Safe In Your Arms Read Online Free PDF Page A

she blinked at her bare wrist. “Son of a bitch!” Her watch was gone. She held both hands out in front of her and sighed in relief. Her mother’s ruby and diamond encrusted engagement ring was still on her finger along with her graduation ring. Twisting the rings in a nervous fashion, she looked out over the small rocky beach. The river stretched before her and, beyond that, the shoreline of the small town. She could see buildings, the bell tower of a church, and farther down, even the lighthouse. Her family’s summer home was still a ways down the shoreline. She couldn’t see it, even though she tried hard.
    They were so close. Mina wrapped her arms over her waist, realizing his big sweatpants were slipping off her hips. She searched for and found the strings and tied them up as she stepped carefully toward the water. White caps gently rolled out in the water, the sun sparkling against them in a scenic display of peace. She was tempted to head into the water. Shore didn’t look that far away. Biting her lip, she shook her head. Who was she kidding? Swimming across the river with the severe undertows was a suicide mission. Yet he’d done it. He must have dragged her unconscious body with him at least halfway. She owed him her life. It was a hard pill to swallow, especially since he seemed to not give a damn either way about her safety.
    “I owe him twice.” She huffed out a breath and turned to move toward the thick mass of grass and trees surrounding the outcropping of rocks that made the cave. Her bare feet made the going slow as she tried to avoid sharp rocks, broken glass, and debris that had washed up on shore. “I owe him one. He could have left me my damn shoes!” she hissed as she found a suitable tree to crouch behind.
    When her immediate needs were taken care of, she made her way back to the entrance to the cave. There was no way to tell which island she was on. They didn’t call them the Thousand Islands for nothing. No, she had to find out how big the island was, but if she wanted to do that, she knew it would take a walk through the trees and weeds. The ground rose at a sharp angle, that and the pine needles, rocks, and unknown insects hiding in the thick woods decided for her. She would stay put until her possessions were returned. Anger at his decision to leave her all alone and defenseless made her look for anything she could use as a weapon. The idea that he could be attacked somewhere on the island made her worry and fear the worst when he failed to show up as the sun sank toward the shoreline.
    Whittling a spear out of a tree branch was impossible without her knives, so she settled for collecting shards of broken glass. Spending a miserable week with Daren’s groping friends had taught her a thing or two about survival. She’d found that she was handy with knives, could build a trap well enough to catch rabbits, and actually remembered some of the self-defense moves from the classes her father insisted both his girls take. She wouldn’t go down or be turned into one of those monsters without a fight. And she sure wouldn’t allow some strange man to use and abuse her, either.
    Mina forced herself to move about the small area gathering dry wood for the fire. Adding small pieces of wood a little at a time, Mina had kept the fire going just enough to ensure she’d have light, heat, and protection from animals if her reluctant hero didn’t return. She ate a can of peas for lunch and drank more water.
    Dusk settled over the water like a warm blanket as Mina wandered close to the water. Her bare feet hurt from walking over the sharp rocks. A blissful sigh escaped her as she stepped into the cool water with both feet. Looking out over the dark water, she stared at the opposite shore, where the sun was just beginning to sink behind the trees and buildings. Her disgruntled hero had warned her not to go near the water until dusk. It was dusk.
    There was an absence of everything she had always