An Extraordinary Match (The Match Series Book 3) (20 page)

The third victim was battered and bruised but thankfully conscious. After delivering him to the airplane, they hunted for the final passenger. They rounded the capsized boat, looked for the telltale orange jacket, and lifted debris. But they had no luck.

“Still inside the boat?” asked Elroy.

“Has to be,” said Logan, knowing they had no choice but to check. “Damn.” He stripped off his life jacket.

Elroy silently took it from him. There was no point in a meaningless debate. They both knew Logan was the stronger swimmer.

“Good luck,” said Elroy.

Logan gave a swift nod then rolled off the side of the raft. He surfaced once, taking three deep breaths. Then he plunged under, struggling to see in the murky debris-filled depths. He felt his way along the hull, going deeper and deeper. He finally found the gunwale, pulling himself under, hoping against hope he didn’t find a body, but expecting the worst.

It was all black above him, debris banging into his face. He was running out of air and about to give up when his hand broke the surface. He quickly rose, coming up in a black air pocket.

“Help,” came a weak voice.

“I’m from search-and-rescue,” Logan quickly stated. “Are you injured?”

“My arm,” said the man. “And my ribs. Maybe my leg. Just get me out of here.”

“I’m going to do that,” said Logan, feeling his way toward the sound.

He touched the man’s leg. “Can you tell me your name?”

“Allan,” said the hoarse voice. “I’m tangled in this rope. I’ve been trying to undo…”

“I’m Logan. And I’m going to get you out. I’ve got a knife, and I’ve got a light. Can you close your eyes for a minute?”

Logan switched on his waterproof, mini flashlight, anchoring it in his mouth.

A splash sounded behind him.

“Damn it, Logan,” came Elroy’s frustrated voice.

“There’s an air pocket,” said Logan.

“Hard to tell that from topside.”

“This is Allan. He has a few injuries. And I’m cutting him free. You think you could bring the raft as close as possible?”

“You got it. Hi, Allan, I’m Elroy.”

“My wife?” asked Allan.

“Everyone else is on the float plane. Bruises and possible breaks, but they’re all alive.”

“Will you tell her I’m alive?”

“I will,” said Elroy. “See you in a minute, Logan.” Then he took a deep breath and disappeared.

Logan cut his way through the sections of the tangled rope, until Allan was finally free. Then he replaced his knife in the sheath and repositioned the flashlight.

“Hang on to my waist,” he told Allan. “I’ll need you to take a very deep breath. Don’t panic while we’re under. It’ll only take us ten or fifteen seconds to get to the surface. Most people can hold their breath for thirty. Can you do that?”

“Yes.”

“Stay relaxed. Let me do the work. I know the way back. We’ll be out of here before you know it.”

“Okay.”

“Three big breaths. We’ll go on three.”

“Okay.”

Logan anchored Allan’s hand around his waist and counted down. Then he pulled them under, using handholds on the boat to propel them forward in order to avoid kicking Allan. They passed under the gunwale, and he pushed them quickly to the surface.

Elroy was waiting, and there were cheers from the people in the Otter as they approached.

Leaving the patients to Amy and Phillip, Elroy dragged himself, dripping wet, into the cockpit. He positioned himself in the co-pilot’s seat, taking control from Joe. Logan dried his hands, strapped in and called for the pre-takeoff checks.

“Not crazy about the wind gusts,” said Elroy into his headset.

“It’s going to be tricky.”

“Nice rescue, by the way.”

“Thanks for coming in to save me.”

“You had me worried.”

Logan turned the plane to taxi to the end of the lake. Crystal Lake was tight for float planes at the best of times. And with the unpredictable winds, there was going to be an element of risk in the takeoff.

“Amy!” he called back.

“Busy, Logan.”

“I need you up here.” He was hoping the patients were stable enough to delay the takeoff, but he didn’t want to shout his concerns back to Amy.

“She can’t do it,” called Phillip.

“I guess that answers that question,” said Elroy.

“I guess it does,” said Logan, turning the plane.

All four of them knew full well Logan didn’t want to take off right away. But if the medics couldn’t leave the patients, then the patients couldn’t wait for the winds to subside.

“Let’s do it,” said Logan. “Set max power.”

Elroy pushed the power lever forward.

The nose pitched up, and he brought the plane onto step. Speed increasing, he rolled one float, pulling up off the water, pulling into the takeoff.

But, suddenly, the wind dropped and sent the plane back toward the choppy water.

“Extra five degrees flap,” said Logan as the shoreline grew dangerously close.

“Flaps set,” Elroy confirmed.

As the trees loomed, his thoughts flashed to Jade. He pictured her smile, her sparkling eyes, the curved of her neck and her suntanned shoulder. He’d give a lot to make love to her one more time. He realized he hadn’t appreciated her nearly enough while she was here.

“Son of a bitch,” Elroy hissed.

But then the plane recovered, and they were up. The plane climbed steeply. They cleared the treetops with only inches to spare.

They both breathed a reflexive sigh of relief.

“Wow,” said Elroy.

“Wow,” Logan echoed, his relief settling into a buzz.

“Did your life flash in front of your eyes?”

“Jade flashed in front of my eyes.”

Elroy turned to gape at him. “You serious?”

“I’m serious.” Logan knew there was no point in lying to either himself or to Elroy. “She left town this morning. I was about to go after her when the pager went off.”

It was a moment before Elroy spoke. “What are you saying?”

“That I’m going after her.”

“Are you in love with Jade?”

Logan gave it some honest thought. “I don’t know.”

“Well, you better figure it out.”

Logan supposed he probably should. “I like her, absolutely. In fact, I think she’s amazing. She’s damn sure beautiful. She’s smart and feisty. And she’s…well, I’d never look at another woman, that’s for sure.”

Elroy seemed to digest the words. “Why did she leave?”

“Said she had things to do, places to go. I asked her to stay, but she turned me down.”

“Are you seeing a pattern here?”

“Are you talking about Sasha?” Logan demanded, feeling annoyed. “Why does everyone keep talking about Sasha? She’s done. She’s over. She was
nothing
compared to Jade.”

“That doesn’t change my point,” said Elroy. “You keep asking them to stay.”

“There is no them.” There was only Jade. No other woman on earth mattered to Logan.

“So, what are you going to do when you find her? Drag her back?”

Logan frowned at Elroy. “I’m going to ask her what it’ll take for us to be together.”

As of this morning, his list of his life priorities included Jade and Jade. There was nothing else. Logan was actually considering a future without Mirror Falls.

T
he day after
Jade arrived in Jacksonville, her sister Jillian showed up at the hotel. Jillian had a bottle of champagne in one hand and a basket of strawberries in the other.

“I thought I’d come and see for myself,” she said as she breezed into the room.

Jade was happy to see her sister. “Did you tell Mom and Dani?”

“Not yet.” Jillian wandered into the big room. “You?”

“Not yet.”

“The US government?” Jillian asked, amazement in her tone as she placed the champagne and strawberries on the small counter.

“It’s a really long story.”

“Then I can’t wait to hear the details.” Jillian stripped the foil off the champagne bottle. “You got glasses for this?” She popped the cork.

“It’s eleven in the morning.”

“That’s why we’re having the strawberries. This is brunch. While I pour, you start talking.”

Jade framed things up in her mind as she retrieved two champagne flutes from the small cupboard in the mini kitchen. “Okay. Well, there’s this company. They’re kind of shady, and they were aggressively recruiting me. Turns out, the only way to get them to back off was to take a job with the government.”

“But you had to leave Mirror Falls?”

The question struck Jade as odd. “You mean I had to leave New York.”

Jillian poured the champagne. “Both, I guess.”

“Mirror Falls was a vacation.”

“But you did meet a guy. How did Logan feel about you leaving?”

Jade helped herself to one of the filled glasses and headed for the small sitting area in a corner of the room. “That’s your first question? What did a guy I knew for a few days think about me ending my vacation?”

“You said he was hot.” Jillian followed and took one end of the sofa.

“I said he was handsome.” Jade took the other end.

“You slept with him.”

“I did.”

“How many times?”

“None of your business.”

“Once, twice, many?”

“Many.”

Jillian’s expression turned serious. “So, how did he feel when you left?”

“I don’t know how he felt.” Jade took a sip, battling the guilt she’d felt for two days. “I left him a note and snuck out of the hotel room.”

“You’re kidding.”

“It was early, and he was asleep.”

Jillian looked aghast. “You’re
kidding
.”

Jade’s chest went tight. “What does it matter?”

“Jade.” Jillian shifted closer. “I know you had to feel something for him.”

“It was only a fling, remember?”

“I was hoping you’d misjudged him.”

“I did,” Jade admitted quietly. But she was afraid to talk about it. She’d been struggling to keep her feelings bottled up since leaving Mirror Falls.

Jillian pounced on the answer. “You
did
?”

“He explained about the other woman. Then he asked me to stay. But I had to go. I couldn’t say no to this job. There was no way. And Logan. He’s got twenty-two cousins, Jilli. His sister, his parents, you wouldn’t believe what a great place it is. He’s never going to leave.”

“Did you ask him?”

Jade gave a miserable nod. She had broken down and asked. She didn’t regret it. She only regretted his answer.

“He turned you down?”

“He said he’d never even thought about living anywhere else.” Chest growing painful, Jade got up to wash the strawberries.

“I’m so sorry, honey.” Jillian followed after her.

Jade shrugged, battling tears. “What can you do?”

“What can you do?” asked Jillian.

Jade turned on the tap in the small sink, running it over the mesh container that held the berries.

“It’s a serious question,” said Jillian. “What are your choices?”

Jade’s throat closed in. “I have no choices. I have to be here. It’s hard to explain, but I
have
to take this job. These people that are after me won’t stop. Sam…Sam’s amazing. He figured this all out. He saved me, Jilli.”

“Did you tell Sam you were in love with Logan?”

Jade’s brain screeched to a halt, and she stared at her sister as the frightening word pulsed through her brain.

Jillian shut off the tap and removed the basket from Jade’s hands. “You’re in love with him. It’s so obvious.”

Jade realized it had to be true. She loved Logan. Her chest had been aching so bad because her heart was broken.

“Tell Sam,” said Jillian. “If you love Logan the way I love Devlin, you have to turn over every rock.”

“Sam’s over in Port Aidin,” said Jade, a tiny hope flickering to life within her. Maybe Sam would have an idea. “It’s a four-hour drive.”

Jillian smiled. “Let’s go.”

*

Logan couldn’t believe
that Jade could disappear so thoroughly. After flying to New York City, he’d discovered she’d moved out of her apartment without a forwarding address. She’d quit her job, under what her colleagues considered strange circumstances. Her cell phone number no longer worked, and Logan couldn’t find any information about her online or anywhere else.

He knew it had something to do with the bizarre situation with Ewan and John. He hoped to hell those two never, ever found her. But he could not and would not accept that he’d never find her again. It didn’t take him long to realize there was only one person who might be able to help him, and that was Sam.

He hopped the next flight to Florida then rented a car. His uncle might have reasons for secrecy, but he was going to tell Logan every single thing he’d said to Jade that night. And then Logan wasn’t stopping until he tracked her down.

He pulled up to Sam’s condo, parking the car on the street out front. It was nearly nine at night, but he couldn’t have cared less. He marched to the front door, hitting the bell then hitting it again.

Sam pulled open the door, looking baffled. “Logan?”

“I’m sorry to…no, I’m not sorry. Where is she, Sam?”

“Where’s who?” Sam stood back out of the way.

Logan marched into the front hall. “Don’t play games. I’m looking for Jade. If you don’t know where she is, you at least know why she left. What did you tell her? Why did she sneak out of town the next day?”