“Coast Guard station, this is Petty Officer Daniels.”
“This is Ace McKenna,” Ace said, keeping his voice low and steady. “I’m one of the adult leaders on Sandy Shore Island with a group of teenagers. We’ve been out of contact since the storm hit. I need to speak to Fire Chief Zane Evans or whoever is coordinating the Sandy Shore rescue effort.”
There was a brief pause and the sound of movement on the other end.
“Hold please, Mr. McKenna. I’m patching you through right now.”
The line clicked and hummed, and Ace pressed the phone closer to his ear and waited, watching the signal bar flicker between one bar and two. He angled himself slightly toward the cave entrance, where the signal had been marginally stronger earlier.
Then a voice he recognized came through the line, and the relief in it was so immediate and so unguarded that it hit Ace somewhere in the chest before he’d had time to prepare for it.
“Ace.” Zane’s voice crackled through the static. “Thank goodness. We haven’t heard anything since Grace managed to get a call through earlier. She told us Willa had gone into the water and that you’d gone in after her. That she and the other teens were heading for the cave.” There was a crackling pause. “We’ve been going out of our minds here with worry.”
“Everyone’s okay,” Ace said. Zane exhaled on the other end of the line. The relief in it was audible and real. “Willa’s safe. She’s sleeping right now. Grace and Andy are both fine. Rad and Margo made it to the island as well. They’re here with us. All the teenagers are accounted for, and no one was hurt. Just a little bit soggy and frightened.”
“That is good to know,” Zane breathed. “I know a few people who will be glad to hear this.”
“We’re all in the cave on the eastern side, exactly where Grace said we’d go. We’ve got a fire going and enough supplies to get through to morning comfortably.” Ace glanced around the cave once again.
“That’s some of the best news I’ve heard all night,” Zane told him, and Ace could hear Carmen’s voice in the backgroundasking something sharp and urgent, and Zane’s muffled reply telling her everyone was okay. “Ace, I’ve got Holt here. He and June have been at the Coast Guard station for a while now. I’m going to put him on.”
There was a brief shuffle on the line, and then Holt’s voice came through, quieter than Zane’s but considerably more controlled, which told Ace exactly how hard Holt had been working to hold himself together for the past several hours.
“Ace.” Holt’s voice was measured and even.
“Hi, Holt,” Ace greeted the man.
“Are my grandson and son okay?” Holt asked. “And Willa, Margo, and all Willa’s kids and the other teens?”
“Tyler and Rad are here safe and sound. Just like everyone else on your list,” Ace replied with a smile.
“Thank you,” Holt’s voice resonated with relief. “It’s been so tough trying to will everything to be okay from here.”
“I can understand that,” Ace assured him.
His heart squeezed as he realized the only person he had was his grandmother. She lived in a retirement village in Miami and probably had no idea Ace was even in trouble. That hit Ace like a ton of bricks. He glanced around the cave, knowing that each of the people there had someone who was worrying about them right now. Ace had a grandmother who lived miles away. His eyes landed on Willa, Grace, and Andy again. They were the only family he had. Ace swallowed and pulled his mind away from that thought. He wasn’t going to wallow in self-pity. Good grief, what the heck was wrong with him? He was single and living his life by the choices he’d made.
“Hold on a moment, Ace,” Holt said, pulling Ace from his thoughts. “June wants to talk to you.”
June’s voice came on the line before Ace could respond.
“Ace, is Willa safe?” June asked, her voice filled with panic and concern. “And my grandchildren? How is everyone there? How are you, Ace?”
“Willa’s fine, June,” Ace said gently. “She’s right here all curled up in a sleeping bag with Grace and Andy on either side of her. They’ve all been asleep for a couple of hours now.” He looked across the cave at the three of them, the steady rise and fall of Willa’s breathing, Grace tucked against her side. “Other than Willa being exhausted, she’s going to feel the impromptu swim tomorrow in every muscle she has.” He gave a soft laugh. “But other than that, Willa is okay. As are Andy, Grace, and everyone else.” He glanced to where Rad and Margo were sleeping. “Including Rad, Margo, and Tyler.”
“Oh, thank you, Ace,” June said, her voice sounding a little gruff. “We’ve been so worried not knowing.”
“We did try to call earlier, but there’s been no signal until now,” Ace explained.
“I know,” June stated. “It’s one of the more frustrating things. We have all this technology, but one temper tantrum from Mother Nature, and nothing works.”
“She does have a way of ensuring everyone feels her wrath,” Ace agreed with June.
“Please, Ace, I know she’s sleeping, but I really need to hear Willa’s voice,’ June told him. There was a pause, and he heardwhispers in the background. “Oh, wait, Holt needs to speak with you again first.”
Holt came back on the line. “Ace, we’ve got a rescue underway,” he told him. “The harbor approach is blocked with storm debris, so the boats can’t go out safely. We’ve got the Coast Guard rescue helicopter on the pad here.” He paused briefly. “Dean is going to fly it.”
Ace straightened slightly on his rock. “I was wondering if Dean was going to insist on flying this rescue operation.” He smiled. “You know he taught me how to fly?”
