“You don’t get it, Dani.” He pressed his forehead tenderly to hers. “The roads are flooded. I don’t care if you planned to swim to town, it’s not safe. We have to wait this thing out now.”
“All right.” She glared at him. Anger and adrenaline were churning her up inside, and she welcomed it. She had to keep a clear head where Daeg was concerned. “If the roads aren’t an option, then where do you plan to do this waiting? My car’s out of commission and your Jeep doesn’t look much better.”
He glanced up the road and his hands tightened on her shoulders. “We’ll head back to the cabins and wait this thing out.”
He braced himself as the floodwater slapped at him. “It’s impossible,” she said. She’d considered it, but it seemed too dangerous—even in these circumstances—and was an experience she could live without.
He slid off his raincoat, wrapping the extra layer over her before she could push it away. His coat was warm from his body heat, an unspeakable luxury after the hour she’d spent in her car. She looked down and was almost sick. Waves raced and swirled around them and the car bucked.
“The car’s...moving,” she whispered.
He nodded, turned and gave her his back. “That’s why we’re walking,” he said, peering at her over his shoulder. “Back to the Jeep if we can, or straight up to the cabins if we have to, whichever is easiest. Climb on.”
“You’re crazy.”
He shook his head and gestured impatiently. “You don’t weigh enough to keep your balance in this kind of water. Even if you stick right by my side, I can’t guarantee you’ll stay upright, and swimming in these conditions takes training you don’t have. So I’ll carry you.”
When she hesitated, he grinned at her. Water streaked his face. “Your choice. Piggyback or fireman’s carry. Me, I wouldn’t want to be facedown in this.”
He made a good point.
She gave in, and wrapping her arms loosely around his neck, she settled against his broad back. He was all heat and muscle.
“Tell me you’ve done this before.” Didn’t rescue swimmers jump out of choppers? Did that even qualify him for this?
“Too many times,” he laughed, though the humor quickly went out of his voice. “You don’t worry about that. I’ve got you.” He moved steadily across the road toward his Jeep and possibly the cabins.
Before they could reach either destination, a sheet of rain slapped the surface of the water, sending a wall of spray right at them.
6
THE WALL OF brown, muddy storm water was no tsunami, but Daeg estimated the crest at six feet, giving him almost no clearance and putting Dani underwater. He’d lose his footing when that huge wave slammed into him, which meant they’d be free-floating. Determining the mission here was simple—he must get Dani to safety. Now.
Behind them, her car shifted. It wasn’t safe. He’d been in numerous rescue situations where conditions had changed in the blink of an eye. One minute everything was going well, and the next—it was all shot to nothing. This was not going to be one of those times.
He summoned whatever strength he still had left. This was for Dani.
He’d jumped out of helicopters where two hundred feet below the water was frigid and worse than choppy. Every second had brought another gust of wind hitting hard, driving the hovering bird to one side and then the other. Those extreme conditions demanded that a man push himself to his limits. This storm was nothing in comparison. Except he knew the person needing rescue. Dani wasn’t another anonymous victim.
Focus. This was just one more mission. In. Out. And over.
“Incoming,” he grunted. “Hang tight.”
Her head jerked, tracking the bounding wave. “Oh, no.”
Yeah. She saw what he saw. Somewhere just north of them, a stream had escaped the banks and the resulting flash flood was also about to hit.
He moved fast, muscles screaming for oxygen as he one-twoed it against the hard pull of the current. Between the rain and fading daylight, visibility wasn’t good. Maybe ten seconds and all that water would reach them. Focus.
The world telescoped to the chew of the sludge, ocean water and everything that had been caught in its path. Daeg forced himself through the water; failure was not an option.
“No, wait,” she protested. “Maybe there’s another way.”