Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 67510 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67510 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
Pushing…
Pulling…
My way to the top.
My lungs felt like they would burst the longer I battled my way to the surface, but I could hold Quinn up. The longer the water denied me air, the more it was a ticking time bomb in my core, mind, and every inch of my body. Each second that ticked by was another moment of hell.
My adrenaline kicked into overdrive, replacing everything but the need to get her to safety. Until finally…
I gasped.
Long and deep and hard.
My head was above water and with fresh air in my lungs, I was coughing, wheezing, and greedy for my next breath. I didn’t have time to catch my bearings before battling again, this time with the full-fledged current. I was being hauled away from the island I could faintly see. I swam, paddling and kicking as hard as I could, holding her as tight as I could.
As I struggled to keep my head above water and my body from giving out on me from the force of my fury and rage, I thought it was now or never.
I had to get us out.
Not to mention the frigid water temperature that my body battled to keep from going into shock. But that didn’t deter me from what I needed to do. Even though I knew we might not make it out alive. I paddled faster and harder, trying to shake off the looming feeling in the back of my mind that we might die.
It didn’t matter.
Nothing ever did when it came to her.
The island came into sight. I took a deep, sturdy breath. I realized it was finally within reach, and I acted fast. I knew I was almost out of time. Spinning my torso around so my chest was to the current, I strategically hugged her motionless body against me with all the strength I could muster.
“Quinn! Come on, baby, wake up! I’m here. I’m going to get us out of here,” I reassured with no response from her at all. I held on to her for dear life. “HELP! Please someone help us!” I let out a gurgled yell, but it was no use.
It was now or never.
I flipped over onto my back so Quinn’s body once again lay on top of mine, and her face was out of the water. Then I firmly wrapped my arm around her waist and swam backward to the shore. Struggling repeatedly to keep my own face above the surface from her weight and my exhaustion. Once again, I paddled and kicked my way onto the shore, already thinking about what I had to do next.
This wasn’t over.
It was far from over.
I ignored my pounding head and the piercing pain in my back and sprang into action as soon as we hit a patch of sand at the same time the plane exploded.
Big.
Massive.
Fire.
BOOM!
Right when my feet could dig into the sand, I ran, getting her onto the island. Not thinking about myself for a second, I laid her securely on her back and frantically knelt beside her.
Hacking.
Winded.
Trying to find my own breath.
Getting a second wind from somewhere deep inside me, I opened her mouth to check her airway and angled her chin toward the sky, lifting her head slightly back.
“You’re going to be okay. Do you hear me, Quinn? Come on, baby.” Leaning forward, I checked for any signs of breathing from her nose and mouth. I listened carefully for a few seconds as if my life depended on it.
Nothing.
“Fuck,” I breathed out, sitting up. Looking at her from head to toe and back up to her head again. Placing one trembling hand on top of the other, in the middle of her chest, I sat up to give her CPR.
“One, two, three…” I counted until I got to ten, trying to get a response from her, needing to get a response from her.
Nothing.
“Fuck!” I shouted, leaning forward to her open mouth. I pinched her nose shut and placed my lips over hers, blowing two deep, long breaths into her airway.
“One, two, three…”
Two long, deep breaths into her mouth.
“One, two, three…”
Nothing.
“Goddammit! Come on, Quinn! Don’t do this to me! Don’t you fucking do this to me!” I seethed, with nothing but fury and determination filling my drained lungs.
“One, two, three…”
Two long, deep breaths into her mouth.
“One, two, three…”
Nothing.
“Please, baby, please don’t do this to me! I can’t lose you too! Please, for me… please breathe for me…”
I continued, “One, two, three…”
And then…
Time finally stood still, and Quinn…
Gasped for air.
“AND CUT!” B. Night yelled. “That was fucking amazing!”
I immediately fell to the sand, proud as fuck I successfully accomplished that in one take. Although it felt like I was just put through hell.
chapter ten
Aires
I sat in the private hot tub with Bailey later that night. The sun descended over the horizon, creating the perfect painting in the sky. The pinkish-purple hue mixed with a few clouds looked breathtaking. Almost as beautiful as Bailey did in her tiny bikini.