Page 35 of Hidden Tide

Someone hadn’t returned to Blackwater four nights ago.

Someone had been hiding there since the Coast Guard sealed it.

4

CALLE

“Courage isn’t always entering the darkness. Sometimes it’s trusting someone else to carry the light.”

—James Sinclair

Someone had been hiding inside Blackwater for three weeks.

Lieutenant Harper moved everyone into the house while Commander Keating spoke through the phone.

No one argued.

Not even me.

The Coast Guard officers locked the patio doors and lowered the blinds facing the ocean. The SEALs checked every room before taking positions at the entrances.

The response was calm.

Organized.

No one grabbed a weapon and ran toward Sea Whisper.

No one suggested sailing into Blackwater in the middle of the night.

The authorities knew there could be an armed man inside the mountain, and they were treating him like one.

“The tactical team will enter at first light,” Commander Keating explained. “Until then, the offshore patrol will watch every known exit.”

“What if he has another way out?” I asked.

“We’re using thermal cameras along the eastern ridge and stationing officers on the access road.”

I didn’t know whether that would be enough.

But I also understood why he wouldn’t send his people into unstable tunnels at night.

Blackwater had flooded chambers, rusted machinery, and sections no engineer had declared safe. Darkness would give whoever remained inside every advantage.

“Will Ben go with the entry team?” I asked.

“No,” Keating answered.

I looked at Ben.

He didn’t react.

“Mr. Allen has provided everything we need concerning the areas he entered during the rescue. My people will handle the search.”

“Thank you,” I said.

Ben raised one eyebrow.

“What?”