Missing in Mudbug (Ghost-in-Law #5)(48)

Maybe it was as simple as that. Maybe they’d gotten stranded somewhere with boat problems and the CB was also broken.

She blew out a breath. The odds of a boat owned by the sheriff’s department having both engine and CB malfunctions at the same time were so low they were almost nonexistent. Maryse knew Colt kept his boat in prime condition.

“Wait,” Luc said, putting his hand up. “Cut the engine.”

She dropped the acceleration to nothing and turned the key to kill the engine. “What is it?”

He scanned the banks on each side of the boat, then looked up at the moon just as it slipped from behind a cloud. The moonlight swept across the swamp and his gaze followed it until he locked in on something in a channel to their right.

“There,” he said. “In the shadows of the bank.”

She squinted into the darkness, but all she could make out was the faint outline of cypress roots. “I don’t see anything.”

“He’s there. I can feel him.”

“Friend or foe?”

“His presence here isn’t good, but I have no way of knowing if that’s because of Colt and Jadyn.”

“Could be a poacher?”

Luc nodded. “Let’s start at the last camp on the channel and work our way back up. I’ll watch and see if our friend follows us.”

Maryse started the boat and glanced back as she pulled away. She still couldn’t see anyone but now she could feel him, watching them. But why?

It took another five minutes of fairly slow travel to reach the end of the channel. She scanned the banks along with Luc, ready to make a quick stop if they saw any sign of Colt’s boat. At the end of the channel, she turned the boat around, trying to contain her disappointment. Maybe it had been foolish to hope they’d find Colt and Jadyn on the first channel they searched, but she wasn’t about to apologize for being a fool.

As she swung the boat around close to the bank, Luc grabbed her arm and pointed. She cut the engine and picked up a spotlight, directing it at the pier Luc indicated. As the light hit the running lights of the sheriff’s boat, she sucked in a breath. Those lights were the only thing visible above the surface. The rest of the boat was sunken in the water and mud next to the pier.

She peered up toward the camp, unable to make out the structure in the inky black. “Do you think they’re inside?”

“The logical answer is yes. The real question is, are they alone?”

[page]###

Jadyn felt the energy drain out of her. No boat meant no CB. Not only were they trapped, they had no way to call for help. She reached for the bandages, trying to hold on to a thread of optimism.

“I told Maryse what areas we were covering today,” she said. “She’ll send someone for us if we don’t return.” Assuming that Maryse herself had returned, but she could hardly share information gained through Helena with Colt. That was one worry she’d just have to keep to herself.

“Yeah. I went over our coverage area with Eugenia and Deputy Nelson. They will rally a search party when I don’t respond by radio. All we have to do is stay put until someone gets here.”

And hope the shooter doesn’t return and start a fire underneath them.

Jadyn pressed the bandage on his skin and nodded. “Hopefully, they’ll all get together and spread out, so it won’t take as long.”

“I’m sure they will. The citizens of Mudbug are well-versed in swamp searches. Of course, I’m usually the one organizing the search, not being searched for…”

“Something different. Gives others a chance to be in charge, right?” She pulled her gun from her holster and began to dismantle it. Colt felt the bandage, then pulled out his weapon and did the same.

“I figure we can lay the rounds out on a towel to dry,” he said. “We can use the tap water to rinse the guns. It’s rainwater, caught in a big tank out back. It’s not ideal, but it will do until we can get home and do a real cleaning job.”

They worked in silence, unloading the rounds from their magazines and rinsing their guns under the faucet. The gallon jug of drinking water they’d found was set aside for personal use, as Colt described the drinking quality of the tank water as less than desirable unless one liked stomach problems.

Once they were finished with the weapons, Jadyn glanced over at the kitchenette. “I’ll check the cabinets for something to eat.”

“Cold beans would be better than nothing. I’d also like to wash this mud off and let my clothes dry. Were there any blankets left?”

“No. We used them all on the windows, but I saw a couple sets of sheets in that storage bin where the blankets were. Probably better anyway, given the heat.”

He nodded. “Do you want to clean up first? I can do the food search.”

“Sure,” she said, trying to squelch the range of emotions running through her. She knew Colt was right—they needed to wash off the filthy mud and water, but the thought of sitting around with Colt all night, wearing nothing but a sheet, had her heart pounding.

“Here,” he said and handed her a penlight. “I found this in one of the kitchen drawers. It’s not a lot of light, but the bathroom is tiny, so it’s enough.”

She grabbed a towel and navy sheet from the storage bin, then headed to the bathroom. What in the world did it say about her that her heart beat equally strong imaging alone time with Colt as it did when she was being shot at? Was she really that afraid to admit just how attracted she was to the sexy sheriff? Or was she simply trying to avoid the humiliation of developing feelings for someone who didn’t feel the same way?