Chapter 7
Ellie had just entered the cafeteria in search of supper, after getting an update from the site supervisor, when she heard her name called.
"Ellie, over here!"
Looking up, her stomach tightened. Suzi was sitting with both Phoenix and Boomer, the guy who had interrupted their almost-kiss—or whatever that was—earlier that morning. Thankfully, the rush to finish drilling before the storm hit had occupied her thoughts all day, so she hadn’t had time to analyze it.
A moment of madness, that’s all it was. The dark… the cold… his sweatshirt. Nothing more.
Then she remembered the heat in his gaze as he’d pulled her toward him, and the deafening hammering of her heart as she’d moved into his arms—kinda like what it was doing now.
It had felt so easy, so natural—almost like she’d been on autopilot.
Then came that haunted expression, almost like he’d been in pain.
But why? She’d felt the tension in his arms as he’d put his hands around her waist and pulled her close. Heard the desperation in his tone when he’d groaned her name.
She had not imagined that. He’d been as attracted to her as she was to him, she was sure of it.
Now, here he was, lounging in his plastic molded chair, all brooding charm—jaw locked, shoulders stiff, and eyes narrowed into blue slits as he looked at her. She glanced around for an escape, but there was nowhere to go. Suzi was beckoning, and both men were watching her. To leave now would make the situation even worse.
So she took a deep breath and walked across the room, cheeks blazing. Upon reaching them, she forced a smile. "Hey."
"Look who I found lurking around the cafeteria." Suzi beamed at the two muscular men at her table. She looked extremely proud of herself. "Ellie, this is Boomer."
"We've met." Boomer winked at her. Under the bright fluorescent lights in the cafeteria, she saw he had the same self-confident machismo that seemed to be a prerequisite for military types. Big and brawny. His nose had been broken, likely several times and he had friendly, drooping eyes. Definite sex appeal.
"How are you guys?" She smoothed a hand over her hair, conscious that it must look like a bird’s nest thanks to the gale force winds up on deck.
"Great," Boomer replied.
Phoenix merely grunted, clearly not in a good mood. Well, that made two of them.
"I’m always one step behind," Suzi groaned, glancing between the two of them.
"We met on deck this morning," Ellie said quickly. “Just as the storm was coming in.”
“Yoga?” Suzi asked.
Ellie nodded. Not that she’d managed to do any, but Suzi seemed satisfied.
"How'd it go today?" Phoenix asked, surprising her with the question. “Did they finish drilling?”
“Yeah, they did.” She was impressed he’d remembered. “Just in the nick of time. When the storm is over, we can collect the fourth set of samples.”
“Hopefully with better results.”
She pursed her lips. He had been listening.
“It’s getting pretty hairy out there,” Suzi said as the rain hurled itself against the Perspex, making it rattle.
“I know, I’ve just spoken to Billy.”
“You shouldn’t be topside,” barked Phoenix, his forehead furrowed. “It’s not safe.”
Ellie was surprised by his terse tone.
“We’ve issued a warning for everyone to stay below deck until the worst is over,” Boomer explained. As security operatives, they advised Henderson on safety procedures.
She nodded. “I won’t go back up until the storm’s over.”
"I contacted the company that drew up the survey reports." Suzi said, changing the subject. "They're called Geo Services Limited, and they're based out of Houston."
Ellie shook her head, puzzled. "I've never heard of them."
"Me neither, but they’re a reputable organization and do a lot of work in the Gulf of Mexico."
"Do you have a contact?" She studiously avoiding Phoenix’s gaze. "Have you spoken to them?"
"Not yet. As soon as I do, I'll let you know."
"Are you eating?" Boomer asked. "The food is pretty good. Minnie is a local Texan chef, and she’s in charge of lunch service today."
Ellie wasn’t hungry, but she knew Boomer was right. She had to keep her energy levels up or she’d feel even worse. She got herself a tray and was served a big plate of chili con carne by a sexy blonde with huge eyes and a wide smile. Her name tag said Minnie.
Ellie didn’t miss the lingering glance the chef cast in Phoenix’s direction. Returning to the table, she ignored the odd tightening in her chest. Seemed she wasn’t the only one who found the hulking operative attractive.
She sighed and sat down. Why did she even care? A man like Phoenix could have his pick of women. He was so not her type, so why had she nearly kissed him?
After their almost-kiss, she’d returned to her room, showered, then gotten ready for work. His sweatshirt still lay on her bed, untouched, like she was too scared to pick it up. Afraid it still had some sort of magic hold over her.
It was ridiculous, she knew that. Yet, being surrounded by his heat, his smell… it had affected her in a way she’d never imagined.
“How long is the storm supposed to last?” Suzi asked.
“A day, maybe two.” Phoenix looked at Boomer for confirmation, and he nodded.
Ellie picked up her cutlery and was about to start eating when an almighty crash came from somewhere above them.
“Shit, what was that?” Suzi’s eyes were wide.
Both Phoenix and Boomer were already out of their seats and running toward the door.
“Sounds like part of the rigging,” Ellie gasped.
If it was, this was bad. Really bad.
Suzi jumped up and dashed after them. Ellie followed, as did several other rig workers and operating staff. The first person she saw once she got topside was a windswept Billy, the Operations Manager, yelling into a hand-held radio. “Get up here! We need to secure it.”
“What was that??” she asked, looking around.
His face was grim as he held the radio away from his ear. “The crane. It fell over and crashed through the railing.”
Rain lashed across the deck and tore at the rigging. The huge crash had been made by a mini crane that had toppled sideways onto the upper deck. The weight of it had buckled the side railing, which hung off the edge of the platform, banging against the metal structure. One of the steel bars had come loose and flapped around dangerously.
“It’s going to fly off,” Suzi yelled behind her. “It could hit someone.”
Ellie grabbed a length of rope out of a nearby crate where they stored such items and ran over to the railing. “We can secure it with this.”
The wind howled around her, threatening to blow her off the edge of the platform into the tumultuous seas below.
“Get back!” Billy shouted, running over. He took the rope from her hand. “Let me.”
Suddenly, a piece of debris flew across the deck, smashed into the ops manager, and sent him careening backwards.
“Billy!” Ellie screamed. She dove for him but missed, and he fell over the edge, out of sight.
“Man overboard!” she screamed, clinging onto the broken railing. The wind buffeted perilously around her, the force so strong she could barely hang on.
“Help!” Suzi turned to where Phoenix and Boomer were working to secure the damaged crane. “Billy’s fallen off the rig!”