“We’re good, but we won’t float forever. If we’re getting stuff off this plane, we need to do it now. Come on, Lea. We’ve got to move.” Cooper turned her, pressing her toward Dane.
She nearly tripped over the body of the pilot. She forced her gaze away from the dead man and allowed Dane to pull her into the cabin. The door was open, and Landon was already in the water, surrounded by pieces of luggage and bags he’d tied together forming a long train of survival gear.
“It’s a good five hundred yards to the beach,” Lan shouted up. “I swam out a little. There’s a beast of an undertow.”
She wasn’t the greatest swimmer in the world and she was still hazier than she’d like. Dane had one of the cushions in his hand and he’d used some rope to tie it around her, placing the cushion on her back. “Swim as long as you can. When you get tired, flip over on your back and I’ll drag you in. Just keep your head up and lose the shoes, baby. There’s no need for Prada here.”
Alea slipped out of the shoes, her hands shaking despite the heat she felt shimmering outside. Dane dove into the water, then she stepped forward. Landon was starting for shore, dragging the train of luggage behind him. It looked like he’d tied the rope around his waist. His body moved swiftly despite the undertow, showing no signs that the added weight held him back at all.
Dane surfaced, slicking his hair back and holding a hand up for her to join him. Despite the horrors of the last few minutes, he paused to encourage her. “Come on in. The water’s warm.”
The water was also a clear, crystal blue. As she stood in the doorway, she could see down into the water, despite its depth. A coral reef lurked below. She couldn’t tell how far down it was, but it was farther than Dane’s kicking feet. That had to be good enough.
“Go on, Lea,” Cooper said. “The water is about to start coming in the door. Once that happens, the plane will sink fast. Go!”
Alea sucked in a deep breath and jumped. In seconds, warm water surrounded her. Almost immediately she felt the floatation device around her waist yank her to the surface as surely as Dane’s hands. He helped her right her body and pushed the wet hair from her face.
Deep blue eyes stared into her own, silently demanding her focus. “Stay with us. I’m going to tether us together so you can’t drift off.”
In the distance, Landon was almost to the shore. Cooper splashed in behind her, then came to her side. Dane swam to the other, and together, they started for the shore. Alea kept pace, not wanting to fall behind or drag them down. She looked back, but only briefly saw as the plane that was supposed to take her to freedom began to sink to its watery grave.
She stared forward resolutely. She’d brought them into her nightmare. She wasn’t going to let them down.
Chapter Seven
As the sun started to sink over the horizon, Cooper thought about running from Alea. And then he thought about it again. But the truth of the matter was, she would only find him. And she’d only be more pissed off.
“Don’t move. I just want to clean it.” She walked up to him with a small red kit in her hands.
According to Cooper’s watch, two hours had passed since the plane had sunk below the surface and into the ocean. In two hours they’d managed to build a fire, gather palm fronds and bamboo for an eventual shelter, and scout around what was now their base camp. The island was tiny. It had taken Landon a whole twenty minutes to jog the circumference.
But in that two hours, the one thing he’d managed not to do was give in to Alea’s sudden desire to play nurse. It looked like that time had come to an end.
“I’m fine. Really, I used to be a medic. This little cut is nothing. Just hand me a bandage and it will be fine.” Cooper went back to sorting through the food and water.
“It’s only a little cut until bacteria gets inside. Then it becomes a flaming septic pus-filled wound that kills you within forty-eight hours,” Alea explained, wielding her first aid kit like a sword. “I won’t even go into all the bugs that would just love to burrow under your skin and make a nice home for themselves.”
Cooper shrugged. “I got saltwater all in it. Salt can be very purifying.”
Alea looked over his shoulder to where Dane was digging a pit. “Can’t you command him or something?”
“I tried to command you to get out of those wet clothes,” Dane said. “It didn’t do me any good. He’s a damn fine medic, as well as the absolute worst patient who ever walked the earth. He’s a complete pansy when it comes to stuff like this. Oh, you can shoot him and he won’t complain, but try taking off the band aid and he’ll howl.”