Free Hidden Hideaways by Cindy Bell

answered.
    “Jason, Mary's on her way. I'm going to stay out here for a while,” she locked eyes with Mary. “I just need some time to calm down and relax.”
    “I think that's a good idea, Suzie,” Jason said. “I'm sorry that you didn't find what you were looking for.”
    “I'm sorry, too,” Suzie replied. “Can I call you to get a ride back when I'm ready?”
    “I can take the boat back out around sunset,” he replied. “That's the next patrol. Make sure you're ready then, okay?”
    “I will,” Suzie agreed.
    “I'm sorry, Suzie,” Jason said with a sigh. “I'm sure Paul will turn up soon.”
    Suzie couldn't answer. Her throat had gone dry with worry. Was she going to be too late to save Paul?
    “Suzie, I don't want to leave without you,” Mary said. She was looking nervously out at the water. “You aren't going after those terrible men are you?”
    “I'm just going to see if I can find the location. If I check it out and there's reason to believe that Paul left it as a clue I'll call Jason and let him know,” she promised. “I don't want to waste police time on what could be a wild goose chase.”
    “Still, I'd feel better if I stayed,” Mary argued.
    “Remember the guests?” Suzie said. “It's their first time away from the baby. They need this to be perfect. Only you can make it perfect.”
    Mary sighed. “Fine but don't stay out here long. If anything even feels funny, call Jason. Promise me?”
    “I promise,” Suzie said firmly. Mary reached out and hugged her. Then she reluctantly walked back towards Jason and the boat. Suzie tapped the coordinates into her phone. She waited for the program to generate the location. As she had hoped it was along the same inlet. She would be able to walk to it. She began walking in the right direction. With every step she felt her excitement growing. She was sure that she was going to find Paul at any second. Her heart was racing.
    The directions led her through a wooded area. As she emerged on the other side, she caught sight of something glimmering in the water.  As she crept out a little farther she could see that it was Paul's boat. Her heart soared as she stared at the boat. Paul was there. He had to be. A little further down the beach she spotted a small shack. It was completely exposed. Suzie guessed that Paul was either on the boat or in that shack. But she also had to anticipate that he wasn't alone. If he was, he would have called for help already. She had to fight the urge to go running towards the boat. She knew it wouldn't help Paul if she were to be captured as well.
    Suzie took a breath and formed a plan. She would try to get to the boat first. With any luck Paul would be on it, and the criminals that had held him hostage would be long gone. Maybe he was tied up and not able to use his radio. Maybe, though she hoped it wasn't the case, he was injured and unable to move. She didn't allow herself to think of any other possibility.
    “I'm here, Paul,” she whispered, though she knew that he couldn't hear her. To get to the boat she would be slightly exposed. Suzie guessed it would be her best bet to get to the water and then wade towards the boat. If the criminals spotted her she could at least dive under the water. As she walked down towards the edge of the water, her body was tense with fear. She recalled the information she had read about the gang that Trent was affiliated with. If they spotted her they wouldn't hesitate to shoot.
    “No bangs,” she remembered the woman saying when she had described what she had seen during Paul's struggle with his captors. But that was only because they wanted Paul alive. They wouldn't care about having another body to add to their tally. In the distance she thought she heard Bonnie Blue's call.
    “He'll be back soon,” she whispered more to encourage herself than to appease the bird. Suzie took off her shoes and held them in her hand as she walked into the water. She walked far enough in that she