. He didn’t give you what you wanted so you killed him and contacted Eduardo Sanchez?”

  Olof nodded. “Sanchez was a bit more agreeable than Mr. Turgis. Like I said, I’m a businessman. Why not make it as profitable as I could by going straight to the top instead of working with the middleman?”

  “How could you trade a little baby for money!” Sonny cried.

  “You can’t blame me.”

  “I can, actually,” said Sonny.

  Gil kept his hand out to shield Sonny and the baby as best he could. “I never mentioned anything about Sonny and Ellie coming with me on this trip, but this deal was made before we left Cartagena. How did you know?”

  “I put it together. I asked myself why you’d be willing to pay so much money to leave Cartagena with me when you could easily have chartered a much nicer boat for much less. Or boarded a plane that could take you anywhere. You had something to hide. Or rather, someone to hide. But even if I hadn’t figured it out, it wouldn’t have changed anything.”

  “Why not?” Sonny asked.

  “They came to me. They already knew you’d hired me. But they weren’t sure you’d have the baby with you.”

  The boat rocked and Sonny lost her balance. Gil grabbed her arm from behind as she slid onto a deck cushion. Her position gave her a better view of the oncoming boat. Her heart raced as it approached.

  “There was talk on the street that Eduardo Sanchez was looking for a baby. I didn’t know this baby was the one he was looking for until I radioed in some information. As luck would have it—”

  “Luck?” Sonny said. “Do you have any idea the kind of man you’re dealing with?”

  “No,” Gil said, looking directly at Olof. “If he did, he never would have taken the job.”

  Olof shrugged. “Nothing personal. They would have killed me for not cooperating. This way, I get paid.”

  Gil laughed humorlessly. “You don’t really expect them to let any of us live after they take the baby, do you, Olof? Especially after what you did to Turgis?”

  The boat was getting closer. Sonny fought to keep her breathing even.

  “You sat at dinner with us last night. You laughed with us. You told us about your wife’s cancer. And all the while you were planning to give us up?” The betrayal Sonny felt over Olof’s turn of loyalty was harsh.

  Sonny heard the engine of the boat, but could no longer see it behind Olof.

  “Gil?” she said quietly, fearing Eduardo’s men would board the boat at any moment. But neither Gil nor Olof seemed to be paying attention.

  “You shouldn’t have gotten in over your head,” Olof argued.

  “You think you haven’t?” Gil asked.

  “That’s not for you to worry about. You have other worries ahead of you when I hand you all over to—”

  He stopped short as he realized the other boat was coming into view. In the split second Olof turned to look at the other boat, Gil moved into action. The first hit dropped the gun to the floor. The next one sent Olof facedown on deck.

  Sonny turned and saw the catamaran breezing toward them at a good clip from the other direction. Excitement bubbled up inside her, but was replaced with terror as gunshots rang out over her head.

  “Get ready to board!” her father called out. “I’m going to swing around!”

  “Dad!”

  Gil pulled Sonny to her feet. “Hold on. I’m going to get the raft ready and when he swings around we’ll catch him. Get a life jacket on.”

  “Gil, we’re not going to make it. The other boat will get here first,” she said, pulling the cushion off the bench to access the storage unit where the life jackets were housed.

  “Just get ready to board the raft. It’s going to be tight but we’ll make it.”

  He picked up the gun he’d knocked from Olof’s hand, checked for bullets and then slipped the gun into his waistband.

  “You’ll never outrun their boat in a life raft,” Olof said, holding his head and rolling on the deck.

  “We won’t be outrunning them in the raft.”

  With a yank of the cord, the raft inflated easily enough.

  Gil climbed down to the raft first and tied it to the side of the ladder to make it easier for Sonny to climb down.

  In the few seconds it took for Sonny to pull the life jacket over her, she realized it would be of no use to her. Not while Ellie was still in the carrier. If she fell into the water, her head would remain above water. But Ellie’s wouldn’t.

  “I have them,” Olof yelled.

  Drawn to the ruckus on the other side of the boat, Sonny turned her head. “Gil! They’ve boarded!”

  Bullets exploded near her and she instinctively threw her arms around Ellie to protect her.

  “She has the baby! Don’t shoot.” Sonny heard someone yell in a commanding voice from the other boat.

  “Come on, Sonny! Jump!”

  Startled by Gil’s command, Sonny turned and descended the stairs, fearing she’d somehow drop the baby. Her heart hammered wildly in her chest but Gil’s strong hands reached up and guided her onto the raft. She fell into the raft on her back with the baby secure in her carrier on top of her.

  They had no protection from the powerboat that had just slid alongside Olof’s sailboat. Since it was still in motion, it glided past Olof’s boat for a good distance and swung around.

  Two of Eduardo’s men were on board Olof’s boat with guns at the ready. But it was the man standing on the powerboat, glaring at the raft with contempt, that stopped Sonny’s breathing. She couldn’t believe her eyes.

  “Eduardo Sanchez is on that boat. He won’t risk them shooting at the raft,” Gil said.

  Gil took the oars and rowed out, away from both Olof’s and Sanchez’s boats, giving the Catamaran her father had chartered a wide berth for when he swung around again. Sonny trusted her father and she’d put all her trust in Gil. Still, she closed her eyes as the catamaran sped toward them.

  Sonny could hear the men yelling from Sanchez’s boat, and gunshots rang out again. She shielded Ellie as best she could, though she couldn’t tell if they were shooting at the raft to deflate it, or shooting at her father. Both options were terrifying.

  Sonny opened her eyes to find the catamaran speeding toward them even faster, but they were still too far away to board. The sails were down and only the motor was moving the boat. Even when her father cut the engine, the boat continued to glide toward them disturbingly fast.

  “Throw me the line!” Gil called out. Turning to Sonny, he instructed, “Keep yourself down and shield the baby. I don’t want you to get hit with the buoy. We only have one shot at this.”

  The gunned engine of the powerboat grew louder. Sonny could see that Eduardo was headed for Olof’s boat to pick up the men who had boarded.

  Rolling to her side, she covered Ellie with her body and felt the rope connect with the side of the raft just as a wave from the wake of the catamaran lifted the raft. Ellie giggled, unaffected by the commotion around her.

  When she finally dared to look up, she saw Gil holding the lifeline that connected their small raft to the catamaran. When the rope became taut, the raft lifted on one end and started to move.

  “Hold on. We’re almost there.”

  Within minutes, between her father and Gil’s efforts, the raft reached the catamaran. And then the gunshots started again.

  “Hand her to me!” her father said. Sonny had never been so happy to see him in all her life. Tears stung her eyes, making it hard to see.

  “I have her, Dad,” she sobbed.

  Gil steadied the raft as best he could while Sonny climbed the steps on the back of the catamaran to deck. Her father grabbed her by the hands and then pulled her into his arms.

  “I’m so happy to see you,” she cried.

  “There’s no time for reunions now, sweetie. Take the baby downstairs to the aft bunk. We’ve still got company,” he said as a bullet lodged in the raft and the air escaped with a violent hiss.

  FOURTEEN

  Gil pulled himself on board the catamaran as the raft began to sink. If he’d been quicker and a little steadier on his feet, he would have missed the left hook that connected with his jaw.

  “Daddy!” he heard Sonny scream as he stumbled backward. “What are you doing?”

  “That’s for putting my little girl in danger. Now help me get us out of here.”

  Gil rubbed his jaw with his hand, opening his mouth to test the damage. He’d survive but he’d be feeling that punch for a while and he wasn’t so sure he didn’t deserve it.

  “Sonny, listen to your father and take the baby down below. And pray. I think we’re going to need it,” Gil said.

  “But you may need my help.”

  “We can’t worry about you and Ellie on deck while we try to outrun this boat,” her father said. “Just keep Ellie next to you but out of the way of anything that might get knocked over. This ride might get a little rough.”

  “Okay,” she said.

  When she turned to head for the cabin, she paused, leaned toward Gil and kissed him. If she saw the daggers her father’s eyes threw at him, she ignored them and took Ellie down to the main cabin.

  “Where are they, sir?” he said, looking the man straight in the eyes. Not with challenge but with determination to see this through.

  “Coming in fast. We need to get this boat turned back around.” He gestured to the gun Gil had taken from Olof. “Do you know how to use that gun you’ve got tucked in your pants?”

  “Four years in Army Special Forces, sir. Seven years in law enforcement.”

  A look of admiration crossed his face. “Good. There are two rifles hanging by the radio in the cockpit. Use them if you have to. Anything comes close to this boat, shoot it!”

  “You got it.”

  Gil followed behind him, matching his step as he lifted the main sail. If the past few days on Olof’s boat had taught him anything, it was his way around the deck of a sailboat. With all the sails raised and the catamaran turned into the wind, they took off.

  As they started to move, Gil turned back to gauge the distance between them and the boat pursuing them.

  “This boat may not look like much, but the gentleman I chartered her from said she could fly.”

  That’s good, Gil thought. They needed to fly if they had any chance of reaching Puerto Rico alive.

  Sonny walked through the catamaran’s cabin until she found a bunk. The boat was moving quickly and she had to hold on to the wall until she was able to sit down on the edge of the bed. She used the outer wall as leverage so she could take Ellie out of the carrier.

  “Come here, Ellie,” she said after freeing her. “Come snuggle with me and say a prayer.”

  She heard her father’s voice mingling with Gil’s as they shouted information to one another.

  Anything comes close to this boat, shoot it. That’s what her father had said. The thought of more shooting terrified her. The image of Lucia’s body slumped over and the metallic smell of blood flooded her memory. Lord, please take care of my father and Gil.

  A tear trickled down her cheek. Ellie was looking around at her new surroundings. Oh, what a blessed comfort this little baby was to her. Ellie was completely unaware of what it had taken to get her back. She was just a baby and with the Lord’s help, she would have no memories of this nightmare to carry through her life.

  But Sonny would never forget a moment of the past few weeks. Especially these past few days with Gil.

  A shot rang out on deck and she heard a high-pitched ping, signaling the bullet had hit something on the boat. More shots, louder than the first, sounded above her.

  Eduardo Sanchez had looked straight into her eyes with a kind of contempt she’d never seen. He was responsible for so much pain. He’d threatened Serena’s family her whole life, he’d been responsible for Cash’s disappearance and he’d taken Ellie from them all.