Page 72 of March 5

Mariah stepped between them, gazing at them with wild, worried eyes. "You guys, the tide is—"

Skye ran through the grass, over the uneven terrain, weaving as she tried to find Dio. He had to be alive.

The muscles in her legs cramped, fighting to run into the wind. Briney air filled her lungssuffocating her.

"Dio?" She cried. "I'm coming. Don't leave me."

Brett grabbed her arm, yanking her to a stop before she could reach the dune. "You need to get back to the car and drive out of here. The tide's coming."

"I'm not going to leave him. The water will steal him from me if we don't get to him." She pulled against Brett's clutch. "Please. We have to get him."

"We have to wait—"

"We can't," she screamed.

Mariah ran to her and bent at the waist. "Go to him. I'll drive your car to the entrance and wait for the others. You've got fifteen minutes."

"God damnit." Brett let go of her. "You two are going to get me killed."

None of their lives mattered now. Dio needed help. She needed Dio.

Her feet slipped in the sand. She crawled up the dune, getting to the top with no breath left inside her. Peering down to the other side, she spotted Dio ten feet away, prone on his stomach, not moving.

"No, no, no." She slid down the dune and crawled to him.

She put her hands on his back, trying to feel his warmth, feel him move, feel him breathe. Working her way up his body, she stifled a gasp. He had a black bag over his head. She worked the edges up. His hair was a mangled mess and wet to the touch. She gently lifted his head, working the material off his face.

It wasn't water. He was covered in blood.

Afraid to touch him in case she hurt him more, she gently pulled back his hair with trembling hands to see his face.

"Dio." She lowered her face. "God, babe. Please be okay. Please come back to me."

She shook uncontrollably, unable to tell if he was breathing. The wind and the ocean hid his heartbeat from her.

"I love you so much." She cried. "Please, please, don't leave me."

His lips moved. Hope seared her.

"Dio." She hovered her hand above his cheek. "I'm here, babe. I'm here."

"Princess?"he mouthed.

Her skin prickled. He was alive.

"Skye?" Brett landed beside her on his knees. "Is he—?"

"He's alive," she cried. "He's hurt. There's blood all over him."

"We need to get him out of here."

"We can't move him. He's lost so much blood."

Brett pushed to his feet and looked in the distance. "There's no time to wait. The tide is coming in. If we don't get him out of here, he'll drown." Brett's face hardened. "And so will we."

Chapter Thirty

Brett moved around Dio. "I'm going to roll him to his back."