Chapter Nineteen

Dominic was the first of the crew to arrive at the station. He came in through the side entrance and quickly unlocked the folding front doors, drawing them back ready to launch. He was pulling on his safety suit when four more volunteers arrived.

“You two get suited up,” he shouted at Haig and Minty, the most experienced of the team. In horrific conditions such as this, he wanted the very best men in the boat with him. He trusted the others to prep the tractor.

Dominic climbed straight onboard and radioed to the Coastguard that they would launch any minute. “What do we know so far?” he asked.

“Two casualties at the foot of the cliff on North Point. A father and son. The man is unconscious. The boy is uninjured at present. They’ve been cut off by the tide.”

“Any information on the father’s injuries?”

“A head wound. We’re awaiting further details. We have raised the helicopter. ETA twenty-five minutes.”

Every second counted in a situation like this.

“How old is the boy?”

“Approximately nine years old. His name is AJ.”

Dominic froze, the skin on his scalp tightened and his blood turned to ice water. No. It can’t be.

“Details are sketchy at this point and somewhat confused. The boy claims he and his father were attacked on the beach. He’s in a distressed state, so I’m not sure what we can believe.”

“Let’s get moving,” Dominic shouted at the crew. “Now.”

Haig and Minty climbed into the boat and the tractor lowered them to the water. Dominic opened the engines and shot across the harbor.

He had to stay calm and detached from all personal concerns. It was the only way. Keep it professional and treat this like any other rescue. He couldn’t allow his emotions to influence his decision-making. It would be fatal for everyone if he did.

Arnie and AJ were depending on him. He wouldn’t let them down.

As soon as they left the protection of the marina, they were hit by the full force of the wind and sea. The lifeboat rode the crest of a huge wave before dropping down the other side. Dominic’s stomach plunged with the sickening decent. Despite the urgency, he had to ease back on the throttle. The boat would overturn if he wasn’t careful in these conditions.

He steered north, already scanning the shore and the towering cliffs.

Jesus, the way the waves were breaking on the rocks was terrifying.

Arnie and AJ had no chance out there.

Get your shit together. You’ll find them. You must.

 

* * * *

 

His hearing was the first of Arnie’s senses to return. A thundering sound, deep and booming, seemed to reverberate through him. Then pain, pain more intense than anything he’d ever known, like a metal shard had been shoved through the back of his skull and worked deep into his head. The next thing he felt was cold, so bitter it went down to the marrow.

Where was he? His thoughts were confused. He struggled to remember. Breakfast this morning. Yes, with Dominic. Then collecting AJ, taking him to the station and a walk on the beach.

“Help.” A desperate cry. Close. Very close.

AJ.

Arnie forced his eyes open and saw his son. The dull gray light hurt his eyes. He fought through it. He was on his back, lying on something cold, hard and wet, his head in AJ’s lap. As he struggled to make sense of what was happening, a wave washed over him. The saltwater stung and blurred his vision. The shock snapped him back to the present.

They were in trouble.

“AJ,” he said, struggling to rise.

“Dad. Oh, thank God. You’re alive. You’re alive.” Relief was clear in AJ’s voice. It pierced Arnie to the core.

He struggled into a sitting position. It took only a second to realize where they were and the direness of the situation. The sea was mountainous, ever moving and shifting, and the rocks where they lay were barely more than a foot above the water level. One strong wave would take them.

“I called for the lifeboat,” AJ said. “It’s on the way but I can’t see it yet.”

“Good boy,” Arnie said, getting to his feet and leaning against the cliff face. He pulled AJ tight to him. He couldn’t remember how they’d got here and his head hurt like hell, but he knew with certainty that the only reason he was alive was because of his son. Now he’d use every reserve that remained to protect the boy. “Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m fine. But the water, it keeps coming higher. If the lifeboat doesn’t get here soon, we’ll have nothing left to stand on.”

Arnie looked up at the cliff. It stretched more than a hundred feet above them, completely sheer, its surfaced polished by centuries of sea erosion. There was no chance of climbing it.

“How long since you called the Coastguard?”

“I don’t know. Ten minutes. I’ve no idea how long we’ve been here. Dad, it was Noel. He came up behind us and hit you on the head with a big stone.”

“Don’t worry about that now,” Arnie said. Ten minutes. The lifeboat would have launched by now. Help would be on the way. He didn’t know what good it would do. They were in a treacherous position, surrounded by jagged rocks and high waves. The boat wouldn’t get close enough to take them off.

A surge of water rushed around their feet, cold and biting. Thankfully, it retreated over the rocks.

Arnie pulled AJ closer. The boy shivered in his arms. Hypothermia would set in if they weren’t rescued soon. He picked him up. “Wrap your arms and legs around me,” he instructed. “Warm yourself against me.” They were both cold to the touch. AJ trembled and his teeth chattered close to Arnie’s ear. He hugged his son tighter, desperate to impart all the body heat he could.

“Where is the lifeboat?” AJ asked.

The question was heart-wrenching. “Soon, son. It’ll be here soon.”

Arnie offered a silent prayer, begging God to make it true.

 

* * * *

 

Arnie Walker was awake. The bastard had pulled around.

Noel smashed his clenched fists against the sandstone cliff, scraping the skin and drawing blood. How the fuck could that happen? He’d banged that rock so hard against his head, he shouldn’t ever have recovered. Hadn’t he heard the crunch of bone when he hit him? Noel was certain of it. Now the bastard was on his feet and fighting to save the shitty kid.

It wouldn’t do them any good. The waves coming in now looked a good six to seven feet. The next one to hit the outcrop they were standing on would wash them out to sea. Then it would be over. If they weren’t battered to pieces against the rocks, the formidable currents would drag them away. And if they weren’t pulled under, the cold would take care of them. They were already soaked. The sea would soon do the rest.

Noel had nothing to worry about.

God damn it. Things never went to plan for him.

The stupid woman he’d thrown over this cliff hadn’t died like she should have either. From what his gran and her old cronies had been saying this morning, the bitch had made a recovery. How could that be right? A fall from this height onto the hard rocks below should be enough to kill anyone. But no, she had clung to life and robbed him of his first kill.

Only Gabriel Mayne’s murder had gone to plan. Another faggot. Too stupid to look behind him when he had opened his front door. That had been easy. Too easy. He hadn’t even tried to plead for his life as Noel stuck the knife in again and again.

And now these bastards, refusing to play ball. Arnie Walker and his brat should have been dead already, drifting in the deep.

Noel leaned farther over the edge, desperate to see what was happening. The rock where they stood was almost submerged. It wouldn’t be long. One good wave—that was all it would take. Noel’s pulse raced with anticipation as he willed the tide to do its job.

 

* * * *

 

The sea washed around Arnie’s ankles. He set his feet firm, determined to stay upright for as long as he could. He held AJ as clear of the water as he could, with the boy’s legs wrapped around his trunk and his arms around his neck. The pain in Arnie’s head was constant. Noel had hit him with real force. The bastard. Arnie ignored it as much as possible. If he could still draw breath, he would fight to save his son.

“Dad, is the lifeboat coming yet?”

“They’ll be here. It won’t be long now.” He answered with a confidence he didn’t possess. Even if the crew found them, the chances of reaching safety from the position they were in was hopeless. Then a thought occurred to him. “How did you call the Coastguard? Do you have my phone?”

Arnie had already checked and knew his phone was missing.

“No,” AJ replied sheepishly. “I used my phone.”

“Do you still have it?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not mad. You’ve done well so far. Brilliant, really, you have. Does your phone have a flashlight?”

“I don’t know, I think so.”

“Turn it on. Let’s see.”

AJ wriggled. Keeping one arm and both legs wrapped around Arnie, he shuffled in his pocket until he produced the handset, an old-fashioned-looking smartphone. He tapped around the front screen until the flashlight came on.

“Good boy,” Arnie said. “Now hold it out, facing the sea. Hold it as high as you can, and when the lifeboat arrives, they’ll be able to see where we are.”

AJ stretched. At that moment a large wave struck, hitting Arnie at waist height and dragging his legs as it subsided. He lost his balance and AJ slipped.

Arnie clung on to him desperately, fighting to maintain his position. The boy cried.

Arnie pushed his back hard against the cliff face. They were okay. Still standing, for now.

“Do you still have the phone?” he asked, holding his boy tight.

“Yes.”

Thank you, God.

“Okay, good lad. Don’t worry, we’re going to be all right. Now hold that phone in the air, as high as you can. Make sure the lifeboat can see us.”

Arnie’s hope of rescue diminished with every passing second. All he could do was give the boy something to focus on and try to keep them out of the water for as long as possible.

 

* * * *

 

The lifeboat heaved mercilessly on the waves. It took all of Dominic’s skill at the helm to keep her from capsizing. His old Special Services training had kicked in automatically and he’d managed to put a lid on his personal emotions. He was thinking of nothing but the mission to save the lives of a father and son while keeping his own crew safe.

The sea conditions were among the worst he’d ever known. The only thing they had on their side was daylight, albeit the sky was slate gray and miserable. This near-impossible undertaking would be unfeasible in the dark. To make things worse, the winds hit them side on as they ran parallel to the shore and he had to fight to keep the boat on course.

“There. A light,” Minty hollered, raising his hand. “Ten o’clock.”

Dominic saw nothing but took his crewmate at this word, turning the craft toward the land. His line of sight constantly shifted as the boat rose on the waves and fell into the troughs. “Where?”

“It’s gone again,” Minty shouted. “Keep going, that way.”

As the boat climbed the peak of another wave, Dominic saw the light himself, close to the base of the cliff.

“Shit.” They were in a terrible position. The rocks in that location would tear the hull of the boat clean open. He eased nearer, as far as he dared go, keeping clear of the surf and the hidden dangers beneath.

He could just about make out the figures on the rocks. Arnie, supporting his son around his chest. The water was around his thighs. He wouldn’t be able to hold on much longer.

“What’s the ETA on the helicopter?” he shouted into the radio.

“Eleven minutes,” came the reply.

Fuck. They didn’t have that long.

He worked the engine, fighting to maintain their position, wondering how the hell he was going to get them out of there.

“We can’t go in with the boat,” Haig said.

“It’ll be too late by the time the helicopter gets here.”

Minty was already in the supply box. He produced a long line. “I’ll swim in for them. It’s the only way. I’ll bring them out one at a time. The kid first.”

“No,” Dominic said. “I’ll do it. You keep the boat steady.”

“Not a chance,” Minty replied. “We need you on the helm. We can’t handle the boat the way you do. You know we can’t. I’ll go in, you keep the boat here till I get back.”

Minty was right. It killed Dominic to sit here helplessly while the man he loved and his son were in danger, but he was more use here than in the water. “All right,” he shouted. “Do it. Quickly.”

He glanced back to the cliff. Arnie and AJ’s position looked even more precarious. Dominic struggled to remain calm. He wanted to dive right in and rescue them now, but that was bullshit. He wasn’t superman. He could get them all killed. Minty was the man for the job. Dominic had to trust him.

In the next second, all those concerns became irrelevant.

A wave came in and obliterated all sight of Arnie and AJ, and when it retreated the rock where they’d been standing was empty.

The sea had taken them.

 

* * * *

 

Paternal instinct overrode everything else. As the wave retreated, Arnie clung tightly to AJ. They were dragged beneath the surface in a furious maelstrom, disorientated as they tumbled over and over. His only concern was to protect the boy. The current pulled them deeper. As he turned over in the water, he saw the gray light of the surface and struck toward it.

The going was tough. Without the use of his arms, and the extra weight, he seemed to make no headway at all. He kicked harder, drawing on every reserve of strength he had, pushing it down into his legs.

His son would not drown in this fucking sea.

At last he broke through. He gasped for air and held AJ up as high as he could.

“Breathe,” he shouted, getting a mouthful of salty sea water. The relief he felt when he saw AJ lift his chin and take a deep breath was immense but fleeting. AJ coughed and spluttered.

They were alive, for now.

Arnie looked to the shore. They were about ten yards from the cliff edge. He rolled onto his back and kicked frantically. He had to put some distant between them and the rock. One strong wave was all it would take to smash them to pieces.

Water crashed over their heads, forced them under again.

Arnie gripped AJ even tighter, and the boy clung on.

As soon as he was able, he kicked back to the surface, breaking through and gasping for air again. He rolled onto his back and thrust, desperately trying to get away from the rocks. It became harder with every stroke. Though his arms were locked around AJ, he could no longer feel any sensation in them. Nor his feet. The cold was all-encompassing, stealing over his body, slowing its functions.

AJ’s survival was his only concern. Arnie’s determination to keep him alive sustained him and kept his limbs moving, kicking through the mercilessly cold water.

Pain was everywhere. In his head, his arms and legs. He fought it.

Keep swimming. Keep moving. Stay alive. Got to stay alive.

The next wave struck, pummeling them deep below the surface, stronger than the ones that preceded it.

When it tore AJ from his grip, there was nothing Arnie could do to stop it.

 

* * * *

 

“Where did they go?” Dominic cried.

They’d had a good fix on Arnie and AJ in the water and had been making straight for them when the sea took them under again. He eased back on the throttle. Almost immediately the boat began to roll and pitch in the huge swell. All three men scanned the water, waiting for them to reappear.

Dominic struggled to keep his emotions in check. Things were desperate. Once a casualty entered the water, their chances of survival decreased rapidly. On a day like this, in conditions this bad, there wasn’t a second to lose.

Hopelessness threatened to consume him. He fought it back. He wouldn’t give in. Not until Arnie and AJ were safe.

“There’s the boy,” Haig shouted, pointing to port.

Dominic spotted his tiny head, rolling in the swells fifty yards off. He turned the boat quickly, before bringing it carefully up alongside. Haig and Minty reached down, got a hold under each armpit and hauled the tiny figure aboard. From his position at the helm, Dominic saw how bad he looked. Unconscious, cyanosed in the face. The two men lay him on the floor of the boat and checked his vital signs.

“He’s alive,” Haig called with relief.

He got straight to work administering first aid, while Minty and Dominic resumed the search for Arnie.

Dominic’s heart beat hard against his rib cage. He’d never been so personally involved in a rescue.

Come on, honey, where are you? Please don’t give up now.

A dark shape appeared on the surface, twenty yards from the boat.

“Starboard,” Dominic yelled, turning immediately in that direction.

Minty swapped sides, getting ready as he brought the boat in close.

It was Arnie. Thank God, it was Arnie.

“Gonna need a hand,” Minty cried. “He’s a big guy.”

Dominic kept the boat steady while Minty and Haig leaned over the side. Arnie was unconscious and unable to help himself, dead weight. The men reached beneath his arms and pulled, getting his shoulders above the water before losing their grip and dropping him back in. They grasped again, grabbed him before he disappeared and renewed their effort. As they pulled him a second time, succeeding in getting him clear to the waist, Minty made a grab for his belt. With a secure hold, they were able to haul him up and over the side. They dragged him to the middle of the boat and laid him beside AJ, checking his vital signs.

Please be all right. Come on, Arnie, please don’t die. I can’t lose you when we’ve only just met.

“I’ve got a pulse,” Minty shouted. “Get us in.”

As the two men got to work, treating Arnie and AJ for the worst of their symptoms, Dominic turned the boat around and raced toward the harbor.