Chapter 15: Part 3

Sam watched Delanie's boat sail away. It would have only been made worse if the sun was setting and romantic music filtered through the city. As it was the bittersweet goodbye had hurt worse than he though it would. The loud squawk of birds and the banging and clanking of the typical wharf atmosphere kept the situation real for him. Hopefully her attacker had seen the sendoff. She'd done a convincing job of playing the independent woman who could take on the world without worry.



Instead he'd been the one to worry. If someone had been watching they were sure to be convinced that Delanie would once again be going out to the island alone and would stay alone for the rest of her trip.



He turned away from the harbor and stopped watching the sailboat. Letting her go went against his deep-seated need to protect Delanie. He wanted to hold her tight and keep everything from hurting the precious woman he'd connected so deeply with.



On his way back to the police station he switched cabs twice, both times going through some elaborate rigmarole to keep anyone from following him. He doubted the attacker would follow him instead of Delanie. That worried him more than he wanted to admit.



The thought of Delanie alone out there with the attacker following her boat chilled his bones. The man could attack at any time, but they'd gambled that he wouldn't until she hit the island. Bill was willing to risk Delanie's life based on his profile of the attacker.



Sam's anger had risen to new heights by the time he hit the police station. He felt his blood pressure rise and his thoughts spin out of control. He wanted blood and he wanted it now.



Bill met him in the front office and motioned for him to follow. Sam's staccato steps echoed down the halls telegraphing his anger to those who could hear. He slammed the door behind him, not giving Bill a chance to speak. "You know what you did was stupid."



"Sam, please calm down."



"Calm down? How the fuck am I supposed to calm down when Delanie could be dead."



"She isn't dead. First off we have surveillance equipment on the boat she's on. Also we have a tracker on her."



"A tracker? How long before it goes out of range?"



"We need to stay close, about five miles is the furthest we can get."



Panic crawled through Sam's gut. "Five miles. A lot can happen over a five mile distance."



"Sam, believe it or not I've done this type of operation before."



"Yeah, but have you ever used the local police to run the operation?"



Bill shook his head. "No, it's usually the FBI."



"Do you know how these people operate?"



"I know how I operate. We're leaving in a few hours. Are you coming with us?"



"Hours, no way. I'm taking off right now."



"If you are too close you could spook the guy."



His head ached and his stomach churned. Sam couldn't stand Delanie being in danger. "I don't care anymore. I don't want Delanie left alone for longer than she needs to be."



"Sam, don't get in the way of the police. This isn't the United States. If you die down here no one will care."



"I'm not going to die. I'm going to save Delanie and talk her into leaving with me. Screw this guy and screw this operation. Delanie needs to be safe."

Copyright Sara Thacker 2011