Afloat by Erin Healy

Author:Erin Healy [Healy, Erin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Suspense, ebook
ISBN: 9781401685522
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2013-05-01T04:00:00+00:00

22

By morning Eagle’s Talon was an island. The isthmus had been flattened to a mere riverbed, and the turbulent waterfall was reduced to a steady current because there was nothing left for water to fall over.

And what had become of the rest of the world? That was the question on Vance’s mind as he stood on the end of number 12’s dock, straining to see across the wide body of water that had once been a cove. Gray spirits of fog caressed the water, soothing it. The waterlogged air turned yellow daylight silver. It blocked his view of the mainland and of all the condominium units he’d built south of number 10. The foundation there remained in position on its supporting poles, though several inches higher than it had yesterday. Nearly a foot, Vance estimated.

Enrique’s moored boat bumped against the end of the dock in a steady rhythm.

Danielle appeared at his side. “Mirah’s going crazy. In her quiet way. The baby’s getting cranky. She’s waking him up constantly to be sure he’s okay. And she still can’t get through to her husband at the hospital.”

“Not even on Tony’s phone?”

“I guess not.” Danielle put her hands on her hips.

“Has Tony said anything about his helicopter?” Vance asked.

“Only that it’s still too foggy to fly.”

“The pilots can’t estimate when this will lift?”

“All I hear is Tony’s side of the conversation. Which has involved a lot of huffing and puffing and getting mad about the weather.” Danielle shook her head.

“We can’t wait. Sam needs a hospital. It might already be too late for him.”

“Is he still unconscious?”

He nodded.

“I guess we’ll have to use the boat.”

Vance agreed. “We should be able to cut across the current right here. Sam, Mirah, and her boys should be the first to go as soon as Enrique’s ready to row.”

“I’m afraid Enrique’s not going to be good for much this morning,” she said. “Ferti’s pouring coffee down him at the moment, but he’s going slow.”

Vance sighed. The choice Enrique made last night had been Vance’s choice often enough in the past. “Then I’ll take the first load.”

She nodded. They stood side by side, both looking out over the water. “I don’t like that you can’t see the other side,” she said. “A half a mile doesn’t seem like it should be so far away, until you can’t see it.”

“It’s a cove. Was a cove. The other side is hard to miss blind-folded.”

“Unless the shoreline has been as radically transformed as that isthmus.”

Vance had considered the possibility. “It’ll take several trips to get everyone across.”

“Baxter should go next,” Danielle suggested. “It’s pretty much a sure thing that his hand is broken. And Ferti. She has family. A couple of sisters and their daughters.”

“You and Simeon should go before Ferti,” he said. “She’d say the same thing.”

Danielle looked away and cleared her throat. “I should wait with Tony. I’ll tell Mirah the plan.”

She turned to go back inside and bumped into Tony, whose hand was raised in front of his chest defensively as she crashed into him.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.