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PROLOGUE

So’s brain he kneas in a very bad situation Pain radiated from every square inch of his body, and even with his adrenaline on overload, he are that there was a good chance he was about to die

The turbulent waters of the ocean were thrashing hi desperately to take him below the surface Each wave slah his entire body He went under, taking in hugefor air

Pulling out a flare fro as he looked around for other survivors from the Coast Guard helicopter crash He couldn’t find another soul His crew Where was his crew? Shouting for minutes, he felt defeat try to overtake him when there was no answer

Nick wanted to let the sea take him, as he knew it had taken the other members of his crew, people ere â??and it was his fault

Another wave surged over hihting the strong pull But a flash of his h his ive up

The Guard would know exactly where he was They’d already have dispatched a rescue They didn’t leave their own behind But at this particular ht not make it in time

The protective suit Nick wore kept him afloat, but the injuries he’d sustained in the crash were taking him in and out of consciousness When a hundred feet away froether and al That sound meant a boat had been dropped

Pulling hied to arrive at the inflatable boat one of his fellow Coast Guardsh in the sky Luck was on his side that a carrier jet had been in the vicinity It hadn’t taken long They knehere he was They were giving him hope Now he knehat the people he’d saved had felt in those ive up

Grabbing the side of the rocking boat, he pulled hiainst the rubber Nick’s vision blackened as his shattered kneeit inside before he collapsed

When he ca tossed about, but he was alive He didn’t know if the sea was pushing him farther out or closer to land It didn’t matter His beacon would allow the Guard to follow him when the seawater pulled the small vessel in new directions With the force of the waves and the strong winds, it et there He almost didn’t want them to attempt the rescue He didn’t want any more deaths on his bloody hands

Trying to stay conscious, he searched the black water until he couldn’t sit up any longer If any of his other crew had survived the crash, the waves had taken the on their own raftsto

Closing his eyes, Nick thought of his family, his career, and his life At thirty-two years old, he was the second to youngest brother out of four His relationship with Cooper and Maverick was perfect All three of theone for years

Nick couldn’t give in to the sea, couldn’t let her take him yet, not until he could mend the fences that had been put up between Ace and the rest of the family

Being a Coast Guard pilot was hazardous Nick ell aware of that He loved the danger and adventure of it all, loved knowing he was heading out into the fray when the rest of the world was boarding up their s He loved being a hero

He also knew the Coast Guard o out; yet, they didn’t have to co you can die, and the reality of losing your life, were two entirely different feelings

He wasn’t ready to let goâ??not yet He refused to continue to allow hiave up, then he would be lost Nick closed his eyes as the sea whipped him around He lost track of time as shades of black formed into circles before his eyes He didn’t knohen they were open or when they were closed

As an hour passed and then two, he felt like the waves were caly to pull hi was broken He was sure of it, along with other injuries throughout his body He’d most likely lost a lot of blood, and with the intake of the salty water, he was dehydrated and he was fading

Nick tried to focus on his fao on His ht not be able to bear it His brother Cooper would be frantic by now,they let him come on the rescue mission

Cooper owned an airline and loved to fly But flying jets and choppers were two different things If anyone could figure out a chopper’s controls on the spur of the ht with almost the hint of a smile

Maverick would be at his base Even being retired wouldn’t stop hi into the cockpit of his favorite F-18 to search for his brother He’d grab one and duet to Nick Hell, his brother would probably reason that he could afford to replace the ridiculously expensive piece of rin to Nick’s cracked lips

And then there was Ace Being so helpless made Nick even more determined than ever to find his brother, to et home and he would find Ace GUE