In Too Deep

The other boat was eaten up by the fog, but not before another gunshot echoed around them. Joseph turned the throttle, hoping to put distance between himself and the other boat.

The roar of the other boat’s motor remained steady in intensity.

His boat slowed and vibrated.

“What’s wrong?”

He gritted his teeth. “We’re in shallow water filled with reeds. We’re not going to be able to get anywhere.” The disorientation from the fog had caused him to get too close to the shore. He revved the throttle, hoping to make some progress.

The other boat rammed into them. Their boat shook from the impact. The man leaped off his boat and reached for Sierra. She screamed and struggled to get away. Joseph lunged toward the man who had his hands around Sierra’s neck.

Sierra twisted her body in an effort to escape his grasp. Joseph heard a loud splash as Sierra and the man both fell into the water. He could see only flashes of movement in the fog.

He dove into the blackness, praying he wasn’t too late to save Sierra from the clutches of the man who sought to kill her.

TWO

Sierra’s lungs threatened to fill with water as darkness and cold enveloped her. Pressure let up on her neck, but the man continued to grab at her clothes, seeking to hold her down and keep her under.

She struggled to get away, bobbing to the surface, gasping for air. She caught sight of a baseball hat floating on the water’s surface. The man grabbed her once more. She got a good look at him before he dragged her underwater again. She went limp, hoping that playing possum would make the man give up. He held on.

She couldn’t hold her breath much longer. Her world seemed to be getting blacker and colder.

She kicked her legs in a final attempt to break free.

Another set of hands grabbed her from above and yanked her to the surface.

She gulped in air as the waves rushed around her.

Joseph’s face was very close to hers. “This way.”

She saw him swimming for only a few seconds before the fog engulfed him. She could hear Joseph’s hands and feet slicing through the water. She followed the sound. The fog caused her to lose her sense of direction. They must be swimming toward the shore. The attacker blocked their way back to the boat. It was useless at this point, anyway.

Noise of her attacker swimming through the water behind her made her move faster.

Joseph called back to her, his voice like a lighthouse beacon. “This way!”

She lifted her hand above her head and kicked her feet, trusting that Joseph was leading her to safety. It was blind trust on her part. Why would a drug dealer be saving her? But she had no choice. She wasn’t sure why, but he’d pulled her from danger twice. She had a chance of getting out of this alive if she followed Joseph.

Death was a certainty if she didn’t. The other man was still moving through the water toward her.

Closer to the shore, the fog lifted enough that she could see Joseph as he stood up and walked onto the rocky beach. She put her feet down in the waist-deep water.

She was jerked back as her attacker grabbed her by the collar. He clamped his hands on her shoulders, seeking to push her under in the shallow water.

She twisted free by angling her body to one side. She ran until she was in calf-deep water. The would-be assassin grabbed the hem of her hoodie. As she struggled to get away, she heard Joseph plunging back through the water.

Joseph landed a blow across the man’s face and then to the stomach. The man groaned and doubled over. Joseph clutched the sleeve of her hoodie and guided her toward the shore. The shallow water weighed on her legs as she pushed through, until her feet touched the hard surface of the beach.

She glanced over her shoulder as they bolted toward the brush. The attacker had recovered and had just stepped on the shore.

Sierra sprinted beside Joseph as the brush turned to evergreen forest. They ran for at least ten minutes. She’d grown up exploring these woods, but it was much harder to navigate in the dark.

She stopped for a moment to catch her breath. “Do you know where you’re going?”

Joseph bent over, resting his hands on his knees and sucking air between each word. “Maybe you could help me. I’m new in town, remember?”

Pounding footsteps behind them told her they needed to keep running. Sierra took the lead, zigzagging around trees, searching for a landmark that would orient her.

If she could figure out where the road was, they might be able to get back to her car and escape. As they darted through the evergreens, their pursuer stayed about ten paces behind them.

Fatigue settled into her leg muscles. She shivered from being soaking wet. Though it was summer, the nighttime temperatures only made her colder.

Joseph grabbed her and pushed her to the ground. Fear shot through her. Had he just been waiting for a chance to do her harm? They’d landed in a shallow ditch.

He signaled for her to be quiet as he pressed low to the ground.

Their pursuer ran past. So that’s why he’d knocked her down.

They waited until their pursuer disappeared into the trees and his footsteps faded in the distance.

Joseph jumped to his feet. “He might double back when he figures out we lost him. Where are we going?”

She glanced around, recognizing a rock outcropping though it was covered in shadows. “I think I can get us back to the road.”

She sprinted uphill, still cold, still out of breath. The ground leveled off. Now that she knew where she was, she ran faster. Joseph kept pace with her.

She took in a deep breath when her feet touched the hard-packed dirt of the country road. She’d parked on a shoulder just around the curve. Sierra sprinted as a sense of relief filled her. In less than a half hour, she’d be back at her place, sitting in dry clothes in front of the fire. She’d be safe, but she still didn’t know about Trevor. She’d have to tell the police about the attack. If Trevor wasn’t back at his foster home with his sister, maybe the police could find him. Maybe they would be able to figure out if he had set her up.

A question raged through her head as her feet pounded on the road. Why was that man in the baseball hat so bent on killing her? The question made her shudder. With God’s help, she would get over the attack.

She rounded the curve to where her car was sitting, and slowed her pace as she drew nearer to it.

Joseph came up beside her. “Looks like they slashed your tires.”

Despair spread through her like liquid poured on a napkin. She kicked one of the tires. “Guess they wanted to make sure I couldn’t get out of here.” The notion sent a whole new wave of fear through her. The man she’d seen earlier with the drugs must have done this to her tires while Baseball Hat chased them.

A crashing sound in the trees down below signaled that the attacker was back on their trail.

They needed to get off the road before they were spotted.

Joseph pivoted and headed back toward the shore with only a vague plan in his head. They weren’t going to outrun this guy. Joseph had lost his gun somewhere in the water. They had to find a hiding place. This guy was persistent beyond anything that made sense.

They came out beside the boat that had been wrecked on the shore. It was a big boat with a belowdecks area. Lots of places to hide and take a man by surprise if needed.

With Sierra at his heels, he climbed the ladder and slipped below deck.

She followed him. “Don’t you think he’ll look in here?”

“We’ll be able to hear him if he comes on deck. It’s two against one in a confined space. We can take him by surprise. Let’s see if we can find a good hiding place.”

Below deck consisted of several rooms, including what must have been a galley kitchen at one time, though it looked like it had been scavenged over the years. A skeleton of a counter remained. Sections of the countertop had been pulled off. Doors were missing from the cupboards. A dirty frying pan lay on the floor.

“I don’t see a place to hide.” Sierra paced through the rooms.

The deck above them creaked. Both of them tilted their heads. Could be the wind buffeting the dilapidated structure. The old boat had all sorts of creaking and groaning going on.

Maybe it had been a mistake to come down here. Still, it seemed like the best way to shake or subdue their pursuer.

More creaking surrounded them, and then the distinct tapping of footsteps above them indicated someone was on deck. Joseph’s gaze darted around the room. In a little alcove that had probably been a pantry, he spotted a tarp and pieces of wood.

More footsteps above them.

He ran over and lifted the tarp. She slipped under. He piled some boards on top to make it look haphazard. Then he nestled in beside Sierra.

“We only take him if we have to,” he said. The better scenario would be for the assassin to give up. Taking the man out meant Joseph’s cover might be blown.

They were squeezed into the tight space, their shoulders pressing against each other’s. He could hear her breathing in the dark. Not much light got below deck this time of night. As far as he knew, the pursuer didn’t have a flashlight with him.

The pursuer’s footsteps echoed as he moved through the belowdeck rooms.

Dust filled Joseph’s nose, causing a tickling sensation.

The footsteps drew closer. The pursuer was in the galley. There was a scratching sound and then more footsteps as the man moved around the room.

Joseph closed his eyes and counted. If he thought about how badly he wanted to sneeze, it would only make things worse. The gentle expansion and collapse of Sierra’s body where it pressed against him stopped. She must be holding her breath.

The man took several steps toward them. His feet scratched the dirty floor as if he was turning in a circle.

Silence descended like a shroud. Joseph didn’t dare even swallow for fear of being found. Every muscle in his body tensed. He was ready to jump the guy if he had to.

The man let out a humph noise, and then his footsteps retreated. They waited, still as statues, silent as the night while the footsteps clapped the boards below deck and then creaked above them.

They waited squeezed together in the tight space, not daring to move. Sierra’s hair smelled like the lake. Their damp shoulders touched.

Minutes passed. He lifted his gaze upward. Was the man perched outside, ready to pounce on them once they emerged one by one?

Sierra twitched. She let out a breath. “I think he’s gone,” she whispered.

He moved away from her and pulled the tarp from his face. The hiding place had not been a great one. He was still concerned that the man was watching the boat. Maybe he didn’t want to take on both of them at once in a closed space. For whatever reason, his primary target seemed to be Sierra. Why?

He wondered if she was as innocent as she seemed. A lot of violence in the drug trade was over turf wars.

If she was involved, maybe he could get her to flip, give up some information. The fact that he’d saved her life gave him leverage. But now was not the time to deal with that. He needed to make sure they had truly gotten rid of their assassin.

Joseph cupped her shoulder. “I’ll go up first and let you know when the coast is clear.”

She nodded.

He stepped lightly over the debris and floorboards and then eased up the steps that led to the deck. Once on deck, he crouched behind a pile of rope and boards. He scanned the area around the boat. Moonlight washed over it, but the surrounding area was covered in shadows. He stuck his head back down the hole that led below deck. “Clear.”

The stairs creaked as Sierra made her way up. She stepped on deck and scooted up beside him. They scurried to the edge of the boat. Joseph climbed down the rope ladder first. He waited below while Sierra made her way to the ground.

He pivoted one way and then the other, still listening, still on high alert.

Sierra’s body banged against the boat. She hung on to the broken rope ladder as it swung back and forth. To her credit, she hadn’t screamed, but the noise when she’d hit the boat would have alerted anyone close by.

“I got you.” He reached up, wrapping his hands around her legs and allowing her to slide to the ground as his hands steadied her.

They stood facing each other. His hands were still on her waist. She was close enough for him to feel her breath on his neck. “Sorry,” she whispered.

“It’s not your fault it broke. It’s worn out.” He let go of her and turned, staring out into the brush. “I don’t think he would give up so easily. He’s probably watching the road, thinking that’s the most likely direction for us to go.”

She pulled her phone out of her pocket and pressed a couple of buttons. “My phone is ruined from being soaked.”

He took his phone out, as well. “I’m sure mine is, too.” He stared at the black screen and touched the keypad. Nothing. He’d had it turned off, not wanting to risk it ringing while he was on surveillance. “You know this area better than I do.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “I have a friend whose cabin isn’t too far from here. She lets me take kids up there.”

“Is there a phone?”

“No, but we can get dried out and eat something. She has some mountain bikes. It will take longer, but we can take the trails back into town. It’s certainly not the way anyone would predict us to get back home.”

He nodded. “Okay. We’ll do that.” Now was as good a time as any to figure out where she was coming from. “You want to tell me why that guy was after you?”

She lifted her chin. “As soon as you tell me why you were out there when a drug deal was about to go down.”

He caught the note of challenge in her voice. Trust between them was tenuous at best.

He wasn’t going to get any information out of her just yet. She was still too defensive and suspicious of him. “Let’s hike to that cabin.”

“It should take less than half an hour to get there,” she said.

Joseph kept pace with Sierra as they made their way along the shore. Even though he had protected her from harm, it was clear she still thought he was up to something.

He didn’t know what to make of her, either. Was she telling the truth about being out there to help a kid? One thing he knew for sure—he had to protect his cover. If she found out who he really was, it could cost him his life.

THREE

Sierra hurried along the beach. Her friend’s cabin was set back from the shore, nestled in some trees. The terrain around this part of the lake was more treacherous and not as developed as it was closer to town.

She was determined to find out what Joseph’s involvement was with those two men. Was he a rival drug dealer, and it somehow benefited him to keep her alive? That assumption didn’t seem to fit his gentle demeanor.

They entered a forested area. She sprinted along a path that could barely be called a trail. The cabin, surrounded by trees, came into view. Her friend had wanted a place that was low profile to get away to write and pray.

It must have been three or four in the morning. The sun wouldn’t be up for another couple of hours.

The cabin was primitive, with only a generator for electricity. She found the key hidden in the coffee can behind a bush. She pushed the door open and glanced back at Joseph. He looked like he’d been dragged behind a truck.

She touched her own hair self-consciously. She probably looked just as bad.

He stared down at his muddy shirt. “Yeah, neither of us is exactly ready for prom night.”

She laughed. He’d picked up on what she was thinking without her having to say anything. He had a nice smile...whoever he was.

She gritted her teeth. Was all that charm just to lure kids into the dark world of drugs? She hoped not.

She stepped inside. “I’ll build a fire. There should be some canned goods in the cupboard.”

Though her clothes had dried out somewhat, she still felt soggy and chilled. Within minutes, the fire sparked to life and heat filled the room. She collapsed in one of the overstuffed chairs that faced the fire.

Joseph spoke to her from the kitchen. “Looks like there’s beans and peaches. Unless you want me to heat something up.”

She touched her growling stomach. “Anything would be nice.” She closed her eyes, feeling like she might cry. Because they welcomed at-risk kids into youth group, she was used to sticky situations. She had seen her own share of violence when she’d stepped into the dark world of drug use. She wanted to help these kids the way she had been helped all those years ago. But she’d never had her life threatened like it had been tonight.

Joseph moved around the kitchen opening and shutting cupboards. The kitchen was only partially visible from where she sat.

He emerged holding two glasses of water. “Thought you might be thirsty.”

She took the glass. He sat down in the other chair and stared at the fire, twisting the glass of water in his hand. “There’s a little cookstove in there. I’ll heat something up for us. If you like, I can make you a warm cup of tea.”

His kindness seemed so genuine. Was he buttering her up for some reason? Drug dealers were good at winning people over. She supposed if he had wanted to harm her, though, he would have done it by now.

She took a sip of her water. The cool liquid traveled down her throat and splashed in her empty stomach. She tilted the glass and took a bigger swallow. “Hot food and tea sounds really good. Let me catch my breath and I’ll help you.”

He gulped down his water.

Her muscles were heavy with fatigue, and she longed for sleep.

Joseph held the empty glass and stared at the fire. “Some crazy night, huh?”

She glanced over at him. She could see why all the teen girls had a crush on him. He was tall. The sun had created honey-colored highlights in his brown wavy, shoulder-length hair. His brown eyes were the color of dark chocolate, and his voice held just the hint of a Southern accent. His skin was deeply tanned. He looked like a surfer who had gotten lost on the way to the coast.

She could feel herself becoming guarded. His question was meant to open up a conversation. He was probing for information for some reason. “Yeah, it was a crazy night.”

He straightened in his chair and stared at the floor for a long moment. “I don’t know what you think about me. But please believe me, I don’t want you to come to any harm.”

He had pulled her from danger more than once. And though he’d had an opportunity to harm her, he had kept her safe. “Okay, I’ll give you that.”

He turned to face her. “Why were you out there?”

She watched his unwavering gaze as a tiny bit of trust grew inside her.

“Like I said, I was out there to get a kid. I talked him out of getting involved with the drug trade. I’m not sure why he ran. I’m worried about his safety, but I’m also concerned that he decided to throw in with the drug dealers after all. Those dealers must have shown up early. I thought I had time to get him out.”

Why would he ask the same question over and over, expecting a different answer? That sort of questioning technique was something a cop would do. Was it possible Joseph was on the other side of the law?

“Do you know why the guy in the baseball hat tried to strangle and drown you?”

Yeah, he was definitely acting like a cop. Her whole body convulsed when the memory of nearly dying rose to the surface. She wrapped her arms over her chest.

Joseph reached out and touched her arm. “You’re safe now.” He rubbed her forearm in a soothing way. His touch calmed her. His kindness seemed to break down even more walls.

Joseph put his empty glass on the wood floor. The fire in the fireplace crackled.

She took in a breath, appreciating that he waited until she was ready to talk. “That second man, the one who came out on shore and then disappeared into the trees when we were in the boat—”

“I didn’t get a good look at him. I was trying to start the boat.”

“I saw him earlier in the forest.” A chill penetrated her skin. “He had drugs in a satchel. He was holding a brick in his hand.”

Joseph sat up a little straighter. “Really? What else do you remember about him?”

“Not a lot. Getting shot at kind of wipes things from your memory.” She touched her own wrist. “He had this big gold watch on the hand that held the brick.”

Joseph leaned toward her, his eyes growing wide. “You think you would recognize him?”

She still shuddered at the memory. So much trauma had happened since that moment. She tried to recall the man’s features. “I think if I saw him again I might.” She rose to her feet. “You ask a lot of questions for a guy who runs a skateboard shop.” And carried a gun.

He shrugged. “That other guy seemed bent on your destruction. I was trying to figure out why it was happening...if it will keep happening until that guy is behind bars.”

She paced as anxiety caused her to tense up. The man she’d seen in the forest must be important to the drug trade. Even when they got safely back to town, her life might be in danger. “I should go to the police. They have files, photographs of drug dealers. If I saw him again, maybe it would jog my memory. I got an even closer look at the guy with the baseball hat.”

Joseph didn’t respond.

Every time she mentioned the police, Joseph fell silent. Old suspicions rose to the surface. The words she’d just spoken settled around her. This was all too much. She rested her palm against her face.

Joseph’s voice was filled with compassion as he rose to his feet. “You’re going to be okay.”

“Meaning that I’ll be left alone, right?” She shook her head, still trying to fathom what all this meant.

Joseph squeezed her hand. “Why don’t you sit? I’ll go heat us up some water and food. Then we’ll be back on our way to Scenic View.”

He hadn’t answered her question. “I’ll have to leave a note for my friend so she doesn’t think elves came in and raided her pantry and took her bikes.”

Sierra closed her eyes and listened to Joseph bustling around in the kitchen. He was still being evasive with her. She tensed. More than anything, she wanted to believe that the violence of the night was an isolated incident and that she would be able to go back to life as normal.

Predawn light warmed Joseph’s face as they pedaled the mountain bikes down the trail that led back into Scenic View. The food had revived him somewhat, but he was beyond exhausted, and he had to open the shop in a few hours so he could keep up appearances of being a mild-mannered store manager.

Sierra was talking about going to the police. If one of the local cops was feeding info to the drug network, it could put Sierra in even more danger. He had a choice to make. Could he trust her enough to let her in on his cover and tell her why they needed to leave the police out of this? She probably suspected already that he wasn’t who he said he was.

He stopped on the flat part of the trail to catch his breath. Sierra followed ten yards behind him. She rounded the hill and sailed down the trail toward him.

Sierra braked beside him and brushed her hair out of her eyes. She was pretty in an unconventional way. The thin nose and slanted eyes made her look fragile, like a porcelain doll. He admired Sierra. Whatever suspicions she harbored about Trevor, it was clear she cared about him and the other kids she worked with.

In the distance, the outskirts of Scenic View were visible. The resort hotel built on the lakefront towered over everything. There were only a few boats on the lake at this early hour. Washed in the warm glow of early morning light, the water shimmered.

Mention of the large-faced gold watch led Joseph to believe Sierra had seen the man DEA had been tracking for years, a dangerous man who would go to all lengths not to be identified, judging from the way the man in the baseball hat had gone after her. He had a feeling he should stick close to her for her protection. She could help with his investigation, but not if something happened to her.