The pelican blinked and stayed put until the last tie was loosened and then hopped into flight and flew to the railing mere steps away by the kayak launch.
Rayna Jo felt as though the bird led her through the steps, and even though she’d never stolen anything in her life, she hefted the kayak off the trailer as though it were hers and managed to drag it to the launch, thankful the truck had parked in the spot directly beside it.
She left it on the edge of the launch and went back for the paddle, and once she had it in hand, the pelican hopped off the railing into the water, floating gracefully at the bow bobbing with the gentle waves.
Still, the bird faced Rayna Jo, its beady eyes watching.
Waiting?
She didn’t let herself think beyond the moment, the mini goals that drove her.
Get the kayak off the trailer.
Get the kayak in the water.
Get away from the shore and people and her life.
Whatever happened then would happen. Whatever happened… would be for the best.
She bit back a hysterical laugh and told herself she’d really lost her mind this time. But she felt compelled by a force she couldn’t shake.
Rayna Jo took off her shoes and tossed them into the seat, then shoved off and splashed through calf-deep water as she climbed aboard and settled into the cockpit, shoving her shoes into the hatch for safekeeping.
She’d kayaked with Richard and the twins, as well as the Babes, many times over the years, so she wasn’t a novice.
Rayna Jo paddled out atop the waves pushing her back toward shore. Finally she made it, and then… she just kept paddling, every dip propelling her farther down the Cape Fear River.
She used the foot braces to steer the boat along the shore, grateful no one paid her any attention as she slowly paddled along.
The pelican floated beside her for quite some time, but after a while, it spread its wings and took flight, landing on the bow of her stolen kayak like a figurehead on a boat born for the sea.
At one point, she became vaguely aware of the ferry to Southport on her starboard side, but she ignored it and kept going, past Zeke’s Island and No Name Island on her port side, down the river toward the sea.
She’d never kayaked so far on her own before, but the current made it easy. She mostly navigated, steering clear of the channels through the nature preserve for fear of snakes and alligators or whatever else might be lurking there and sticking to the outside edge of the river.
The sound of the wind and lapping waves calmed her nerves as the sun set, and her mind filled with a haziness that tempered the raw, painful edges of awareness.
Every stroke of the paddle, the sound of the water drops plopping when she lifted one end to slide the other down… She lost herself in maintaining the slow pace, unwilling to stop even though she had no destination in mind.
The current carried her along and greatly aided her efforts, pushing her farther south toward Bald Head Island.
So she just kept paddling, getting closer and closer to the Atlantic with every stroke—and more and more willing to let the current and the pelican lead her wherever they wanted.
It took everything in Oz to keep his mouth shut and pretend to be oblivious to the fact Devon’s boyfriend had actually showed up. Didn’t she realize the guy was a louse?
He sat outside in the beautifully landscaped backyard at the Teekses’, his mind reeling from the latest fallout from Richard’s accident.
Five million dollars. He knew Richard and Rayna Jo were fairly well off, but he’d be hard-pressed to believe they had that kind of money. Even with any life insurance policies that might have been issued.
“Hey,” Michael called from the house. “Have you seen Rayna Jo?”
Oz turned and shook his head. “No, not out here.”
He heard some commotion in the house and got up to go check it out. Inside he heard various members of the family and friends calling Rayna Jo’s name and doors being opened and shut rapidly. “What’s going on?”
Michael was a step away from the large kitchen pantry when he paused long enough to slide Oz a worried look.
“She’s missing,” Michael said.