“Roger that,” the captain of the cutter responded. “Expanding search field to four nautical miles.”
Their previous area had encompassed two, and that had been hard enough.
Come on, come on, Vince hissed under his breath.I know you’re out there.
The wind was becoming more of a problem with every tick of the clock, but Obi-Wan was steady on the collective.
“Don’t worry about us.” the Night Stalker spoke out.
It was like he’d been reading Vince’s mind.
“Belle is rated to operate in much higher winds that this, and checking the forecast, we won’t reach anything close to her limit, today.”
“Thanks for that,” Vince replied, his gaze skimming the waves, waiting for dips to appear so he didn’t miss anything in a trough.
He wasn’t going to get sloppy, if?—
Wait.
Vince blinked.
Could that be…?
“Obi-Wan,” he snapped. “I’m seeing something at your two o-clock.”
All eyes and binoculars went to the spot Vince identified as Obi-Wan powered in.
“It’s her,” Jett confirmed with an exultant cry.
“Letting the Coast Guard know,” Obi-Wan stated, still focused and composed.
Jett continued. “I see… Yup. We have two targets afloat, approximately twenty-five feet apart.”
“Two?” Vince puzzled, craning to get a better look. “How is that possible. The crew said they only threw over one PFD, and if the pair aren’t together…? Nobody can swim that long in these rough seas,” he mused.
“Well, I see two.” Jett replied, then suddenly let out a laugh.
The tension in the helo had eased somewhat, with visual confirmation of life.
“Damn. Your woman is really something, Vince,” Jett chortled. “If I’m not mistaken, she has her jeans around her neck.”
“Her…? Holy shit. Her jeans?” Buck marveled. “She’s freaking brilliant. I’ve never had to attempt that move any place but in a pool. I’ll bet it wasn’t easy.”
Easy or not, Vince couldn’t be more thankful that Lace had that skill in her arsenal. It had clearly saved her life, because…
Vince growled.
That meant thecaptainhad the life ring.
Had the asshole taken it from Lace, hoping she’d drown?
Vince couldn’t wait to get his hands on the douchebag to find out.
“Hey.” Trask poked him as they moved in closer.
Vince might have lost focus for a moment, having eyes only for the bare head of the woman he loved, bobbing in the drink.
“Yeah?” he questioned, shaking himself out of it.