Jack felt trapped.
He sat in the back of the car, desperate to get there quicker than the car was moving. Ernesto was driving, with Luisa, who had insisted on coming also in the front. He was driving at the limit, but it was too slow.
Jack would have gone faster, regardless. His fingers were twitchy, so were his legs and when they finally reached the mounds, it was all Jack could do, not to fling open the door and run, before the car had stopped moving.
Three of them raced to the mound. It was a mess - someone had forced their way out.
Jack's heart skipped a beat. She had got out. She was alive then. He was briefly filled with relief - only to be clouded by terror again when it dawned on him that he still had no idea where she was.
"NIKKI" he yelled at the top of his voice. He put everything he had into yelling her name - not because he was expecting her to answer, but because at that particular moment, he felt powerless to do anything other than yell her name.
He was greeted by the expected silence, but then there was something else.
"Jack!" It sounded small, but she was close enough for him to hear - and alive!
"NIKKI!" He yelled over and over, racing towards the edge of the cliff where her voice seemed to be coming from.
"JACK!" She kept answering. She was getting louder. He reached the edge and was greeted by the sight he'd been longing for ever since he'd found she'd been taken. Nikki was running back along the beach looking up at him. Now his heart really did skip a beat. He raced down towards her, not caring that he was stumbling and tripping all over the place.
They finally reached each other and he lift his sobbing doctor off her feet. His doctor. He was sobbing to as she buried her head in his chest, causing him to collapse backwards with her onto the sand. "Are you ok?" Silly question, really, he thought but it had escaped his lips before he could stop it.
"I am now." She whispered softly through her sobs.
"I thought I was too late." He sobbed into her hair.
"I know, Jack. I'm sorry." Nikki wrapped her arms tighter around him.
"I thought I was too late" Jack repeated, unable to say anything else.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry" She whispered into his chest, calming him enough to comfort her.
"Shhhh it's ok" he whispered back softly, rocking her gently against him. He pulled his phone free from his pocket, still holding her tightly and dialled Thomas's mobile before putting it to his ear.
"Jack?" Thomas answered.
"I got her. she ok." It wasn't much but it was all he could manage.
"Thank God." He could hear the relief in Thomas's voice. "I call Clarissa."
Jack hung up. Still holding her tightly, Jack whispered to Nikki. "Luisa and Ernesto are up there with the car, love" Nikki nodded against his warm chest and he suddenly realised that her clothes were soaked through and she had bare feet. "Are you sure you're ok?" He asked, concern evident in his voice.
"Mmm, just tired. I expect you are too - It's been a long day!" She was calmer now, and gave him a small smile.
He carefully helped her to her feet, took her hand and slowly led her up off the beach, hand in hand.
He was never letting go.