His to Protect by Karen Rock

His to Protect by Karen Rock

Author:Karen Rock [Rock, Karen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2016-09-04T04:00:00+00:00


9

CASSIE GRIPPED HER harness and pressed her trembling lips together as the helicopter sliced through the churning air the next day. In moments, they’d arrive on scene to rescue nine people from a floundering ferry caught on shoals off Barbuda. She needed to stay focused. Volunteering for this mission meant doing her job, honoring Jeff and seeing his world firsthand. And what a terrifying view it was... Would she be a help or a liability as Mark insisted?

Refusing to let doubt take hold, she tore her gaze off the back of his head, visible through the open cockpit. The inside of the cabin felt cramped, despite the two sliding windows on the left side of the fuselage and the helo’s capacity to hold twenty-six, according to Dylan, the cheerful rescue swimmer aboard.

Her tight lungs labored to breathe the cold, damp air infused with a hint of jet fuel and salt water. Her head swam, and her mouth flooded with saliva. She felt like she was going to throw up. She bit her lip and dug her fingernails into her palms. Steady, now. She had to succeed, to carry on Jeff’s legacy if only for one day. Complete the flight he hadn’t finished. Say goodbye.

Her eyes stung and she blinked fast. Mark’s anguished expression when she’d boarded this morning came to mind. Was he thinking about Jeff, too? Worried about her? It killed her that she was making a hard situation worse for him. She had to do her best on the job today and give him no reason to worry.

“CG helo, this is M/V Sea Monarch on Channel 16, over,” said a man with a subtle Caribbean accent over the radio. The captain of the floundering ferry ship. A ringing sounded behind his transmission. His alarm system, she guessed. It set off her own warning bells as she pictured the sinking ship. She felt a sense of foreboding that had nothing to do with the worsening weather they’d headed into today. “I can see you now,” the captain said. “What would you like us to do?”

The man’s voice sounded strained. Exhausted. Yet he conveyed the same level of control and authority as Mark.

“M/V Sea Monarch, M/V Sea Monarch, this is CG helo 6039 on Channel 16. How do you read me?” Mark said smoothly.

“Lima Charlie,” replied the captain, meaning loud and clear.

“Sir, we will be O/S in a few minutes. Please confirm the number of people on board, number of injuries, current wind direction and speed at the surface,” Mark directed.

“Nine confirmed. Three non-ambulatory including a man who’s pretty old and can’t swim and a wounded young man with a gushing upper thigh wound,” the skipper reported. “Plus our rafts are tied up and useless.”

Her stomach rolled itself into a hard ball, her pulse skyrocketing. A femoral gash meant a patient in danger of bleeding out. She double-checked her medical equipment, eyeing her supply of gauze pads and wraps. It looked inadequate for the life-and-death task at hand.

“Roger, Captain.



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