He glanced over his shoulder just as a huge wave knocked the man out of the boat. The chopper had dropped an inflatable raft. Letting go of Grace, Dakota pulled the cord. Even before it was fully inflated, he reached out for Grace and lifted her into the craft. She was clearly weak from her struggle.
The other boat looked as though it had been battered and damaged by the waves that had taken the shooter under. The man had not yet bobbed to the surface.
Dakota crawled into the raft as well. Both of them lay on their stomachs gasping for air. Waves continued to rock the boat as water sprayed across the bow. He pulled himself into a sitting position and grabbed the oar that was attached to the inner wall of the craft. The waves were so strong he had very little control despite his strength and skill. Water cascaded into the boat. Grace clung to the safety rope, still lying on her stomach.
The rain came down with such power, it looked like gray sheets hung from the sky. He could barely make out the helicopter in the distance. It seemed to be sputtering and shaking, losing and gaining altitude at random. They were close to a tree-covered island. The chopper disappeared into the gloom created by the rain and then his radio cut out. He had no idea if they had been able to land or had simply crashed.
Help would come for them all. But right now, he needed to get Grace to dry land where she would be safe and warm. He steered the boat toward the island, not sure what he would find there. Neither the man who had shot at them nor his boat was anywhere in the inky turbulent waters.
Wave after wave washed over their fragile raft.
“Hang on, Grace.”
He continued paddling, keeping his eyes on the distant shore up ahead.
“Oh, no.” Grace’s voice was weak, faraway.
He craned his neck to see behind at what she was looking at. He had only a moment to register that a wave towered above them, blocking his view like a wall of water. The wave descended, crashing over their boat. As though forced by some giant hand, the raft plummeted beneath the water, sending Grace and Dakota to the depths of the ocean.
Dakota struggled beneath the weight of the water and the overwhelming power that had pushed him deeper underwater. He had only minutes to right himself and get to the surface before both he and Grace drowned.
Copyright © 2020 by Sharon Dunn
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ISBN: 9781488061103
Witness Protection Unraveled
Copyright © 2020 by Mags Storey
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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Witness Protection Unraveled (Protected Identities Book 3) Page 19
