Page 12 of Rescuing Nathaniel

Luck hadn't left her yet because the hit helicopter slammed into the ship she had escaped from earlier tonight and the whole thing burst into flames. There were innocent people on there who were going to die in that fire, but there were also a whole lot of bad people who would perish as well. Which meant they wouldn't be coming after her tonight.

She had a chance to live, but only if luck remained on her side.

* * *

March 1st

5:34 A.M.

Finally.

In the distance, Nathaniel spotted the shore.

It had been a long night. The storm died down shortly after lightning hit the helicopter, sending it crashing into the ship. The wind had remained fairly strong and the seas choppy, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been and hadn't impeded his ability to get the small raft moving in the direction he wanted it.

There was no way to know how bad the damage to the ship had been. Whoever was in the helo when it crashed was almost definitely dead, and the crash would have taken out some of the people on the ship as well. Hopefully, all or at least most of the victims on board had survived so they’d be alive when the ship got to where it was going and was raided.

While that crash hadn't been good for anyone on the boat, it was for him and Ava.

With fire on the boat and some of their men dead, there were no other resources they could dispense to search for their missing captive.

Giving them the chance they needed to slip away.

Because he knew it was nothing short of a miracle that had given them that chance, Nathaniel had made sure to make the most of it.

The weather wasn't the only thing that wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Ava was still sick, definitely weak, running a fever, and in and out of consciousness, but her vitals remained stable, and she was lucid when she was awake. All he had to do was get her to the land ahead of them, and then to a hospital.

Unfortunately, whatever had happened to knock out his comms, breaking the connection to his commander and team, hadn't rectified itself as the storm died down. With the crash there had been no concern he might be given orders to leave Ava behind, so he’d immediately tried checking in again once the helo went down. There’d been no response.

Just like there’d been no response all the other times he’d tried reaching out.

Which meant for now it was just him and Ava.

Glancing down at the unconscious woman lying beside him, Nathaniel had to hope that whatever beach they were going to wash up on was close to civilization. They were off the coast of Mexico, he knew that because he knew where the ship had been and where he’d been dropped off. Getting her across the border could wind up being a problem depending on where exactly they landed and if he could contact his team.

But that was a problem for later.

Right now, he needed to get them to shore, give Ava a little time to rest, then get her home. After everything she’d been through, she deserved to live, to get back to her life and the people who loved her. Besides, if that fire had wiped out the ship, she could literally be their only lead.

“Nathaniel?”

“Yeah, Aves?” He looked down at the woman blinking open sleepy eyes and was hit by a rush of gratefulness that he was here tonight. For so many reasons. So Ava wasn't alone when the helicopter started searching for her, and he could tend to her injuries the best he could, so she didn't drift alone at sea for days before exposure took her life.

“Do you think we’re going to find land?”

There was a dullness to her eyes he didn't like, and he wished he knew what organ they’d stolen from her. Whatever it was obviously wasn't going to kill her—although infection might—but it would help to know if there was anything specific he should be doing for her, or looking out for should she start deteriorating.

“Don’t think about it, Aves. We’regoingto find land.”

“How can you be so sure?” Her voice was weak, but despite the red staining her otherwise pale face and the exhaustion that covered her like a blanket, a spark of determination inside her was still visible.

She hadn't given up.

It was that spirit that had saved her life, and it was what would keep her going until he could get her safely back home.

“Take a look for yourself,” he replied, nodding in the direction of the shore he already knew was there.

Resisting the urge to reach out and help her as Ava began to struggle into a sitting position, he held back only because he didn't want her to forget about the strength that had guided her through an ordeal that would crush most people. She was going to need that strength over the coming days, weeks, and months. Years even. Her ordeal would leave scars beyond the one from the wound on her stomach.

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