“Zoe,” Dimitris said. He started to hug her, then stopped short as she cradled her arm against her chest.
“I’m fine,” she said. “Where’s Sam?”
Nikos had helped Sam onto the hillside. He was coiling up the rope while Nikos removed the anchor.
Bewildered, Zoe said, “Why are you putting that away? Isn’t someone going to look in the cave?”
“It was empty,” Sam said.
“How do you know?”
“I was able to look inside,” Sam assured her.
“Let’s get you off this hill,” Nikos said as he and Dimitris each took one side, helping her down the path toward the blue-topped church. A few fat drops splattered on the ground in front of them. Looking out, the rain was dancing across the sea that had been calm but was now darkening, and the clouds were racing toward the shore. In the short few minutes it took for them to get from the top of the hill to the bottom near the dock, the sun had disappeared behind a thick bank of angry clouds, and the cerulean waters had turned black.
The storm was nearly on them.
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
Nikos looked up at the sky. “I don’t think anyone expected the weather to turn so soon. Certainly not me.”
“It’s not your fault,” Sam said. “We weren’t expecting to be here this long.”
They headed into the church to take a better look at Zoe in order to decide their best course of action. As they stepped inside the gate of the courtyard, a particularly large wave hit the six-foot wall, sending a spray of water over the top. Nikos and Dimitris, on either side of Zoe, helped her quickly through the door, where it was still dry. “How are you feeling?” Nikos asked her.
“Other than my arm, I’m a bit dizzy.”
Dimitris helped her to sit. She took a deep breath, then closed her eyes. “What about that carving on the rock? It looked like the sketch, didn’t it?”
“Yes, it did. But not as angry.”
Sam, worried about the hit to Zoe’s head, drew Nikos aside. “On top of what looks like a break in her arm, she may have a concussion. We should get her to a doctor as soon as possible.”
Nikos glanced back at her. “The sooner we get out of here, the better,” he said as the wind whistled beneath the door. “If the storm hits and the boat capsizes . . .”
He didn’t finish. He didn’t need to. Zoe, with her injuries, would never be able to withstand the choppy seas.
“If you’re talking about me,” Zoe said, “there’s no way I’m getting into that boat with this arm. I’ll walk to the town first.”
“It’ll take an hour to walk,” Dimitris said. “We can be home in fifteen minutes.”
She started to laugh, then gave a half-sob. “As rough as that water is? Fifteen minutes of pure torture. I’m the injured one. Shouldn’t I get a say?”
Sam looked out the door. The cape that normally protected the bay was being smashed on both sides, the waves nearly covering the rocks. Their RIB boat bounced up and down and against the dock as if it were a toy. “Is there anyone here on the island who can help her?”
“She’ll need to get her arm set in Fourni. If we can get the boat to the town’s port, she’ll have an easier time of it. The water is calmer, as it’s protected by the two islands. We just have to do it before the storm breaks.”
“By land it is. I’ll take the boat and meet you all at the harbor in Thimena.”
“Just be aware,” Nikos said. “The channel can be difficult. It’s where the north and south waters converge. You saw how it was when we went through earlier. It’s likely to be worse.”
Sam, fortunately, had plenty of experience in navigating similar boats in harsh weather. His mother ran a boat chartering business in South Florida, an area that was often hit by hurricanes. “Understood.”
Remi brushed her hair back from her face as she looked up at him. “I’m going with you.”
“Remi—”
“Who’s going to rescue you if you fall out?”