It was well past three in the early hours of the morning, and the Princetons, their guests, and staff were gathering in the living room for the second meeting after a fruitless search of the island. While the men once again went through areas on the map where they had searched, and discussed where to go next, the women sat in a group on the other side of the room.

Haruka was distraught, her eyes red from crying. Her slender body trembled as she silently prayed for her daughter’s safety. Beside her sat Akira, who too, was worried sick for her friend’s safety.

“We’ll find her,” Brenda said, patting Haruka’s shoulder. “Sakura is a strong girl. She’ll get through this.”

Mary, Katherine, and Beth nodded firmly in unison.

Mary said, “If anyone were to get through something like this, it’d be Sakura. She might not look it, but she’s a survivor.”

Katherine agreed. “She is,” she said, as she gently stroked Michael’s hair, who was sound asleep, his head resting on her lap and a blanket over his body.

Beth said quietly, “She’s been through so much, that girl.” The jolly woman chuckled as she looked at Haruka. “She won’t give up. She has too many people she loves to come back to.”

Their kind words warmed Haruka’s heart, and she smiled at them gratefully.

On the other side of the room, James instructed the staff members, along with Sosuke, Jim and Peter—who had now familiarized themselves with the terrain of the small island by studying the map—to start searching in areas that they had yet to cover. Despite the stormy weather, which was now a little milder than before, they had to keep going, as the aid they had requested from the coast guard had yet to arrive. Of course, James had also called out his private team for help, which he hoped would be here soon, with helicopters and a special search unit.

The Princeton brothers—now in warm, dry clothing and looking rather tired after their two rounds of tracking and searching—discussed where else Mrs. Clark could have taken Sakura, especially in this weather. They knew the woman and her accomplices would need a dry place to hide before they could leave the island. Of course, the brothers and their staff had searched every beach house along the island as well as caves in the forest and along the coastline, but so far, they hadn’t found any trace of the intruders.

“This is getting ridiculous,” Logan said tiredly. “They can’t just disappear into thin air.”

Tristan nodded. “The weather is shit, so they have to be somewhere dry. They obviously can’t leave the island until morning, right?”

Sebastian thought about this for a moment, a dark frown on his face. “Wait, we have to think backward. Never mind about the weather. Mrs. Clark’s sole purpose is to get Sakura.”

Tristan nodded. “That’s right.”

Nicolas said, “We know the woman wants to get rid of Sakura because she’s a witness, but why would Mrs. Clark chose now to do it? Surely, she knows we’re going to be here for two weeks and there’d be plenty of opportunities.”

James nodded in agreement.

Hayden said, “Unless she has no choice because, remember, the police are after her.”

Conrad said, “That’s true. Maybe she’s desperate.”

Darcy nodded. “So desperate she must act now, even in this storm?” He narrowed his eyes. “The storm. Getting rid of Sakura.”

Sebastian flicked ideas and possibilities through his mind, searching for links between the snippets of information they had so far. The storm. Sakura. They had to link somehow. Then he widened his eyes in realization. “Shit!”

Everyone turned their gazes to him then.

Sebastian said, “The storm. Getting rid of Sakura! Mrs. Clark isn’t desperate. In fact, if we link everything together, this is the perfect opportunity for her.”

Darcy thought for a second, and then his mind clicked as well. “You’re right.”

Nicolas nodded. “An accident. If anything were to happen to Sakura, it’s because she’s on St. Thomas island and because of the storm. It won’t link back to Mrs. Clark, who wasn’t on the island from the start.”

Darcy raked his hand through his hair in frustration. “Then we have to find out where they could be right now. Sakura could be in more serious danger than we think.”

“Hold on. Let’s think clearly,” Nicolas said. “Where would be a good place to get rid of somebody, especially on a stormy night like this.”

Sebastian said, “The cliffs. There’re lots of them here near the beach, though. On a stormy night like this, a simple slip would do the trick.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“Or the forest up in the mountains. A slip there would seriously injure anyone.”

“Tree branches, too,” Hayden said. “Who’s to say the lightning didn’t strike one and it fell and hit Sakura?”

“Fuck!” Darcy swore loudly. “There’re just way too many possibilities.”

Conrad said loudly, “What about Sakura’s vulnerability? She hates the sea, doesn’t she?”

That got everyone’s attention, including James. The head of the family said, “Sakura can swim. Sebastian taught her a year ago. I’m sure she’s confident in her ability.”

Conrad nodded. “Yes, but she told me today when we were touring the yacht she still hates the sea. I mean, she was looking forward to swimming and everything, but only in the shallows near the beach. She said the sea sometimes reminds her of what happened when she was young, and it scares her.”

Sebastian and Darcy looked at each other, realizing Sakura hadn’t yet gotten over the trauma of her drowning episode when she had been young, back on St. Joseph Island.

Darcy opened his mouth and was about to say something when his cell phone rang. He frowned as he took it out of his pocket, annoyed at the interruption.

Hayden said, “Now? At this time of night?”

Darcy looked at the screen. He glanced at his siblings and father and said, “It’s Alaina.”

Sebastian said, “Then pick it up. She might be able to give us clues about Tara’s whereabouts. That could lead us to Sakura.”

Tristan nodded in agreement. “True. Why didn’t we think of that earlier? Phone Alaina.”

Darcy swiped to answer the call. After he’d put it on loud speaker so everyone could hear, he said, “Alaina?”

Through the line, they could hear Alaina’s panicky voice. “I’m so sorry, Darcy. I didn’t know how bad it was. I really didn’t. Please... I’m so sorry... I don’t know what to do. What am I supposed to do?”

Darcy shook his head. “Alaina. You’re not making any sense. Calm down and then tell me what’s going on.”

On the other end of the line, they heard her say brokenly, “Okay, I’m calming myself down...”

They heard her breathing in and out deeply and slowly a couple of times. Then she said, “I’m so sorry, Darcy. Look I couldn’t help myself, and... I talked to Tara and everything. Hmm... Anyway, I was curious and I sneaked into her hotel room. I mean, it was easy since I am a Princeton and everything, but... Anyway, I sneaked into her room tonight because I saw her leaving with her mother and her new boyfriend and everything, and I know they won’t be back until like tomorrow or something... I thought they were going somewhere together as a family, but I just found out that I’m wrong.” She paused, and they could hear her taking in a few more deep breaths.

“Oh, Darcy...” She was crying now. “I found Tara’s diary. We always wrote stuff in our diaries and shared what we’d written since we were young, you know. And in there I found her latest entries... You’re not going to believe this, but I’m so scared.”

Darcy was running out of patience now, as were the rest of the brothers and their father.

Sebastian said firmly, “Tara, please just calm down and get to the point. We’re seriously in a hurry here. Sakura is missing, and we can’t afford—”

“Sakura’s missing? Already? Oh, God, I knew it,” Alaina said. “I’m so sorry, Sebastian.”

Her words got their attention, and they eyed one another in concern.

Sebastian continued, “What is it? You knew this was going to happen?”

“Yes... I already told Darcy that something bad was going to happen, didn’t I? Well, I found Tara’s diary.”

Nicolas said, “Tell us what’s written in the diary, Alaina.”

With broken voice, she said, “Okay. I’m going to summarize it for you guys. It’s something about sneaking into the great house on St. Thomas Island. The storm is perfect for the plan. Get Sakura. Use chloroform. Take her to the yacht. In the middle of the sea. Dispose of Sakura’s body.”

“Fuck!” Darcy swore loudly.

It was James’s turn to talk. With a calm voice, he said to his daughter, “Alaina, it’s your dad here.”

“Dad?” her voice came through.

James smiled. “You did a good job phoning us. Keep yourself safe now.”

“Okay,” came her reply. After a short pause, she continued. “Darcy... Sebastian... Everyone, please save Sakura. And I’m sorry I did all those means things to her. I really am. I was stupid.”

Darcy said, “We know, Alaina. We’ll talk later. We have to go now.”

“Okay. Please, you guys, be safe.”

Darcy hung up his cell a moment later and returned his attention to his siblings and dad.

“Shit!” Tristan said. “This is serious.”

Nicolas said, “So, that’s their plan. A perfect accident during a perfect storm.”

It was then the security guard rushed into the living area. “Mr. Princeton, sir!” the man said loudly, drawing everyone’s attention. “The security system found the signal of a boat in the sea.”

Sebastian and Darcy glanced at each other.

James said, “Then let’s get moving. I’ll inform the choppers of the location. You boys get to work saving Sakura.”

Nicolas said, “We’ll head over there now.”

James nodded. “Good luck, sons.”

---

They were nearly at the door, and Sakura knew she had to act now if she wanted a chance at surviving this precarious ordeal. She took a deep breath, and before either Mrs. Clark or Tara were aware of it, she moved and, with all her might, rammed herself at Mrs. Clark, thus throwing the woman to the side.

The unsuspecting Mrs. Clark found herself plunging to the right. Her heavy body collapsed onto the dining table and then tumbled down into the booth. Meanwhile, Sakura took her opportunity and scurried over to the kitchenette where she hastily knocked over the knife holder, scattering the sharp utensils haphazardly on the benchtop. With her hands shaking and her body pumping with adrenaline, she grabbed for a weapon.

Tara, who had already opened the door, turned around after she heard the thudding of a person crashing into hard furniture and then the clattering of metal. When she saw Sakura grabbing for the knife, she swore, “Fuck!” Then she rushed forward, only to stop in her tracks as she stared at the blade in the air, pointing in her direction.

As Sakura was warning Tara off with her newfound weapon, she slowly moved toward the door, her escape route. By this time, Mrs. Clark had finally managed to get herself up from the booth and growled in fury and irritation.

“Fuck!” she swore. Coming up behind Tara, she said, “Drop the knife, Sakura. You can’t do anything. There’s nowhere for you to run. We’re in the middle of the ocean.

Sakura adamantly shook her head and continued to sway the knife in front of both women as she made her way toward the door. Once there, she slipped out into the corridor.

Mrs. Clark barked, “Follow her.”

Tara rushed out the door, calling after Sakura, taunting her. “Sakura! You can’t get away, you know. You’re stuck here with us on the yacht. We’re in the middle of the ocean. You’re supposed to die here.”

With her heart racing a mile a minute and her bare legs and feet cold and in pain, Sakura sprinted along the narrow corridor, trying to cut the rope binding her wrists. Of course, it was impossible since both her hands were tightly bound.

It was then she came upon a stair. Without much choice, she hurriedly climbed it and came to the landing where there was a door.

“Sakura!” Tara’s voice echoed behind her, which urged Sakura to open the door and slip out.

The moment she was outside, the intense blast of cold wind and rain greeted her, which made Sakura suck in her breath and close her eyes against the onslaught. When she managed to open her eyes again, she turned and shut the door, at least to slow down Tara, who was clearly only a few steps behind her.

Rain beat down on her, soaking her from head to toe as she scanned her surroundings in a panic. In the distance, all she could see was the dark, stormy sky and angry sea of raging waves, as lightning and thunder struck.

Mrs. Clark and Tara were right. She couldn’t escape. There was nowhere for her to run to. Nowhere to hide. They were in the middle of the ocean.

Feeling sick to her stomach, Sakura was at a complete loss as to how she could escape this death Mrs. Clark had so cunningly planned for her. What must I do?

The door banged open, and Tara came marching out, her eyes dark with malice. “Stop being a fucking nuisance already,” she said through gritted teeth. “You’re wasting my time. You think I want to be here? It’s all your fault that things got this far. Ugh!” She growled in anger.

Sakura took a few steps back as she searched her surroundings in a frenzy, seeking a way to escape. Then she found a narrow alley along the side of the yacht and hurriedly started that way.

Tara saw this and growled in displeasure. “I told you already. There’s nowhere for you to run,” she said. “We’re in the middle of the sea, for fuck’s sake.”

Sakura wasn’t listening to the woman as she struggled her way along the slippery wooden deck toward what appeared to be the front of the yacht. As she was doing so, she continued to search her surroundings, her eyes darting from one spot to another, here and there about the yacht and even toward the distance of the sea. In that instant, lightning flashed, basking the sea in its bright light. For a moment, Sakura simply stared in disbelief.

Had she seen it right? Was she hallucinating?

Boats!

Her heart roared in relief. Oh, God! Could it be the Princeton brothers? Had they found out she’d been kidnapped and were now searching for her?

Her mind raced. Yes, she needed to grab their attention. Whether they were the Princeton brothers or not, that didn’t matter if she wanted to survive. But how? Especially when they were in the stormy sea like this, in the darkness of night at that.

She widened her eyes. A flare gun! She needed to find one. There had to be at least one in this yacht. Instantly, she thought of the cockpit.

“Sakura!” Tara yelled her name against the loud noise of the storm. “Stop fucking running already. It’s tiring chasing after you, you bitch. Just give up already, for fuck’s sake.”

Sakura, with her mouth and hands still bound and the knife firmly in her grasp, hurried toward the cockpit at the front of the boat. She noticed light was shining from within and knew instantly that Ray Woods must be the one manning it.

It didn’t take her long to get there, and she didn’t waste time barging right in, brandishing the knife in the air to warn Ray—who was on the wheel—to stay put.

“Shit!” the man said, his eyes wide in shocked surprise. “What the fuck? How the hell did you get here?”

Still pointing the knife directly at him, Sakura scanned the small room, looking for the flare gun. She spotted it sitting behind Ray and was about to make a grab for it when she felt someone pulling her hair from behind and yanking her backward.

“Got ya!” Tara said, a grin on her face.

Sakura found herself struggling as the woman now had one hand around her throat, strangling her, the other around the handle of the knife. Because she couldn’t breathe, Sakura loosened her grip, which gave Tara the opportunity to force the knife off her.

Satisfied the weapon was safely in her hands, Tara let go of Sakura’s throat and shoved the girl forward, causing her to collide against the bench behind Ray.

Ray looked at her as he turned off the engine. “How the fuck did she get here?” he asked, obviously pissed at the precarious outcome.

Tara said, “She escaped, for fuck’s sake. It’s not that hard to deduct. And are we here already?”

The man nodded in the affirmative. Then he turned to Sakura, who suddenly raised herself up and pointed the flare gun at them, clearly warning them off.

“Shit!” Ray said.

“A gun?” Tara muttered in disbelief.

Sakura signaled for them to move out of the way.

At first, both Tara and Ray did move slowly, but then they relaxed when they noticed it was only a flare gun.

Sakura, with the weapon before her, made her way toward the door, where she signaled for Tara to get out of the way.

Tara laughed in amusement. “What the hell are you going to do? You won’t be able to hurt us with that.”

Sakura wasn’t listening to the woman. She took the opportunity and shoved Tara to the side as she raced out the door. Once she came to the middle of the deck, rain pouring down on her, she raised the flare gun above her and fired.

Bang! Bright red and white light shot up into the sky.

Ray and Tara ran out the door at the same time Mrs. Clark finally appeared around the side of the boat.

She shouted, “What the fuck was that? How did she get the flare gun?”

Ray said, “Relax. We’re in the middle of the sea in a storm. No one’s going to see it.”

Suddenly, Tara looked nervous, and she said, her voice shaking, “Yeah? Then what the fuck is that?” She pointed to the east.

Ray looked in that direction and saw lights in the distance. Two patrol boats sped their way.

“Fuck!” he swore loudly.