Page 87 of Hidden Depths

She climbed through a hole in the fence, catching her shirt on a loose wire. She grimaced when she heard the rip.

“I really hope this isn’t one of your favorites, Margaret,” she whispered.

An expanse of pavement lay before her as her final obstacle before she could reach the shed. It would take her at least ten steps before she was out of sight again. Maybe a couple less if she stretched her gait.

She scanned the area, straightened, then pushed off into a sprint before she could change her mind, counting as her toes struck the lot in an interminable eleven strides. When she made it to the shed, she ducked around behind the building and caught her breath.

“Thank you, Jesus. Keep it up. I hope. I still really hope you’re here with me on this.”

She inched along the back of the shed until she reached the first window covered in grime. Her fingers clung to the sill as she peered inside, but even squinting, it was impossible to make out anything besides the fact that the room was still.

Creeping along to the next window, this one cleaner, she could see some type of construction going on inside, although what they were building was unclear.

She raised up on her tiptoes to get a look at the far side of the room and saw documents littering a table. That could be what she needed. If it was, what then? She’d been so focused on finding the evidence she needed, she hadn’t thought about what came next. It was impossible to leave the island right now. If Frank and Margaret could get through to the FBI, they would arrive eventually, but would it be soon enough to catch Balthazar?

She closed her eyes. If God was with her on this, then He had an answer. All she had to do was keep moving forward.

She fisted her hands to strengthen her resolve. It was pointless thinking further ahead until she collected the evidence and knew what she had.

Her skin tingled at the thought of entering the shed. It was one thing to peer through a window; it was another to go inside where she could become trapped. But she couldn’t waste anymore time in indecision. As she backed away from the wall, a hand clamped over her mouth and a powerful arm wrapped around her body, dragging her back.

Chapter22

Sara screamedinto the dirty palm and bucked, but she was held fast.

“Shh. I’m not going to hurt you.” The man’s voice was rough in his restrained whisper. “But if you don’t settle down, someone else might. Please. You shouldn’t be here. Let me get you out of here safely.”

It may not be one of Balthazar’s goons who had found her, but it could be someone connected to the sheriff. Neither option would keep her alive. But whoever was holding her, he didn’t know who she was. Not yet. Maybe she still had a chance to escape.

She settled into his arms. Let him think she was giving in to him while she combed through her options. Her self-defense ability was limited, but she knew how to throw a punch. And she was a fast runner.

When the stranger’s hand withdrew from her face, and the arm around her waist loosened and retracted, she flexed.

“Thank you,” said the man. “Now—”

She turned, swinging, but he dodged her punch, tripping backwards. Pushing away, her legs had already started moving into a run, but she lurched to a halt once her brain registered what she had seen.

“Tom?”

“Sara?” He looked her up and down. “What are you wearing? And what are you doing here? You should be in Miami by now. At least.”

“You’re alive.” Her words were strangled as emotion constricted her throat. Then she lunged toward him, grabbing him tightly around the neck. “He said you were dead. I thought you were dead.”

He tried to pull her back, so she squeezed tighter until he relented and wrapped his own arms around her, pulling her closer.

“Hey, it’s okay,” he whispered into her hair before he rested his chin on top of her head. “I’m alive.”

She finally released him only because she had to wipe her face.

“I have a lot of questions,” he said, “but it’s too dangerous to talk here. I need to get you somewhere safe.”

He reached for her, but she dodged backward. “No. I’m not going anywhere until I get the information I need. And you need to call someone. This is way too big for the two of us.”

“We can get what we need later. Right now, you need to explain why you’re here.”

She shook her head and went back to the window. “There are papers inside. Maybe Balthazar left some stuff there we can use.”

“I’ve already had a look. It’s not.”

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