Convincing Lina: A Bachelor of Shell Cove Novel (The Bachelors of Shell Cove Romance Book 2) (38 page)

Arms flailing, Lina fought the water, each stroke pulling her deeper under the water.
 

With one arm useless at his side, he propelled his body through the water, desperate to reach her before all was lost. He wanted to rail at her, scream for her to calm down and use the water for buoyancy. The glint of metal in Moon’s hand had Gideon increasing his stroke length. The blade made contact, and blood swirled in the water surrounding Lina’s legs.
 

Lina seemed to surrender, her body drifted closer to Moon. The other man’s arms closed around her, like a lover’s embrace.
 

A reflection was all he saw, before Lina jabbed a syringe into Moon’s neck and pushed the plunger. A trail of air bubbles left her nose. Lina started to sink away from him. Everything in him rebelled.
 

Gideon grabbed Lina just as her eyes drifted closed. With the last of his strength he kicked for the surface, breeching the water, like an escape pod jettisoned under pressure.
 

“Lina, sweetness…open your eyes.” For once she listened without challenging him.
 

“I love you, Gideon.” The ladder dropped from the helicopter. “I love you too, grab the rope ladder and climb up, don’t look down. I’ll be right behind you.”
 

Reaching for the rope, his hand slipped when something large brushed by his leg. He had fought for freedom, and for ten years he was captive to the past. He had disconnected from his family. His unwillingness to accept the bruises and the blessings life had given him had destroyed Lina’s trust in him. He’d risked the love of the one woman that gave him everything. For what? He was alone. Rhythmic ripples of water slammed into her left side before he felt the brush of a shark against his leg. Gideon reached for his ankle holster. His blade was gone. Would he live to see Lina again?

Frantic, Lina searched the water line, looking for any sign of Gideon.

“Gideon!” She screamed his name until her throat burned and ached. The familiar green and black interior of the Rice family helicopter humbled her. Gideon’s family had come to aid. Phoenix appeared on the yacht’s railing, then did a swan dive in the man-made feeding tank.
Please don’t take him from me.
 

At the sight of a shark’s fin, Lina’s heartbeat halted in her chest. Where were they? The seconds seemed like hours. The helicopter’s light bounced along the yacht’s hull then circled back to the water. Phoenix shot out of the water holding Gideon’s limp body.
 

“I see them. They’re next to the boat,” she yelled over the noise of the rotating blades.
 

Let them both be okay
.

“I’ll drop lower, then we’ll get out of here,” came a deep voice Lina didn’t recognize within the helicopter cockpit. Relief flooded through her.
 

“We have to find, Janna.” The helicopter swayed. Lina gripped the seat strap to steady herself.

“Janna Williamson is on that yacht?” His eyes were sharp with concern. Lina stared at the pilot with wide brown eyes and dark skin. Who was he?

“I’m Dawson,” the pilot stated at her continued silence. “My brothers call me D. Wright.”
Oh my goosebumps
.

Gideon hoped someone got the license plate number of the car that hit him. Every nerve ending in his body screamed in pain. He winced as the stinging smell of antiseptic hit his nostrils. Shifting his arm caused sharp pain to ricochet across his upper back. Increasing frequency of a hospital monitor’s beeping echoed in the background. He sucked in a breath, gritting his teeth against the pain. Maybe, he’d been run over by a high speed rail car.
 

“I swear Gideon Rice if you are trying to die on me, I’ll marry Jace Harper faster than the speed of light, I’ll give him a house full of pale, big butt babies.”

What the heck was she talking about? It wasn’t happening on his watch.

Gideon roused to Lina’s soulful serene voice at his ear. Slowly his eyes blinked open. Lina had been crying. Even with blood shot eyes, and puffy eyelids, Lina was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. He looked down at the bed. His larger hand was encircled in Lina’s smaller grip.
 

“You’d marry Jace, huh? Not even over my dead body,” he croaked out. His throat felt drier than clay dirt in the Florida sun. He licked his dry lips. Lina leaned forward from the chair at his bedside. Looking around he took in the neutral colored beige walls, a television hanging from a ceiling mount. A dry erase board mounted to the wall directly in front of the bed, listed RN Tucker as his nurse for the morning shift.
 

“Drink this.” Lina held a turquoise cup with a fluorescent flexy straw to his lips. The cool water coating his throat was better than cashmere.
 

“How long have I been here?” He remembered the bullets tearing through his arm and thigh. He and Lina going overboard. Memories of Sky’s yacht breached the mental fog.
 

“Three days. You’ve been drifting in and out of consciousness for the last forty-eight hours.” Though she smiled at him, tears filled her eyes. Gideon’s chest filled with such love for this woman, he thought he would burst.
 

“You got your dress ready?”
 

He was alive and Lina had stayed with him, even when he wasn’t aware of her presence.
 

“What?” She stared at him in disbelief.
 

“Tomorrow is Friday, our wedding day.” He gave her a determined look.

“Gideon, be serious,” she said, avoiding eye contact. Had she changed her mind about marrying him?
 

Against his body’s objections, he pushed himself forward, grabbing her chin, “What’s changed?”
 

The stucco beat of his heart, threatened to topple him over. He loved Lina more than life itself. Was she sorry she’d taken a chance on him?

Please God, let her still love me.
 

“I lost my baby, Gideon.” He sat up taller, never breaking eye contact. She looked at him, but it was as if she didn’t see face. Her concentration was elsewhere. Did she expect him to walk away?

“Troy told me about the baby.” She gasped, mouth open, with wide eyes.
 

He caressed her cheek. Closing her eyes, she bit her lip and he instantly hardened. There had to be a hospital policy against sporting wood in an open air gown. “I am sorry about the miscarriage.”
 

“So am I. I don’t know if I can carry a baby until full-term.” The sorrow of loss filled her words. He would give her children. Children she could lavish with love and acceptance.
 

“Your ability to conceive is not a factor for me making you my wife. You gonna marry me or what, sweetness?” He had to know how she felt.
 

“After everything that’s happened, you are serious about taking me to the altar?”

“As a shark attack. All I need is a suit and to know you love me. Where’s my family?”

“Your Dad has been keeping my mother busy. They left for coffee about thirty minutes ago.” Gideon smiled to himself.

“I’m glad they worked out their differences. He could use some company.”

“Yeah, they get along pretty well, considering the circumstances.”

“Have Thane or Ian bring me a suit for tomorrow.”
 

“Ian is dealing with Monica. She stopped by when you came out of surgery.” Lina mentioned Monica with a casual tone, hope soared in him that she might forgive him for having kept the truth from her. “Thane is with your father. They’re probably at my momma’s house. Jacob is keeping her close.”

“D.Wright should be back shortly. He had to check-in on base.” Lina continued to fill in. Gideon remembered the relief that flooded his system when he spotted the familiar green and black Rice helicopter circling over Sky’s yacht. Thank God, he’d invited his family for the wedding days earlier. Without their help he and Lina would be swimming with the fish. “You could’ve told me D.Wright’s first name was Dawson. Janna and your brother know each other well.” Lina giggled like a schoolgirl with a secret.
 

A knock sounded at the door, “Hold up,” Gideon yelled and then turned to Lina. “You didn’t answer my question?”

“Which one?” Lina tilted her head.

“Do you love me?”

“With all my heart, I love you.” She kissed his cheek, then tried to move away.

He cupped her face in his hands, “We are getting married tomorrow, just like we planned.” Lina’s eyes lit up. She sprang to her feet. Her sweet lips pressed against his, and he forgot all about the pain. The only thing that mattered was the woman in his arms. He slid his right arm around her waist. Pulling her closer, he savored the exotic taste of her. Heat spread through his veins when her fingers skimmed his chest.
 

At the rapid succession of knocks at the door, Lina broke the kiss.
 

“Enter,” she called out.
 

An ashen faced Janna walked in, followed by a stoic Troy.
 

Janna crossed the room, gave him a stiff hug, “Thank you,” she whispered in his ear before taking the seat adjacent to Lina. Troy’s eyes immediately fell to Lina’s before settling on him. Gideon expected Troy to reference his connection to Lina. Gideon knew to the depths of his soul Lina was his. And soon they would be signed, sealed, and delivered into matrimony. She would be his forever.

“It’s good to see you awake.” Troy’s face held genuine concern and Gideon felt his muscles relax. Taking a deep breath, he pushed himself more upright in the bed.
 

“Thanks, did you get Sky?” Troy’s head fell to his chest. He seemed to be having trouble getting air into his lungs.

“Divers recovered Moon’s body two days ago. They are still searching for Sky,” his voice was barely above a whisper.
 

Sky was still out there? Would he come back for Lina? Troy responded to his unspoken question.

“Lina and Bernadean are safe. We will find Sky, dead or alive.” Lina squeezed Gideon’s fingers.
 

“I’m glad you both are okay. I’d better get back to Estrella.” A glint of more than concern flashed in the other man’s eyes at the mention of Estrella.
 

“Is she in custody?” Gideon watched, waiting for Troy’s response.

Troy’s hands balled into fists at his side.
 

“Estrella is three doors down the hall from you.” His voice was strained. “Her little sister is missing. We think Sky had her relocated to the US, shortly after he brought Estrella to Shell Cove.” Gideon raised a questioning eyebrow. What was the importance of the sister’s movement?

“Sky forced Estrella to drug me by holding her nine year old sister hostage,” Lina offered in a voice filled with sorrow.
 

“I didn’t realize.” Troy gave a stiff nod of acknowledgement.
 

“Well, I should get going,” He said after a moment.
 

Then Troy did the unexpected.
 

Instead of exiting the room, he approached Lina. Gideon watched as she released her hold on him, turning to face Troy.

“Take care, Candy.”
 

Okay, he could handle the affectionate greeting, but then Troy opened his arms to her. What the heck?