Page 167 of Her Reluctant Hero
Prayers she thought she’d forgotten how to say bubbled up in her mind. “Please don’t let them be down here. Please don’t let us find them. Please let them be safe somewhere.”
But as they approached the wreckage, she had to wonder where they could be, and how they could have gotten anywhere without the boat or truck.
God, the boat was a mess, her red and white hull splintered, the pieces scattered in some places, piled in others. Adrian swam toward a pile, began lifting pieces, pushing them aside. Mallory watched before she followed. If he found something, she wanted to be there for him.
Together they worked, flipping pieces aside that were heavier than they looked. Mallory found herself holding her breath with each piece of debris, so scared of what they’d find under it. She chanced a glimpse at Adrian, saw only the grimness in his eyes. He didn’t even glance in her direction.
Shutting her out again, only this time she was grateful.
In the end they found nothing, though they left no debris unturned. Adrian silently stripped off his gear once they reached the deck. Mallory didn’t say anything but waited for him to speak, willed him to cut the tension. But he only stowed his gear and turned into the cabin. When she followed, she saw he had his head in the refrigerator. He pulled out a carton of ice cream and tossed it on the table so it wobbled on its rim, then settled. He opened a drawer with more force than necessary and pulled out a spoon.
He was going to eat ice cream? He couldn’t find his brother so he was going to indulge in chocolate. Okay, she wasn’t going to wait for him to go first.
“What are you doing?”
“Celebrating.” But nothing in his demeanor, his voice, his expression, seemed the least bit joyful. “My brother is not on the bottom of the ocean, at least not here. So we need to celebrate. Grab a spoon.” He motioned with his spoon toward the drawer but didn’t look at her.
“Adrian.”
He scooped a bite of ice cream into his mouth and shook his head. “Don’t say it.”
“What?”
“That it’s too soon to celebrate, that we still don’t have any answers, that, Jesus, for all we know, they’re in pieces down there.”
“Adrian!”
He scooped another spoonful, held it over the container and glared at her. “What? You want me to be positive? Where can they be? They’re either dead or taken. I don’t know what else to do.” He jammed the spoon into the ice cream and stepped away from it, his hands on his hips, his head down. “I don’t know what else to do.”
“They’re safe. They have to be. They’re somewhere looking for us. They’ll realize we’re here and come back.”
He didn’t look at her. “I wish I could be that hopeful.”
She walked up behind him, wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her cheek between his shoulder blades. “I’ll hold out hope for all of us.”
Adrian’s expression was grim, even as he tucked into his eggs and bacon the next morning. His mind was already on the ship below. He’d barely looked at her this morning. Okay, well, since they got out of bed, because he’d been very, very attentive when she’d woken up, almost reverent.
She knew him well enough to know he was going to make a decision that would piss her off.
“I want you to stay on the boat when I dive.”
She stiffened at his decision, but made every effort to keep calm. “You can’t excavate by yourself.”
“I can’t risk you.”
She folded her arms on the table. “Really. What do you think you can get done down there without me?”
He blew out a frustrated breath. “It’s a safety issue, not a reflection on your abilities, Mallory.”
She lifted a brow. “You stay and I’ll go down.”
“Ah.” He wagged a finger at her. “I was here first.”
“But it would make more sense for you to stay. You’re stronger. If anything happens while I’m diving, it will be easier for you to bring me up than for me to bring you up.”
He rubbed the side of his hand over his upper lip, his gaze steady on hers. Was he considering it?
“Okay. We both go. That way I can keep an eye on you.”
