Chapter 38
Gabby knew Barnaby was in pain. She felt every limp and wince as if it was her own body. But she also saw the way he blocked it out and focused on what needed to be done.
“You’re a rescuer at heart, aren’t you?”
“I am,” he admitted with a grin. “I’d be happy as a paramedic or a firefighter. Instead I’m stuck managing Carmichael Inc.”
“You don’t have to be stuck,” she said as they limped toward the radio. “Why don’t you just hire someone to do all that?”
He gazed down at her with a one-sided smile that managed to be both rueful and accepting of his fate.
“I’ve thought about it from all angles. Right now, it has to be me.
I owe it to my siblings, even the felonious ones.
Someone has to steer the ship in the right direction.
It might not be my first choice of occupation, but on the bright side, I can shape the Carmichael legacy in a better way.
I can make sure no one gives up on the Sea Smoke Island Fund.
I can make sure we stay accountable. If someone else wants to take over some day, I’ll happily step down.
In the meantime, I’ve been thinking about joining the island volunteer fire department.
I can do that part time and feed my soul. ”
She felt a wide smile come across her own face as her heart melted into a puddle. Maturity—the acceptance of his responsibility—combined with a way to channel his rescuer spirit was a powerful combination. “You’re an impressive man, Barnaby Carmichael.”
“Just hoping to keep up with you.” He pressed the button on the radio. “Testing, testing. We have an emergency situation here at the Lightkeeper Bay lighthouse. Two people stranded, one who requires medical attention. Mayday, mayday.”
After a moment of crackling silence, a male voice answered. “You idiot. As if I’d leave an active radio operational.”
Gabby’s jaw dropped and she felt Barnaby go tense beside her.
“Hooper? Where are you?” he demanded.
“I’m safe. Unlike you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Guess you’ll have to figure that out, Carmichael. You people think your rotten family can control everything? Eventually it’s gonna blow up in your face.” He hooted with laughter before the connection crackled into silence.
“I guess he hates the Carmichaels too,” Gabby said. But Barnaby wasn’t paying attention to her.
Barnaby straightened up and scanned the maintenance room, which to her was a maze of cables and humming generators and other equipment she couldn’t recognize.
He zeroed in on something in the corner.
“Get out of here, Gabby,” he said in a tense, low voice. “Go downstairs and run. Get behind some rocks or something.”
“What…what…” She wanted to obey, but panic fastened her feet to the floor. He limped over to her, picked her up and set her on the stairs.
“Go! Now!!” he shouted.
Shocked, she went. She flew down the stairs and out onto the grass. The blare of a boat horn caught her attention—a boat was cruising toward them. Not Hooper’s, thank God, but one of the island lobster boats.
She jumped up and down to get their attention, and saw Detective Chen lean out the window and wave at her.
Chen…was she working with Hooper, her partner?
She dismissed the thought immediately. Hooper had obviously poisoned Chen just like the others. She still looked ill.
“Help!” Gabby yelled across the water. “Hooper did something and Barnaby’s upstairs and—”
She was interrupted by a sudden crashing sound and spun around.
Up on the aluminum walkway that encircled the top of the lighthouse, Barnaby burst through a door.
He must have kicked it open, but how had he done that with an injured leg?
Against the backdrop of that pulse of light from the beam, he staggered to the railing.
Something was clutched in his right hand.
Amazingly, her sweater was still tight around his leg, but even so, his wound was bleeding again.
He drew back and flung whatever he was holding as far as he could in the direction of the open ocean. When it was about fifty feet above the surface, it exploded in a burst of blinding light.
The blast sent a shockwave traveling through her. She clapped her hands over her ears as a high whine set in. Up on the walkway, Barnaby collapsed onto his knees, then onto his side.
She dragged herself to her feet and stumbled across the grass.
Into the lighthouse, up the spiral stairs, then the next set, until she reached the top level.
The door was off its hinges from the massive kick Barnaby had given it.
She ran through it and across the aluminum catwalk.
Dropping to his side, she saw that his eyes were closed.
“Barnaby, wake up!” She felt his throat for a pulse and found a faint one. “Are you okay? Barnaby!”
He moaned lightly, eyelids fluttering.
“Was that a bomb? You saved the lighthouse!”
Finally his eyes opened and he glared at her almost as fiercely as he had during that first confrontation at the inn. “Why are you here? I told you to run. Are you hurt?”
She gave a sob. “I’m fine. I did run. You could have just run like I did, but—”
He shook his head and murmured. “Wouldn’t have made it with my leg. I saw the timer.”
“Oh my God.” He’d seen the timer and he’d acted instantly. “I could have carried you. You didn’t have to sacrifice yourself to save a stupid lighthouse!”
“To save you,” he corrected sternly. One might even say arrogantly, if one didn’t know better. “You were in the lighthouse. So I saved it too. You shouldn’t be up here, it’s not safe.”
Oh my God. That was it. The last little bit of her caution fell away and she knew Barnaby was her man.
The one who would climb mountains for her, take bullets, face off with a giant blinding lamp in the sky.
That lighthouse beam kept illuminating his face, and maybe it was a trick of light, but every time it felt like a glimpse into his soul and his big beautiful heart.
“Come on, my love,” she said tenderly as she helped him to his feet. “Let’s get out of here before the structure decides to collapse under us. That blast…”
“Wild, wasn’t it? When that bomb went off, I felt the entire building shiver. I wasn’t sure it would stay standing. That pirate phrase ‘shiver me timbers’ finally made sense to me. All I could think was, I hope she’s out.”
“I was out, and guess who’s here to rescue us? Detective Chen with a boat.”
“Good. We still have to find Tamara.” He winced as he set down his left leg. Then again with his right one. “I should have used my wounded leg to kick open the door. Now they both hurt.”
“I got you.” She pulled his arm over her shoulder. “Just lean on me. I’m stronger than I look. I’m going to have to be.”
“What do you mean?”
“I just realized the worst part of this whole thing. Okay, one of the worst parts, if you don’t count Tamara in danger and your bleeding leg.”
“What? Please tell me, I need some distraction here.” They made it to the first landing, where he paused to catch his breath.
“Not only is the bad guy in this podcast a police officer, but there’s an abortion involved. My poor mother.”
He nearly choked with laughter.
“And then there’s you,” she added tenderly.
“Me? Am I a problem?”
“You’re a big problem, the kind that isn’t going away and that she’s just going to have get used to.”
“Are you saying…”
The hope on his dark-grained face made her heart turn over. “I’m saying I love you. I fought it at first, but that’s through. Just make sure you don’t hurt yourself or pick up any more bombs, at least not until we tell Tamara.”
“Something tells me Tamara already knows.”
Gabby considered that, and agreed he was probably right. Smiling to herself, she wondered if that had been part of Tamara’s conversation with her purple sweater. Never underestimate a crone.
They made it to the ground floor, where Barnaby turned toward her and swept her into a kiss.
His arms felt so strong around her, his warmth sheltering her from the wind coming through the open door.
And this was how it was going to be, today, tomorrow, next week, next year…
the future rippled before her like sunshine on the ocean.
From outside, Chen’s voice blared through a bullhorn.
“Ahoy, the lighthouse. Are you okay in there? Not to ruin the moment, but I’m hella seasick right now and I don’t know how to dock a boat.
I commandeered this one but the deckhand ran away when I said I was a police officer. Making it up as I go here.”
“Coming!” Barnaby yelled after they reluctantly ended their kiss.
With her still supporting him, they limped across the floor toward the door, which, Gabby noticed, was slightly off-kilter now.
Had the force of the detonation affected this structure?
That blast must have really done a number on this historic old building.
As they stepped outside, she noticed that a slender crevice had opened up between the concrete of the foundation and the grass. It almost looked like an old crawlspace or a root cellar or a…
“Barnaby,” she whispered as she pointed to it. “Doesn’t that look like a good hiding place to you?”