Page 54 of All He Sees
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
"Get in, get in!" Nicky shouted, rushing into the helicopter with Ken right behind her. Her heart was pounding so loud, it hammered against her eardrums as she strapped into the helicopter. Danny and Rachel, the pilots, were in the front, and they looked back in confusion.
"Agent Lyons?" Danny asked.
"No time to explain," Nicky said, then shoved a paper at him with coordinates written on it.
They were coordinates that Charles Medina had written down.
He had another island.
An island his son, Chad, frequently brought his friends to so they could party.
That was where the boat currently was. Where Chad currently was.
And Nicky was damn sure Mira Phillips and the other girls were there too.
"We need to move fast," Nicky said, catching her breath as Ken strapped in beside her. "As fast as you can take this thing, just go."
"On it," Danny said, then he and Rachel worked on flipping the buttons that turned the helicopter on. The rotor above began to move slowly at first, then rapidly. The whole time, Nicky jittered with nerves.
They were so close. But it could take over thirty minutes to get there by helicopter, and Nicky was terrified that would be too much. Maybe it was already too late. Maybe the girls were hurt. Maybe they needed Nicky now, not thirty minutes from now.
She didn't know. But the worst part was the waiting. As the helicopter rose into the sky, every passing second felt like an eternity.
"Hey," Ken said.
Nicky looked at him. He had a stern, focused look on his face. Then, to Nicky's surprise--he placed his hand on her leg. It was warm, and she felt something inside her, something she couldn't place.
"It's okay, Lyons," he said. "We've got this." He patted her leg once before pulling away.
Nicky nodded. She had to stay strong, too. For those girls.
She looked at the horizon, praying that they would be in time. Within minutes, they were soaring over the sea, into the afternoon sun. Nicky squinted into the blazing torch in the sky, feeling hot and nervous all over.
She had to be strong.
She had to get those girls.
No matter what it took.
Ken moved closer, like he wanted to say something. His eyes were on her, and Nicky saw something in them that she'd never seen before.
She didn't know what was going on with her. Or Ken.
But she needed to focus.
Because they were in this together. And they had to be strong.
The helicopter soared over the sea, through the sky, and Nicky was surrounded by endless blue. Her jaw remained tight for the entire ride, and she began to believe she'd never get there. Everyone in the chopper remained quiet, focused, and soon, the island appeared over the horizon.
"Is this it?" Rachel asked, looking down at the coordinates.
Nicky looked at the coordinates, then nodded. It was it, there was no mistaking it.
"Let's follow the coast," Nicky said, looking at the coordinates once more. "There's a shallow bay that leads to an island. Chad, and the girls, are on that island."
"Understood," Danny said, nodding. Then he turned to Rachel, who was already flipping some switches to get the helicopter to move.
