Damaged

CHAPTER 58

Maggie knew she'd need more than a couple of capsules of powdered ginger to get her through this. Why had she ever thought Liz Bailey's offer of "a ride" off Pensacola Beach would be simple? Why? Because she had no idea what to expect. What was it that she had said to Charlie Wurth yesterday? "It's one storm. How bad can it be?"

Everyone kept calling these the "outer bands," but the air was already too thick to breathe. Maggie felt like the world had been tipped on its side. Trees bent sideways. The rain poured in horizontal streams. The few people outside teetered from side to side, leaning into the wind to avoid being blown over. She struggled to keep her own balance while sand pelted her skin like a million tiny pinpricks.

Then as suddenly as it began, it stopped. Maggie swore she could even see a swirl of blue sky through the layers of gray overhead. Liz had finished gearing up and was watching her.

"You gonna be okay?"

"Sure. Absolutely," Maggie said, zipping open her flight suit just enough to show Liz her shoulder holster and Smith & Wesson tucked inside. "I've got all the control I need," she joked.

Liz smiled but was unsuccessful in covering her concern. It wasn't quite the same look Maggie had seen in Liz's eyes when she thought her father might be in danger. Earlier, there had been just a hint of panic and Maggie's immediate reaction was to squelch it. Truth was, Liz's father might be in danger if he was still with Joe Black, but there wasn't anything they could do about it right now.

She could tell Liz had switched into rescue mode.

"How can you be so brave?" Maggie asked her.

Liz smiled at her again until she realized Maggie wasn't joking.

"My first instinct is simply to survive."

Maggie raised an eyebrow. She wanted to understand.

"Just because I go up in a helicopter or plunge down into the ocean doesn't make me brave. It just makes me a bit crazy." She gave a short laugh. "Look, I know there are things you do instinctively, too. Things that I wouldn't dare. Rescuing someone and coming face-to-face with a killer, in the end both those situations come down to our instinct to survive." She shrugged. "I don't have time to think about being brave. I bet you don't, either."

Maggie wanted to ask her how she had gotten so wise. She realized Liz was waiting for some response, some sign of agreement or understanding. But Maggie simply nodded.

"Anyway, don't worry too much about this trip," Liz added. "We probably won't get any distress calls before we have to head to Jacksonville. They won't let us stay up for very long. As soon as the wind hits forty knots, we're out of here."

But Maggie wasn't really listening anymore. She was watching out the window as Lieutenant Commander Wilson and his copilot, Ellis, boarded the helicopter. Pete Kesnick was waiting for Liz and Maggie. And all Maggie could think about was how quickly the sky had turned an impossibly darker shade of gray.