Chapter 1 - The Rescue
The roaring blades of the military helicopters shattered the calm silence of the bay.
Victoria stared up at the sky in absolute terror as the massive Coast Guard cutter aggressively blocked her path.
She threw her hands into the air and immediately cut the engine of her jet ski.
The violent tension on the tow rope released, plunging my battered body into the freezing saltwater.
I gasped for air, fighting against the heavy canvas straps binding me to the sinking machine.
My vision blurred as the intense, agonizing pain in my pelvis completely overwhelmed my senses.
Two Coast Guard rescue swimmers dove into the water and reached me within seconds.
They sliced through the thick zip ties on my wrists and pulled me onto a rigid inflatable boat.
I looked down at the dark, terrifying pool of blood spreading across the white deck.
I grabbed the medic's tactical vest and begged him to save my unborn child.
He placed an oxygen mask over my face and shouted orders into his radio.
I turned my head weakly toward the distant wooden dock where my husband had been standing.
The luxury corporate retreat was now swarming with confused executives and panicked investors.
Julian was completely gone.
He had not waited to explain himself or play the role of the concerned husband.
The medic pressed a heavy gauze pad against my lower back and told me to stay awake.
He said a medical evacuation chopper was lowering a basket to pull us into the sky.
I closed my eyes and prayed to a God I had not spoken to in years.
I felt the sudden, terrifying sensation of being lifted high above the crashing ocean waves.
When I opened my eyes again, the bright lights of the helicopter cabin blinded me entirely.
A military flight surgeon was already starting an intravenous line in my bruised arm.
He leaned close to my ear to be heard over the deafening engine noise.
He told me my father was waiting for us at the naval hospital on the mainland.
I finally allowed myself to cry, knowing I was safely surrounded by the full power of the United States military.
The flight surgeon suddenly pressed his fingers firmly against his communication earpiece.
May you like
His expression dropped into a mask of pure, unadulterated shock.
He looked down at me and yelled that Julian had just escaped the bay on a heavily armed cartel speedboat.
