Page 53 of Corrupted Lies

Relief hit him so hard it almost stole all the air from his lungs.

They’d done it.

They were on the shore.

They were safe.

Knowing that they might have hit land but still weren't completely out of danger, Jake quickly scooped Alannah into his arms and ran with her out of the water.

Lining the sand, which stretched about fifteen yards or so from the water’s edge, were trees. Lots of trees. He didn't see any sort of road that indicated a quick and simple way off the beach, and he didn't want to search for one until he made sure Alannah wasn't going to go and die on him.

When he laid her down on the sand right at the beginning of the trees, which stretched out as deep as he could see, Alannah stirred.

Her hands reached up to grip his soaked long-sleeved T-shirt. “G-grumpy, am I h-hallucinating, or are w-we out o-of th-the w-water?”

“Not hallucinating, sunshine,” he assured her.

One of those bright, beautiful smiles that he loved lit up her face. “We m-made it. Y-you m-made it,” she corrected. “You s-saved m-my l-life. A-again. Th-thank you.”

“Did you just thank me for saving you like there was any doubt I would?” he groused as he scanned the area looking for some sticks.

Since her clothes were sodden, keeping them on wouldn't allow Alannah to raise her body temperature. Given the chill in the air, taking them off likely wasn't going to help much either.

At least without a fire.

They literally had nothing on them but the clothes on their backs, but luckily, he knew how to make a fire with nothing but what nature provided.

It took him no more than a couple of minutes to clear a suitable space, pile up a few small twigs and sticks that were in their immediate vicinity, and put together a little fire. It wasn't much, but it would help to keep Alannah warm enough as he took off her clothes and checked her for injuries.

“Can you undress on your own or do you need help?” he asked as he knelt beside her. She was still where he’d set her down, not having the energy to do anything right now.

“Umm.” She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment. “I th-think I n-need h-help.”

Undressing his best friend had not been on his mind when they got onto that boat. Then again, none of this was something he could have predicted. If he had, they never would have gotten on the boat to begin with.

Trying to be as professional about it as he could, he removed the life jacket, then her leggings and long-sleeved T-shirt. Fornow, he’d leave on her bra and panties, they didn't have enough material to do too much to lower her body temperature, and she deserved some modesty.

“You hurt anywhere?” he asked as he skimmed his hands over her body in search of any injuries from the explosion.

Before she could answer, she hissed as his fingers brushed over a nasty-looking bruise forming between her right hip and where her ribs ended. It was just high enough that he worried her ribs had been affected.

“I th-think I h-hit it in the b-boat. When it w-was sh-shuddering. B-below d-deck, when I w-was g-getting d-dressed.”

Swallowing a curse, he continued his search. The life jacket she’d been wearing had been destroyed, so there had to be at least one other injury he hadn't found yet.

Helping her sit, he rested her against his chest and checked her back, where he found a deep laceration between her shoulder blades.

That had to be the wound from whatever ruined the life jacket.

There was nothing he could do for it right now without a first aid kit. The fire would help warm her up a little, but what they both needed was to find help. Alannah was too weak to move, so he’d leave her there, find help, then come back for her.

Easing her back so she was lying down again, partially propped up against the tree trunk, he palmed one of her cheeks. She immediately tilted her face into his hand, nuzzling against it.

“I'm going to go look for help,” he told her. “I want you to stay here.” When she opened her mouth to no doubt offer a protest, he touched a fingertip to her lips. “Don’t argue, sunshine. You're in no condition to walk anywhere right now. You need to rest and warm up. I won't be long. And when I come back, I’ll have help. So stay here, rest, and dream about how good a hot meal, dry clothes, and a warm bed are going to feel.”

Even though he could tell she hated the idea of them splitting up, Alannah gave him a small nod. She knew she’d already reached and exceeded her capabilities. If she pushed herself any harder, she would wind up passing out.

“Be safe, grumpy,” she whispered.

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