Page 36 of Hidden Tide
“You sound surprised.”
“I’m not surprised.”
“You looked surprised.”
“I’m relieved.”
His expression softened.
“So am I.”
Lieutenant Harper ended the call after receiving her orders.
“We’re moving the family to a secure hotel near the Coast Guard station at six in the morning,” she said. “We’ll escort you in two vehicles.”
Storm glanced toward the patio doors.
“What about the house?”
“Officers will remain here.”
“And Sea Whisper?”
“Still secured at the Coast Guard dock.”
Mom lowered herself onto the couch beside Thomas.
“Are we really in danger from whoever is inside Blackwater?”
“We don’t know,” Harper answered. “The relocation is a precaution.”
I appreciated that she didn’t exaggerate the threat.
She also didn’t dismiss it.
“Try to get some sleep,” she added. “Tomorrow will be a long day.”
No one slept.
Mom took one of the downstairs bedrooms with Thomas so she could hear if he tried to stand without his cane. Nathan sat outside their door, claiming he was more comfortable in the hallway than on the couch.
We all knew he was guarding them.
Ward stayed with Storm in the living room.
Hazel, Willow, and Ivy shared the largest bedroom upstairs, though I heard them talking long after the lights went out.
Ben and I sat on the floor of my room with our backs against the bed.
We didn’t speak much.
We didn’t need to.
His shoulder rested against mine, and his hand remained wrapped around my fingers.
Every few minutes, light from a Coast Guard patrol swept across the curtains.
Proof that someone was watching the beach.
