Page 63 of Annika's Aurora

“And he worked hard for years along with his Steelheaders group petitioning lakeside towns in southwest Michigan for the funds to acquire the buoys that monitor marine conditions.” Tin Man stated, catching on to the direction Logan’s thoughts were headed.

“She’s on a buoy,” he called out to the other Nighthawks. Graham had his phone out and was searching up coordinates for the buoys. “Thanks, Mama Jo. I’ll call you as soon as I find her.” He hung up and moved to read Graham’s phone, feeling hope fill his chest for the first time since Annika had gone missing.

“Which one should we start with?”

“Maybe start at the bottom and work our way up?” Evan suggested.

But a voice in Logan’s head kept saying,South Haven. Annika was at the South Haven buoy. Logan was sure of it. “Thanks, Jamie,” he whispered. “South Haven. She’s there.”

“How do you?” Evan began.

Graham stopped him. “Just go with it.” Graham knew how to follow his instincts, having known exactly where to look for Natalie when she was in that well. He called the coordinates up to Finch, who turned the helicopter around in a tight circle. While they flew over miles of water, Logan put on his harness and started to grab whatever he thought he might need once they found her.

In no time, they spotted the buoy in the distance. Logan squinted against the sun, trying to see her. She had to be there. Jamie said she was there. He could feel it. He leaned out the side of the helicopter as far as he dared. Was that … wait … yes! A dark shape floated on the north side near the buoy. A boat, and she was there.

“She’s there!” he called. Finch expertly maneuvered the helicopter into position, hovering over the two objects. Logan never took his eyes off of her. He grew more and more concerned as Finch drifted lower. She wasn’t moving. His gut clenched, and fear iced his veins.Shecouldn’tbe dead!Fuck,don’t let her be dead.

Logan hooked himself into the cable that would lower him down. When Graham tapped him on the shoulder, indicating he was ready, Logan swung out of the helicopter sitting in his harness. Slowly, too slowly, Graham lowered him to the boat. There wasn’t much room on it, making maneuvering a little difficult, but nothing he couldn’t handle. When he got close enough to her, he called her name. She didn’t stir. He saw the ropes the son of a bitch had used to lash her to the seat. Her hands were tied behind her back, and her head was slumped onto her chest. The rotor wash from the helicopter was causing waves in the water, making the boat rock harder. The buoy rocked against the boat, the metallic clank making Logan grit his teeth.

Finally, Logan was low enough he could reach her. He placed his feet on either side of her, hoping to steady the rocking of the boat. “Annika,” he called again. He tore one glove off with his teeth and felt for a pulse. There! Thready and weak, but there. He breathed a sigh of relief as he pushed her hair off her face, feeling the icy skin of her cheek.

She winced and opened her eyes. “Hi, Sunfire!” Seeing her gorgeous blue eyes, he finally took a deep breath, the first one in nearly twenty-four hours.

“Am I dreaming?”

“Not this time,” he answered while taking out his knife. He started to slice through the ropes holding her to the boat. “I’ll have you home in no time.”

“Can’t feel … anything,” she said weakly.

“I know. Just hold on a minute longer.”

“’Kay.” Her head dropped to her chest again while he hacked through the rope and placed the pieces in a pack strapped to his waist. Evidence. They would need all the evidence they could gather to put Petersen away. He knew Graham was taking pictures for photographic evidence. Once her torso was free, he reached behind her to free her hands. When the rope was off, he brought them gently around to the front and started rubbing her wrists to get the circulation going again. It was then he noticed an old silver scar that stood out from the rope burns on one wrist. He blanched. Suicide? Annika had tried to kill herself.Why didn’t she tell me?

Because you would have blamed yourself, the voice in his head, the one that sounded an awful lot like Jamie, told him.She was trying to protect you from yourself, you dipshit. Oh, you poor stubborn woman.

Moving quickly with ingrained skill, he maneuvered her into a harness and hooked her to him. Once he confirmed she was secure, he gave a thumbs up to Graham, who started the pulley. “I got you, Annika,” he said when she started to stir again. “You’re going home.”

Once in the helicopter, Logan wrapped her in an emergency blanket and sat with her on his lap. Graham started a warm IV for her and treated the rope burns on her wrists. Logan knew he noticed the scars there too, but he wisely didn’t say anything about it. With one hand he took out his phone and called Johanna. “Got her. She’s safe.”

She burst into tears. “Can I talk to her?”

“She’s unconscious and hypothermic. She woke up once and saw me. She knows she’s safe. We’ll meet you at the hospital.”

“On our way,” she cried before she hung up.

Annika woke slowly, with no idea where she was … again. She was lying on something much softer than she remembered, and she was warmer. But she felt disoriented and confused. She raised a hand to her forehead and saw the white bandages wrapped around her wrists. Panic flooded through her system.Oh no! Not again.She couldn’t have done it again. Wouldn’t have! She sat bolt upright and tried to tear the bandages off. She had to see. She didn’t remember doing it this time. She had to see; she needed to know if it was true.

“Not again!” she hissed. “No, no! I didn’t!” She was so panicked that she didn’t notice Logan until he grabbed both her hands, stopping her from seeing.

“No, Annika. Those need to stay on so you can heal,” he informed her gently.

She looked at him, her eyes clouded with tears. “I have to see. I need to know,” she insisted. She thought she was better. She hadn’t had suicidal thoughts in over a decade. Why now? She was happy. Wasn’t she? Had Suzanna’s death affected her harder than she thought? It had been rough, but she thought she was dealing with it in the right way. And she had Logan back! She had everything to live for now! So why?

Logan held her hands tightly, but still, she tried to pull away to pry the bandages off. “Annika, look at me,” he demanded. The tone in his voice gave her pause. She looked into those dark eyes that were filled with worry. “Those are there for the injuries the rope caused. Nothing more. You struggled against the ropes, and they hurt your wrists. Do you understand? It’s just from the ropes.”

She wanted to believe him. She did. But there was still a tiny bit of doubt. She’d fought against the darkness almost every day, especially in the last few months since the shooting. Her parents had hardly left her side since then. Afraid she would succumb to the crushing darkness again. She stared at her wrists in Logan’s hands, trying to make sense of everything. Her thoughts were muddled like they were swimming through molasses. “Th … the ropes? I didn’t …”

“No, Sunfire. You didn’t do anything to yourself except struggle to be free.” He placed his hip on the bed next to her and gathered her into his arms, his warmth enveloped her. “You’re suffering from hypothermia. That’s causing the fuzzy brain. It will clear.”

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