Chapter 28: The Descent
She hit the water with the force of a concrete wall. The impact knocked the breath from her lungs, the freezing Pacific immediately numbing her limbs. Above her, the helicopter slammed into the rocks, exploding in a brilliant bloom of orange fire.
Elena sank. The darkness of the water enveloped her. She thought of Barnaby. She thought of the quiet cottage, the steaming coffee, and the gold and amber horizon. She fought to swim upward, but her body was broken. The scars on her shoulder throbbed one last time, a final, fading pulse of life.
