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Joe’s deep voice was like balm washing through her. She sobbed. “Joe, something’s happened to Sky and me. Th-there was a seaplane that landed nearby. Three men in a raft…” and she sobbed. “They came ashore. Sky told me to run, that there was a Russian she recognized.” Tears started down her drawn cheeks. “Joe, she’s GONE! Sky’s gone! Th-they shot us with darts of some kind. I-I just woke up. I was drugged and she’s not here…”
“Are you at the cove?” Joe demanded, his voice deadly calm.
Abby nodded. “Y-yes, the secret cove.”
“Are you alright?”
“I-I think so. Th-they must have drugged us. I-I can’t walk much. I made it here, to the blanket. God, Sky isn’t here!” and her voice broke.
“Okay, Baby, listen to me.”
“Y-yes…”
“Is there anyone else around you right now?”
Abby slowly sat up, the effort huge. She twisted her head looking from one end of the crescent beach to the other. “N-no. Alone… I… I’m alone…”
“And the raft?”
“Gone. No seaplane, either.” She could hear Joe giving sharp orders to someone in the background, his hand over his cell phone.
“That’s good. You’re safe then?”
“Y-yes, I think so,” and she slowly turned, looking out toward the ocean. “Th-they’re all gone. Nothing out on the ocean, Joe.”
“Good.”
Abby could hear the relief in his tightened voice. “W-what should I do?”
“Stay right where you are. We’re coming to get you right now.”
“W-what if they come back?”
“Cal doesn’t think they will. They wanted Sky. You have my cell number. Stay put, we’re coming to get you. Alex’s coming along because he’s a combat corpsman. He’s bringing his medical ruck with him, and he’ll take care of you after we arrive. All right?”
Wiping her tears away with a shaking hand, Abby whispered, “O-okay. I’m so drugged up, Joe. I-I need to lay down on this blanket. I-I feel like I’m gonna faint…”
Cal’s eyes wereslits as he worked with Alex to give Abby, who had fallen into a drugged stupor, a shot that would revive her. Joe was at her side, his face showing the terror he felt.
“Okay,” Alex said, gently placing Abby on her back and placing a rolled-up towel beneath her neck so she could breathe easier, “she should come around very quickly.” He gave Joe a worried look. “She’s drugged, but her pulse is strong, and her blood pressure is becoming normalized. She is going to be fine, Joe.”
Joe nodded, swallowing hard, his gaze never leaving his wife’s pale, freckled face. “Good, good,” he rasped, holding her hand tightly in his own.
Cal stood up, looking around. He couldn’t afford to cry. But a huge fist of terror and tears were ramming up through his chest, heading for his tightening throat. Walking around, he followed the tracks of the three men from the beach. The tide was starting to come in, but he could see imprints of where a raft had been dragged up on the beach. Taking photos with his camera, he looked out at sea, finding it empty. Swallowing several times against a forming lump, he continued to follow the trail in the sand. Moving quickly beyond the blanket, he saw where both women had fallen in the sand. He discovered a small dart partially hidden in the sand and picked it up. His brows fell as he examined it. Turning, he took it back to the men.
“Tell me about this, Alex,” and Cal handed him the small dart.
Scowling, Alex studied it. “It’s Russian. It’s a Spetsnaz drug we would use to render someone quickly unconscious.” His mouth thinned. “This is a big dose.”
“What’s that mean?” Cal growled, barely able to hold himself together. He knew in his gut that Vlad Alexandrov’s father had kidnapped Sky. Worse, he knew he would take his revenge out on her. And Sky wouldn’t live long. His heart thrashed violently in his chest and tears burned in his eyes. He looked away, choking them down deep inside himself. He wouldn’t be any good to Sky, unable to find and rescue her, if he let his emotions howl through him. It was a distraction that would slow down their rescue efforts.
Alex examined the dark wound on Abby’s leg. There was a dribble of dried blood below where the dart had entered her calf. “It means that whoever has her, wants to make sure she remains sedated for a long trip.” He looked at his watch. “When did the ladies come here to the cove, Cal?”
“Noon,” he growled, restless, wanting to do something… anything…
“And it’s four-forty-five now,” Alex said, thinking aloud. “That’s a long time to be unconscious.”
“What the hell does it mean?” Cal demanded tightly.
