Page 23

Chapter

Twelve

Safety.

If they could get past the rocks.

Something Jake wasn't altogether sure that they could.

They were going to try, though.

He’d rather try and die in the process than just float around in the water waiting for the inevitable.

The truth was, Alannah wasn't going to last much longer. She was too cold, too exhausted, and he was worried that she had injuries he wasn't aware of. Already he’d almost lost her once when the wave tore her right out of his grasp. She’d been a mere handful of yards away when he’d watched her go under.

And not come back up.

Luckily, he’d found her, but it had solidified in his mind how quickly he was running out of time. The sense of impotence was crushing him. He was Alannah’s protector, he should be doing something, anything, to get her someplace safe, and he was failing.

Thanks to the easing of the storm, they’d been able to spot land, and now it was less than one hundred yards away.

Once they reached it, they would hopefully find people, shelter, a hospital, food and water, dry clothes, and warm blankets.

Sounded like heaven.

“J-Jake, I d-don’t th-think I c-can m-make it,” Alannah said, her teeth chattering so badly he could hardly make out her words.

“You can.” He ensured the words came out strong and sure. Alannah was floundering, and she needed to know he had things under control.

If that was a lie, he didn't care so long as she believed it.

No failure here.

Getting Alannah safe was all he cared about.

“I’ll t-try.”

“You’ll do it,” he corrected, anything less was unacceptable.

“M-Maybe you sh-should g-go a-alone. I d-don’t w-want you to g-get h-hurt be-because of m-me.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Y-You c-could come b-back for m-me.”

“No. I said no, Alannah,” he added when she opened her mouth to argue some more. There was no way he was leaving her alone in the ocean while he got himself past the rocks. There was not a doubt in his mind that when he found help and came back for her, he wouldn't find her.

She was teetering on the edge, and he was pretty sure it was only his presence and her fear of anything happening to him because of her that was keeping her going.

“Come on, we’ll do this together.”

Maintaining his hold on her because he knew she didn't have the energy to swim on her own and he didn't want to lose her to the ocean, Jake swam them both closer to the shore.

Ironically, it was only because the storm had died down that he thought they stood a good chance of getting past the rocks.

If they’d stumbled upon the shore at the peak of the storm, he was pretty sure that any attempts at getting to the sand on the other side would have resulted in nothing other than their bodies being dashed to pieces as the harsh waves rammed them into the unforgiving rock.

Timing was everything.

As he swam closer, he catalogued every rock formation, every small gap around them.

Then he spotted it.

A little to their right, the rocks ended, opening into a little cove, maybe fifty feet wide, before the rocks began again as they circled the rest of the sand within sight.

That was where they’d aim.

Too weak now to do much but give a few feeble kicks, Alannah allowed him to pull her along with him, and her acquiescence was beginning to scare him.

Of course, he was glad she wasn’t fighting him, but the fact that she had so little energy left to swim told him that he wasn't just running out of time, he was basically out of it.

Thankfully, the sky was lightening, and with the storm dying down and thus the waves no longer as fierce as they’d been earlier, he was able to steer them with relative ease toward where he wanted them to go.

Right as he was rounding the edges of the rocks, a wave slammed into him.

For one horrifying second, Jake was positive that he’d just killed them both.

One strike against the rocks would be all it took to break at least a couple of their bones. Weak as she was, Alannah wouldn't be able to survive, and even though he was doing a lot better than she was, he was running dangerously low on energy as well.

A hit could take them both out.

Permanently.

It had been a long time since he’d gone to the beach, but when he was a kid, he and Jax would spend most of their summer playing in the sand and swimming in the ocean.

They’d both gotten pretty good at body surfing.

Learning how to read the waves and where to place themselves in their path so they could ride them all the way to the shore.

That was exactly what he did now.

Pivoting so that the wave worked for him rather than against him, he managed to get them both planted right in the perfect position.

As the wave surged again, it took them around the rocks and rushed them right toward the safety of the sandy beach before them.

The next thing Jake knew, he could feel the sand beneath his body.

Relief hit him so hard it almost stole all the air from his lungs.

They’d done it.

They were on the shore.

They were safe.

Knowing that they might have hit land but still weren't completely out of danger, Jake quickly scooped Alannah into his arms and ran with her out of the water.

Lining the sand, which stretched about fifteen yards or so from the water’s edge, were trees. Lots of trees. He didn't see any sort of road that indicated a quick and simple way off the beach, and he didn't want to search for one until he made sure Alannah wasn't going to go and die on him.

When he laid her down on the sand right at the beginning of the trees, which stretched out as deep as he could see, Alannah stirred.

Her hands reached up to grip his soaked long-sleeved T-shirt. “G-grumpy, am I h-hallucinating, or are w-we out o-of th-the w-water?”

“Not hallucinating, sunshine,” he assured her.

One of those bright, beautiful smiles that he loved lit up her face. “We m-made it. Y-you m-made it,” she corrected. “You s-saved m-my l-life. A-again. Th-thank you.”

“Did you just thank me for saving you like there was any doubt I would?” he groused as he scanned the area looking for some sticks.

Since her clothes were sodden, keeping them on wouldn't allow Alannah to raise her body temperature. Given the chill in the air, taking them off likely wasn't going to help much either.

At least without a fire.

They literally had nothing on them but the clothes on their backs, but luckily, he knew how to make a fire with nothing but what nature provided.

It took him no more than a couple of minutes to clear a suitable space, pile up a few small twigs and sticks that were in their immediate vicinity, and put together a little fire. It wasn't much, but it would help to keep Alannah warm enough as he took off her clothes and checked her for injuries.

“Can you undress on your own or do you need help?” he asked as he knelt beside her. She was still where he’d set her down, not having the energy to do anything right now.

“Umm.” She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment. “I th-think I n-need h-help.”

Undressing his best friend had not been on his mind when they got onto that boat. Then again, none of this was something he could have predicted. If he had, they never would have gotten on the boat to begin with.

Trying to be as professional about it as he could, he removed the life jacket, then her leggings and long-sleeved T-shirt. For now, he’d leave on her bra and panties, they didn't have enough material to do too much to lower her body temperature, and she deserved some modesty.

“You hurt anywhere?” he asked as he skimmed his hands over her body in search of any injuries from the explosion.

Before she could answer, she hissed as his fingers brushed over a nasty-looking bruise forming between her right hip and where her ribs ended. It was just high enough that he worried her ribs had been affected.

“I th-think I h-hit it in the b-boat. When it w-was sh-shuddering. B-below d-deck, when I w-was g-getting d-dressed.”

Swallowing a curse, he continued his search. The life jacket she’d been wearing had been destroyed, so there had to be at least one other injury he hadn't found yet.

Helping her sit, he rested her against his chest and checked her back, where he found a deep laceration between her shoulder blades.

That had to be the wound from whatever ruined the life jacket.

There was nothing he could do for it right now without a first aid kit. The fire would help warm her up a little, but what they both needed was to find help. Alannah was too weak to move, so he’d leave her there, find help, then come back for her.

Easing her back so she was lying down again, partially propped up against the tree trunk, he palmed one of her cheeks. She immediately tilted her face into his hand, nuzzling against it.

“I'm going to go look for help,” he told her.

“I want you to stay here.” When she opened her mouth to no doubt offer a protest, he touched a fingertip to her lips.

“Don’t argue, sunshine. You're in no condition to walk anywhere right now. You need to rest and warm up. I won't be long. And when I come back, I’ll have help. So stay here, rest, and dream about how good a hot meal, dry clothes, and a warm bed are going to feel.”

Even though he could tell she hated the idea of them splitting up, Alannah gave him a small nod. She knew she’d already reached and exceeded her capabilities. If she pushed herself any harder, she would wind up passing out.

“Be safe, grumpy,” she whispered.

Leaning down, he rested his forehead against hers. “Always, sunshine.”

Letting her go was hard.

Straightening to stand, almost impossible.

“Be back before you know it,” he assured her, giving what he hoped was an encouraging smile.

She just nodded, and he could see unshed tears swimming in her golden-brown eyes.

Taking that first step almost killed him.

It was only the knowledge that Alannah was counting on him that kept him going, taking step after step, getting further and further away from her.

He had to do this.

Had to find help.