Page 57 of Hide Away By the Sea

“I’m sure his father is contacting him now through the radio. I highly doubt Jensen has cell reception,” she said, trying to reassure me.

Nothing was going to assure me of Jensen’s safety until I saw him safely on land. There was a look of terror on Nyla’s face. I had no doubt she’d heard everything my mother said. Also, Nyla wasn’t accustomed to hurricanes and was probably scared out of her mind.

“Do you need me and Nyla to help you and Dad prep the house?”

My mother sighed again. “No. You two stay there and make sure everything is good to go. I’m hoping the hurricane veers back off to the east like it was supposed to. There’s still a chance it could do that.”

That was good for us, but Jensen was already in the danger zone.

“You might want to check on your flight soon,” she suggested. “It might get canceled if the storm hits.”

I gazed out at the puffy, gray clouds coming in from the horizon. “I’m not going anywhere until Jensen gets back.”

A small laugh echoed through the phone, but it sounded sad. “I figured you’d say that.”

We hung up and I focused on Nyla, who had a determined look on her face.

“What do we need to do?” she asked, sounding as if she was ready for battle.

“You’re not scared that a hurricane could be ripping through here in the next day or two?”

Nyla pursed her lips. “Everleigh, I’m an ER doctor. The kind of stuff I’ve seen would put a hurricane to shame. I’m ready for this.” She rubbed her hands together. “Now, tell me what I need to do.”

My grandmother had continuously updated her home to be hurricane-proof. So there wasn’t much to do besides wait it out and pray that the surge didn’t come up so far and wash everything away. I pointed at all the windows where all we had to do was secure the storm shutters.

“Start down on that end,” I said, nodding toward the far windows. “Just lock the shutters in place and that’s it.”

Nyla nodded and hurried off while I tried calling Jensen’s cell. It rang and rang and rang with no answer. Clutching my phone to my chest, I looked out at the darkening horizon.Please let him be okay.

26

JENSEN

Igot the call, but it was too late; we couldn’t outrun the storm. The hurricane was coming our way, and my boat wasn’t going to be fast enough to make it home. The dark clouds moved in on us like athick blanket, obscuring the sky and casting everything in a gloomy hue. I could feel the tension in the air, and the hairs on the back of my neck rose as the first raindrops started to fall.

The rain hit us with such force it felt like needles piercing my skin. What made it even more ominous was the impending night. All I wanted was to keep my crew safe, but I was about to put them through the most dangerous task they’d ever faced.

The waves rocked us back and forth, and I held on tight as flashes of lightning scattered across the sky. I felt the pressure in the air begin to build and a chill ran up my spine as I surveyed the raging seas around us. White-capped waves crashed against the sides of the boat, threatening to crush us. The wind bellowed like a wild beast, and I could see debris being thrown about in its fierce gusts.

My heart raced as I watched my men scurrying around the deck, desperately securing everything that wasn’t tied down. Seth was struggling with a rope when I spotted him, his face strained and tense with fear.

Without hesitation, I made my way over and shouted over the wind, offering him a helping hand. But before I reached his side, another wave struck our ship, causing it to lurch violently. Seth lost his balance, and I lunged forward to grab him, but as fate would have it, the motion of the ship caused me to lose mine. I fell forward, my body slamming into the wooden deck. Pain shot through my whole body, and I let out a sharp cry. My vision blurred for a moment as stars danced in my eyes. I shook my head, trying to clear the dizziness, and looked around.

The storm had grown worse, the waves now towering above us. My ship was being tossed around like a toy in the hands of a child. I struggled to my feet, ignoring the pain in my head, and scanned the deck for Seth. But unfortunately, he was nowhere to be seen.

Panic gripped me as I realized he must have been thrown overboard. I made my way to the edge of the boat, fighting against the wind and rain. The waves were massive, and I knew spotting him in the dark waters would be nearly impossible. But then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of something being pulled behind the boat by a rope. I squinted, trying to see through the rain, trying to decipher what it was. When it became clear, fear crashed through me. It was Seth, his body being dragged behind the boat like a ragdoll. He struggled to keep his head above water, and I knew I had to act fast.

With all my strength, I lunged forward and grabbed the rope, trying to pull him back to safety. But the weight was too much for me to handle alone.

“Help me!” I screamed, hoping someone would hear me over the sound of the storm.

Suddenly, a pair of strong arms wrapped around me from behind, and I felt myself being lifted off the ground. It was Jack, one of my new guys. He had come to my aid, and together, we pulled Seth back onboard.

As soon as he was safe, I collapsed onto the deck, gasping for breath. But I didn’t have much time to rest; the storm was nowhere close to being over. I started to get up, but Seth grabbed my arm, his expression full of terror.

“Jensen, your head! It’s bleeding!”

There was so much rain pelting down on us that I thought the liquid pouring down the side of my head was rain water. However, when I touched the spot throbbing on my head, my fingers came back streaked in red. There was no time to worry about that. I was awake and I was alive. That was all that mattered. We needed to get back on land as soon as possible.

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