CHAPTER 14
ARIA COULDN’T MOVE, hearing Jake’s agony, the evidence that finally, the man she thought was indestructible had unraveled.
Yola lay still on the bed.
“That’s what love looks like.” Mimi’s words crashed through her, and Aria couldn’t stay here. She pushed out of the room, hearing her name called—maybe by Angel, although she wasn’t sure—and headed down the hallway. Blood still saturated her hands—she saw that in the print she left on the door as she exited into the stairwell, then on the railing as she took the stairs to the upper floor, and finally climbed the ladder to the roof.
With a shout, she pushed open the hatch and climbed out, her body sucking air, trying to get a grip on her emotions.
But they were spiraling out, in great heavy gasps, and as she stepped out onto the roof, she fell, her hands on the asphalt, and let herself sob.
For Yola.
For the injustice of it.
For the impulsive acts that took people’s lives.
For the fact that she couldn’t stop any of it.
Aria wrapped her hands around her waist, and with everything inside her, she too screamed. The sound scattered birds roosting nearby, rent the air, and hung on until she had no more breath.
Then she listened to it die in the mottled sky.
It wasn’t supposed to be this way.
She did things right. She planned. She obeyed. She worked, she . . .
She fixed God’s mistake.
He is good. And he is sovereign.
Mimi’s words. Spoken to her in the staff room.
Spoken as Yola’s spirit left her body.
Grief and joy, entwined.
Good and sovereign.
“Panic comes when we stop believing that God is good. Or, that God is sovereign.”
She closed her eyes, and for a moment, Kia stepped in.
Oh, she’d missed her voice.
“Sis, I know it’s not fair. And I hate that. It kills me to see you in that bed. So, I’m going to do the very best to live for you.”
No, Kia. You lived for you.
The thought brought her up. Stung.
She’d wanted to assign only altruistic motives to Kia. But what if Aria had nothing to do with Kia’s behavior?
What if Kia was just . . . Kia.
And Aria couldn’t stop her from destroying her life any more than she could stop Yola from dying.
She wasn’t to blame for Kia’s death.
And she certainly didn’t owe her life to her now. She could be grateful, yes, but . . .
“Stop fighting the new heart God gave you and embrace it, Doc.”
Good. Sovereign. Even in the middle of death.
A distant hum lifted her head and she searched the horizon. Spotted a two-rotor Chinook chopper thundering toward them in the distance.
She climbed to her feet, waving her arms. “Here! We’re here!”
It came closer, hovering over her, the giant props hammering the wind. She crouched and watched as a man hooked to a line was lowered down.
By the time he hit the roof, Jake had joined her. “It looks like they’re from the Army National Guard!”
The man ran up to them. He wore a helmet, a gray-camo uniform, and yes, his patch identified him as ANG.
“We’re looking for Chief Silver?”
“That’s me,” Jake said.
“Staff Sergeant Hines. You have eight for transport?”
Yes, still eight.
It should have been nine.
“We’re on a tight leash here. The weather is coming in.”
“We’ll bring them up.” Jake glanced at Aria, and she nodded.
“We’ll send down a basket,” Hines said.
Jake climbed down the ladder and Aria followed him, aware of her bloody hands.
She landed on their floor and headed to the staff room, washing with a discarded towel.
Ringo danced around her feet, barking.
“That’s right, buddy, we’re going home.”
She found Angel with Jake.
“I’ll get her up the ladder,” Jake said. “You prep Mimi, okay? Get her an ambu bag, in case she needs help.”
She nodded. Jake had turned military on her and she recognized the man from the day the storm hit.
The man she’d met on the mountain, trying to keep her alive.
She didn’t care what it cost her.
She found Mimi in the patient room, standing beside Yola. Someone had covered her body in a sheet. “Mimi, we need to go.”
“Just one more minute.”
Okay. Aria went to the next room, picked up her ambu bag, the quick memory of Yola’s hands steady on the balloon punching through her.
“Even before the storm, I had decided to stay. I don’t know why—just a feeling, I guess, that God has something more for me here. I sense him calling me to something big, something life-changing, and I’m just supposed to stand on the shore, staring out at the sea to wait for it.”
She swallowed the memory away and returned. Jake was back downstairs, talking with Bailey. “Don’t worry, we’ll find the dog. You gotta go.” He looked over at Aria. “I gotta get Wade.”
“He’s not ambulatory. He’ll never make it up that ladder.”
“They can’t land in the parking lot.” Jake headed toward the room. “Don’t worry, I got him.”
Bailey was running down the hall. “Ringo! Where are you?”
“I think he’s in the staff lounge,” she said and followed Jake into the room.
Jake had grabbed a sheet and was fashioning a giant sling. He pulled Wade up to a sitting position. Wade groaned, barely able to sit up.
“Jake, this won’t—”
“Just help me. Put his arms over my shoulders, and the sheet under his legs. I’ll tie the sheet around my chest and carry him on my back.”
Yes, that might work.
She grabbed the sheet and eased it under Wade, then pressed his arms around Jake. Jake grabbed his legs, pulling them around him.
“Now tie that sheet tight in front of me.”
She obeyed, and it brought Wade up against Jake’s back.
“Get the door to the stairwell.” Jake took a breath and stood up. Found his balance.
“We had to do this in training,” he said. “I carried North.”
She raised an eyebrow.
He smiled, something brutal and sad in his eyes, and it did something to her insides.
He was such a hero. Trained for this.
God had indeed sent him here. Because he was good. And sovereign.
They were going to get out of here. Not without grief, but onto shore all the same.
He lumbered down the hall with Wade, Aria behind him. Bailey ran out of the staff lounge. “I can’t find Ringo!”
“Come with me, Bailey. I’ll find Ringo.” Aria took his hand and they followed Jake and Wade up the stairs.
Jake took a breath, then climbed the ladder, the staff sergeant waiting at the top to retrieve Wade from his back.
“You’re next, kiddo,” Aria said to Bailey. She met his eyes. “Go with your dad. I’ll get Ringo. I promise.”
Bailey’s eyes filled, but he nodded and climbed the ladder.
She didn’t wait for Jake but ran down the stairs.
Mimi was next, but Jake would get her. “Ringo!” She ran down the hall.
Stopped by the supply closet.
Hagan.
She didn’t know why she hadn’t thought of him. Except maybe Jake planned on bringing him out last.
Okay, Jake wouldn’t do that, but it occurred to her that in all the ruckus, maybe Hagan would be forgotten.
Just like Parker.
She couldn’t save Parker. But Hagan should be brought to justice—real justice, not punishment by tropical storm. She opened the door.
Hagan stood in the doorway, his hands unbound. So much for his so-called broken arm. “Think you were leaving without me?”
He advanced on her, grabbed her around the throat, and pushed her into the hallway. Put his face next to hers. “Sweetheart, this dance isn’t over.”
Jake!
But he hadn’t come down from the roof yet. Hagan grabbed her arm and twisted it around, behind her, and she let out a cry. He doubled her over and pushed her down the hallway.
“Hagan—stop!”
Please, Jake, show up.
But he wasn’t in the stairwell when they entered.
And Hagan wasn’t going up, but down.
He pushed her into the water on the first floor, dunked her hard, held her, then dragged her up. She coughed, sputtered, and grabbed his arm as he dragged her across the lobby. “You don’t have to do this—”
“If I’m trapped here, so are you. And he’ll just have to choose you or the storm.”
What—? Oh, this was about Jake.
Hagan dunked her again, holding her down as he waded toward the pharmacy. When he let her surface, her lungs burned, and she gulped in the rank air, unable to speak.
Hagan pulled her into the pharmacy and pushed her up on a counter. “Now, don’t you go anywhere.”
The water lapped up to her waist. She sat frozen, coughing, gulping air as he backed away from her. “Hagan, please—”
“Doc.”
“I helped you!”
“You’re in the way. Sorry, but I’m getting off this island. And I can’t have anybody following me.”
Then he pulled down one of the shelves.
It crashed over her, into the wall, not crushing her, but pinning her to the counter. A blinding pain sliced up her leg, her damaged ankle reinjuring, maybe, and she couldn’t move, the weight of the shelf pressing on her chest.
“Hagan!” Her voice emerged raspy and weak, mostly from shock.
He pulled down the next shelf. It crashed onto the first, wedging her down farther. It nearly cut off her breath.
“Please—”
He gave the third shelf a shove and it fell against the other two. She couldn’t move, the weight of the three braced against the wall, pinning her.
If they all fell, it would crush her.
“Don’t worry. The storm surge will be here soon.”
Then he closed the door and left her in darkness.
“Okay, Mimi, just get into the basket and they’ll lift you up.” Jake had walked the woman up the stairs after easing her away from Yola’s body. Above him, the Chinook was fighting for control in the wind as it chopped up the sea.
“We need to go soon!” Sergeant Hines shouted as he strapped Mimi into the litter. “The storm has been upgraded to a Cat 2 hurricane, and it’s headed this way.”
Jake held the swaying basket as Hines clipped himself to the litter and gave the signal. “I have to find Aria, and then we’ll be ready.”
“Five minutes, and we need to go!”
Jake gave him a thumbs-up and climbed back down the ladder. C’mon, Aria, leave the dumb dog.
Although he’d owned a few dogs in his life, knew that they became family.
“Aria!” He hit the second floor and found it empty.
Except for—shoot, Hagan. He went to the supply closet and opened the door.
Empty.
He stared at it a moment, just long enough to hear the grunt behind him.
Hagan swung a two-by-four right at his head.
Jake ducked and dove for the man, driving him back against the wall.
Hagan slammed his fist into his ribs, but Jake trapped his arm, blocked the punch. Delivered one of his own into Hagan’s soft middle section.
Hagan whoofed and pushed off from the wall. He had a good thirty pounds on Jake, and that mattered.
But Jake had training.
Jake ducked under his arm, got him in a chest-to-back hold, his arm around his neck. “Where is she, man?” Jake didn’t know why, but he just knew Hagan had done something to Aria.
Hagan tried to headbutt him. Jake dodged it but took a hit on his chin. He tightened his arm, curling it into a sleeper hold.
Hagan leaned up, using his height to drag Jake off his feet.
Jake held on, wrapping his legs around Hagan’s body.
Hagan stumbled back, slamming him into the wall. Jake took the shock, gritted his teeth.
“It’s too late. She’s trapped, and so are you.” Hagan tried to headbutt him again.
Jake dodged.
Then, “Hey! What’s going on!”
Jake spotted Hines, standing in the hallway.
“He’s an escaped convict! And he’s already killed one person—”
Hines drew his weapon. “On your knees, buddy.”
Hagan dug his fingers into Jake’s arm, turned, and stumbled down the hall, picking up speed.
Heading for the broken picture window.
Jake saw it happening and realized Hagan had a hold on him.
Shoot, he either went over with him, or—
He unlatched himself from Hagan, kneed him in the back, and the big man broke away.
Hagan skidded to a stop, right before the window. Turned.
Laughed. Raised the Glock, the one he’d pulled out of Jake’s belt.
Jake was breathing hard, but he raised his hands. “Just tell me where she is—”
Two shots, center mass, and Hagan stumbled back, eyes widening.
Then he fell, arms windmilling out of the window.
Jake turned.
Hines lowered his gun. “I’m a cop in my day job.”
Jake just bent over, grabbing his knees, not sure what to say. Except, “Thanks.”
“We gotta go.”
Jake looked up at him. “My girl is missing. I can’t leave without her.”
“There’s a storm coming, and we’re not going to get back here—”
Jake stood up. “This isn’t our first storm. And it won’t be our last.”
Hines nodded but pulled a two-way radio out of his jacket. “For after the storm. We’ll be back as soon as we can get in.”
Jake took it. “Can I get your Maglite too?”
Hines handed over the light, then ran down the hall.
Jake listened to his footsteps echo up the stairwell.
“Aria!” Jake started in the patient rooms, searching each one, his stomach in a knot, bracing himself to find her bloodied body.
Nothing. Where are you?
How had Hagan disposed of her so quickly? Jake had been hung up getting Wade off his back and onto the litter, but . . .
“Aria!”
He wanted to check the third floor, but no one had even been up there, the door blocked by the tree.
Which meant—
He raced down the stairwell even as he heard the chopper thrumming away in the distance. “Aria!”
The lobby was quiet as he shined his beam over the gray water. He’d driven the jet ski into the parking lot, the water receding somewhat outside, but inside, it was deeper, and for some reason still rising. Probably the water drains in town were overflowing to the lower levels of the island.
“Aria, are you here?”
Outside, it had started to rain, light showers, the wind banging against the remains of the door.
He waded through to the coffee shop. “Aria!” He searched behind the counter, kept his hands to himself, then went into the storage area.
“Aria!”
Outside, the wind began to howl, the outer rain bands washing across the island. He didn’t want to ponder what crazy luck he possessed to be trapped on an island twice during a hurricane.
She had to be here.
He was wading out into the lobby area again when he heard it, the muffled syllable of his name, maybe.
“Aria!”
He listened, and the sound came from down the hallway toward—oh, of course—the pharmacy.
Where she’d nearly drowned before. Hagan had a warped sense of humor. Or perhaps it was simply evil.
The door was barred with the chair, but Jake threw it away and entered the room, his light shining into the destruction.
No. Hagan had brought down the shelving in the room, all three tall metal shelves leaning against the far wall, one on top of each other.
As he scanned the light across the darkness of the rising waters, he spotted Aria, wedged back into the corner.
Oh no.
“Aria, I’m coming, honey.” He worked into the room, trying to right the first shelf, but it wouldn’t move—wedged into the wall with its weight and the press of the water. He gave up and moved to the end of the counter. He could barely make her out under the clutter of the metal. “Are you hurt?”
“A little. My ankle is wedged and it’s hard to breathe.”
He spotted the water, now up to her chest.
“It’s going to be okay. I just have to figure out how to move these.”
“Be careful. If you dislodge them, they’ll come down on top of me.”
She didn’t have to say more, because the combined weight would crush her.
He got up onto the counter, his feet barely fitting on the thin lip, and put his body behind the first shelf. About eight feet wide and ten feet tall, the shelf probably weighed over three hundred pounds. He could lift it on one side, but he didn’t have the leverage to work both sides.
And then the far end slipped, sliding down on the other shelves.
“Stop!” The movement pinned Aria’s body deeper into the water, now up to her chin. “It’s going to land on me!”
Jake’s breaths raked in and out as he shone the light near her, enough to see her face. “They’re too heavy. I need a two-by-four, maybe, but even then—I need help. Leverage.”
“You need to get out of here before the storm comes.”
He just stared at her. “What? Aria, I sent the chopper away. I’m staying.”
“Oh, Jake.” She closed her eyes. Sighed.
“Did you really think I’d leave you?”
She shook her head, looked away. “I guess not.”
“We’re in this together, Houlihan.”
She pursed her lips and he could tell she was trying not to cry.
But he wanted to.
He climbed in between one of the shelves, working his foot through to find the counter. “I’ll try and get to the center for better leverage.”
But he couldn’t turn around, and in a second fell hard into the water. He came up fast, turning. “Aria? Are you okay?”
“It slid. But yeah.”
He found his flashlight and shined it on her. She’d lifted her chin, the water below her ears.
And it hit him that he could wait until the room filled with water, leverage the buoyancy of the wood on the shelves to help him move them.
But she’d be long underwater before then.
This was a terrible idea. But he had nothing else.
He needed time. A way for her to breathe while he figured this out.
They were in a pharmacy. He shined the light off her and around the room, searching the floating packages for tubing. Certainly—
He found rubber gloves, dressing packages, medicines, bottles, needles, and—
His hand closed on a coil of CPAP tubing. He opened it and swam over to her, as close as he could get. “Put this in your mouth. You can breathe through it. I’ll attach it high so the water won’t reach it.”
“Jake, this isn’t going to work.”
“Try!”
She was crying now. “Jake, I’m sorry I ran away from you. I’m sorry you had to follow me to Key West. I’m sorry you sat through a hurricane and got electrocuted and nearly killed by Hagan, and who knows who else. I’m sorry that I didn’t see how amazing you are, and that I didn’t tell you earlier that . . . you scare me, Jake, but I still want to be with you—”
“Then you will, if you just stop talking and put this in your mouth!”
“I don’t know why God gave me a new heart, but I’m tired of denying that it’s mine. It is mine, and I do get to be happy, and . . . I want to be happy with you.”
His stomach clenched, and he was going to cry too—
“Just shut up and put this in your mouth,” he snapped.
She shook her head and he wanted to throttle her.
“No, you’ll get stuck here too and I . . . I can’t have you die for me, Jake—”
“It’s not your choice!”
She winced, then coughed as water got into her mouth.
He lowered his voice, tried to find something calm. “It’s my choice, Hot Lips. I’m staying with you and we are getting out of here, I promise. I’m taking you home and we’re going to go freakin’ dancing, and you’re not going to die, because . . .”
And shoot, he didn’t know why the words balled in his chest like a fist, suddenly, but he forced them out— “Because I love you. Okay? I’ve loved you since I met you in Alaska. I love you because you’re brave and sweet and a little crazy and if you don’t put this tube in your mouth and breathe and stay alive then I will . . . I will find a way to keep following you, and drive you completely crazy—”
“Fine!” She reached out her hand. “Why are you doing this?”
“Because I can’t watch you die.” He slapped the tube into her hand and she put it in her mouth.
She closed her eyes, her lips clamped around the tube, and he unwound it, took the rubber band on the package, wrapped it around the end, and hung it from the edge of the high cupboard above her head.
Then he grabbed her hand and squeezed. His heart stopped a moment when it took her a second to squeeze back, but she did.
Outside, rain lashed the window, and he climbed back onto the counter and set his shoulder against the shelf.
It moved, just barely, but fell back. He set his forehead against it, breathing hard. God, right now I need a hero bigger than me. Please help me figure this out.
He repositioned himself and tried again, ending in a shout as the shelf rocked, then again fell.
He could be crushing her, for all he knew.
Please!
“Hey—what are you doing?”
He knew that voice, and now swung his light toward it.
Parker stood in the doorway, looking gaunt but awake and sober.
“Specialist! Where’d you come from?”
“I was in the cafeteria. I found some sandwiches. They were all in little tiny bags—”
“Get in here.” He jumped down from the counter. The water had reached his chest.
Parker was taller, skinnier than he was, but seemed sturdy enough. Jake grabbed his shirt. “I need your help. Can you fit into there?” He pointed to the gap between the shelves.
“I don’t know, man. That looks a little precarious. Those shelves could fall and trap me.”
“I know—Aria is under there.”
Parker peered into the darkness and Jake shot his light toward her.
She lay like a mermaid, her hair around her, her eyes closed, and it sent a cold shard of terror through him.
“Is she dead?”
“She’s going to be if you don’t help me. C’mon.”
Parker looked at him, frowned, something cresting over his face. “I—”
“I need you, man. Please.”
Parker nodded. He climbed up onto the counter and worked himself in between the gap.
“You’ll have to watch your head—the top of the shelf could hit you coming up.” Jake pushed himself onto the ledge.
“Got it, boss.”
“On the count of three.”
Parker put his skinny arms on the upper shelf.
Please let this work.
“Three!” Jake pushed, and beside him, Parker grunted.
“Keep going!”
The leverage moved the shelf over and it rocked, then fell the opposite direction.
“Hang on, honey! C’mon, Parker. Next shelf!”
Parker nodded, galvanized, and leaned down, getting his hands on the lower shelf.
“On three—one, two—”
“Three!” Parker said and heaved.
Jake too. The shelf had farther to go, and Jake let out a groan as the weight settled through him.
“C’mon, Parker—”
Parker too was groaning, but the shelf started to move. “We got it!”
It started to topple on its own weight, and Jake felt it let go just as Parker stood up.
The shelf clipped him on the back of the head and he flew off the ledge and crashed into the water.
“Parker?” Jake shined the light on the water.
Parker lay facedown, a gash in the back of his head bleeding out.
Aw—
Jake dove in and grabbed him up, treading water to keep his head up.
“Parker, buddy, wake up.”
Parker was out. Jake swam out with him into the lobby, into the stairwell, and pulled him up to the landing. Parker flopped like a fish, his head bleeding onto the cement.
Shoot. Well, the kid probably wouldn’t die. He slapped his face. “Parker, buddy—”
He moaned.
That was enough. Jake took off for the lobby.
Outside, the rain sheeted down, and now Jake was swimming, stroking hard for the pharmacy.
He shined his light on the rubber tube as he came in and found it still affixed to the cupboard. He reached in through the slat and found Aria’s hand.
She squeezed back. Thank you, Lord.
He climbed up in the middle of the counter where Parker had been standing, took a breath, and reached down to grab the shelf.
He put everything into the lift, straining, holding his breath. Felt the shelf move. But it settled back in a moment and he had to pop up for air.
The water was nearly over his head, even on the counter.
He had maybe two feet left of clearance. Which meant that . . . well, even if the room filled with water, it might not be enough to lift it.
He would not leave her.
God, please!
“I thought you said you weren’t giving up on me!”
Parker.
He’d come back and Jake had no words. The kid swam right over to him and landed on the counter beside him. “On three?”
Jake took a whopper of a breath and ducked under the water.
Parker strained beside him, lifting, the weight fighting them.
Parker surfaced, gulping.
No. Jake kept holding on, fearing the weight falling on her. But his lungs gave out and he surfaced too, gasping.
The water was nearly to the top of the room.
“I have an idea,” Parker said. “Let’s lift it, then you pull her out. I’ll hold it.”
“Can you hold your breath that long?” Jake asked.
Parker met his eyes. “I’ll hold it until you get her out.”
Jake just knew the kid had hero in him. He took a few breaths, then, “Ready?”
Parker nodded, took a breath, and ducked.
Jake went with him, and together they pulled up the shelf, just a few inches, but it seemed enough. He turned and grabbed Aria, pulling her free, through the slats of the shelf. Her ankle caught on the edge, so he dove, working around Parker’s body to free her. Then he pushed her to the surface.
Except, there was no surface, and he fought against the urge to gulp for air. Instead, he grabbed Aria and kicked hard toward the door, hoping Parker was behind him.
His vision started to darken, his body aching for air, but he forced himself not to gasp.
He found air in the lobby, with its higher ceiling. He gulped hard as Aria coughed beside him.
Alive. And breathing. She clung to him, her arms around his shoulders, her legs around his waist, and he parked them on the information desk.
Alive. Thank you, God.
Except.
“Where’s Parker?” he said, searching the water for the kid.
“Parker’s here?”
“He helped me.” He let her go, turning to go back when suddenly Parker surfaced. He coughed out water, and Jake grabbed his shirt, holding him up.
“You okay, kid?”
Parker nodded.
“Maybe you should reenlist, join special forces.”
Parker just stared at him, then a slow smile broke out on his face. “Maybe.”
Jake turned back around, looking for Aria.
“Are you okay?”
She nodded, something haunted on her face. Then, she covered her face with her hands and started to weep.
He reached for her, but she pushed him away. “Don’t touch me!”
He stared at her as she turned and started swimming for the stairwell.
“Why is she mad?” Parker asked.
Oh, Hot Lips. “She’ll be okay. It’s just that she really wants to kiss me.”
“Huh?”
“Long story, kid. I don’t blame you if you can’t keep up.”