Page 45 of Healing Love

“Cam?”

“Right here, babe,” he responded.

“Um…I’m a decent swimmer, but not great. And I’ve never swam in the ocean,” she confessed.

“Gotcha.” He looked thoughtful for a moment and then said, “As soon as we can, we’ll get in the water when we know he’s close and then you swim as hard and fast as you can. Once beyond the waves, it’ll be just like swimming anywhere else. I’ll be right with you and if you get tired before we make it to the plane, I’ll get you the rest of the way. Okay?”

Sucking in a huge breath, she agreed.

“That’s my girl,” he stated firmly, touching his lips to her forehead.

She looked up in surprise at his declaration, hopingit was more than just a phrase. Smiling, she moved forward slightly and kissed his lips. She could tell he was surprised for only a second until he took over the kiss. Long. Hard. Wet. And full of promise.

At the appointed time, the whir of a plane’s engine could be heard over the surf and Cam grabbed Miriam’s hand, leading her into the water. They watched as the aircraft flew over and then circled around, its nose aiming toward the water. At the last minute, the plane leveled, and the floats touched the surface.

“Let’s go,” Cam ordered, tugging her further into the surf.

The waves were difficult to manage, but she dove under a few and swam out trying to keep moving. He did not leave her side even though she knew he could have made the swim much faster. A large wave hit causing her to swallow water. Coughing as she came up, she felt his arms latch around her waist and hold her above the surface until she could catch her breath.

“You good?” he asked, worry lacing his voice.

Nodding her answer, they continued to swim toward the approaching plane. Its engines were propelling it forward slowly.Almost there,she thought with excitement.

The side door popped open, and a man stepped out onto the pontoon. It was hard to focus on him and try to keep her head above the surface at the same time. A loudbang was heard, and she jerked her head up at the same time she felt Cam’s body stiffen. The other man was pointing a gun toward the back of the plane and firing.

“Fuck! We’ve got company,” Cam yelled. “Go and keep your head down!”

She pushed off, adrenaline coursing through her system and she forced her arms and legs to swim faster than she ever had. She could not see what was happening but was determined to get to the plane.

Touching the pontoon with her hand, she heard the pilot yell through his open window, “Hold on!”

The water splashed over her as the plane created waves on the surf, but she could still hear the ping of the gun.

“Now!” the pilot yelled and before she knew it, Cam was behind, boosting her up. The man with the gun reached down with one arm and easily hauled her out of the water onto her knees on the slick pontoon.

Cam hoisted himself up beside her and with a quick glance to the right, saw a boat veering to the side. He grabbed her around the waist and shoved her through the open cabin door, realizing he was rougher than he meant to be, but urgency was needed. He followed quickly and Alberto jumped in behind as well, shouting, “Go, go!” as he closed the plane’s door.

Before the passengers could be seated, the pilot engaged and the plane lurched forward, tossing Miriam against the floor. Scrambling to pull herself up, Cam grabbed her head and pushed her back.

“Stay down!” he yelled, throwing open the windowand firing out of one side while the other man was doing the same from his side.

Cam focused on the boat that had circled around and was making another pass.

“Marc! They’re trying to come around to the front.”

“Got ‘em,” came the response.

Miriam could not see anything from her position on the floor, but knew Cam expected her to stay where she was. The plane rattled as it picked up speed and she wondered if they would be able to get airborne. Heart pounding, she clutched the leg of the seat to keep from rolling back again as the aircraft’s nose tipped up.

Lifting off the water, Marc turned the plane toward land to get away from the men firing at them from the boat. As it banked in the curve, Miriam rolled in the other direction, bumping into Cam’s legs.

Seeing they were away from immediate danger, he handed his gun to Alberto and crouched over her. “You okay, baby?” he asked, as he assisted her into a seat and buckled her in tightly, noting her shaking.

He buckled into the seat next to hers and threw his arm around her shoulders, maneuvering her body so that it was pulled in close to his.

“Was that them?” she asked, twisting her head to look up into his face.

He nodded, then before he could answer a towel was thrust toward them from Alberto. Offering him their thanks, he dried her arms and face quickly before using it himself.

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