Excerpt: The Depth of His Love

Chapter One
Mike keyed in Vince’s cell number—adrenaline pumping. He had to let Vince know their cover had been blown. He heard the line ringing on the other end but it went straight to voice mail.
He muttered a curse under his breath. Either Vince was talking with someone else or was in a dead zone.
Mike shook his head. The irony of that was almost funny. Not quite but almost.
Dead zone.
If they didn’t get out of Juneau now, they were going to be in the ultimate dead zone.
He maneuvered the ancient Jeep through the rush hour traffic as fast as he could without causing a wreck, or attracting the attention of the police. He couldn’t afford to get stopped now.
Traveling north, he left the heavy traffic and drove toward Auke Harbor. He hoped Vince was on the yacht they were using. The [name of mafia gang] knew who and where they were. Their lives depended on escaping from Juneau—now.
Mike kept checking and double-checking the rearview mirror for someone following him. No one particular car caught his attention. He relaxed somewhat as he neared the dock.
Vince’s car wasn’t in the assigned parking space when Mike pulled to a stop. He left the Jeep and sprinted toward the slip where The Deceiver was moored, slowing down as he got to the ship’s bow. No sense in rushing in without knowing if someone waited to surprise him. Pausing at the edge of the boat, he listened.
When he heard nothing, he stepped over the side, one foot at a time, shifting his weight to prevent the boat from rocking as much as he could. He waited on the top deck. No sound. He crept across the deck pausing at the hatch to check for something out of the ordinary. Satisfied, he eased down the steps. He checked the galley/living area then moved to the two small cabins.
After searching them and the miniscule bathroom, he opened the bottom hatch and scoped out the engine bay. When he found nothing, he allowed himself to breathe normally and tried Vince’s phone again. Still only voicemail. He made a swift return to the Jeep and brought back the opaque, waterproof box he had thrown into the Jeep when he rushed from Victor’s warehouse.
He stored it away in the engine room, hiding it in the middle of a pile of supplies. Throwing a tarp over the box in a haphazard way, Mike stepped back and looked at the area. Even though he knew where that particular box lay, it didn’t seem to stand out. Satisfied that no one would notice it after a cursory inspection, he closed the door and made his way back topside.
He couldn’t sit around and twiddle his thumbs, so he prepared the boat for the coming voyage. When he finished, he went up to the helm and sat in the captain’s chair with a pair of binoculars, scanning the area. The sudden vibration of his cell phone startled him.
Vince.
He let out a puff of air and answered the call. “Where have you been? Why didn’t you have your phone on?” His staccato words spat out like bullets. “Where are you now?”
“Hold on. I was with Jacov. I couldn’t answer because we were in the middle of a negotiation. Made progress this time.”
Mike closed his eyes. He heard pride at his partner’s success spiral through the man’s words.
“Doesn’t matter now—the job’s over. Get back here as fast as you can. We’re pulling out as soon as you make it here.”
“Why? What’s going on?” Surprise etched Vince’s voice.
“I’ll explain later. Just move it. The boat’s ready to leave. Cast off when you get here. I’ll be at the helm.” He hit the end button and finished the call. Then he picked up the binoculars again to continue his surveillance until Vince got to the dock.
Ten minutes later, he saw Vince’s car turn into the marina. The stocky man sauntered down the dock, acting like he had all the time in the world. He paused to speak with an older man in a cabin cruiser moored three slips away from The Deceiver.
“Come on, man. Quit jawing with the locals and move.” He wanted to shout it from the bridge, but he forced himself to stick to muttering it just above a whisper. He really wanted to jump off the boat, run to Vince, grab him by the ear and drag his partner back to the boat. He squelched that urge to prevent any unwanted attention. Instead, he controlled his breathing, not easy under the circumstances.
The younger man tried his patience often. Vince became his partner two years ago when Andy died in a shootout after their cover was blown…just like now. He decided to forget the need for subtlety and get his wayward partner on the boat before Victor and his henchmen showed up and he lost another partner or got killed himself. He ran down the stairs and across the deck. He lifted the bar blocking the exit and heard Vince whistling as he approached.
“Well, I’m here. What’s the mystery?” Vince grinned at him.
“Just loose the tethers and get on the boat.” Mike spun around and rushed back to the stairs leading up to the pilot’s deck. He took them two at a time, turning on the engines as Vince slipped the stern tether off the post, tossed it onto the deck and then repeated the task on the bow tether.
As soon as Vince stood on the deck, Mike pulled the gear lever into reverse and nudged The Deceiver away from the slip. When he cleared the slip and had the boat away from the ones next to them, he turned the wheel and dropped the gear into forward. The boat crawled across the no-wake zone. Pain in his neck throbbed each time Mike twisted his head to look back over his shoulder, fearing he would see Victor chasing after them in a speedboat. Once over the line, Mike revved the engines and pushed The Deceiver as hard as he could. Vince climbed up on the pilot’s deck and braced against the railing.
“Now you want to tell me what’s going on?”
Mike glanced behind them once more. No speeding boat broke the horizon. He took two deep breaths and hunched his shoulders to relieve the tension.
“I overheard Victor talking with Misha. They know who we are.”
Vince spat out an epitaph. “Man, it’s too bad we blew our cover before we got hold of the master list.” Vince stared at the harbor disappearing behind them. “How did they find out, anyway—do you know?” His partner’s look was intense.
“I didn’t hang around long enough to find that out.” Mike paused and allowed a tight smile to eek out on his face. “But I did make it away with the list.”
Vince paled, sucked in a breath and let out a whistle. “No lie.”
“Honest truth. Plus, I carted away the twenty kilos of pure cocaine Victor just received.”
Vince choked and coughed. “You didn’t,” he said when he caught his breath.
Mike nodded.
“Good thing Vic didn’t catch you. He’s going to be out for blood when he finds out both the list and the stash has been stolen.” Vince rubbed his chin with the back of his hand.
Mike’s sense of pride in an accomplished job crumbled and crashed to the deck.
“Peter saw me as I stowed the cocaine in the Jeep. I had to shoot him.”
Vince muttered another curse. “Did you kill him?”
“No. I was rushed. I think I hit him in the shoulder. He went down and I saw the blood but he was still moving when I drove off.”
“Where are we heading?”
“Seattle.”
Vince’s brow wrinkled. “Do we have enough fuel for that?”
“We’ll have to stop in Ketchikan and get extra fuel. I didn’t dare take the time in Juneau.”
“You’re right. We couldn’t take the chance.” Vince looked back. “I’m going to head below and take a rest so I can relieve you later, unless you want me to take over here while you get some shut eye.”
“No, you go ahead. I couldn’t sleep right now anyway.”
Mike turned his attention back to the instrument panel in front of him and made a minor course correction. He heard his partner climb down the ladder. Reaching into his shirt pocket, he took out a flash drive. Studying the two-inch long device, he realized he needed to hide it away in something waterproof, just to be safe.
The loss of the cocaine was a monetary blow to Victor’s pocketbook and his bosses weren’t going to be happy at the loss. But the information Mike managed to download onto the flash drive would be the impetus to send Victor on an all-out search for Mike and Vince.
He would find a hiding place for the electronic device later. He shoved it back into his pocket. Right now he needed to plan their escape route. Mike put the cruise control on and then pulled out the charts for the Inside Passage.
****
Beth hugged her nephew, Garrett, and his new bride before they left the church to go on their honeymoon. Tears stung her eyes. Beth’s heart ached for the two of them. Garrett and Mandy had been through a lot in the last year, but now they were married.
“Bye, I love you both.”
“Love you, too.” Garrett kissed her cheek.
“Me, too. Thank you so much for everything. We’ll call you when we get back.” Mandy embraced her again.
“If the cell doesn’t work, email me. I should be on the Nautilus by the time you get back.”
“Be careful,” Mandy said.
“Yeah, I don’t want to have to come to your rescue,” Garrett said.
“As if.” Beth gave her nephew a shove. “Off with you. You tell that pilot to keep his plane in the air.”
“That wasn’t my fault,” Garrett said. “That Iraqi pilot came out of nowhere.”
“Admit it—you were thinking of Mandy and not paying attention.”
Mandy smirked before he could protest any more then tugged on Garrett’s arm. “Time to go, Lieutenant Collins.”
Beth smiled and waved as the couple walked through the double glass doors to the waiting crowd. Shouts of well wishes rang through the doors before they closed. A rain of birdseed fell on the new couple and tears burned her eyes again. This time for the memory of her exit from the church’s vestibule with Rob fifteen years ago. A tear escaped and rolled down her cheek.
“Why do women cry at weddings?” Harper asked as he walked to stand beside her.
Her brother-in-law was a wonderful, supportive man. Beth was glad to have an excuse for the tears so she wouldn’t have to explain about the feeling of loss overwhelming her at the moment. She sniffed then took the handkerchief he held out and dabbed at her eyes.
“Good thing I tucked two of these in my pockets before I left the house.”
“You’re a thoughtful man, Harper Collins. Bonnie is lucky to have you.” She sniffed again. “You let me know if my older sister doesn’t treat you well and I’ll have words with her.”
“And what words would those be?” Bonnie asked. “Trying to stir up trouble again?”
“Always. That’s what younger sisters are supposed to do, isn’t it?”
“And you do it so well, little sister.” Bonnie looked at her husband. “We’ve got a few things to carry out to the car before we can leave. Would you pick up a load and take it out for me and unlock the car? I’ll be right behind you.”
“I’ll help.” Beth stepped out of the pumps she wore and breathed at the relief from the tightness of the unaccustomed heels. She picked them up and headed for the Sunday school rooms used as dressing rooms to help Bonnie collect Garrett’s and Mandy’s extra clothes.
Back at the house, Beth and Bonnie decided soup and sandwiches sounded better than going out to eat. While Beth threw together tuna salad, Bonnie heated up some tomato basil soup Beth had in the freezer. Then they carried the light dinner into the living room and ate with their feet propped up.
“I’ve got some pound cake and strawberries. How about some shortcake with vanilla ice cream?”
“Any whipped cream to go on the top?” Harper asked.
“Just so happens I do.”
“Harper, you don’t need the extra fat,” Bonnie said.
“If I’m going to eat the pound cake and the ice cream, I might as well have the whipped cream, too.”
Bonnie glared at her husband, and Beth laughed. “You can’t fault his logic. I’ll be right back.”
Dessert in their hands, Beth settled back into her recliner and savored the sweet treat. A week from now there would be none of her favorite ice cream available for her to indulge in.
“Beth, are you sure about this new job?”
She shoved a spoonful of cake, fruit and ice cream into her mouth, waiting until she chewed and swallowed before answering.
“It’s what I’ve dreamed of doing.”
“But you’ll be so far away, not to mention living onboard a small ship for months at a time.” Bonnie set her empty bowl on the coffee table. “What about storms and…and?”
Beth ate the last bite. “And what? I’ve already been through a storm at sea. Rough as it was, we survived. The captain and crew are old hands at sailing. It’s going to be fine. If I don’t like it, I can always find another job.” She let down the foot of the recliner and took the dirty dishes to the kitchen and returned to the living room. “Now, quit playing mother hen and let’s watch a movie. I just bought two dozen new DVDs to take with me—pick one.”
Her older sister rolled her eyes and walked over to the entertainment center to look through the stacks of movies. She found one and put it in the DVR player. Beth’s mind drifted during the movie, settling on the loneliness she tried to keep tamped away. The wedding stirred up all the feelings she had sequestered when Rob died. She didn’t realize the film ended until Bonnie got her attention.
“Did you go to sleep?”
“Huh? Oh, no. Just tired. Think I’ll head on to bed. If you need anything, you know where it is. Fend for yourselves.” She stood and stretched. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
****
A week after the wedding, Beth tossed her bag into the trunk and slammed it shut. Eagerness rippled through her. An important job waited. The Nautilus would leave from San Diego in five days. A dream job she had worked toward most of her adult life—one she had planned for since she turned twelve and discovered her love of dolphins when her family took a trip to Sea World in San Antonio.
Behind the wheel and strapped in, she prayed for a safe journey, put the white Trail Blazer in drive and left. This first trip on the Nautilus would be three months long. She waved at her next-door neighbors. They had agreed to watch the house for her and water the plants twice a week. With a key to the house and instructions on how to reach her in case of emergency, Beth felt confident her home would be well taken care of.
She punched the CD button on her car’s stereo and John Denver’s voice spilled through the speakers—Calypso—so fitting. Singing along at the top of her voice, off-key as usual, Beth reveled in the euphoria of the changes in her life.
Beth planned for the trip to take three days, so she wouldn’t push herself into exhaustion. Then she would have a day to recuperate before boarding the Nautilus. She mentally went over what she would need for the journey—atlas, snacks and water, tape recorder for notes about the research project. Yep, all there.
After Bonnie and Harper left, she spent the time packing and plotting the route to San Diego. She knew about where she would spend the next two nights. Since the Nautilus would leave from and return to San Diego, Beth chose to drive instead of fly. Bonnie’s reaction, of course, was to try to dissuade her from driving alone.
“What if you have a flat?”
“I can change a tire.”
“What if you have engine trouble?”
“I have a cell phone and OnStar…and before you mention it I have a GPS, so even if I run across a detour I won’t get lost.”
Beth countered every objection Bonnie could throw at her. Harper finally told his wife to leave her alone.
“She’s thirty-six years old after all, not eighteen. She’s been doing a great job of taking care of herself for the past five years. Don’t see why she would suddenly go nuts and do something crazy she can’t handle.”
The John Denver CD finished and Glen Campbell started his serenade as she drove north on I-45 toward Houston where she would catch I-10 west. Texas was so huge she would spend the first night in Fort Stockton. But tomorrow night she’d be somewhere just south of Phoenix, Arizona when she stopped for the night.
At just under fifteen hundred miles, she figured she could make five hundred miles a day without any problem. That gave her plenty of time for rest stops and quick meals.
Her cell phone rang. Glancing at the caller ID, she shook her head—Bonnie.
“Yes.”
“Have you left yet?”
“Uh huh. ‘Bout an hour ago. I’m already on 610. I really need to get off the phone so I can concentrate. Traffic’s heavy.”
“Where do you plan on stopping tonight?”
“Fort Stockton. I’ll call you when I get there and let you know where I’m staying tonight.”
Beth heard Bonnie’s deep sigh. “I’ll be fine. Later.” She ended the call and laughed. At twenty years her senior, Bonnie took over where their mother left off when she died fifteen years before.