“What can I say? I’ma bullet magnet. Good thing chicks dig scars.” Tiny joked back looking at the graze on his right arm.
“It’s not helped by the fact you are over six and a half feet tall, brother. You’re the easiest damn target here.” Tiny laughed at Doc’s joke as he was patched up.
Liam ignored them and a burning pain in his right shoulder as he looked around the cave for Alejandro. The man’s white suit waseasy to spot though now it was mostly covered in dirt. Liam walked up to him and saw Alejandro lying on his stomach. There were blood spots on his back. Shit. It looked like Alejandro had been hit by stray bullets. He obviously hadn’t thought this whole plan through. Liam turned him over, and almost missed the gun in one of Alejandro’s hands; Liam barely ducked out of the way in time before it fired.Liam easily disarmed him. Alejandro didn’t put up much of a fight. His breathing was labored and his skin pale. There were three bullet wounds in his chest. He was dying. Liam leaned down and grabbed Alejandro’s shirt and pulled him up. “Tell me where she is.”
Alejandro struggled to breathe. His mouth opened and closed several times, but no words ever came out.
“Tell me.” Liam shook him.
“Fuck you.” Alejandro rasped before taking his last breath.
“No,” Liam shouted.
“Sunshine, let him go,” Midas ordered behind him.
“She has to be here somewhere, and he knows.”
“He’s dead. He can’t tell you anything. Sunrise will be here shortly. We’ll have Commander Jones circle the area and see if he can spot her. If she’s not in the area she’s back at his base. We’ll find her. First,you need to have Doc look at that shoulder.”
Fuck his shoulder. If they waited any longer to find her then it would be too late Liam feared. Why would Alejandro lead them out to the island if she wasn’t here? It didn’t make any sense. She had to be here. Liam stormed out of the cave and looked out at the water. “Where are you, baby?”
~
Cora had managed to move up a foot or two on the rockand had been able to bend her head down to her hands and pull the tape off without trying to drown herself. She took a minute just taking deep breaths. It hurt like a bitch, but she could breathe a lot better now. After Alejandro made it back to the island, two more boats had arrived and hid at the back side of the island. They were lying in wait for Liam and his team. It was a trap. She had towarn him, but she didn’t know how. She didn’t even know if she would spot them in time to warn them. Cora kept struggling to rise on the rock, but the chain was held tight around her. The water was starting to rise now and went from the top of her breasts to her neck. She could see the early rays of sunrise peaking on the horizon. She was running out of time. Cora managed to gain a few inches upthe rock, and as she placed her foot down it landed on algae, and her foot slipped dropping her back down. The water half submerged her face, and she managed to kick her legs back up. Her body was shivering now, and her feet could barely hold her up, but she refused to give up. Cora looked back at the island and had to squint when she saw a blob come out of the water followed by another until shesaw seven all together. Liam. He had come for her. She didn’t know how but she didn’t care. Cora screamed his name and cringed in pain at the piercing pain in her ribs. No. She was so close. He was here. She had to tell him where she was. She had to warn him about the two boats hiding with men behind the island. She screamed his name repeatedly then suddenly the blobs disappeared.
“No, Liam.”She whispered. Cora forgot about her fight for freedom and watched the island for any signs of life. The two boats moved around from the back to the front, and she watched the men slip in. She had to get to him. Cora redoubled her efforts to be free and managed to gain an inch up the rock before it caught on something and refused to move anymore. Cora pulled and tugged with all her might, but itrefused to move further up the rock. Cora laid her head back on the rock and took a moment to calm herself. That calm was broken when she heard screaming and gunfire.
“Liam,” she cried out. All to soon the gunfire ceased. She watched the island with anticipation. For a long while, nothing stirred. The team had to be okay. There had been a lot of men, but Liam’s team was better trained. Theywere fine. They had to be. A lone shadow stepped out of the tunnel. She didn’t know who it was. It could be one of Liam’s teammates or it could be one of Alejandro’s. Whoever it was it was worth the risk to call out to them. The water level was rising by the second now. She was out of time. “Liam,” she screamed at the top of her lungs repeatedly until she was hoarse.
~
Liam gripped his hairin frustration and pulled. Where the hell was she? She had to be here. He looked out over the horizon. Could it have been some elaborate trick and she was back at his base? The area the hostages used to be held, had been mostly destroyed when they had last been here, so he doubted she was there. She had to be here somewhere, but all there was was this island in the middle of nowhere. There wasn’tanother place for her to hide. Liam hung his head in defeat knowing he had failed someone else important in his life. “Just give me a sign.” He whispered. Liam was about the head back inside to regroup when he heard a voice, somewhere in the dark. It was the same voice he had heard before. But instead of only hearing it once it was repeatedly. Someone was out there. Cora? Liam scanned the water,but the sun was barely starting to rise, so it was still dark out, he couldn’t see anything. He ran back inside to grab his helmet with his NVD and ran back out ignoring the confused looks on everyone’s face. He scanned around him using the NVD, and thought he saw something a few hundred feet away to the left of the island, but couldn’t make out what it was. The voice was coming from that directionthough. Liam was willing to take the risk either way.
“Midas,” Liam called back into the cave.
Midas came running out with his teammates behind him. “There.” Liam pointed in the direction he saw something. Midas used his NVD’s and cursed. “I think it’s Cora.”
“That sick son of a bitch,” Midas said. Cora’s voice still called out to them but was becoming less frequent.Liam didn’t waste anothersecond. He dove into the water and swam out to her. His shoulder burned but he ignored it. Cora was counting on him. He didn’t know if she was standing on something or just floating in the water. Liam would swim for so many feet and stop to listen for Cora’s voice, so he knew in what direction to head. In the dark, she was like looking for a needle in a haystack. It was taking longer than hewould have liked to find her.
“Cora,” he called out to her, when he didn’t hear her calling out to him for a few moments.
“Liam,” her voice was quieter like she was tired. The good news was she was close in front of him. A few deep strokes and he could finally see a rock sticking out of the water and a form struggling on it. Cora. Liam quickly paddled to her and saw that she was leaningagainst a rock. She was struggling to get higher up the rock as the water level was at her top lip and she was having to tilt her head back to yell for him. Why wasn’t she swimming to him?
“I’m here, baby.” He said when he finally reached her. The tension in his body he had been carrying since he found out she had been kidnapped lessened. But he wasn’t going to celebrate until she was safelyin his arms. He reached out to touch her and felt her icy cold bare skin. Liam felt his ire rise knowing Alejandro had dropped her in here in just her bra and underwear. The bastard was lucky he was already dead, or Liam would give him a beating he would never forget.
“Y-y-y-ou c-c-ame.” Cora’s teeth chattered.
“I’ll always come for you. I love you. Come on let's get to the island. We’llget you warm.”
“C-c-can’t. Ch-ch-chained.” Liam felt along her chest and felt the chain holding her to the rock. Sunshine tried pulling the chain up the rock but felt that it was catching on something. He would have to pick the lock.
“Hang on, baby. I’m going to pick the lock, and you’ll be home free.” He kissed her ice-cold lips and reached into his pant pocket and pulled out his flashlightand his lock pick kit. He was the master lock picker. He could do this. Liam took a deep breath and went under and looked at the lock. It was an old lock that he wasn’t familiar with, but there wasn’t a lock out there he couldn’t pick. He put the flashlight in his mouth and started picking the lock. His hands shook as he tried to work quickly knowing the woman he loved was depending on him andcould be running out of air. Liam twisted the tool, and it dropped out of his hands. Shit. He kicked up and took in a lung full of air. The water was up to Cora’s nose. Cora was trying to stay brave for him as she tried to push herself further up the rock. Her eyes were wide with fear.
“G-go.” She told him.
“No,” Liam shook his head venomously. “I’m not leaving you. We’re going to go home.Together. Live in your house. Get married, have lots of kids. I’m not giving up.”
“G-great speech. Now h-how about you p-p-pick this l-l-lock already.” Cora said tilting her head all the way back, so her nose was out of the water. Liam smiled seeing Cora could still joke at a time like this. Liam took a deep breath and dove back under. He reached the rock bottom she had been standing on andlooked for his lock pick tool. It was so hard to see even with the flashlight. He reached around until his fingers brushed it. He gripped it and went back to work on the lock. He was just getting it to turn and unlock when he saw Cora struggling. She had to fully under water. He pulled the chain free and loosened it enough that he could pull Cora up above the surface. She took deep breaths and startedcoughing. He wanted to hug her close but knew after the beating she took she had to be hurting.
