Page 48 of An Epic Voyage
A gust of wind slammed into them, sending Indy staggering backward with the force.Oh, just freaking great.She had just joked with herself about pushing Griffin over.Now it looked as if she would be the one taking the plunge instead.Mother Nature must be having a good old laugh at her expense right now.Her arms windmilled as she tried not to plummet over the edge of the cliff.
Two firm hands wrapped around her and yanked her to safety.She clutched Griffin’s solid, muscular body and tried to control her racing heart.That had been too close.
“Whew, thanks.You saved me from an unintentional swim.”
She blinked up at him.The wind quit blowing, the earth stopped rotating on its axis, and time stood still.Or it sure seemed that way as she got lost in his eyes.
A branch flew by, barely missing their heads and jarring them from their mutual trances.
“Come on, let’s go.I need to get you to the yacht.”
Short of shooting Griffin, Indy didn’t see a way out of this.She’d have to board with him, sneak down to hijack one of the jet skis, and head back.Normally, she would swim, but the water was too rough to chance it.
Griffin grabbed her hand, and they raced over the rough terrain.The dock was on the other side of the mansion, and by the time they reached it, the yacht was gone.
Griffin unloaded a litany of curses, some incredibly inventive.“I wanted you safely away from here.We’ll take one of the speedboats and try to catch up with them.”
“Griffin, the waters are too rough to try it.Besides, how would you get on board if you’re driving?I’m sure Van Houten wouldn’t appreciate us leaving one of his boats in the middle of the ocean.”
Another powerful gust of wind shoved Indy into Griffin, and they toppled to the ground.He wasn’t the most comfortable pillow to land on.In fact, he was as hard as a rock.Oh my, he was all muscle all over.Not an ounce of fat on him.She wanted to stay where she was, but the weather wasn’t cooperating.
Indy rolled off as he stood up and helped her to her feet.“Fine.You’re right.We need to find somewhere to ride it out.”
She knew there was a concrete and steel-reinforced room.It would be the safest place to stay, only she didn’t know where it was.How would she admit to Griffin that she knew about it?
“There’s a panic room on the bottom level.Let’s go.”
Well, that solved her problem.
“We should stock up on food first,” Indy suggested.
“Good idea.I’m going to go through the house and make sure everyone got out.You can gather some supplies.I’ll meet you in the kitchen.”
Indy watched him go and then dashed to her room.Her bags were where she’d left them, so it only took a few seconds to grab them.She checked her messages and saw that Evangeline had called several times—no doubt to tell her about the storm.There was a text telling her to call as soon as possible.She punched in her number.
“Indy, where are you?Are you okay?”
So much for a greeting.“I’m fine.”
“We’ll arrange to pick you up when you arrive in Miami,” Jackson said.
“Hold off there.”She told them about missing the yacht, explaining that it was a good thing since she could search the island without Van Houten or his security guards around.
“I don’t like you being alone in a hurricane,” Evangeline fretted.
She hadn’t planned on telling them about Griffin, but she didn’t have a choice.“One of Van Houten’s security men came looking for me, and he’s stranded too.”
“That will make searching difficult,” Jackson pointed out.
“I’ll find a way.”And she would.Somehow.
“Worry about looking for the nuke later,” Jackson told her.“Get to the safe room.”
“I will.Depending on the weather, I might not be able to call.I’ll contact you when I can.”
They spoke for a few more minutes, and then Indy returned to the kitchen and found a serving cart.She loaded it with water, boxed and canned foods, and anything else she could find that would last for at least a day or two.
Griffin returned with his suitcase.
