Free Give Yourself Away by Barbara Elsborg

into the water and was on the cliff face or maybe he’d fallen through a hole in the rock.
    “Isn’t that Dorney Cave ahead of us?” March asked. “Maybe he didn’t go over the edge but through an opening on the clifftop. It’d look as though he fell over the edge because he’d just disappear.”
    “You think?” Brian asked. “Aren’t the dangerous sections roped off?”
    “Yep but maybe he ignored the signs. It’s worth a look,” Kev said.
    Brian powered the craft straight toward the cliff face and a rush of excitement fired March’s veins. As they drew nearer the jagged rocks that marked the entrance to a cave only accessible on foot at very low tide, there was a faint, brief reflection on the water at the bottom of the cliff.
    When it came again, Brian pulled closer. “That’s a light. Maybe a flashlight or a phone. You’re right. He’s in there. Christ.”
    “We can’t make it through that gap,” Kev said.
    The opening to the cave had been narrowed by the incoming tide, the size of the aperture changing with every surge of the sea until it almost disappeared. The boat was caught in a sudden large swell and Brian fought to stop them being heaved against the cliff.
    “It’s too rough.” Kev shook his head. “I vote no.”
    Brian looked at March.
    “Go for it,” March said, which made Brian’s the casting vote, although as skipper he could override them anyway. “If you don’t, he’ll drown.”
    Brian maneuvered the craft in from a different angle but the surging sea pushed them into the opening, and March had to duck to avoid hitting his helmet.
    “We’re going to get stuck,” Brian yelled. “I’ll have to take her back out.”
    As the boat pulled away, March shouted, “I’m going in.” He threw himself overboard before Brian could tell him not to. And he would have told him not to. Shit, it was fucking cold. Even through all his layers he could feel the chill.
    “You’re not attached,” he heard Kev call.
    I know. The line would be a hindrance in the confined space and a way for them to pull him back before he’d completed his search. His life jacket had inflated and March let the water carry him toward the cave entrance. When he was a fraction away from colliding with rock, he waited for the next incoming wave, took a deep breath and kicked under.
    He wasn’t submerged for long but the fear of not finding anywhere to surface or being pushed up by his buoyancy to be trapped against rock overhead made him desperate to take a breath. He used the rock to pull himself forward as far as he could and then powered up, bursting into the air and filling his lungs.
    When he spun around he spotted a weak source of light several yards away. Thank fuck for that.
    “He’s in here. Alive,” March said into his mouthpiece, though he only heard a crackle in reply.
    He pressed the light attached to his life jacket onto the Velcro on his helmet and swam to the back of the cave. A young guy, soaked to the skin, stood up to his knees in water. He was shaking violently.
    “Are you injured?” March asked.
    “No. Oh G-God. You’re r-r-real? Not a f-f-figment of my imagination? Th-thank you.”
    Don’t thank me or God yet. “What’s your name?”
    “C-Caleb J-Jones.”
    “Okay, Caleb. I’m March and I’m going to get you out of here.”
    He turned so his helmet would shed light on the mouth of the cave, but it was hard to tell where the opening was. He spoke again into his radio with no expectation he’d be heard, but it might reassure the guy.
    “Coming out.” He turned to Caleb. “Ready for a swim? My life jacket can support up to four people. I’ll clip you on and I won’t let you go. But you have to stay calm and trust me. No panicking or you’ll drown us both.”
    The guy nodded.
    “Bringing him out,” March yelled and after he’d fastened Caleb on, he backed into the water.
    He was relieved the guy didn’t panic, but swimming with him was still exhausting because he was