Michael examined the mangrove wall. “It’ll be tight, but I think we can. Here, I’ll help you up.”

  With his hands around her waist, she jumped and drew herself into the kayak. Although it was hot in the shade of the creek, her soaked clothes left her cold. Teeth chattering, she settled into the craft and took the paddle he gave her. A putrid aroma emanated from her wet clothes.

  Michael sidestepped along the kayak until he was next to Laurie. Tears ran down her cheeks. She swiped her hand across her face.

  “Laurie, pull yourself together. We can’t have a repeat of that. Do not stand up in the kayak or rock it.” Michael’s stern voice riveted the girl’s attention.

  “I’m sorry. I…” Laurie lowered her head and stared at a spot in front of her.

  “We’ll get home. But we have to work together.” With a frown, Michael waded to his boat.

  Kyra peered over her shoulder at the teenage girl. “You’re going to be okay. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

  Laurie raised her head. “I didn’t mean to tip the boat over.” Her voice quavered on the last word.

  “I know.” Kyra sent her a smile she hoped reassured Laurie.

  The sun disappeared behind the trees along the western shore of the river. Michael paddled a few feet in front and to the side of Kyra. “How much farther?”

  “A little more to Egret Bay then the canal to Flamingo Cay isn’t too much beyond that.”

  “Will we be home before dark?” Laurie’s hands gripped the sides of the boat.

  Michael looked back at Amy’s friend. “No, probably not for another hour or two, but that will be better for us since we don’t want anyone to know you all are back in town. We’ll need to lie low until we figure out what’s going on.”

  “What about Jaws? Don’t alligators like to feed at night?” Laurie’s eyes grew round as she panned the river in front of her.

  Michael grinned. “We’ve only seen a few this whole trip, and none of them came near us. We’ll be fine.” At least he hoped. He’d heard of big bull gators becoming aggressive toward humans, but after what happened in the creek earlier with Laurie, he didn’t want her to get upset. They didn’t need to end up in the water again.

  He shifted forward and continued the trek toward the bay, one stroke at a time. The monotonous ribbon of green on both sides of him coupled with his exhausted body lulled him into a trancelike rhythm as he paddled.

  Questions floated in and out of his mind. Was a Flamingo Cay police officer tied up in what happened? Had the killer found his partner’s airboat? If so, how? And just how were they going to sneak into town and keep the girls protected?

  “Michael.”

  Kyra’s shout snapped him out of his daze. He peered toward her. The horror on her face alerted him to danger.

  “Jaws,” Laurie screamed while Amy waved her arm toward the left side of the boat.

  A huge alligator came fast toward his kayak as though he were charging it in a territorial challenge. His mouth went dry. Michael stopped stroking the water so his craft was between the reptile and Kyra’s. He raised his arm, and when the gator was within two feet, he reached out and brought his paddle down on its snout once. Then again.

  The monstrous animal diverted its path, going behind the boat toward the bank. Michael fastened his gaze onto the alligator even when it scurried out of the river onto the shore. Without taking his eyes off the reptile, he said, “Everyone okay?”

  “We’re fine.” Kyra’s voice held strength in it. “But you shouldn’t have risked getting so close to him. I could have shot at him and hopefully scared him away, or if I had to, kill him.”

  “You got your gun wet.” He hadn’t really thought his plan of action out other than to protect them.

  “A Glock works even if it gets wet.”

  “Now you tell me.” He looked at Amy, who stared at the animal on the bank, then Laurie, her face drained of all color. “Laurie, we’re all right. Understand?”

  For a long moment the teen, with her attention fixed on her lap, didn’t say anything. Finally she nodded.

  “Let’s book it.” Michael took his paddle and put all the power he could behind his strokes to take him as far away as possible from the rogue alligator.

  Kyra kept up with him as they headed toward Egret Bay. Fifteen minutes later, they came to it.

  Michael halted by the shore and scouted the area. “See anything suspicious?”

  In the dim light of dusk Kyra shook her head. “Let’s wait until dark and then keep close to the shoreline. We’ll have to take it slow, but there will be some moonlight.”

  Michael gestured toward the sky. “I’m not so sure about that. Clouds are moving in. Maybe the storm is hitting early.”

  Two hours later, in the middle of a downpour, Kyra clambered out of the kayak at the old pier near Pelican Lane and tied it to the dock. Soon Michael and the girls joined her. He had a flashlight with him that shone on the gaping holes in the boards as they made their way to the path that led through the swampy area near their street. Thoughts of a hot shower urged her to go faster, but she knew the folly in that. The nearer they got to her house the more cautious they had to be.

  Lightning flashed, illuminating the eerie darkness, followed almost immediately by a clap of thunder. Kyra flinched as the sound rumbled through the trees. Soaking wet, she trudged at the rear of the foursome toward her house. Rain had drenched them ever since they paddled halfway around Egret Bay to the canal opening. Although it had made their trip more difficult, she’d been glad for the cover of the storm that had rapidly moved into the area. During parts of the trip, she hadn’t even been able to see three feet in front of her kayak. But that meant if anyone was waiting for them to return, he couldn’t see them most likely. She was counting on that.

  Lord, please help us to get home safely.

  At the edge of the swamp, Michael paused, clicking off his flashlight. Kyra scanned the street and spied a patrol car in front of her house. She tensed. Friend or foe, and how would she know which?

  “The police,” Michael whispered against her ear. “How should we handle this?”

  “You can’t say anything to them,” Amy said, her voice laden with fear.

  “I’m not going to. But maybe Michael and I should go inside and see why they are at my house. If we don’t, that will alert whoever is part of what’s going on that something isn’t right.”

  “Where do we go?” Quaking, Laurie hugged herself.

  “My garage. We can get in on the side. You’ll be out of the rain, and then when the officer leaves, I’ll let you into the house.” In the dark Kyra couldn’t see the teen’s face, but she dropped her arms to her sides.

  “Do you think it’s safe to go?” Michael asked.

  “Let’s go through the bushes over there—” Kyra pointed to thick foliage in the direction of the Gulf “—and go around the back close to the Pattersons’ house, then through the hibiscus hedge. The garage door is right there.”

  She sensed Amy nod her head while Laurie squeaked out, “Okay.”

  Kyra withdrew her gun and held it up. “I want you all behind me. Amy and Laurie, then Michael. No talking, and stay in the shadows as much as possible. The rain should help.”

  Plunging into the vegetation to her left, Kyra forged ahead, determinedly ridding her mind of their encounters with a snake and alligator earlier that day. The Lord is with me. I can do anything. Even walk in complete darkness through the swamp.

  Mud found its way into her tennis shoes and oozed between her toes. Branches slapped at her legs and arms. Mosquitoes buzzed her. She sloshed ahead, concentrating on what little she could see. In the distance she heard the waves crashing against the shore. Another slash of lightning illuminated her dark surroundings for a second, allowing her to get her bearing. Only a few more yards.

  Near the Pattersons’ yard her foot caught on a fallen limb. She started to go down and latched on to a small tree trunk close by. After steadying herself, she kept going, stopping for a moment to scour the terrain in front of her before emerging from the dense vegetation.

  She felt as if she’d broken free from jail. Waiting for the others, she stood guard, slowly making a full circle, squinting her eyes to see into the blackness. When Michael and the girls joined her, she covered the distance behind the neighbor’s house and wedged between two hibiscus bushes to come out near the door to the garage at her family home. The key to the front door fit this one, too. She dug into her jean pocket, thankful she hadn’t lost her keys when she’d gone into the creek.

  Quickly she unlocked the side door and whispered, “Amy, Laurie, stay in here. Lock the door when I shut it. When it’s safe, we’ll come get you. Okay?”

  “Yes,” Amy said in a lowered voice and stepped into the garage, followed by Laurie.

  When Kyra heard the click of the lock, she started around the house to the front. She let the rain rinse the mud off her clothes before she climbed the stairs to the porch and took off her tennis shoes. Then she fit her key into the lock and opened the door slowly, listening for people talking.

  A deep baritone and Aunt Ellen’s voice came from the great room in back. Not Gabe’s. She knew how he sounded like a gruff bear. Who? Connors? Nichols? Tiptoeing into the foyer, she started to sneak toward the room when lights from another car coming into the driveway shone through the screen door as Michael turned to close it. Kyra halted and came back to Michael, peering outside to see who else had arrived.

  Gabe ran through the rain to the porch. “Where have y’all been? I was about to send out a search party for y’all.”

  Kyra stepped between Michael and Gabe. “We went out looking for Amy and Laurie in the swamp. Did you all find anything?”

  “I tried you on your cell. No answer.” A frown marred Gabe’s face.

  “When I checked it a few hours ago, it was out of juice. I forgot in all the commotion last night to recharge my battery. Did something happen?”

  Kyra heard footsteps coming from the great room and peeked around to see Aunt Ellen and Officer Connors join them.

  Gabe shook his head. “We came up empty. Why did y’all go off by yourself?”

  Kyra frantically searched for a reasonable answer to that question.

  “I thought of another place Amy liked to go, and it was a good distance north of here. We left at dawn,” Michael said.

  “And you didn’t bother telling me so I didn’t send anyone that way?”

  “Sorry, Gabe. Aunt Ellen knew we were out looking.”

  “Yeah, but no info where? You know how a search works.” Disappointment peppered each of Gabe’s words.

  “I thought you were covering the Manatee Creek area.” Water dripping off him, Michael combed his fingers through his soaking-wet hair.

  Kyra wanted to tell Gabe what was going on, but one glance at Michael’s stony expression and she kept her mouth closed. She couldn’t, though, erase the feeling she was betraying her mentor by not letting him in on the fact they had the girls.

  “Chief, I’ll leave you all here and head home. I expect we’ll have another early morning.”

  Gabe gave Connors a nod while the officer passed him in the foyer and departed, closing the front door.

  “Well, my goodness, y’all are wet. While you go get changed, I’ll wipe up your mess in here and put some coffee on. It may be summer, but I imagine y’all are chilled from the rain. You look like drowned rats. What did you do—go swimming?” Aunt Ellen shooed Kyra and Michael toward the hallway.

  “No, Auntie, we just got caught in a downpour.”

  Gabe shrugged out of his rain slicker, his sharp gaze glued to Kyra. “I’m surprised Ken’s airboat didn’t have any of these for our sudden thunderstorms that pop up at this time of year.”

  “Not that we knew of,” she mumbled and made her way toward her bedroom.

  With a change of clothes in his hand, Michael halted her halfway down the corridor and drew her close, bending his head toward her ear to whisper, “He knows something’s up.”

  “You think? We should tell him we have Amy and Laurie.”

  “No.” The word came out on a harsh rush of air. “I realize there’s a slim chance it’s Gabe, but it’s a chance I can’t take. Let’s see what we can figure out tomorrow.”

  “If we come up empty, we need to reconsider bringing Gabe in on this. He knows this area better than most. He knows the law-enforcement officers in the county. It might not be one on his force. It could be a deputy, even the sheriff. For that matter, it could be a game warden. They police the Everglades.”

  “Do you have some blankets handy? I want to sneak out to the garage if you keep Gabe occupied. I’m sure the girls are cold and frightened.”

  Kyra peered behind her to make sure no one was there to see what she did, then she went to the linen closet at the end of the hall and took down two blankets. “Tell them to sit in my rental car. If they’re tired, they can lie down in it. Also something to eat and drink if you can without Gabe seeing you.”

  With his free hand, he cupped her face and looked long and hard into her eyes. “I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t chosen this time to come back to Flamingo Cay. I’m so out of my element.”

  The touch of his fingers against her skin branded her. What they had gone through the past three days formed a bond between them that she’d never felt before and his caress only reinforced that connection. “Sorta like me trying to save someone who came into the E.R.”

  One corner of his mouth cocked up. “Yeah. I guess we each have our expertise.”

  “Wait five minutes in the bathroom before you go to the garage. I’ll hurry and change and make sure to keep Gabe occupied.”

  He leaned toward her and gave her a light kiss on the lips, saying, “Thanks,” then went into the bathroom behind him.

  Leaving Kyra bereaved as though she’d been deprived of something wonderful. She wanted the kiss to go on. She wanted his touch to last. With a shake of her head, she hurried into her bedroom. What was he doing to her? He was her best friend in high school’s kid brother. She had no business getting romantically involved, especially with someone who lived halfway across the country from her. So many reasons screamed for her to back off and quickly.

  But as she shed her wet, dirty clothes and ran a wet washcloth over herself, then donned a clean pair of slacks and three-quarter-sleeve shirt to hide her cuts and bruises from her trek through the Everglades, she couldn’t rid herself of the sensation she’d felt ever so briefly when his lips had brushed across hers.

  As she passed the closed bathroom door, she tapped on it and kept going down the hall. When she entered the great room and glimpsed Aunt Ellen and Gabe sitting next to each other on the couch, heads close together, talking in low voices, she couldn’t fathom her mentor being connected to the man who had killed Preston and his cousin and was now after Amy and Laurie—even her and Michael. But she would honor Michael’s wishes and talk with a few friends she had in the FBI and the Florida state police.

  “Kyra, are you all right?” her aunt asked from across the room, tiny grooves pleating her forehead.

  Kyra forced a smile. “Fine, just tired.” She crossed to a lounge chair and sat. “Gabe, I hope you can tell me you have some good news, some leads to follow.”

  “That’s why I came over here. I just got news that Cherie woke up briefly but slipped back into unconsciousness after a few minutes. The doctor feels that she’ll make it but might go in and out of consciousness over the next few days. Her body and mind were put through a horrible ordeal.”

  “So no one has talked to her?” Kyra tried to relax back in her lounger, but her muscles were bunched so tightly that it was impossible to get comfortable—not when the girls were hiding in the garage and the killer could be outside watching the house. Waiting for his chance to finish what he’d begun.

  “What little Cherie said to the doctor didn’t make sense. Something about a black snake. He didn’t even feel she was aware of her surroundings.”

  “A black snake?” Kyra mumbled, picturing the python gliding through the water straight toward her, his tongue flicking, his eyes boring into her.

  “Gabe—” Aunt Ellen put her hand on the police chief’s arm, further pulling his attention to her “—don’t mention snakes around Kyra. She doesn’t fear a lot of things, but snakes head the list.”

  He laughed. “I certainly remember that. Once her dad and I found one in the yard and I never saw a child hightail it into the house so fast. She locked every window and door and wouldn’t let her father and me in until we had assured her we had gotten rid of the varmint.”

  “Hey, I was only nine at the time.”

  “Oh, dear, I forgot to put the coffee on.” Aunt Ellen started to rise.

  Kyra hopped up, waving her down. “I’ll do it. You stay and entertain Gabe.” She shot them a grin and strolled out of the room, glancing back at the doorway to make sure her aunt was occupying Gabe’s full attention.

  Aunt Ellen had forgotten all about her and the coffee as she shifted toward the police chief, two patches of pink highlighting her cheeks. “When are you going to take me out target practicing?”

  A laugh escaped Kyra’s mouth as she entered the kitchen, her gaze straying to the door that led to the garage. Her aunt was one of a kind. Tough as nails but every bit as feminine with her perfectly made-up face, manicured nails and stylish hairdo with probably tons of hair spray to keep it in place.

  While she put a pot of coffee on to brew, Michael came up behind her and whispered, “They’re fine. I think if I hadn’t gone out to the garage when I did, they would have fallen asleep on the concrete floor. The blankets and granola bars were welcomed.”

  The caress of his breath as he spoke against her ear tickled her and flashed goose bumps down her length. She stepped forward a few inches, up against the counter, and shifted toward Michael. For a moment she couldn’t think of a thing to say as she looked into his glimmering eyes. Finally she said the first thing that came to her mind, “The coffee should be—”