Whoosh! Water erupted from her mouth, her ears and her nose as she was pulled from the sea. She gazed up at the bright sun, her body racked by a coughing fit.
“Shelly!” she said weakly, reaching out a hand.
A dark-skinned man appeared above her, blocking out the sun’s rays.
“You’re going to be okay,” he said, with a kind smile.
“My friend.” Rose turned onto her side, trying to clamber to her knees. She looked around her at the deck of the speedboat, where two other men were bent over a prone figure. “Is she okay?”
She had never felt so relieved to hear Shelly coughing. On her hands and knees, Rose crawled towards her.
“Shelly,” she whispered, “are you okay?”
“What’s up, Archer?” Shelly turned her pale face towards her and held out her arms. “That was fun, huh?”
They sat on the
