He had to get her out of this.
They were halfway around the edge of the cliff, directly over the water now. Ahead of him, the cliffs were curving back in toward what he assumed was another beach. Edging his way along again, he focused on getting Charlie out of this mess.
A startled cry whipped his head around in time to watch as Charlie’s feet slipped off the wall and she plunged toward the sea.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Jack releasedthe wall with one hand and lunged at her. His fingers encircled her wrist, and he yanked her to a halt. She cried out when her shoulder jerked in its socket, and he winced in response. He was supposed to beprotectingher, nothurtingher. He told himself the ocean and cliffs would do far more damage, but it didn’t help.
Charlie ignored the pain in her arm and shoulder as she gazed into Jack’s fiery eyes. The muscles in his neck stood out, and a vein pounded in his forehead. The fingers still holding onto the cliff were white. Straining to hold onto the cliff and her, he brought her back toward the wall, but his right foot slipped.
Charlie bit her lip to keep from shrieking when she was jerked to a halt again. Water crashed against her feet and lower legs. She struggled to get her feet against the cliffs so she could grasp a rock with her free hand, but every time she came close, another wave knocked her away.
The wind battered her as it howled across the cliffs. The roar of the ocean was all she could hear as adrenaline flooded her system. Her fingers bled as she scratched at the rocks, but like her feet, every time she found a good purchase on the wall, the ocean tore it away from her. She refused to panic as a vise-like grip squeezed her chest until she stopped possessing the ability to breathe.
She stared at the tumultuous water as she tried to figure out what she would do when Jack released her. She couldn’t andwouldn’tblame him when he let her go; she would do the same to him if it meant saving herself and getting back to Dylan.
When she hit the water, she would start swimming immediately. Yes, the water was freezing, she would be battered against the rocks, probably a hundred times or more, and her bones would break, but she would keep swimming. It was her only option.
Jack’s fingers dug deeper into Charlie’s wrist as he worked to get his foot braced against the rocks again. Though they were short, the nails on his left hand bent back and broke away as he dug his fingers into the rock to maintain his grip. If he couldn’t pull her up, he would follow her into the ocean, but he refused to let go of her.
Finally finding a foothold, he braced himself against the wall as he hauled Charlie up to stand on the rocks beside him. Her feet scrambled for purchase as she gripped the cliff with her free hand before flattening herself against it. Jack released her wrist and wrapped his arm around her waist to grip the rocks on the other side of her. He kept her pinned in as she shook against him.
Unable to get her shaking under control, Charlie was sure she would lose her grip on the rocks again. Jack’s arm around her gave her some reassurance she wouldn’t fall, but she rested her forehead against the jagged stones as she fought to regain control. If she didn’t get it together, she would end up in the sea.
“Why?” she croaked when she was strong enough to form words again.
“Why what?” he asked.
Charlie turned her head to look at him. She blinked away the wetness clinging to her lashes as she gazed at him. “Why didn’t you let me go?”
Whatever exasperation Jack felt over the question vanished when he saw the confusion in her beautiful eyes. He leaned over to kiss her forehead. “I’m never going to let you go,” he vowed.
Charlie wasn’t sure she heard him correctly, and before she had a chance to question him, he turned away and started back across the cliff.
* * *
Charlie sankto her knees on the sandy beach and bowed her head as she resisted kissing the sand. She was alive. She’d made it to land without any broken bones or having to swim, yet she felt like hugging herself while sobbing uncontrollably. It was official; shedespisedthe ocean and never wanted to be anywhere near it again. Unfortunately, she had no choice about that.
“Are you okay?” Jack asked as he knelt beside her.
“Yes,” she said.
Jack sat back on his heels to survey the beach while Charlie collected herself. He didn’t see anyone on the beach or the cliffs above, but that didn’t mean someone wasn’t hiding somewhere or they weren’t spotted and someone was on their way to kill them.
“We have to go,” he said.
“Yes,” Charlie agreed and took his hand when he offered it to her.
Rising, she lifted her chin and made her knees stop knocking together. Despite her lingering trepidation, her gait was steady as she led Jack through the shadows of the cliffs and down the beach to the first side tunnel.
She tried not to get her hopes up as she entered the small, manmade sliver in the cliff face. If someone didn’t know it was there, it was impossible to see. Turning sideways, she slipped into the tunnel Mal had carved through the rocky cliffs. The only sound within was their breaths bouncing off the rocks and Jack’s sneakers when they scraped the stone.
When she discovered the tunnel blocked, it took everything she had not to scream in frustration and kick the pile of rubble blocking the way.
“We have to go back,” she muttered.
“We’ll try another one,” Jack said in response to the anguish in her voice.
