wrath of the Sea Queen (227 page)

Vin thought he
caught
the hint of a smile as Michael
described
Max.

"Why would she think that?"

"
I
n a manner of speaking, he is.  I know you have more questions, Eyvindr, but I cannot answer them
all
.  I wanted you to know that I am sorry for
contributing to
C
a
eli's predicament.
"

"
You? 
You
a
re the one who saved Rika?"  Vin at last understood why Michael
had come
.

"
Yes.  I know you are familiar with
the strength of
such feelings
.  You, of all people, should
understand why I need
ed
to do what I did. 
I do not regret my decision. 
Yet
, h
ad
I known
what this existence would do to Rika
,
I might have reconsidered.  When I realized what was about to happen between Rika and C
a
eli
, I
tried to prevent it
.
  Unfortunately, after their first joining, there was nothing more for me to do; not until C
a
eli's
first
decision
wa
s final
.
"

"
What decision?"

"
Y
ou
a
lready know.
"

"
Yes, and she made it.  Her mind is free of Rika.
"

"
C
a
eli
has a
nother
choice yet before her
. 
Like us, she will not regret her decision when she makes it.  Her love for you is that strong.
"

"Me?
Then it must be about her dream.  Are you saying that she will choose to help me instead of Salma?"

"
No.
 
I said she will not regret her decision because she loves you. 
C
a
eli's
fate
now
rests solely on where and when she makes
that choice
.  Time is critical to the outcome
.
" 

"
Y
ou
r explanation
is greatly appreciated, Michael.  It
provides me with some
much needed
insight into
C
a
eli's situation.  However
,
your apology
should be given to
C
a
eli
, not me
.  She is the one
facing the consequences of y
our
action
,
"
Vin
did understand the emotion Michael related
, having undergone a similar t
rial himself.
 

"
Yes, she does
deserve my apology. 
I hope to
offer
it to her, but
that may not be feasible
if the outcome I foresee
comes to pass
.
"

With those
ominous,
parting words, Michael was gone
before Vin could ask
for
additional
details
. 
The
background information
he provided
was helpful, but Vin
knew Michael would not have taken the time to share the story unless there was something contained within that
Vin
needed to know. 
Vin tried to break
apart
the
details of the tale
to discover that hidden piece of knowledge.  Regardless
of
whether
he found it or not,
all of
this
was useless
unless Vin could reach
C
a
eli.
Time suddenly seemed to snap back to its normal flow, the rain renewed its assault, and
Vin resumed
his
pacing
, searching for a solution
. 

Interrupted in his
pacing
yet again, Vin
looked up as
he heard people drawing near
.  Ben rush
ed
toward him with Max in tow.

"
Vin
!  Vin
, I think
they
may be holding Salma in the cave.  It's the only place that makes sense.  Max can get us through it without getting lost.  I don't like the idea of putting the boy at risk, but I can't think of another way to find her.  And if that's where they are
keeping
her, I won't be able to reach her alone. 
Will
you help me, Vin?
"
 

It
did
ma
k
e sense.  Lorrie would have needed help to accomplish Pete's murder, Ben
's incapacitation
, and Salma's abduction so easily
and so quickly
.  It was probably Scott, and he would not
b
e alone. 
It would have taken s
everal people to cover their tracks
across the beach
so
thoroughly
.  Scott would
likely
keep a few expendable pawns between himself and any interference. 
Rescuing Salma was not a one man job
; though Ben would tackle it single-handed if necessary.  What
Ben
needed
was
the type of help that only Vin could offer. 
He wanted h
elp that did
n
o
t involve bullets flying through the air and potentially h
itting
the wrong person.  Vin, on the other hand,
did want to
settle
a personal debt
with the redhead on
behalf of
his
entire family
.
  From the
plane
crash, to Ben's shooting, the hotel fire, the incident in Idaho, and now this, Scott had a lot for which he needed to be held accountable.

Vin
turned and looked desperately out at the water, hoping to catch sight of C
a
eli
, knowing he would not see her
.  He
was
still
disappointed. 
Vin
knew that she continued to fight because the
isolated
portion of the
storm
over the little island
still
rage
d
unchecked.  There was nothing
he
could do for C
a
eli just then, but he could help Salma.  C
a
eli would want him to help.  Ben
was asking
for his help.  Vin could not
continue to
stand around useless
ly
while his family was in danger
.  As much as it pained him to walk away, Vin knew that he would be doing the most good by helping Ben find Salma.

"
Send Max to his father.  I
can
lead you through the cave
.  We
wi
ll find
Salma
if she is
in
there
.
"

CHAPTER
51

Lorrie convinced the
white-haired
guardsm
a
n
with a scar over his eye
that she needed to retrieve medical supplies from her lab.  This was her brother's hotel
and
her
reason
for being
t
h
ere
was legitimate
, so it
was
not difficult to gain entry.  After Lorrie took care of the unexpected visit from Pete, she moved on to the doctor's room. 
Her timing was perfect. 
When Dr. Erickson opened the door to step outside,
Lorrie quickly placed a damp rag over
her
nose and mouth,
rendering h
er
unconscious
within moments.  She used a gas sprayed under the bathroom door to
incapacitate
the doctor's husband without any hassle. 
Finally,
Lorrie delivered an unconscious Salma into Scott's waiting hands in the
pre
dawn
shadows
in the
lounge.  It
was
almost too easy.