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“Yeah?”  Finn’s voice came out rushed and hoarse.
                  “The lighthouse is coming up on our bow.  I think we’ve passed the house,” Ricker informed him.
                  “I’ll be right there!” he called out, sitting on the edge of the bed.  I crawled over to the where he sat and wrapped my arms around him, kissing him square on the cheek. The rush of adrenaline still running through my system had made me a little hysterical and I couldn’t stop giggling.  Unfortunately for me and my need for oxygen, Finn grabbed me and began to tickle me relentlessly.  Laughing so hard that my stomach began to hurt, he finally relinquished his attack; leaving me gasping for air. 
                  “As soon as...I find your…weakness, you’re in…trouble,” I threatened him through shallow breaths, falling short of convincing.
                  “I’ll be sure to sleep with one eye open,” he laughed at me and kissed me one last time, leaving me gasping for air all over again.
                 

Chapter 5
     
                  While Finn hastened down to the control room to right our course, I strolled back out onto the deck.  From this viewpoint I could see only water, but as the yacht made a wide left turn, a thin strip of land appeared.  A towering lighthouse rose majestically from the sand, silently watching over the Cape and surrounding ocean. The black and white diamond design told me that this was in fact the Cape Lookout Lighthouse.  Past the regal lighthouse, long expansive beaches were backed by massive rolling sand dunes and a forest of trees that resembled the live oaks on Bald Head.  The lighthouse was the only sign of civilization I had seen thus far.  There were no vacation homes, shops, or sunbathing tourists dotting the beaches.  I leaned over the rail trying to pinpoint our exact destination, only to find more vacant beach and cresting waves. 
                  With a thrilling rush of excitement, I dashed downstairs to join everyone else.  I found them on the bow of the boat admiring the untouched landscape. 
                  “This part of the Cape is actually called the Shackleford Banks,” Liam pointed out to us. “It’s still mainly uninhabited and looks exactly like it did in the time of Blackbeard.”
                  “Who was Blackbeard?” Phoebe inquired, still gazing at the beach.
                  “He was a pirate who frequented the waters around North and South Carolina.  Eventually his ship, The Queen Anne’s Revenge, ran aground sailing into Beaufort Inlet which is just north of here.  He was killed in a bloody battle at Ocracoke Island,” he explained further as his eyes turned wistful. 
                  “Wow,” Phoebe marveled, eyes wide.  Willow was eyeing Liam with glowing admiration and I could tell she was impressed by not only his good looks, but his mind as well.  I smiled to myself and searched again for our elusive destination.
                  The yacht slowed and came to a complete stop in a seemingly random spot.  The sound of the anchor dropping had us all looking at the other Sons standing on the deck with one question on our faces.
                  “How are we going to get to the beach?” Carmen was the first to ask, skeptically measuring the distance between the yacht and the beach.
                  “We’ll just have to make a swim for it,” Ricker said as he shrugged his shoulders with a twinkle in his eye.
                  “Swim?” Phoebe peered over the side of the yacht apprehensively. “But won’t our stuff get wet?”
                  “Then, I’ll be staying on this perfectly dry yacht,” Carmen clipped; regarding Ricker with a chilly expression.  The massive yacht still wasn’t large enough for both of them.  They were too much