by S. C. Daiko
“Perfect.”
What else could I say?
We’d arrived at the end of the walkway to my villa. “Well, I guess you’ll be busy for the rest of the day,” he swiped a hand through his curly dark hair. “We’ll meet up tomorrow morning after breakfast for the flight out.”
I clamped my teeth shut to contain a snarky retort. He wanted to be rid of me so he could work, wheeling and dealing or whatever it was that floated his boat.
Fair enough. I didn’t care. I didn’t need his help, sure as hell didn’t need him. I could manage fine on my own.
I sat across the aisle from Brash in the seaplane the next day, the same as I’d done on the journey to his resort. After shoving my purse and carryon bag under the seat, I buckled myself in and waited. Our pilot was a mature man who introduced himself as Anaan, dark-skinned with graying hair and a salt-and-pepper beard. He started the engines and we motored away from the dock, picking up speed then taking off.
When we’d reached cruising height, Brash unbuckled his seatbelt and went to sit next to Anaan. Sunlight streamed through the windows and I stared out at the breath-taking view of the cobalt, cloudless sky above and the turquoise-blue ocean below.
I was tired, on the verge of dozing. Yesterday, I’d so loved taking photographs of James and Samantha, the good-looking honeymooning couple from London whom Brash’s manager had found. They were pumped to feature in the shoot and invited me to hang with them when I’d taken all the pictures I’d wanted. We’d watched the sun go down over the horizon before enjoying tuna curry in a restaurant perched at the edge of the lagoon. I’d wondered briefly what Brash was doing and if he was happy all on his own…
We flew on now, occasionally passing remote islands scattered across the water like bowls of salad on a deep-blue tablecloth. Sleep finally overcame me and I fell into dreams of underwater coral and multicolored fish.
The next thing I knew, Brash was shaking me. “Aly, wake up!”
I stared at him, took in his wide-eyed expression and the fact he was wearing something yellow that looked like a flotation vest. “What’s wrong?”
“We’re out of fuel. Anaan is going to set us down on the water and radio for help.” Brash handed me a life jacket. “Put this on.”
With trembling fingers, I did as he asked. “Why the hell didn’t he check if we had enough fuel before we took off?”
“The tank was full. Must have sprung a leak.” Brash kept his voice calm. “Try not to worry. He’s an experienced pilot.”
Try not to worry?! Jesus, I feel sick I’m so scared…
Brash sat across the aisle. I gripped the armrests of my seat and gazed out the window at the rolling surface of the ocean growing closer and closer. But instead of slowing down we picked up speed, descending at a steep angle.
“What the fuck?” Brash shouted at Anaan.
Oh. My. God.
The nose of the plane pulled up sharply, and I screamed.
We hit the water tail-first, then skipped across the whitecaps.
My heart nearly beat out of my chest.
The tip of a wing caught the surface and the plane cartwheeled out of control.
The sound of shattering glass filled my ears, and I had the sensation of flying followed by searing pain.
Shit! Shit! Shit! Am I going to die?
The plane broke apart around me.
I catapulted into the ocean.
Will I ever see my family again?
A ton of saltwater poured down my throat as I sank beneath the waves.
Chapter Sixty-Three
Brash
The buoyancy of my floatation vest shot me to the surface. I gasped and sucked in a mouthful of air, coughing and spluttering as I scanned the debris-strewn water.
My stomach churned.
Fuck, where’s Aly?
I called out her name.
And Anaan, where the hell is he?
Squinting in the harsh sunlight, I saw something bobbing a short distance away. Blonde hair spread across the waves.
Aly. Thank God!
I swam toward her. Christ! She was floating face-forward, only being held afloat by the life jacket. My breaths burst in and out.
“Aly, I’m here. I’ve got you.” I wrapped my arm around her and lifted her chin so she wouldn’t inhale any more seawater. Her eyes were closed, her face deathly pale, and she was bleeding from a couple of cuts on her cheeks and forehead.
My heart hammered.
I tilted her head back, pinched her nose and puffed two breaths, one after the other, into her mouth.
No response.
Shit!
I repeated the action, and her eyes fluttered open before closing again. I searched for a pulse behind her ear. It beat faintly under my fingers.
Phew!
I stared around. No sign of Anaan. Had he been injured and gone down with the plane?
I fucking hope not.
Anaan hadn’t had time to call for help. When we missed our arrival slot, would they send out a search plane, even if they didn’t know where we were?
I squeezed my eyes shut and muttered a prayer, the acid taste of dread in my mouth.
The current was strong and pulling us away from the wreckage. I kept my arm around Aly, lifting her. I creased my forehead, trying to work out our flight path. Where the fuck were we?
An ice-cold shard of panic pierced the pit of my stomach. I tried to ignore it. Fucking impossible. For the first time in my life since I was a child, events had overtaken me. Were out of my control.
Jesus, fuck, what a fucking clusterfuck…
Aly moaned and I whispered, “I’m here. You’re safe.”
She shivered and I held her close to share my body heat. Not that there was much of that— I was chilled to the bone.
I looked around again.
We were surrounded by nothing but rolling waves.
Stay calm.
I repeated the words to myself like a mantra— there wasn’t anything else I could do other than try and survive.
Hours passed, it seemed, although I wasn’t sure. I felt completely disoriented.
Aly had passed out again; I kept checking her pulse. My eyelids grew heavy and I wanted to doze off, but we’d be separated.
The sound of splashing.
A pod of dolphins had arrived, their eyes flickering with curiosity.
“Hey, guys,” I managed to rasp. “Come to rescue us?” I laughed at the absurdity of my question.
With a wave of their tails, they left in obvious pursuit of some lunch.
The current took us further and further away from where the plane had gone down.
More splashing.
Rhythmical this time.
I swept my gaze around again and a slow smile of relief spread across my face. I let out a whoop. The sound I’d heard was the noise of waves hitting the barrier reef to an island. I could just see it in my peripheral vision.
I kicked my feet so frantically my shoes came off. Using the arm not holding Aly, I swam hard, fighting the current that was sweeping us parallel to land.
Kick, kick, kick.
I spotted a break in the waves and managed to propel us through it into the calm waters of a lagoon.
My lungs burning, I kept swimming until my feet touched the sandy bottom.
With the last vestiges of my energy, I heaved Aly out of the water onto the shore.
I turned her onto her side and tilted her head backwards. Then, totally wrung out, I collapsed next to her.
The fierce heat of the sun woke me. Where the hell am I? What the fuck happened? Every muscle in my body ached. My mouth felt like I’d had a heavy night out and had woken with a hangover.
I rolled over; I was lying on the hot sand of a beach.
The caw of sea birds echoed in my ears and sweat trickled down my face.
The events of the morning came back to me like a bad dream as I sat up and pulled off my life jacket. I glanced at my Rolex Submariner. Four o’clock
in the afternoon.
Aly was lying on her side like I’d left her, and a cold finger of fear stroked my gut. What if she’s died? She’d been unconscious when I’d crashed out. I might be an asshole, but I did have some integrity; her death was the last thing I wanted.
I knelt next to her.
Her chest rose and fell under the life vest.
Thank God!
Relief flooded through me. I stared at her swollen, bruised face. The cuts looked superficial; they wouldn’t need stitches. But she was clearly concussed. She must have banged her head when the plane broke apart; she should see a doctor.
I had to search for help, but first I needed to get her under some shade. Squinting my eyes, I took in our surroundings. The palm-fringed beach was deserted. If this was a resort, we’d pitched up on a remote part of it…
“Aly,” I bent and whispered. “Can you hear me?”
No response.
I shook her shoulder. “Aly.”
She moaned.
“Wake up, little girl,” I brushed the hair back from her face.
“Not a little girl,” she groaned and blinked her eyes open. “Thirsty…”
“So am I,” I had to laugh.
Sassy to the core, even in the middle of a fucking nightmare.
“We need to get under the trees out of the sun. Think you can manage that?”
She nodded, then winced.
I unbuckled her life jacket. Her t-shirt was still wet underneath, clinging to her luscious breasts.
Don’t look. This is hardly the time, or the place.
“I’m okay.” She staggered to her feet, then collapsed back down again. “Dizzy,” she moaned. “Gonna throw up.”
And she did, barely missing my feet.
Great, that will dehydrate her even further.
“Let me give you a hand.” I stopped myself before I added, little girl. “Lean against me.”
She did as I’d asked, and I managed to maneuver us both up the beach to the tree-line.
I sat down next to her. “How are you feeling?”
“Better.” A pause. “Where are we?”
“Hopefully on an inhabited island, although this part of it seems deserted.” I scanned the ocean. There was nothing but water as far as the horizon. “We’d only been flying a short time when we crashed. My guess is we’re in the Huvadhu Atoll.” I refrained from mentioning it was the most undeveloped part of the country.
“My family will freak out.” She paused, frowning. “But Papa will send someone to find us.”
How could I tell her my seaplane hadn’t filed a flight plan and flew too low to be tracked by radar? It would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.
“What happened to Anaan?” her voice trembled.
“He could have come ashore on another part of the island,” I said with more certainty than I felt.
“Hope so,” she clutched at her hands.
“Wish I had my cellphone. It’s probably at the bottom of the sea,” I sighed.
“Yeah, mine too,” she sighed back at me. “What about your family? Won’t they be worried?”
I thought about Dad, my stepmom and the rest of the Collins tribe and my chest panged.
Fuck, I was thirsty. I looked up at the trees shading us. Coconuts. Didn’t they contain liquid? But how to get them down?
If I shook the trunk, would one of them fall and crack open?
I got to my feet. Worth a try…
Zero chances. The fruit was still green and stayed resolutely in place.
“Will you be okay while I have a look around?” I asked Aly. “I know I shouldn’t leave you, but we both need a drink of water…”
“Sure. I’ll be fine.” She was putting on a brave face, I knew she was, but there was no alternative.
“I’ll be back soon. Stay right here.”
“I’m not going anywhere, I’m too woozy,” she gave a wry laugh and waved me off.
I followed the edge of the shore; I was barefoot and didn’t want to hazard the dense scrub of the interior. Maldivian islands were much alike. If this one was inhabited, I’d soon find signs of life.
I walked slowly, exhaustion and dehydration hindering my steps. All I could see were coconut trees, white sand and… and… fuck me, up ahead something that looked like a resort beach bungalow, hugging the edge of the tree-line. I made my weary way toward it. Except, the closer I got the more my heart sank. The building appeared derelict, the doors, window frames and decking looked rotten; part of the roof had fallen in.
“Hello, anyone there?” I called out.
Silence.
I stepped inside, went from room to room. A cyclone must have struck the place it was so beaten up. There wasn’t much left of the furnishings— just a collapsed bedframe, a couple of wonky chairs and a kind of cupboard. Something caught my eye. A plastic water-bottle. I picked it up. Empty. I’d take it with me, though.
Might come in useful.
The sky had clouded over while I was looking around, and sudden torrential rain pelted down. I lifted my face and opened my mouth. Never had water tasted so good. I held up the bottle, praying some of the rain would fall into it, and some did, but nowhere near enough to slake my thirst, let alone Aly’s. I drank a little and left most of it for her.
I was too tired to continue my walk around the island. I’d go check she was alright.
About fifteen minutes later, I found her where I’d left her. “Hey, I’ve brought you a drink.”
“Thanks,” she murmured. “Tried to swallow some of that rain… wasn’t easy.”
“Yeah, I know.” I handed her the bottle and licked my salt-encrusted lips while she took a sip.
“How about you?” She glanced up at me.
“I had some already. You finish it.”
I sat and told her about the abandoned bungalow. “Means this island isn’t uncharted, which is a good sign. Tomorrow, after a night’s sleep, we can have a good look around. If we don’t find anyone, we can try and light a fire to attract the attention of any planes searching for us. I’d do it now, but I’m worn out from getting us here.”
“I don’t remember anything from when we ditched until I woke up on this beach.” She dragged a hand through her matted hair. “Thanks for looking after me.”
“You’d have done the same if it had been me who’d hit my head,” I countered, raking my gaze over her face. At least she was talking more coherently. “Does it hurt?”
“Throbs a little.” She shot me a speculative look. “I went on an expedition when I was at boarding school. We learned survival techniques like starting a fire by rubbing two sticks together. When my head stops hurting, I’ll do that for us.”
“I used to go on camping trips in Colorado with my dad. But we always had the most up-to-date equipment.” My shoulders drooped as I thought about him. He’d suffered enough in his life without the added worry of me going missing…
“Think I’ll lie down now,” Aly interrupted my thoughts. “I’ll use my life jacket as a pillow, so the sand doesn’t get into my cuts.”
“We can set up camp in that abandoned bungalow until someone finds us or we find them. You’re not in any condition to walk there now and I haven’t got the energy to carry you, so we’ll do it tomorrow.”
“Sounds like a plan,” she smiled bravely.
I gazed out to sea. The setting sun had painted the sky pink and orange, tinting the waves with crimson tones.
Darkness descended rapidly.
I stretched out next to Aly. The night air had turned chilly, and the wind blowing off the lagoon made her shiver. I wished I’d had a jacket to cover her with, but I was only wearing a t-shirt and cargo shorts. I put my arm around her instead. She flinched.
“Just sharing body heat,” I said.
“Okay,” she relaxed against me and soon her breathing told me she’d fallen asleep.
My stomach growled with hunger, and I was still fucking thirsty. Holding Aly close, I tried not to thi
nk about how long it might take before someone found us, or, worse case scenario, if anyone would ever find us.
Her enticing ass sent a shot of desire to my traitorous cock, and I shifted away.
Tomorrow, I’d make sure we had proper shelter and separate sleeping arrangements.
Aly was off-limits. I wouldn’t complicate life by falling under her spell.
Nevertheless, during the night, I gravitated toward her and spooned my body around hers. Just keeping warm, I told myself, before finally relaxing enough to fall into a deep sleep.
Chapter Sixty-Four
Alyona
The heat of the sun woke me. My mouth was dry as a bone and my head felt like it had been hit with a freaking sledgehammer. I rolled over and blinked my eyes open.
My heart sank. Just for a couple of seconds, I’d hoped everything that had happened yesterday had been a horrible nightmare.
No chance.
Boundless sugar-white sand and infinite blue ocean confirmed reality.
Hot tears welled in my eyes, but I forced them down.
Crying won’t change anything.
I touched my fingers to my face; the cuts had scabbed over, and dried blood caked my hairline. Groaning, I sat up; at least I wasn’t dizzy anymore.
Where’s Brash?
It was freaking hot already, the torrid heat of a tropical morning. Sweat covered every inch of my body. I’d give anything for a nice cool shower. I shaded my eyes with a hand and squinted at the lagoon.
Brash was standing waist-high in the water, peering at something.
I pushed myself to my feet. Somehow, I’d managed not to lose my sneakers, and I was grateful for them as I made my way down to the shoreline.
Brash had kept his t-shirt on and the wet cotton clung to his impressive pecs. Reluctantly, I tore my gaze from his broad chest. “What are you doing?”
He frowned. “I’ve been trying to catch us some fish for breakfast, but they’re too fast for me.”
I placed my hands on my hips. “I remember from my expedition training we need to make ourselves some spears. Oh, and a fire to cook on. Just not feeling that hungry right now…”
