Page 43 of Innocent Target

Beth pursed her lips. “Apparently so.”

“We won’t let that happen, Beth.” Mercy gripped her hand as Miles popped his head in the now crowded room.

His eyes moved to Beth in question. “Everything okay?”

“Yes, just catching up on what happened.”

Mercy’s phone rang, and she saw it was Nick. “Yep?”

Mercy’s back snapped straight as she listened, and James stood, his body going on alert as did Miles and Beth.

“Yeah, stay safe, and we’ll contact you.”

She hung up and looked at James. “The Henchmen are at the marina.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

James ran up to the helm, with Mercy on his heels to warn Ray of the impending danger waiting for them at the marina. Bethany and Miles quickly followed him.

“Ray, we have a problem.”

The older man lost his smile at the words. “What’s going on.”

“We can’t head to the marina. You know the guys we’re trying to avoid? They’re waiting for us.”

Ray gaped. “We’re about thirty minutes from shore. Where do you want me to go?”

“Kill the engines, it will give us time to come up with a plan.”

Ray shut everything off until they were drifting. There were a few boats in the distance, and the Daytona Beach’s coastline started to show over the horizon.

Bethany gripped Miles’s hand, trembling. “They’re never going to let me go, ever.”

Miles kissed her brow. “Easy, Beth. Maybe I can call my captain and get him to pick us up.”

James dismissed the idea. “I’m pretty sure they’re looking at all the boats coming in. It would put your crew and all the passengers in too much danger. We need to avoid casualties at all cost. Ray, what other options do we have?”

“With what’s left in the tank, we could attempt to reach Ponce Inlet, but depending on the wind and tide, we may run out of fuel at the wrong time.”

Miles winced. “I’d try to avoid running out of fuel. If those criminals have fingers in every pie, there’s a chance they know people around here, including those in charge of the marina or towboats. I wouldn’t be surprised if they weren’t looking for Ray’s vessel in other marinas, including Ponce Inlet.”

James looked around. “And with the size of the hull, we can’t dock anywhere else. And I’d rather not involve anybody else.”

Ray lit up. “I have a dinghy! It would be a tight fit, but the four of you will fit. The water is calm which plays to your advantage.”

Mercy touched Ray’s shoulder. “No way, Ray. If you return to Daytona without us, they’ll know something is up, and we don’t know how they’ll react. If we use your dinghy, you’re coming with us.”

The captain smiled. “I can’t let the boat drift like that. Other boats will alert the marina, and they’ll send the police to check it out. If you wanted to stay under the radar, it would be an epic fail.”

It was clear that the Henchmen would need that too, and an idea came to him. “And if we do the exact opposite? Bring so much attention to us that it distracts the Henchmen and allows us to pass by undetected?”

Mercy arched an eyebrow. “Why do I think that I’m gonna love and hate this idea of yours?”

This lovely lady of his knew him too well, and he winked at her before turning to Ray. “How much is your boat worth, Ray?”

The captain blinked, and James was sure he wouldn’t appreciate where he was going.

“Why do you want to know, son?”