Shit. That was way too low and they all knew it. Hypothermia usually occurred when the body temperature fell below ninety-five.
“Did you see them?” Elodie asked.
“Who?” Mustang asked, as the guys did their best to find blankets and anything else that would warm her up, or at least make sure she didn’t get any colder as they made their way to shore. Midas would be contacting EMS to ensure they were waiting for them. He’d also probably get in touch with Perry, Kahoni, and the Coast Guard as well.
“My dolphins. They chased the shark away and stayed with me when I got tired.”
“Fuck…confusion’s setting in,” Slate muttered from above him.
Mustang was well aware that when someone got too cold, they usually got confused before their body shut down completely, but this wasn’t that. He knew it.
“I saw them,” he told Elodie. He leaned down so his face was right above hers. His beard brushed against her chin as he spoke. “They led me to you. They were dancing in the waves trying to get my attention, and when I looked over at them, I saw you.”
She smiled weakly, then closed her eyes and frowned. “I’m never gonna be free.”
Mustang knew exactly what she was referring to. “The hell you aren’t,” he said forcefully. “Look at me.”
When she didn’t open her eyes, Mustang hardened his voice. “Open your eyes and look at me, Elodie.”
He waited until she did as ordered.
“I didn’t take this as seriously as I should’ve. And for that, I’m sorry. I put you in this position—but it will never happen again. The wheels are already turning to end this once and for all.”
“I’ll have to change my name again,” she whispered, her voice slurring.
“You’re right, you will,” Mustang agreed.
“Wait, what?” Aleck said, but Mustang ignored him.
He got up on one elbow and palmed Elodie’s cheek so she had no choice but to look at him. “You’ll change it to Elodie Webber. You’re gonna marry me, and we’re gonna live happily ever after.”
She shook her head. “I won’t do that to you.”
“You will,” Mustang insisted.
“Love you too much…”
“No such thing,” he told her. Mustang had no idea how much of this conversation she would remember when she was better, but he didn’t care. She was going to marry him. He couldn’t live without her. No fucking way.
“Did you just order her to marry you?” Pid asked. “Smooth, Mustang. Real fucking smooth.”
Mustang felt Elodie go limp beneath him and knew she’d lost her battle with consciousness. The others saw it too, and redoubled their efforts to keep her warm until they could get her medical attention.
Mustang turned to Slate. “You sure Tex can take care of this?”
“Positive,” Slate said. “Said he knew of at least two teams who would jump at the chance to take care of this shit. One out of Colorado Springs and another in Indianapolis. He also told me he’d be talking to Rawlins.”
“Rawlins?” Jag asked in surprise. “Dammit, I should’ve thought of him from the second this shit went down.”
Knowing Tex was on this, and that he would probably bring in Baker Rawlins—a mysterious and dangerous-as-fuck retired Navy SEAL who lived on the island—made Mustang relax a fraction. But he’d beat himself up for the rest of his life for not letting Tex do his thing in the first place. He’d been so sure he and his team would know if Columbus made a move. He’d been wrong, and he’d put Elodie’s life in jeopardy. Never again.
Paul Columbus needed to die—along with anyone else who thought his woman was expendable.
When Elodie woke up, she immediately knew she was in a hospital. She still felt as if she was bobbing up and down, but the smell of disinfectant and bleach let her know she was on terra firma.
She only remembered bits and pieces from being rescued, but knew Scott had been there, as had the rest of his team. It had taken them longer than she’d hoped, and for a while there she’d thought they wouldn’t make it, especially when the rain started and she was being buffeted up and down by the waves, but she’d taken an odd comfort in the attention from the dolphins. They’d seemed to know she was on the edge of death and wouldn’t let her give up. Nudging her every now and then and making sure she stayed awake.
The lights from the boat Scott had been on had seemed like another hallucination at first, but then Scott was there. In the water next to her, holding her, keeping her safe.
Turning her head, she knew he’d be next to her still. And he was. His arms were crossed over his chest and his head was resting on the back of the chair he was sitting in. His mouth was open and he looked absolutely exhausted…she’d never seen a more beautiful sight in her life.
She drank him in for a long few minutes. She had no idea what woke him up, but out of the blue, his brown eyes popped open and he saw her staring at him.
He was up and out of the chair faster than she’d ever seen him move. He hovered and seemed to be afraid to touch her.
“El?”
She tried to speak, and nothing came out but a croak. Scott immediately reached for something next to her, then had his hand behind her neck and was lifting her head to help her take a sip from the cup he held to her lips. The water was lukewarm, and it tasted so damn good. She tried to gulp it down but Scott wouldn’t let her. He lowered the cup and put it back on the table next to the bed. Then he continued to hover over her.
Elodie licked her lips, wincing when she realized they were both split from dryness and the salty ocean.
Finally, she said, “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
He grinned, and it lit up his face. “I know you will. I wasn’t giving you a choice.”
“He’s gonna come back.”
The smile disappeared from Scott’s face as if it had never been there. “No. He’s not. You’re gonna have to trust me on this. The Columbus family will not be a problem for you anymore. I swear on my job as a Navy SEAL, you’re going to be safe from them.”
Elodie had no idea how he was going to make that happen. He couldn’t exactly take on the mob, but she trusted him. How could she not after everything that had happened? “Okay.”
“Okay?”
She nodded.
“I love you, Elodie Winters, soon to be Webber. So damn much.”
“Love you too,” she whispered. Her eyes felt extremely heavy and she was suddenly exhausted.
“There are a ton of people who are waiting to see you, but they can wait,” Scott told her. “Perry, Kahoni, Kalani, all the guys. Kai is bitching about wanting to be wheeled in here from his room a few floors up. The lady from the grocery store, the family who lives a couple doors down from us…hell, even the family that chartered your boat on Saturday heard you were hurt, and they want to see you before they fly back to Australia. You’re very loved, Elodie, and we’re all so damn glad you were so strong out there.”
She wanted to tell him that the only reason she’d held on was because of him, but she was too tired.
“Sleep, babe. We’ve got the rest of our lives to look forward to together,” Scott told her, and she felt him kiss her forehead gently.