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He took off out of the room while I stood there, trying to decide if I was happy to be rescued or dismayed that this was coming to an end.
CHAPTERTWELVE
Hayden
It took longer for us to be found than I anticipated, but rescue was finally here. When the helicopter landed just down the beach from our plane wreckage, I’d come out to talk to the two men. They were a part of a large search and rescue team that had been looking for us since the afternoon that our flight didn’t arrive in Costa Rica. Apparently, my brothers were raising hell right away, and the search effort was double what it would normally be because Logan paid a fortune to call in extra help.
Now we were getting out of here and back to the mainland. The pilot had already been in contact with the search team coordinator and our families had all been informed that we were found safe and sound. I had brought everyone’s luggage to the helicopter already, and now I was making sure everyone got loaded into it.
Dale and Sandra were first. Once they were settled into their seats, I turned to Rylee and held out my hand. I felt a pang of regret as she stepped up into the helicopter. It occurred to me that I didn’t truly want to leave.
I felt like we were in an isolated bubble here. Without the real world affecting us, we were able to develop a relationship in a short amount of time. But would it last when we were back in New York?
There was only one way to find out. Climbing into the helicopter, I strapped myself into the seat beside Rylee and looked out the window as we lifted into the air. She reached over and took my hand, holding it tight. I understood her anxiety after what happened the last time we were in the air. I was feeling it, too.
I held her hand and watched the island fall away. It became smaller and smaller as we ascended, and then we were headed toward Florida.
It took about an hour to get where we were going, and the loud noise of the helicopter made it impossible to talk along the way. Rylee and I shot a few furtive glances at each other, and I assured myself that we’d talk when we arrived to where we were going. The rescue was so sudden and unexpected that we didn’t get a chance to discuss what would happen next between us.
The helicopter touched down at the airport, and I was the last one to step out. There were a ton of people waiting for us. The search team had remained at the airport after being called back. There were news reporters and representatives from the airline. Even a couple of government agents.
Finally, I spotted Logan and Dylan.
My brothers pushed their way through the crowd to get to me, and I couldn’t help chuckling at the intense look on Logan’s face. He was always one to get worked up and worry too much.
“Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” he asked the second he reached me.
I just pulled him into a hug. Logan froze for a moment, probably confused as hell, but eventually returned the gesture. When we pulled away, I was all smiles. As much fun as I had on the island, I really was glad to be back. I knew that my family needed reassurance that I was alright.
“You okay?” Dylan asked as we clasped hands and patted each other on the back.
“Of course. I just wanted a quick island vacation,” I said humorously. “I work hard, I think I’ve earned it.”
Dylan rolled his eyes through a grin. “You’re such an ass.”
I was just glad to have lightened things up. Despite my nonchalance, I knew that I’d be freaked out if one of them went missing like I did.
“Mr. Reid, can I talk to you for a moment?” A man in a suit asked, flashing a badge.
“Can’t that wait until later?” Logan asked.
“It’ll just take a few minutes.”
“Sure,” I said, stepping to the side and talking to the man.
He was an agent from some government agency that wanted the whole story of what happened. I kept it short and sweet. The plane crash was all he really needed to know about, and there wasn’t much to tell there from my perspective. It stormed and we landed on the island.
Sandra and Dale would probably be able to fill in more details.
When we were finished, I was about to return to the crowd when my phone rang. It was my mom, so I had to answer, which led to me rehashing the story again for her. I could tell that she was in tears on the other end of the line, even though she pretended not to be.
Finally, I was able to wrap up our conversation by promising to visit her first thing tomorrow morning. Tucking the phone back in my pocket, I turned back to the crowd of people to find Rylee, but she was nowhere to be seen. Dale and Sandra were gone too.
I frowned and approached one of the men in the blue blazers, the ones from the airline. “Where did the others go?”
“The others?” he asked, looking confused.
“Rylee,” I said impatiently. “And Dale and Sandra. Where are they?”
