Chapter 178 Taking a Helicopter to Rescue People
On the night of Vaughn's birthday party, just before Amelia left, a thought struck her like a splinter under the skin—Anna had been outside the door that evening, overhearing her conversation with Vaughn. The unease had been sitting in her chest ever since.
Anna was not the kind of person you could call easygoing. She was proud, sharp-tongued, and petty in the way that never forgot a slight. Being exposed in front of a room full of people that night… Amelia knew Anna would not let that go.
It wasn't herself Amelia worried about. She could handle whatever Anna tried to throw her way. What gnawed at her was the possibility that Anna would turn her spite toward Vaughn.
Because that night, Vaughn had stepped into the party, walked straight up to Emory, and said what he said for one reason alone—to shield Anna. Even knowing she'd been lying, he'd chosen to stand beside her. Later, letting Amelia into the house had been his way of apologizing on Anna's behalf.
If Anna had any sense, hearing Vaughn's words should have made her ashamed, maybe even determined to change before she disappointed her grandfather again. But if all she'd heard was the reprimand… then her reaction would be darker. Twisted. She might even resent Vaughn for confronting her at all.
Amelia remembered the bowl of soup thrown straight into the trash. That memory was enough to make her pause before leaving that night, using the excuse of checking Vaughn's Smart ring. While she examined it, she slipped a thread of mental sigil into the device—a link that would let her feel it the moment he was in danger.
It had been meant as a precaution. Nothing more.
Now… the sharp, needle-like pain that exploded behind her temple told her exactly what she didn't want to know.
Vaughn was in trouble. And not the kind you walk away from.
Shadow, sensing it too, gave a low, uneasy sound and leapt into her lap. Amelia drew in a slow, deliberate breath, forcing her pulse to steady. She closed her eyes and let her awareness lock onto the energy mark in Vaughn's Smart ring.
Cold. Darkness. The crushing weight of water pressing in from all directions.
Vaughn was in the ocean.
And then she remembered—he'd mentioned that in three days he would be boarding a cruise to a private island. Three days from that night… was today.
Which meant Vaughn had gone overboard. Somewhere out at sea.
She didn't hesitate. She pushed the Smart ring's energy output to maximum.
In the freezing black water, Vaughn had struggled at first. But exhaustion came fast. His limbs slowed, his body sinking. Acceptance—not panic—settled over him, and he let himself drift down into the dark, slipping into unconsciousness.
He didn't feel it when a deep, dark red light bloomed around him, wrapping his body in a shield that held back the sea. The force lifted him, carrying him upward until he broke the surface, then began to move him toward the nearest shore.
Amelia kept the energy flowing, tightening her grip on the connection until she could guide him to land.
A faint groan escaped his lips as he reached the beach.
Only when she was certain he was breathing and lying safely on the shore did she release the link. Her own breath came in sharp bursts, her face pale where moments ago it had been warm with color. The rescue had drained her—more than she wanted to admit.
If not for the surge of support she'd gained after her Bald Eagle identity had gone public, she might not have had the strength to save him at all.
But there was no time to dwell on that.
She had to get to Vaughn. Fast. He was older, his body already weakened by the ordeal. Soaked to the skin, chilled by the sea wind… he wouldn't last half a day in that state.
Only one name came to her mind—the one person she trusted without question.
She pulled out her phone and hit the call button.
"Michael, something happened."
The moment the line connected, Michael heard the difference in her voice. It wasn't calm, not like usual. His heart kicked hard. "What is it, baby? I'm here."
"Tell me what happened," he pressed, sitting up straight, pulling in a deep breath to keep his own voice steady. "Don't be afraid. I'm here."
Her first instinct was to reassure him. "It's not me. It's Vaughn."
She started to explain, then stopped. How could she tell him she knew exactly what was happening to Vaughn—where he was, even—while she was still in River City?
The answer came quickly. "I installed a chip in Vaughn's Smart ring. It monitors his vitals and location."
"I'm looking at the data now. He's unconscious on a beach somewhere. All his readings are below normal—dangerously low."
"I think he had an accident at sea and drifted to shore. We have to find him. Now."
Michael didn't question her logic. If she said it was urgent, it was urgent.
"Do you have the exact location?" he asked.
"I do."
"Alright, I understand." His tone shifted—calm, decisive now that it wasn't her in danger. "Get a cab to the Johnson Group headquarters. Top floor. There's a helicopter."
"I'll have Eric waiting for you at the front entrance. He'll go with you. Just tell him the coordinates."
"If anything happens that you can't handle, you call me. If I have to, I'll get on a plane right now."
"No need. The helicopter will be enough," she said quickly, cutting him off before he could make that decision. "I've got this."
She hung up, fired off a text to Zander to cover her absence from school, and was out the door. Vaughn's location wasn't far from River City.
Thirty minutes later, the helicopter touched down on a stretch of gravel-strewn shore.
She spotted him immediately—Vaughn, lying motionless a short distance away.
Eric hesitated for only a heartbeat before running with her to lift him from the ground.
"Miss, should we take him straight to the nearest hospital?" Eric asked, breathing hard.
Amelia's hand tightened on his arm. "No. Take him to my apartment in River City. I'll treat him myself."
Her voice dropped, cold and deliberate. "And Eric—no one hears about this. Not that we found Mr. Williams, not that he's with me. Not a word to anyone."