14. CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 14
L iam pulled his SUV into the chaos of the Summer Inn Hotel parking lot, alight with flickering lights of police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances scattered like pieces on a game board.
“What on earth?” Liam breathed, his voice tight with tension as he quickly exited the vehicle.
Scott and his wife Tracy, freshly fetched from Boston, hurried alongside Liam as they navigated through the sea of first responders. They approached Wade, who paced beside a gurney, rushing towards a waiting ambulance.
“Wade!” Scott’s voice cut sharply through the clamor, attracting his brother’s immediate attention.
“Scott? Tracy?” Wade glanced over, recognition flashing across his face, though his expression remained fraught with anxiety. He kept pace with the EMTs, his concern etched into his tired, strained features.
Catching up, Liam, Scott, and Tracy noticed Ben on the gurney, his features obscured by an oxygen mask, his body immobile. Wade finished instructing the EMTs with a strained nod and turned to his siblings and Liam.
“What happened to Ben?” Liam’s voice was edged with worry.
“Give me a minute,” Wade said and turned to Ben. “I’ll be there as soon as I can, buddy.”
Ben was whisked away in the ambulance.
“Let’s go to the jetty,” Wade began, his voice thick and heavy with strain as he led the way.
Liam, Scott, and Tracy followed him, their brows furrowed in concern and curiosity. They were stopped in the foyer by Donna, who was holding an excited but confused Hicks. Wade grabbed his leash when Donna extended it to him.
“Hello, Liam,” Donna greeted him, extending her hand to Liam’s guests. “You must be Mr. and Mrs. Vanderbilt?”
“Yes,” Tracy said with a nod as she and Scott shook Donna’s hand.
“Nice to meet you, although I wish it was under less tense circumstances,” Donna said. “I have your suite ready, but I’m sure you’d like to deal with this first.”
“Thank you, Donna,” Liam said.
Donna nodded and turned to Wade. “If you need anything, you know where to find me.”
“Thanks,” Wade acknowledged, and Donna walked off before he turned to the three people who’d been trailing behind him. “Follow me.”
Wade walked them through the sitting area and out to the jetty. He didn’t say another word until they got to where Alex’s superyacht was docked.
“Where’s the other boat?” Liam’s eyes narrowed as a tingling started to zing up his spine. His voice cracked as he noticed Wade clutching Dawn’s leather-bound journal. “Where’s Dawn?” Urgency spiked through him, his stomach churning with a mixture of fear and dread.
“These were found here, next to Ben,” Wade said, holding up Dawn’s book and her phone. “I had someone check her room, but she’s not there. So we have to presume she’s on the boat— again !”
“What happened to Ben?” Scott asked, looking around the area, his eyes filling with panic. “Couldn’t he tell you where Dawn is? She was obviously with him when this happened to him.”
“Ben was lying here,” Wade told them, pointing to the spot where he’d found Ben being attended to by one of the hotel staff members. “Donna was in a state of shock when I answered the door and asked me to follow her. She said something had happened to Ben.” He ran a hand through his hair. Liam could see Wade was distraught. “I came here to find a staff member trying to help Ben. He couldn’t speak. My first thought was that Ben had a stroke. But he had a small dart in his hand.”
“Luminotoxin!” Tumbled from Scott’s lips.
“That was my first thought,” Wade said with a curt nod. “I called Doctor Westmorland, and he thinks so, too. He’s on his way to meet Ben at Newbury Port Hospital. They still have the antidote from when they thought Carl had been poisoned from it.” He looked at the items in his hands. “Donna said Ben managed to say: Dawn, boat, and steam .”
“Donna tried to ask him what he meant, and Ben managed to say phone ,“ Wade told them. “When Ben was found, he was holding Dawn’s phone while the emergency services were trying to talk to him.”
“At least he managed to dial them before he collapsed.” Liam felt an inkling of relief for Ben. “How did one of my staff come across Ben? Did the emergency services call the hotel?”
“No, it was Hicks,” Wade added. “Hicks was the one that found the man who was helping Ben. Hicks stole the man’s phone from his hand and took off. The man ran after him to get his phone back and realized Hicks was trying to get his attention when Hicks brought him to Ben.”
“Clever boy,” Liam said, rubbing Hicks’s ears as he turned his attention to Dawn’s phone. “Was there anything indicating where Dawn is on her phone?” His voice was filled with urgency.
“The screen is locked and Dawn’s changed her passcode.” Wade’s voice was a mix of frustration and despair.
“Dawn picks now to become more security-conscious,” Scott hissed, scraping both hands through his hair.
“I may know it,” Liam said. “I was with her when she changed it.” Wade nodded and handed Liam the phone.
“Let’s try to get some perspective here…” Scott scanned the area. “Ben and Dawn must’ve been here on the docs with Hicks. Ben gets darted…” Scott spun around, trying to piece the puzzle together. “Dawn is either taken to, or gets onto, the boat and the boat takes off.”
“You think Dawn took the boat?” Liam looked at Scott in disbelief. “I didn’t think Dawn knew how to sail; she couldn’t even stand on a docked boat for too long without getting seasick.”
“No, she doesn’t know how to sail,” Scott replied. “That’s why I think it’s more likely she was put onto the boat.” He scratched the back of his neck. “What did Ben mean, Dawn, boat, steam?”
Liam managed to get into Dawn’s phone and scanned her messages. His heart stilled, the world around him seemed to fade out for a few seconds, and his breath caught in his throat as a river of ice-cold water flooded his veins.
“I don’t think Ben said steam,” Liam’s words were low and stilted. “He said, teens.”
Liam passed the phone to Scott while Tracy and Wade leaned over him to read the message. Liam pulled out his phone to call his Aunt.
She answered after the third ring. “Liam?” Betty said, her voice frantic. “Are Lila and Harper with you?”
“No,” Liam said, his voice stilted. “I thought they were with you.”
“We’re on our way to the hotel,” Betty’s voice was laced with concern. “Where could they be? They were on their way to invite you and Dawn to a picnic. I was about to call you as there was a huge explosion, and I thought the worst…” She paused. “That’s when Sam said he thought it came from out at sea.”
“Explosion?” Liam’s brow creased. “When was this Aunt Betty?”
“Didn’t you hear it?” Betty paused. “I’m not sure. A while ago?”
“Did you say out at sea?” Liam’s chest felt like someone was sitting on it, constricting his breathing.
“That’s what Sam thinks,” Betty told him.
“Aunt Betty, I’d better go. I have another call coming through.” Liam lied. “I’ll call as soon as I have news.”
He hung up and turned to see three pairs of fear-filled eyes staring at him, having overheard his conversation.
“The girls aren’t with her.” Liam felt his lips move and hoped the words were coming out as there was a roaring in his ears. “Aunt Betty said there was an explosion out at sea.”
The color drained from Scott’s face as Tracy put a hand over her mouth, horror reflecting in her eyes. Everything around Liam felt like it started to throb. His ears wooshed, and he saw Scott’s lips move but could hardly hear him as the ringing got louder. It wasn’t until he saw Scott on his phone that the world came crashing back, and he heard Scott barking orders at someone on the other end of the line.
“We need a search started yesterday!” Scott’s voice boomed with both authority and desperation. Liam realized Scott was talking to the Coast Guard. “We have a missing yacht with my daughter, Harper, Liam Gain’s daughter, Lila, and my sister, Dawn, on it.”
Liam, Tracy, and Wade, with Hicks sitting faithfully by his side, stood watching Scott. Wade’s hand, still clutching Dawn’s journal, fell to his side, and as it did, all their attention was caught when Hicks started to whine and sniff at the journal.
“It’s okay, boy, we’re going to find them,” Wade assured him.
But Hicks latched his teeth into the book and ripped it out of Wade’s hand. The dog rushed off the jetty and started to violently shake it. To everyone’s amazement, a flat thumb drive flew out that must’ve been hidden in the book’s jacket. Liam was the first to get to it and scooped it up as Hicks dumped the journal on the ground and sat beside it.
“Dawn’s going to be mad with you,” Wade warned Hicks. Bending to scratch his ears. “You’ve ripped her journal apart.” He frowned as he reached down and picked up the book when he saw a piece of paper sticking out of the jacket cover. “What’s this?”
Liam, Scott, and Tracy watched as Wade looked at the note and read:
Your book is fantastic. It just needed a few amendments. I hope you don’t mind. Your number one fan.
Scott scooped the note from Wade’s hand. “What book?”
“Maybe it’s on here?” Liam said, waving the thumb drive.
A boat zoomed toward them, grabbing their attention when they saw it was a Coast Guard speed boat. The four of them watched as the commanding officer on the boat jumped off as it neared the jetty.
He introduced himself, and Scott took charge of introducing each of them.
“When your call came, we were already on our way to investigate an explosion that had been heard by a few of the residents that live near the coast,” the officer explained. His eyes never gave anything away. They remained cool and calm. “We’ve been to the scene, and I’m sorry, but our team reports that they doubt anyone survived that blast.”
The words struck like a physical blow, leaving them staggered in silence as they fell upon the group like a cold, unyielding hammer, sending shockwaves of despair through them. Liam’s knees felt weak, a deep sense of loss gripping him as the implication of the officer’s report sank in. He struggled to breathe, the air around him thick with grief and disbelief.
Scott’s face drained of color, his stoic demeanor cracking under the weight of the news. He placed a hand against the jetty’s railing for support, his eyes searching the officer’s face for any sign of hope, any possibility that the conclusion might be premature.
Tracy covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes brimming with tears as she turned to lean into Scott, seeking comfort in his unsteady embrace. The faint hope that had fueled their rush to the scene was extinguished, replaced by a numbing dread.
Wade, who was normally composed, showed a rare crack in his armor. His jaw clenched tightly, and his eyes narrowed as he processed the news. The muscles in his neck tensed visibly. He shook his head slightly, refusing to accept the finality of the officer’s statement.
Together, they stood in a somber huddle, the harsh truth settling around them like a thick fog, each feeling the sting of potential loss yet clinging to a sliver of hope that against all odds, something might have been missed, that somehow their loved ones had survived the unthinkable.
“I can take you out to the site,” the officer offered. “We do have a few boats scouting the area looking for survivors in case they managed to escape into the water or on a dinghy.” He glanced at the four of them.
“Yes, please, take us to the boat,” Liam said, feeling like he was moving through a dream.
“But we can only take two of you.” The captain’s eyes were filled with apology.
“I’m going!” Liam stated, his words brooking no argument.
“I’ll come with you,” Scott said and turned toward his wife and brother. “Tracy and Wade,” he addressed them, “I need the two of you to stay here and go through whatever’s on that thumb drive.”
“I want to come with,” Tracy objected, tears falling down her stricken face. “It’s my little girl out there too.”
“Sweetheart, I need you here,” Scott told her. “We’d know if anything had happened to Harper. We’d know.” His voice faltered, and Liam could see he was struggling to keep a level head. “Liam and I are going to find all three of them alive.”
Tracy nodded, desperately trying to keep herself together.
“You have an eagle eye for reading, and that’s why you’re my proxy as CEO at the company. Please. You need to look for anything that will give us a clue as to what’s going on in that manual.” He looked at his younger brother. “And before you object, I need you here too, in case you have to get into a system. You’re the best at that, and you can’t go anywhere with your head injury. I’ve already spoken to Doctor Westmorland.”
“No!” Tracy’s voice was half please, half sob. “How can I concentrate when…” She drew in a shaky breath. “How?”
“Because, if they managed to escape the yacht, we need to know if there’s anything in that book that can help us save them,” Scott pointed out.
Wade stepped up beside Tracy, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. “We’ll stay here, but keep us updated.” His voice was soft, and his eyes sparkling with unshed tears.
Liam and Scott nodded a promise to let them know the progress of their search as the three men boarded the Coast Guard boat. A feeling of deja vu engulfed him as they sped off, heading to the mouth of the inlet that made up Cobble Cove. Liam glanced at Scott, who, like him, stood staring out at the horizon, searching for any tiny speck that may be their missing loved ones.
The engine sputtered and died, leaving Dawn, Harper, and Lila helplessly adrift in the vastness of the Atlantic.
“Oh, great!” Dawn hissed in angry frustration, trying not to let the feeling of dread overtake her. “Now what?” She tried to restart the engine, but it was not working.
“I guess now we paddle,” Lila said, pulling oars from the side of the boat. “There’s only two, but we can take turns.”
“I’ll start,” Dawn said, grabbing one of the oars.
“I’ll take the first paddle as well,” Harper offered and took the other one.
But despite their efforts to paddle, the single oar slipped from Dawn’s grasp, disappearing into the swells, mirroring the sinking feeling in her stomach.
“No, no, no,” Dawn whimpered, swirling her hand around in the ocean, but the oar slipped away into the sea. “That’s just great, just great.”
Now, without a way to steer, they were at the mercy of the tides. They drifted in silence for a while, bobbing along with the afternoon sun beaming down on them.
It could be worse, Dawn, she told herself. At least it’s not dark. Panic started gnawing its way up her throat. It’s going to get dark in a couple of hours and then what?
Dawn ruthlessly swallowed down the panic and forced herself to breathe. As she did, Dawn reminded herself she had to stay strong for Harper and Lila. She was the adult here. The girls were looking to Dawn to guide, reassure them, and protect them. None of which she could do if she fell to pieces or succumbed to the sea sickness that was making her stomach roil with the motion of the sea.
Her attention was caught by Lila and Harper whispering.
“Tell me what?” Dawn asked, her eyes narrowing curiously.
“Uh…” Harper swallowed, her eyes shrouded with guilt.
“Lila?” Dawn looked at the other teen when Harper clammed up.
Harper and Lila exchanged nervous glances.
“Go on,” Lila whispered encouragingly to Harper.
Dawn’s eyes narrowed some more as she looked from Lila to Harper. “What’s going on, girls?”
Harper’s voice trembled as she confessed, “I think this is all my fault.” She turned to Lila, giving her a tight smile. “I dragged Lila into this.”
Bewildered, Dawn urged them to explain. “Do you mean this situation we’re in?” Her brow furrowed.
Harper hesitated, then revealed a startling piece of their current puzzle. “Last Christmas, when I was using your laptop, I found your book. It wasn’t just the story that captivated me, Aunt Dawn; it was how much it mirrored your own life—except for the fictional bits about the FBI.”
“You read my book?” Dawn gaped at her niece.
Harper nodded as she continued her voice, which was a mix of admiration and guilt. “Last Christmas, when you were home, I noticed that every time you talked about the hotel, Plum Island, and Liam, your eyes would light up just like Eve’s in the story whenever she was around Jack, the hotel manager.”
“Why did you name him Jack?” Lila asked. “Did you know that my father’s second name is Jackson?”
“What?” Dawn looked at Lila in amazement. “No, I didn’t.”
“Fate,” Lila said, nodding.
“I got hold of Lila, and we started talking. We became friends,” Harper admitted.
“You two knew each other before I introduced you at the airport?” Dawn asked, and they nodded. “I must say that I’ve seen talented actors before, and the two of you outshine them.”
“Your book was amazing, Dawn,” Lila confirmed what Harper had said. “And we’re so sorry for deceiving you.” She glanced at Harper for support.
“We wanted to make your fairytale come true, like in your book.” Harper’s eyes shone with emotion. “We thought… we thought it would make everyone happy.”
“My father was so closed off toward other women before you came to Plum Island,” Lila told Dawn. “After the two of you became friends, it was like he became a different person and was so happy. Every time he saw you, he’d get this goofy look in his eyes.”
“Like you do when you see him,” Harper explained.
“Thanks?” Dawn didn’t know quite how to take that, and if she did get a goofy look, she really hoped Liam hadn’t seen it, or he’d think she was a moron.
An image of their kiss flitted through her mind, and she automatically touched her lips.
“I have some chapstick,” Lila said, having seen Dawn touch her lips. She fished a tube from her pocket. “It will help with dry lips, and it’s cherry, so it’s sweet.”
“Thank you,” Dawn said.
She took the chapstick and applied some to her lips. It felt great, and she hadn’t even realized how much her lips needed it. It was also tasty and made Dawn feel hungry, and the panic swelled again.
The girls were going to get hungry and thirsty! Dawn realized.
“We’re sorry, Aunt Dawn,” Harper said again and dropped her head, making Dawn think there was a lot more to the story.
“Is there more you want to tell me?” Dawn asked. Harper and Lila nodded.
Lila admitted to stealing Dawn’s watch at Alex and Daniella’s wedding, intending to use it as part of their matchmaking plot. They were going to take odd things and make Liam and Dawn think the hotel was haunted, throwing them into solving the mystery together. But the plan backfired.
“I lost your watch at the wedding,” Lila said, disappearing in her voice. “I was beside myself. Carl helped me look for it. He asked me when I lost it, and I told him that I thought I had dropped it when one of the waiting staff at the wedding bumped into me. She had mean eyes.” She shuddered.
“Carl started investigating the staff that worked at the wedding that night,” Harper added. “But Lila told him she thought she recognized the woman that bumped into her as one of the cleaning crew from the Inn’s new cleaning service.”
“I went through all the cleaning staff pictures, but the woman wasn’t on the list,” Lila told Dawn. “The cameras at the wedding hadn’t picked her up either. But Carl was looking into it for us.”
“We tried to manipulate events to mirror the narrative of your book, Aunt Dawn.” Harper’s voice was filled with contrition. “Then Lila’s locket and your journal were stolen on the first night I got there.”
“It was like someone knew and had taken over our plans,” Lila told Dawn.
“Only they weren’t trying to matchmake you and Liam.” Harper’s voice wobbled with fear, and she sucked in a shaky breath, her eyes filling with unshed tears. “It’s like they are trying to hurt the both of you.”
“Wait!” Dawn held up her hand, halting the teen’s confessions. “You keep referring to Carl, but he only got here the day Harper did.”
“No.” Harper shook her head and corrected her Aunt. “Carl was here two days before you first arrived on Plum Island and has been here ever since.”
“Excuse me?” Dawn’s brow rose, and her chin tucked in as she stared at Harper in shock. “Carl’s my security detail?”
Harper looked confused, then said, “Carl’s been here over a year, Dawn. He’s been looking after you.”
“We thought you knew that?” Lila’s brows furrowed.
“I do now,” Dawn said with a little nod. “And I think a certain older brother of mine and I need to have a serious talk.”
Her fingers closed around her pendant as her mind whirled with irritation. How dare Scott do that! I told him I didn’t want a security detail.
But before she could ponder it for too long, Harper continued. “We went to see Carl this morning. We took the bus to Newbury Port. We wanted to know if he’d found out who was doing this.”
“Why on earth would you two do that?” Dawn looked at them, concerned. “You two can’t go running off like that.”
“Our security detail was with us,” Harper assured her. “Carl said he’d been injured before he could find out anything.”
“After Carl, we came to invite you and Dad to a picnic,” Lila confessed. “Then we planned to go to the movies with Aunt Betty and Sam.”
“You girls organized a picnic?” Dawn’s heart melted. They were really trying their best against all odds, and even when their initial plan went awry, they switched to plan B. “You two are so special but in so much trouble.”
“Yeah, we figured,” Lila said with a shrug.
Lila and Harper looked at each other and grinned before high-fiving each other and saying in unison. “But so worth every bit of our punishment.”
Dawn smiled. How do you punish that? Everything they’d done was to try and give Dawn and Liam happiness. She sighed. Being a parent was hard. As she watched them pick up the one oar and take turns to paddle the boat, a thought struck Dawn.
“Does anyone else know about my book?” Dawn asked. “I mean, before my laptop was stolen?”
The paddling paused as Harper and Lila exchanged another glance.
“I borrowed your laptop, Aunt Dawn,” Harper told her. “Sorry. I was going to drop it off when we came to get clothes for me.”
“That’s a relief,” Dawn said. “At least I know that wasn’t taken.” She looked at the teenagers questioningly. “You haven’t answered my question about anyone else knowing about my book.”
Harper’s following words were hesitant, “I… I let Bailey Blackwell read it. She thought it was good and said you should finish it—“
“Harper!” Dawn’s voice was sharp, more from shock than anger. “You didn’t?”
“I’m sorry,” Harper said, wringing her hands. “But she also let her friend’s brother read it.”
Lila jumped in to defend her friend’s actions. “We didn’t know Bailey was going to do that. She was so excited and said it would make an excellent television series.”
Harper’s admission that the manuscript had passed through multiple hands sent a chill down Dawn’s spine as her heart raced. “Which friend? Did Bailey say?”
Harper and Lila nodded before saying in unison, “Arno Littleford.”
Dawn’s breath left her lungs as if she’d been hit in the stomach. Her eyes filled with a roaring sound, and the palm of her hand felt warm. As the dinghy bobbed on the open sea, Dawn felt the weight of the situation settle around her. Their little adventure, inspired by fiction, had become a dangerous reality manipulated by unseen hands. Now, more than ever, she needed to keep her wits about her. The sea around them seemed endless, and as the sun dipped a little lower in the sky, casting long shadows over the water, Dawn felt the gravity of their predicament.
Was Ben right about Bailey Blackwell? Dawn glanced around. They were lost, adrift, and surrounded by the consequences of a story that had leaped off the page into the real world. Ben had told her another similar story that involved Bailey Blackwell, where things hadn’t ended well for him or Wade.
Her thought was interrupted by Harper’s and Lila’s sharp intake of breath as they stared at her.
“Why’s your hand glowing red, Aunt Dawn?” Harper asked, pointing at the hand that was fiddling with her pendant.
“What?” Dawn’s brow knitted together.
Her heart jolted as she looked down at the glowing pendant. Just like it had done earlier that day and right before… The sound of engines caught their attention, and they turned to see a speed boat hurtling toward them.
“That’s the Coast Guard,” Lila said.
Relief washed over Dawn at the sight.
“I guess I’d better thank you and your father for giving me this pendant for Christmas after all,” Dawn said.
“Dad gave it to me to give to you,” Harper told her. “I wanted to give you something special, but I didn’t know it glowed.”
“I think your father put a tracker in it,” Dawn said. “Because this is the second time today it’s glowed right before the rescue team showed up.”
As the Coast Guard boat pulled alongside the dinghy, Liam’s heart pounded with a mixture of hope and fear. The sight of Dawn, Harper, and Lila, huddled together and looking exhausted but alive, brought an overwhelming wave of relief crashing over him. He could hardly believe his eyes, and for a moment, he stood frozen, the enormity of the moment sinking in.
Scott was the first to move, his voice cracking with emotion. “There they are!”
“Dad?” Harper’s surprised voice mingled with Dawn’s shocked one. “Scott?”
Liam’s legs finally responded, and he rushed to the edge of the boat, reaching out as the Coast Guards began the delicate task of transferring the three survivors. His eyes locked onto Dawn’s, and he saw the same mixture of fear and relief reflected in her gaze.
“Dawn! Harper! Lila!” Liam called out, his voice trembling.
“Dad!” Lila’s voice was a sob of relief.
Liam pulled her onto the boat, his arms clamping around his daughter. Tears streamed down her face, wetting his shirt as she clung to him.
Scott reached for Harper, his hands trembling as he helped her aboard. “Thank goodness you’re safe!” His voice broke, and he pulled Harper into a tight embrace, tears mingling with the salt water on her cheeks.
Liam’s hands closed around Dawn’s as he helped her onto the boat. She stumbled into his arms, her body shaking with exhaustion and emotion.
“How did you find us?” Dawn whispered, her voice raw.
“Full disclosure: your Christmas present doubles as a tracking device,” Scott admitted. “When we get within a few feet of you, the necklace’s signal gets stronger.”
“It would’ve been nice to know,” Dawn told him, her eyes narrowing. “Does it record things, too?”
“No.” Scott shook his head.
Dawn couldn’t argue with him for giving it to her. It has saved her life twice today already. She hugged her brother. “Thank you, big brother. I love you.”
“Ditto, little sister, ditto.” Scott kissed the top of her head before she stepped away from him, giving Liam and Scott space to be with their daughters.
The Coast Guard secured the dinghy as the girls told Liam and Scott about their adventure. Liam’s gaze kept returning to Dawn, who stood fiddling with the pendant she always wore. When they were ready to take off, Liam left Lila with Scott and Harper to continue their story.
Liam walked over to Dawn, and, not caring who saw it, he put his hand around her shoulders, happy when she leaned into him.
He held her tightly. A few tears flowed freely down his face, and he quickly wiped them away. “I was so scared,” he admitted, his voice choked. “I thought I’d lost you all.”
The boat’s crew moved efficiently around them, offering blankets and water. Dawn leaned into Liam, her body trembling. “We were so lost,” she said, her voice barely a whisper. “I didn’t know if we’d make it.”
“You did,” Liam replied, his voice steady now. “We found you all, and you’re safe. That’s what matters.”
The Coast Guard officers gave them space, their expressions respectful and understanding as they continued to check on everyone’s condition. Dawn pulled back slightly from Liam, her eyes searching his face. “Is Ben okay?” she asked, her voice filled with concern.
“He’s in the hospital,” Liam replied, brushing a strand of wet hair from her face. “Luckily, they still had the antidote from when they thought Carl had been poisoned by that rare plant. He’s strong, Dawn. He’ll pull through.”
“Trust me, it takes a lot more than a poison dart to kill Ben Hardy,” Scott assured her as he, Harper, and Lila came over to join them.
The boat turned back toward the shore, the sun dipping lower in the sky, casting a golden glow over the water. Liam kept his arm around Dawn, holding her close as the reality of their reunion settled in. The terror of the last few hours began to ebb away, replaced by an overwhelming sense of gratitude and love.
Lila nestled closer to him, and his other arm folded around his daughter. “I love you, Dad,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.
“I love you too, Lila,” Liam replied, his voice filled with emotion. “So much.” He kissed the top of her head again.
Dawn rested her head against his shoulder, her eyes closing as well. “Thank you,” she murmured, her voice soft and sincere. “For finding us.”
Liam kissed the top of her head, his heart full as he whispered in her ear. “I’ll always find you, Dawn. Always.”
As they made their way back to the shore, the fear and uncertainty were left behind on the open sea. The future was still uncertain, but they were together, and that was all that mattered. The nightmare had not ended, but they had found each other in the darkness, and together, they would find their way back to the light. They were no longer a team of two but an army of friends and family.