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“A marine biologist studies life in the world’s oceans. They do a lot of stuff, like keeping track of certain marine species, the impact of fishing and invasive species. A biological oceanographer will also look at other, external factors that impact life in the oceans.”
“Such as?”
“Thermal vents or subaquatic earthquakes, for example. Or El Nino, storms…”
She said the last word with a sarcastic huff and he suddenly understood why she’d been talking herself down.
“So you studied storms?”
She raised her chin. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He knew he pushed her, but he figured she needed to throw it all out there since they already had been sharing their heartbreak today, anyway.
Letting go of the hurt and guilt would hopefully set her free. Sharing his story with Adela had felt like a weight lifted off his chest and he wished the same for her.
“Is that why you’re so pissed at yourself? Because you grew up on a sailboat, and you even studied storms and still couldn’t keep your boat afloat?”
She pushed his chest with both hands. “Shut up!”
“I’m just saying what you’re telling yourself late at night when you’re crying yourself to sleep.”
She opened her mouth to tell him off, but closed it again.
“Y-you can’t…”
His heart broke for her as he watched her knees buckle. He held her steady by her shoulder and was happy that she’d let him after he’d given her a bit of tough love.
“It’s the truth, isn’t it? I should have read the winds. I should have seen those first waves for what they were: silent killers.” The wobble in her voice pained him from the inside out.
“We both know what Mother Nature is capable of, sweetheart. After all these years working as a wildlife firefighter, I’m even more convinced that we can only respect nature’s brutal force and keep our heads on straight while we do the best we can to save others and ourselves.”
“I’m so tired, Jack. I keep hearing Raven swear about why we even went out on that stupid boat trip in the first place.”
“That’s not on you. You all agreed to go out that day. Listen to Cami, sweetheart. She told us how you saved her by bringing the boat close enough to this island so you could swim to the beach.”
“But where are the others, then? Where are they, Jack?”
Adela fell down on her knees in the sand, threw her hands up in the air and let out a guttural scream.
“It’s not fair that they are missing while I’m here with you!”
He picked Adela up from the sand and kissed her forehead. “It’s going to be okay, Adi. We’ll do everything in our power to find them. I swear.”
She replied with a sob, “I can’t sit around and do nothing. I need to find them.”
He wanted to tell her she hadn’t been sitting on her thumbs all this time, but refrained from telling her that. He understood what she’d meant.
“Let’s wait for Cami and Dom. They will return tomorrow. Hopefully, they will come back with the girls.”
He walked them back to their hut as the sun set again. He placed Adela on a bed of leaves and nodded in thanks at Reed and Zane, who had read the situation right by not asking them questions.
Adela fell asleep in his arms, her nightmares keeping them up at night.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Adela wokeup with her head resting on a muscular arm. She peeked through her lashes, straight into Jack’s emerald eyes.
“Hi…” she whispered.
