Page 22 of Stranded with a SEAL

“Okay,” she said, walking over to one of the benches on the side of the boat.

Taylor grabbed her tote bag and sat down beside Bailey, holding onto her things. Her camera was in her bag, and Noah knew it had to be expensive.

Mason checked his smart phone. “There’s no coverage out here. I was hoping to get a weather update.”

“We can try the radio,” Noah said. “Maybe there’s something about the storm.”

“Roger that,” Mason said, walking over to pick up the headphones. The two women glanced nervously over at them, but Noah put his foot on the gas, turning the boat back toward the shore. There were a number of small islands off the coast, and if the weather got really bad, he supposed he could try to pull onto the beach on one of them.

It wouldn’t be ideal, stranded out on an island during the storm, but it’d be a hell of a lot better than being stuck on the boat, rocking back and forth in the churning waves. Even hardened sailors could get seasick in extreme weather.

He wasn’t sure how Bailey or Taylor would fare on choppy waters. He and Mason might have iron stomachs thanks to extensive training, but he didn’t want to worry about them getting sick.

The winds picked up, and he frowned.

They had emergency supplies stashed on the boat—flares, beacons, ponchos, emergency rations and water. The ideal scenario would be to beat the storm back to shore though.

Mason walked over to him, a grim look on his face. He scrubbed a hand across his jaw. “There’s a severe thunderstorm warning—no surprise given the conditions. It came a hell of a lot earlier than expected.”

Noah nodded, concentrating on maintaining control of the boat as the waves began to pick up in the already choppy water.

A wave crashed against the side, and the women screamed as water poured down around them. “Damn it,” Noah muttered, and Mason hurried over to them.

“Come sit on the ground over here by us,” he said, holding out his hands to help them up. They all walked back toward where Noah was, and Mason opened the storage compartment, pulling out orange life vests as rain began to pour down.

“We need those?” Taylor asked, her eyes widening.

“Better safe than sorry, sweetheart,” Mason said. He handed one to Bailey and then helped Taylor put her life vest on, securing the buckles.

Bailey slipped hers on as the boat rocked, but before she could fasten it, a sudden gust of wind caused the boat to list to the side. She screamed as she stumbled and then slid across the deck. Noah’s heart lurched as he watched her, torn between running to her aide and holding the steering wheel.

“Bailey!” he shouted.

She got on her hands and knees and tried to crawl back toward him, up the incline, but a strong wave suddenly had her flying overboard.

“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.”

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