Page 29 of Sutton's Shadow

The front door slammed, and Bethany assumed the man with the scary voice had left. The foster parents started hissing at each other in their foreign language. Bethany strained to continue to listen but couldn’t understand. Eventually, the voices drifted away, and the house was quiet again.

Her heart pounded, and a flicker of hope intruded. She didn’t want that hope. She’d had it too many times, only to experience great disappointment. Despite that, the hope continued to flicker. Her last thought before she let herself drift off to sleep was a prayer that Wyatt would be waiting for her at the end of this.

Chapter 8

Onablustery,chillyThursday, Sutton stood on the pier leading to the lighthouse and stared in awe of the kiteboarders taking advantage of the angry surf on the shore of Lake Michigan. Jolene had mentioned there was a group that met if the conditions were right for the extreme sport. And with the wind gusting to over thirty miles per hour, the conditions were excellent. The waves were measuring fifteen feet high, and judging by the smiles of the kiteboarders, the environs were ideal.

Upon hearing about the group, Sutton thought a few snapshots of them would be perfect for the town’s new tourism campaign. Once receiving permission from the kiteboarders to take their pictures, she decided the best place for the shots would be on the pier near the lighthouse.

The wind was bitingly brisk, and the cold spray from the waves felt like tiny pinpricks on her face. It was only late August, but on a day like this, the coming change in the seasons was noticeable. Sutton bundled up as best she could in her coat and trekked down the cement pier.

She experienced a moment of hesitation the farther out she went, something she’d never felt before when out with her camera. The waves were crashing over the end of the pier, covering it with chilly water. Some waves were so high when they crashed against the lighthouse, she wondered how the building remained on its foundation. One sweep from a rogue wave could potentially cost someone their life if they weren’t paying attention.

Deciding it would be prudent not to head too far out, Sutton stopped halfway to the lighthouse and brought her camera up to her eye. She followed the kiteboarders as they sailed across the water, amazed at their skills. And when they hit a wave just right and flew up into the air ten feet or more, her jaw dropped. The amount of strength and skill it must take to control the sail was mind-boggling. And this group made it look easy.

Every so often, Sutton glanced over her shoulder, keeping her eye on the dangerous surf crashing over the pier but found herself more distracted by the kiteboarders. It was like a dance as they sailed past each other. They would leap into the air in a surfer’s grand jeté, similar to how a ballet dancer would fly across the stage. It was mesmerizing to watch. The shots were going to be perfect for the advertisements.

She especially loved the pictures she was able to capture during the moments when the sun broke through the clouds, highlighting the kiteboarders like a spotlight and further underlining the idea of it being an intricate dance on a watery stage.

The wind picked up, rocking Sutton. She spread her legs to shoulder width and braced herself against the buffering winds. So distracted by the performance displayed in front of her, she didn’t notice that the increase in the winds was pushing the waves closer to her. Suddenly she was standing in two inches of water that hadn’t been there before. Before she could register where the water was coming from, a strong wave knocked her feet out from under her. Stunned for a moment after hitting her head on the cement, she lay there, knowing she needed to get to her feet but unable to get her body to listen.

Just as she rolled to her side to try to get her feet under her, another much larger wave crashed over her. She rolled with the wave as the water pushed her closer to the edge. Sutton knew if it propelled her completely off the pier, it would be impossible to fight the ebb and pull of the angry surf. The cold water was already making her limbs feel heavier as she fought the strength of the waves.

Reaching out for anything to stop herself from being swept away, her hand bumped into something hard. She made a last desperate grab for it, wrapping her hand around the metal post of the railing. It was just her luck that the surge was pushing her over the side of the pier where there was a gap in the railing.

God, the water is cold!Sutton held on, attempting futilely to pull herself back up as another wave hit her, and her grip slipped. She was quickly losing strength in her hand as the water tried to suck her in. Her wet fingers strained to hold the rail as the water fought against her. She battled the waves while simultaneously berating herself for being so stupid. As she was about to give up hope, her last thought was that at least this time it was onlyherlife she’d risked. Her hand slipped off the rail just as she heard her name shouted in the wind.

Wyattclimbedoutofhis truck and donned his cold weather wetsuit, eager to grab his board and join the others already out on the lake. It was the perfect day for kiteboarding. The waves were raging with the wind. He had been praying for a day like this to coincide with a day off work.

The weather forecast indicated conditions were going to change dramatically over the next few days. Temperatures were supposed to drop to near freezing, which was unusual but not unheard of for August in Michigan. With temperatures so low, the lake would be freezing, but that made the kiteboarding more exhilarating.

Grabbing his board and sail out of the back of the truck, he trekked to the beach. He could see the sails from the other kiteboards already flying. Excitement for the ride ahead of him flooded his system as the winds picked up. He loved kiteboarding and sailing across the water at speeds normal surfing couldn’t give him. And when he hit the perfect wave and flew up into the sky, there was nothing quite like it.

It was like floating down to earth with a parachute, only with less control. But unlike with a parachute, as soon as you hit the ground, or in this case, the lake, you were off, gliding across the raging water and searching for the next perfect wave.

As he walked toward the shoreline, a figure on the pier caught his attention. Sutton was standing with feet braced apart against the wind, her camera aimed at the other kiteboarders. She was halfway down the pier to the lighthouse, and he was thankful she hadn’t gone any farther since the waves could be unpredictable on a day like this.

Wyatt studied her for a moment; she was bundled up in a puffy gray coat that went to mid-thigh. Legs clad in jeans, those damn tight jeans again. On her feet, she wore her hiking boots that, for some reason, made her even more attractive. Her hair, which he knew was the color of the sand he walked across, was plaited in a braid that fell over her shoulder. He felt himself smiling at the cuteness of her in that braid. And before he knew it, he headed in her direction instead of to the water, the memory of her taste still on his lips.

He had just stepped onto the cement of the pier when the first wave knocked her down. It happened so fast; he never had a chance to shout a warning. He winced when her head bounced off the cement. Dropping his equipment, he raced to her just as the second wave pushed her closer to the edge. He lost sight of her as another wave pummeled her. His heart caught in his throat, thinking she was gone. But then a hand latched onto the railing.

She was struggling valiantly against the pull of the water. He knew firsthand how cold it was and what it could do to a person’s strength. He shouted her name, telling her to hold on and letting her know help was coming if she could just hold on a little longer. He ran full out, lungs burning against the cold, fighting the force of the wind that wanted to push him back a few steps for every four that he took.

Wyatt threw himself to the ground and reached for her hand just as her fingers slipped off the railing.

“Got you!” he shouted as his hand closed around her wrist. She peered up at him, eyes wide in fear. He fought against the water that wanted to push him over the edge with Sutton. Getting his feet under him, he braced his legs against the brunt of the waves and heaved her back up to the pier. Once safe, he swept her up into his arms and carried her back toward the beach, his leg protesting the added weight the entire way.

Somehow her camera was still with her, attached to the strap around her neck. She was lucky the damn thing hadn’t choked her.

With each agonizing step he took toward dry land, he got angrier with her. What was she thinking being out there in this weather? She should have recognized the danger; there were warning signs everywhere. That she was still as reckless as she’d been years ago astounded him. A danger to herself and others.

He carried a shivering Sutton straight to his truck. He had towels and blankets that she could use to get dry and warmed up. She needed to get out of her wet clothes before hypothermia set in.

Setting her on her feet next to his truck, he opened the driver’s side door to offer her protection from the bitter wind. He reached for the zipper of her coat, remembering the words from Liam’s teammate on her protection detail. “They were right. You really are dangerous, aren’t you?”

She gaped up at him with those sky-blue eyes, shocked. “Wh... what?”

“Nothing,” he murmured. Fuck. He didn’t mean to say that out loud. And he wasn’t sure he believed it. “We need to get you out of these wet things. Your jeans and coat are soaked,” he stated. “I’ve got towels you can wrap yourself up in.” She stood, staring at him, as if unsure of what to do. Taking pity on her, he pushed her sopping wet coat off her shoulders and threw it into the back of the truck. He removed the camera and placed it carefully on the back seat.

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