“Bailey! Grab the wheel!” Noah shouted.
Mason hauled Taylor along with him, holding her to him as he took control of the vessel.
Noah didn’t even stop to grab a life jacket for himself, just jumped overboard, diving headfirst into the ocean. He kicked hard away from the boat, swimming underwater a good distance before coming up for air.
The rain poured down harder, and it was impossible to see even a few feet in front of him. The dark, choppy waters made it difficult to see anything around him, and he took in a deep breath before he was briefly pulled under.
His training instinctively kicked in, but his blood ran cold at knowing Bailey was out here, too. At his not being able to find her.
He kicked back toward the surface. “Bailey!” he screamed again into the wind as rain poured down from the heavens and the choppy water jolted him around. He couldn’t even see the boat anymore in the storm. Thunder boomed from above, and he hoped like hell he wouldn’t be electrocuted out here if lightning struck the water.
Treading water, he circled completely around, trying to see any sign of her.
A brief flash of blonde hair had his heart stopping, and then he was swimming toward her, fighting against the waves. His muscles burned and his lungs screamed for air, but he would get to her no matter what.
The minutes it took to reach her felt like hours, but he finally was at her side, pulling her weak body toward him.
“Hang on to me, sunshine,” he said, holding her close as he wrapped both arms around her. “I got you.”
“I’m so tired,” she said, choking and sputtering on the water.
“Don’t talk—just save your strength. I need to get us back to the boat. I’m going to tow you along. Don’t let go of my arm, no matter what.”
Bailey choked out a sob, and his heart clenched.
“Don’t cry, sunshine. You’re going to be fine. When we get back, you can take a nice, hot bath and get warm. But right now, I need you to stay strong. To stay with me.”
“I don’t see the boat,” she gasped, looking around in panic. “Oh my God, what if we can’t find it?”
“I don’t see it either, but we’ll find it. We just need to hold on until the storm blows over, and then we’ll signal Mason. I’m going to swim us back in the direction I think we came.”
“But the ocean is huge! He might not even be able to spot us.”
Noah nodded, not wanting her to panic. All the emergency flares and beacons were back on the boat. He didn’t even have a whistle with him.
There was no telling how far they’d drifted in the storm. Even if they did spot the boat when the rain blew over, it would be hard as hell for Mason to see them.
Bailey’s wet hoodie clung to her like a second skin, and he worried the soggy material was weighing her down. He didn’t want to discard it though in case they ended up trapped out here. The temperature would cool down when day turned to night. If they couldn’t find the boat, their best bet would be to attempt to swim to one of the small islands.
Her sweatshirt would eventually dry out, and until then, they could huddle together for warmth.
That was a worst-case scenario though. Because he hoped like hell they hadn’t drifted too far from the boat. Mason would’ve already called the Coast Guard by now, but in the storm, they couldn’t exactly send search helicopters to look for them.
Gritting his teeth, he began to swim in the direction he thought they’d come, pulling Bailey right along with him.
Chapter 9
Bailey’s teeth chattered an hour later as they treaded water in the Atlantic. Noah’s arm tightened around her waist, holding her to him, and she trembled. Even though they’d been off the shores of Florida, where the water temperature was relatively warm, she was chilled to the bone.
If Noah hadn’t been with her, she’d be in complete and utter panic.
No, scratch that. If Noah hadn’t been with her, she’d have drowned when she was thrown overboard. When the boat had listed to the side with the waves relentlessly shaking it, she’d gone over in an instant. With the rain pounding down from above, the ocean waves churning, and no way of knowing which way was up and which was down, she was certain she’d never make it out alive.
And then Noah had somehow appeared out of nowhere, hauling her against him. Reassuring her that she’d be safe with him. Promising her they’d both be okay.
She’d cried as she clung to him, scared and afraid and gasping for breath.
And even with the rain pouring from the sky, she’d felt better when he was there.
The panic and desperation rising within her had faded somewhat. He’d helped her remain above water, telling her when to breathe as they were sucked under, and he’d kicked them both back to the surface. Again and again.
“You doing okay, sunshine?” he asked, his voice deep.
His hard body holding her kept her from completely losing her mind. She was locked to him with his iron grip.
But even Noah couldn’t hold out forever. Maybe he had more strength and stamina than her, but he’d tire eventually, too.
Her gaze swept the area now that the rain had slowed.
There was no sign of Mason and Taylor or the boat. No sign of the Coast Guard. No sign of anyone.
“There’s no telling how far we drifted from where the boat was,” he said, his voice gruff.
“Do you think they stayed out here in the storm? Or headed back to get help?”
“It was bad,” he said. “They’re probably waiting it out. Especially after we went overboard.”
“Isn’t that dangerous for them?”
“Mason probably dropped the anchor and turned the bow into the wind. Sometimes it’s best to ride it out if you can’t outrun it.”
“But we might not even be swimming the right way,” she said as Noah pulled her along.
“We might not,” he agreed. “When the rain let up, I’m sure he circled around looking for us. It was tough to see anything more than a few feet away in the storm. And we don’t have anything to signal them with.”
Bailey choked out a sob, and Noah’s grip tightened around her waist. His lips brushed against her hair. “Shhh, sunshine. We’ll be okay.”
As the clouds shifted in the sky, the sun broke through, she gasped in disbelief. “Is that an island over there?” she asked, rubbing her eyes. She had to be dreaming. Hallucinating. Islands didn’t just appear in the middle of the ocean.
“It is. There are lots of small islands off the coast. And we’re pretty damn lucky that we’re near one. Our best bet at this point is to get to dry land. We’ll head there and wait it out. Mason and the Coast Guard will be searching for us. Maybe we can find some way to light a signal fire once everything dries out after the rain.”
“Oh my God, it looks so far away.”
“We can make it there,” he assured her. “Hell, in the second phase of BUD/S, we swim five and a half miles off Coronado’s Coast. That’s a grueling four hours in the ocean.”
“But we’ve already been out here an hour or more. You must be exhausted.”
“That island’s got to be less than a mile away. We couldn’t see it before in the storm, but we’ll get there, sunshine. Just relax and let me help you. I know you’re tired and scared, but this is the kind of thing I train for.”
“I can swim some,” she protested. “You don’t want to have to drag me around after you all afternoon.”
The last thing she wanted was to be a burden on Noah. He’d already rescued her in the middle of the ocean and towed her along behind him for an hour. He didn’t look tired yet, but she didn’t want to push her luck.
“We haul our gear around in training and on missions. Believe me when I saw it’s not a problem pulling you along with me in the water. Just relax and let me swim holding on to you.”
His muscular arm tightened again around her waist, as if to prove his point, and she was thankful again that he was there with her. That even though she was terrifie
d, he seemed to have a plan.
“What’s that?” she asked, pointing toward something floating in the water twenty feet away.
Noah whooped in surprise. “That’s my backpack! It must’ve fallen overboard in the storm. Hell yeah. Let’s go grab it.”
“Everything inside is probably all wet though,” she said, chagrinned.
“Sunshine, I’m a Navy SEAL. I’ve got a drybag inside my backpack. And it’s full of supplies we can use—matches, an emergency blanket, flares, water purification tablets, protein bars. I’ve got an inflatable life vest, too, so let’s get that on you. I’ll feel better knowing you’re safe.”
“Okay, I can swim to it,” she said, lightly moving his arm away and swimming beside him toward the backpack. She spotted some other useless debris, but the boat was nowhere around. “Do you think Taylor and Mason are okay? I know you said they could ride out the storm, but I’m worried.”
“The boat was sound. I dove in after you, but they were manning the wheel. Mason knows how to handle a boat in a storm.”
“You dove in?” she asked in surprise.
She’d assumed Noah had fallen overboard, too. The boat had listed so much to the side, she hadn’t been able to get back to the middle.
“I wasn’t about to leave you out there alone in the ocean, sunshine. I dove in and swam a good distance underwater to get away from the engine. When I came up, the boat was nowhere in sight. Hell, it was raining so hard, they could’ve been right there, and I wouldn’t have known it. Wouldn’t even have heard it in the storm. They’re probably circling around right now to find us now that the weather’s cleared. Mason no doubt would’ve already notified the Coast Guard. And now that the storm has passed, they’ll send out helicopters to aid in the search as well.”
“Helicopters? Wow. How will they even see us out in the middle of the ocean?” She sputtered on some sea water, spitting it out as they swam to his backpack.
“You okay, sunshine?” Noah asked, his voice deep. His green eyes met hers, and she realized his trademark aviators were missing. Of course they’d have fallen off swimming in the Atlantic. He’d probably taken them off before even jumping in after her.
“I’m okay. Let’s get your stuff and get to the island. The sooner we can dry off, the better.”
Noah grabbed his gear in one muscular hand, pulling an inflatable life vest from large front pocket. With one quick tug, it was inflating. “Let’s get this on you,” he said, his voice gruff. “I’ll feel better knowing you can’t drown out here.”
She let him help her put it on, a task somewhat more difficult while already in the water.
“And to answer your question,” he said, “it will be hard to see us. If we see a helicopter, I can shoot off a flare gun. I’ve got a mirror, too. Now that the sun’s coming out, that will help to signal them, too.”
Noah tugged the straps, locking it to her. With his quick, sure movements, she was barely even sure what was happening. But one minute he’d been holding the life vest, the next it was strapped to her.
Noah seemed more relaxed now knowing that she was wearing it. He glanced over toward the island, squinting in the sun. “Let’s start swimming in that direction. The best-case scenario at this point is to signal them from dry land. We’ll start to tire with a couple more hours out here in the ocean. We need to dry off, rest, and have some food and water.”
“You don’t think they’ll find us before we get to the island?” she asking scrunching her nose.
“I don’t know. Like I said, I’m not sure how far we drifted from where the boat was. We couldn’t see that island from the boat, so the storm probably carried us farther than you think.”
She sniffled, realizing he was right. If they couldn’t even see this island before when they were fishing, they must be really far from where they’d started. Which meant the rescuers would be searching in the wrong place, too.
“Hell, don’t cry,” he said, reaching over and roughly swiping a tear off her cheek. “This is good news, sunshine. We can get there in an hour or so. Rest. I’ve got protein bars, some bottled water, even a couple of MREs.”
“Why’d you back so much?” she asked, her voice shaking.
Noah tugged her close, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and briefly kissing the top of her head. “Just prepping for a worst-case scenario. I didn’t expect the storm and for you to be tossed overboard, but all kinds of things could happen. The engine could stall. We could run out of gas. Any number of things. When you’re out in the ocean, you want to be prepared.”
“And here I thought this was just a fun little fishing trip,” she said as they began to swim to the island.
“Here, hang onto my waist,” Noah said. “Now that I don’t have to worry about holding you up above water, you can grab onto the back of my swim trunks. I’ll pull you along that way.”
“Aren’t you getting tired?”
“I’m good,” he assured her. “Like I said—an hour tops, and we should be there. This weather is a hell of a lot better than earlier.”
“I still can’t believe you brought all that stuff. I had a towel and sunscreen in my bag.”
“Mason and I had everything covered,” he assured her. “No one expected you or Taylor to know what to do out at sea. That’s why we were here.”
“God, this is the worst fishing trip ever,” Bailey said with a small laugh.
Noah glanced over at her, his green eyes flashing with amusement as he realized she was joking for the first time since they’d been out here “Aww, it’s not that bad, sunshine. I’ve been stuck treading water in the freezing cold under a dock in the middle of the night before. Jumped out of a helo into dark waters. The rain wasn’t fun, but now that the sun’s out? Just pretend it’s part of the vacation. An adventure”
“Part of the vacation, right. I was promised freshly grilled fish and relaxing on a boat. Not treading water in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.”
“I’ll tell you what, sunshine. When we get to dry land, I’ll let you get first pick of the MREs.”
“All tempting options, I’m sure. And I’m not sure if I’m quite as adventurous as you, to be honest. Going on a spur of the moment fishing trip was adventurous to me. But this?” She wrinkled her nose, causing him to chuckle.
“It’s cute as hell when you do that,” he said with a smirk.
“It’s not cute.”
“Disagree,” he said matter-of-factly, his gaze scanning over her face. “Hopefully the fish won’t see your eyebrow ring and think it’s food.”
“What?” she shrieked, smacking at the water.
“I’m just teasing you.”
“That is so not funny,” she warned.
“It’s a little funny.” He looked back at her, his lips quirking.
“I knew I shouldn’t have agreed to go on this trip,” she grumbled.
Noah chuckled, wrapping his arm around her waist to pull her close. “You’re doing amazing, sunshine. Hell, fit for SEAL duty after this.”
“No thanks.”
“Yeah, I can see how you wouldn’t want to be stuck with me and the guys longer than necessary. We’re like brothers though—we train together, fight together.”
“Vacation together,” she quipped.
“I think this’ll be the last vacation I take with Mason for a while,” he said with a low chuckle. “He hasn’t had good luck with R&R recently.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, taking position behind him again. She was cold and tired of being wet. Not to mention hungry. Noah was doing more work than her though. She’d just have to suck it up, she thought as she grabbed onto the back of his swim trunks.
“A while back Mason and Hunter were on R&R in London. We were on our way back from an op, but those two took some time off”
“Oh, that’s how Hunter meant Emma, isn’t it? I met them a few weeks ago at that beach bonfire. I think she mentioned meeting him in London.”
“Right, she would’ve been th
ere. I didn’t make it to that one, because I definitely would’ve remembered you.”
Bailey felt warmth rising within her. It was flattering to know he’d have remembered her. Not that it mattered. She’d have flirted with him then, maybe. But she wouldn’t have dated him. Just like she wouldn’t now.
They were friends.
Closer than they were before having been stranded in the ocean together. But still friends and nothing more.
“Flattery will get you nowhere,” she teased.
“So anyway, they were in London when they ran into Emma in a pub. They were just supposed to be enjoying a few days of time off. It ended up that she had terrorists chasing after her. She’d gotten some papers on an archeological dig that belonged to them. They’d tracked her back to her flat in London.”
“Holy crap. And Hunter and Mason helped rescue her?”
“Yep. It wasn’t exactly a relaxing vacation. They were on the run and then came back to the States.”
“And Taylor was just kidnapped last month,” Bailey said, thinking of her own best friend’s ordeal. “How about the rest of the guys on your team? Did they have any strange situations with their girlfriends?”
“Colton met Camila down in Bogota. Her father was a cartel leader.”
“Oh my God. Really? I mean, I knew she was from Colombia because of her accent, but wow. I can’t say I expected that.”
“Yep. She was kidnapped by a rival cartel. After we rescued her, she ended up moving to the States to be with Colton. And now you’ll have your own adventure to tell—being tossed overboard on a fishing trip, stranded with me in the middle of the ocean.”
“I would’ve been happy with no story, to be honest.” She glanced at the island, which still seemed so far away. “Do you think we’re any closer?”
“Getting there,” he assured her. “It’s got to be just over a half mile now.”
“And we still haven’t seen anyone,” she lamented. “No boats, no helicopters. No sign of Mason and Taylor.”
“They’ll start at our last known location and then spread out. Typically they’d use a grid approach to thoroughly search the entire area. The good news is that when we’re on land, we’ll be able to signal them more easily. Hopefully we can light a big bonfire if we can find enough dry wood or materials. And we still have the flares in my bag. The second we see a helicopter, we’ll shoot one off.”
Stranded with a SEAL Page 6