The pod separated, and there was Liz. Fighting the water. Losing the battle. The mini-light lit the expression on her face, the fear in her eyes.
Kicking as hard as he could, he propelled himself in her direction. Grabbed her waist and shot them both upward. Breaking the surface of the water, they both sucked in air. Hers filled with coughing and gagging, her arms fighting to climb an invisible ladder out of the water. He grabbed one of her arms then reached out to keep her head above water. She turned onto him, grappling to tighten her hold on his shoulder, pushing him downward.
Wrapping his arms around hers, he leaned her back against him, eased her into a float. “Stop, Liz. Stop fighting me.”
She shook with fear, clawing at his arm. Still gasping for air, her chest heaved with rapid breaths of fear. Shock would start soon. That’s all he needed.
“Shhhhh…,” he whispered against her ear. “I’ve got you, Elizabeth…I’ve got you.” He brushed his lips against her temple, kissed her lightly. “I’ve got you. Shhhhh…”
The more he talked to her, the more he brushed his cheek against the side of her head, the calmer she became. Her breathing steadied, and her fingers rested on his arms instead of digging in for dear life.
“Tell me what to do,” she said, panting with exhaustion.
“You let me worry about that. First I get us to our ride.” He loosened one of his arms from around her and started a side crawl stroke, heading them in the direction of the Q40. “Try to stay calm. Don’t fight me.”
As planned, the Q40 had stopped running the moment she fell off, the moment the lanyard attached to her shirt had pulled the key from the ignition. And OPAQUE’s specially enhanced levelers would have automatically activated, allowing the riders to remount the Q40 from either side or the back.
He could hear the spray from the dolphins in the pod, but they were heading in the other direction. Only a few more strokes till he’d have Liz to safety.
He positioned her near the Q40. “Grab hold of the rail. Once you do, I’m going to let go.”
“I’ll sink.”
“Not if you hold on.” He wrapped her fingers around a hold point then slowly released his hands. “See? Breathe easy. Pedal your legs every so often.”
Gradually, her expression changed from panic to acceptance, and finally a tiny smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “I’m okay.”
“Try to keep doing what you’re doing.”
She nodded. “Can we get back on the Q40?”
“Soon. When you get out of the water, you’re going to be cold. Especially once we get going again. So, we’ve got to get you out of your shoes. And your shorts.”
Her eyes rounded. “No way.”
He’d used the same technique on other assignments. And right now his goal was to keep her warm any way possible. “Look, wet shoes are another base for extra cold to creep into your body. And the shorts will be like an extra layer of wet cold against your groin, which is one of the areas you want to keep warm for body heat. Understand?”
She slowly nodded. “What about my top?”
“Once you’re out of the water, you’ll take that off. Don’t worry, you’ll still have your bikini on. That’s when I’ll wrap you in a solar vest from my emergency compartment.” Time was wasting, but he knew she’d fight him all the way if he didn’t explain.
Huffing out a loud breath, she shook her head. “I don’t think I can let go enough to take them off.”
“Got it.” He slid beneath the waterline, tugging her shorts downward as he went. They caught on her shoes, so he pulled to get them off also. She’d double-tied them…tight… He pulled hard from her heel and one slipped loose, and accidently his finger slid across her arch.
She jerked her foot back then kicked him in the head. Hard. Painful. And, again.
He popped to the surface, raking his palm down his face. “Don’t kick me, lady.”
“Don’t tickle my foot.”
“I didn’t.”
“You did.”
Exasperated, he dipped downward again and removed the other shoe, along with her shorts. Then, he swam back up and hoisted himself onto the Q40. He pulled her out of the water, stood her on the foot platforms facing him, and had the solar blanket vest out of the compartment by the time she had her T-shirt off.
Shivering, she shoved her arms through the armholes. He realized the vest was meant for one of the men—the Q40 hadn’t been packed for a rescue, it had been packed for a protector. A man with broad shoulders and muscles and around six feet tall. At maybe five-five and a hundred thirty pounds, she was lost in the vest. Without the snugness against her body, the heat would rapidly escape. The Gulf of Mexico wasn’t freezing, but it was cooler than people thought. Especially once you were wet and got out into the night air. Even worse with the ride they still had to make.
