Page 94 of Shallow Remains

“Maddy’s been kidnapped.”

The blood drained from his face. “What? When?”

“A while ago. Apparently she got a coded message out to Blaine. He’s trying to pinpoint where she is right now. It’s someone they knew from Syria.”

“Fuck.” Cold fear spread through his gut. He shouldn’t have left her. “Is Rafe⁠—”

“He’s on it. Wait, hold on a sec.” He could hear people talking in the background. Water rushing. “Rafe’s talking to Blaine. He’s got a location. He’s on his way back here from the mainland in his heli.”

“Where is she? Just tell me where she is.” He had to get to her.

“Hang on.” Another pause. “The message was sent from somewhere on the southeast corner of Dead Man’s Island.”

“I’m ten nautical miles from there. I can be there in twenty minutes.” He cranked the wheel, spun the boat around and sped due west.

“Lach, wait.”

“I’m not waiting. I’m the closest one to her. It’ll take Rafe or the Coast Guard forever to get there.” She could be dead by then. He refused to think she was already gone.

“There’s more.”

“All I care about is getting to Maddy.”

“You’re gonna care about this. Your truck was just blown up.”

“What?”

“At the marina. It exploded a couple minutes after Maddy sent the coded message.”

“As in what—a bomb?”

“Looks like it was detonated remotely. Blaine says the kidnapper planned this out. The guy she was involved with who betrayed Maddy was an explosives expert.”

“Her?” What the hell was happening?

“Yeah. So you’d better stop right now and make sure she didn’t plant another one on the boat.”

FORTY-NINE

Maddy’s knees hit the floor, the phone clutched tight in her icy hand as she stared at the horrific scene unfolding in front of her.

Lachlan’s truck was a ball of fire, blazing out of control after the explosion had ripped the front of it apart.

Her stomach lurched at the thought of him trapped inside it, burning alive. The scream of terror and shock stuck in her throat.

“Oh, relax, he’s not even in there,” Eve snapped, snatching the phone from her.

Maddy looked up at her, queasy and starting to shake all over. Was she lying? Screwing with her head to what, get back at her for something she hadn’t even done? Elliot was dead because of what he’d done to her. Had only himself to blame for what happened to him.

“The word is out now. Slater will track your message, and the cavalry will be on the way soon.” Eve’s face tightened, a fanatical light in her eyes. “But we’re not going fucking anywhere until you crack that code.”

She seized Maddy by the arms and wrenched her off the floor. Dropped her back into the chair. “And to make sure you do as you’re told, I have a little insurance policy. It’s tucked away in your boyfriend’s boat. Oh, look at that, it seems to be headed this way right now.”

No… Was it real? Maddy wanted to warn him away. It’s a trap.

She thrust the phone out again to show a moving dot on a map. “Give me what I want, or I blow him up for real.”

This bitch wasn’t bluffing. There was no way to get another message about the second bomb to Blaine with Eve watching her every move now. All she could do to save Lachlan was give Eve what she wanted.