Chapter 26
Eternity passed by the time Dax and Madden reached Vanessa’s property. He’d placed a call to the sheriff’s department about what they’d learned, but only Ethan’s empty truck waited to greet them when they arrived.
Dax followed the sound of Frankie’s frantic barks to the house. He checked the knob, but the door was locked. Not having a second to waste, he aimed his gun where the dead bolt attached to the wall and squeezed off a shot.
“What the hell, dude?” Madden yelled and jogged to his side.
Dax burst through the door, and Frankie jumped on his legs. “Vanessa! Are you here?”
Frankie barked and bolted outside.
“You look in the house in case she’s here,” Dax said. “I’ll follow Frankie.”
He didn’t give Madden time to argue as he chased down the little dog.
He ran past the barn and toward the woods, retracing the steps he’d taken only days ago when Frankie had led him toward the missing animals.
If Frankie could produce a miracle and lead him to Vanessa, he’d cook the mutt steaks every night for dinner.
A low growl sounded from Frankie’s throat, and he ran at full speed into the trees.
A gunshot exploded from inside the woods, and Dax’s heart jumped into this throat.
The tinny taste of fear coated his mouth, but he kept running.
Kept pushing forward. He picked his way through overgrown brush and weaved through a maze of trees.
Water dripped from the canopy of leaves and slid down his face.
Another shot went off. He ran faster, making his lungs burn and muscles scream. He spotted a flash of movement seconds before Frankie leapt into the air.
Then he saw him.
Frankie bared his teeth and attacked Ethan’s leg.
Ethan shook off the dog then aimed a gun at Frankie. “You little bastard.”
Dax closed the distance between them with his weapon trained straight ahead. “Shoot the dog and it’s the last thing you’ll do.”
Shock registered on Ethan’s face. “Dax! Thank God. I came out here to talk to Vanessa. I heard her screaming for help. She fell in the river.”
Terror clamped onto his gut. If Vanessa was in the river, he had to get to her quickly.
But first he had to get past Ethan. “So that was your plan all along, huh? Toss her in the same river as your friend and hope to God everyone in this town bought the same story. Make yourself look like some wannabe hero who tried to rescue her while all your secrets remain buried?”
Shock morphed into rage, and Ethan swung his gun at Dax.
Dax didn’t waste another second. He pulled the trigger, hitting Ethan in the leg.
Ethan fell to the ground, the weapon bouncing away from his hand. A howl of pain hissed from his mouth. “You asshole!”
Madden appeared just as Dax secured Ethan’s gun.
“He said Vanessa’s in the river,” Dax said. “You deal with him. I have to find her.”
As much as he wanted to stay and inflict more pain on Ethan, he sprinted toward the hill overlooking the wide river. He squinted, searching for signs of Vanessa in the water. “Come on,” he urged, adrenaline pulsing through his veins. He hadn’t come this far to lose her.
Dark hair broke through the surface of the water seconds before disappearing again. She was several yards away, the strong current carrying her closer to the rapids every second. He ran toward the river’s edge and jumped.
Icy water hit his body, engulfing him. He fought against the murky water, finding the surface and inhaling deep gulps of air before swimming downstream. He kept his eyes open as he kicked his legs with as much force as possible.
“Vanessa!” he yelled as he searched. The water carried him forward. He fought against fallen limbs and jagged rocks.
He spotted her again. Her eyes were wide and skin ashen. She held out her arms in time to catch a thick trunk of an upturned tree that hovered over the water. The river moved around her, trying to toss her around. Waves splashed over her face.
Aiming her way, he summoned every ounce of strength he had left and swam straight for her.
His muscles ached and his heart hammered against his chest. The overturned tree grew closer.
He reached for a limb with one arm, hooking it over the rough, wet bark, and wrapped the other around Vanessa’s waist moments after she dipped under water once more.
He yanked her against his body, maneuvering her so her face tilted upward.
A hacking cough shook her shoulders.
“I’ve got you,” he said. He held on for dear life. Waves beat against him and threatened to tear him away from his anchor.
“Hold on, Dax. I’m coming,” Madden yelled.
Relief rooted in his soul at the sound of his brother’s voice. He tightened his grip on the sturdy wood, but the slippery moss clinging to the side made it hard to hold on. “Help’s here. You’re going to be okay.”
“I knew you’d come,” she said, her teeth chattering. “I’m so cold.”
“A couple more minutes and you’ll be safe and sound.”
Madden lay on his stomach and reached out over the water. “Can you move any closer?”
His muscles strained as he struggled against the rushing current. “Vanessa, I’m going to pass you to Madden. I need you to stay against the branch. He’ll grab you and pull you to shore.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll be right behind you, honey.”
She nodded then shifted to pull herself closer to the limb.
Dax unhooked his arm and braced his free palm against her back. He urged her forward, willing her to close the gap and get to Madden before another wave took her under.
Madden stretched forward and took hold of her arm. “I’ve got her.” He pulled her up to the shore then returned to the edge of the riverbank, reaching out a palm.
Gritting his teeth, Dax placed one hand over the other and heaved himself toward his brother. The tips of his fingers brushed against Madden’s.
The thick branch snapped and smacked him on the side of the temple before barreling over him.
The heavy log pinned him under the water.
Pain exploded inside his head. Water filled his mouth.
He thrashed around the murky depths, but the wood refused to budge as it pushed him closer to the deadly depths of the riverbed.
* * *
“Dax!” Vanessa crawled onto her knees and lunged forward. The edge of the river slapped against her. Mud seeped between her fingers. Fear weighed her down as she watched Dax disappear under the water.
“Stay there,” Madden said. He dove headfirst into the river.
Horror locked her in place as she tried to catch a glimpse of Dax. Her teeth chattered and shivers shook her shoulders, but none of it mattered. All that mattered was Madden pulling Dax from the raging river to safety.
Frankie’s bark reached her seconds before he tore from the tree line and leapt onto her lap.
“Hello?” a man called out, hidden among the trees.
The sudden voice sent ripples of fear through her body.
She searched for a weapon, anything to keep Ethan away.
She’d jumped into the river, thinking he wouldn’t shoot, but he’d proven her wrong.
Bullets had splashed around her as she’d struggled not to drown.
He might have missed her while she’d flailed in the water, but his aim would be better as she sat on the riverbed.
“Vanessa, it’s Deputy Sanders. Where’s Dax and Madden?” The deputy jogged down the grassy incline toward her.
The terror wrapped around her heart loosened a fraction. She jumped to her feet and pointed at the water. “They’re in there. Dax was struck by a tree. Madden jumped in to save him.”
As if summoned by her words, Madden broke through the surface and pulled in a large breath before going under again.
Fear beat against the side of her neck with every thump of her heart. Dax had been submerged for so long. He needed air.
Madden popped up again, this time with an arm hooked across Dax’s chest.
Deputy Sanders ran toward them, reaching out a hand. “Almost there, Madden.”
Madden kicked his feet and moved his body to the shore.
The sight of Dax’s ashen face and closed eyes sent a dagger of worry to her gut. She scurried to Deputy Sanders’s side, silently urging Madden closer.
Deputy Sanders clasped Madden’s forearm and hauled him up on the muddy shore.
Madden struggled for air and laid Dax on his back. “He’s not breathing,” Madden said between gasps.
“He needs CPR. Now!” Needing to act, Vanessa dropped to her knees beside Dax and sealed her mouth on his before breathing life into his body. She pulled back, anchoring her hands on his chest and pressing against his heart.
He lay still.
She repeated the process. Mouth to mouth. Hands to chest. “Come on, baby. You can’t leave me now. I have so much to tell you. So much to share. Please. Open your eyes.”
She prepared to lean forward once more when a hacking cough tore through his body. He surged up, expelling water from his mouth.
“Dax!” Relief brought tears to her eyes, and she threw her arms around his neck.
He clung to her, burying his face in the crook of her neck and greedily sucked in air. His body trembled, his skin ice-cold.
Deputy Sanders called out instructions to the communicator strapped to his shoulder then kneeled beside them. “Medics are coming.”
Vanessa frowned as she struggled to wrap her mind around how things had changed so quickly. “How are any of you here?”
Dax pulled back and framed her face with his hands. Wet strands of her hair molded to her cheek. “We went to find you, but you were gone.”
She gasped, momentarily forgetting about the terrifying landslide that had swept over the mountain. “Oh gosh, Ben. Is he okay?”
Dax nodded. “He will be.”
Madden walked over, water dripping from his saturated clothes. “Once we found out Ethan had you, Dax figured he’d bring you here.”
Wonder filled her. “You found me. You saved me.”
The corner of his mouth lifted. “You got away from him, I just made sure he couldn’t get to you before I dragged you out of the river.”
She glanced behind her at the raging stream. “Garrison was my father. He threw him in that same river after he hit him on the head.”
“I know, honey.”
Tears filled her eyes, and she faced Dax again. “I have so much to sort through, but none of that matters now. All that matters is you’re okay. That you’re here with me.”
“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be. I was stupid earlier. I was scared and guilt-ridden. I never should have—”
She pressed her lips to his. “You don’t have to say any more.”
“Yes, I do,” he said, leaning his forehead to hers. “I’m sorry. Sorry for how I acted, for what I said. I’ll never let my anger—my pain or my pride—dictate how I treat you. I thought I’d lost you. That I let you walk away and would never get a chance to tell you I’ve fallen in love with you.”
Excitement and happiness burst in the pit of her stomach, and she wrapped herself around him. She held him tight, never wanting to let go. “I love you, too. I know it’s so fast, but it’s true.”
“All right, you two,” Madden said. “The medics are at the top of the hill. If you can manage, let’s meet them up there so you can both get checked out. No need to sit here, soaking wet. Besides, I need to use someone’s phone to call Lily and check on Pops.”
Dax climbed to his feet then helped her up, keeping one arm secure around her back. Exhaustion and wet clothes weighed her down. Adrenaline fled from her system and left her shaky and tired. “How is your dad?”
“He’ll be fine.” Dax pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “He was worried about you. Worried I’d made a mess of things that I couldn’t fix. It’s a good thing you accepted my apology, or he might have kicked me out and adopted you as his own.”
She grinned, relieved to learn Walter would be okay. “Well, after you jumped into a river for me, I didn’t have much of an option.”
He grunted. “Next time we swim together, I think we should find a pool.”
She hooked his arm around his waist and kept him close as they trekked up the riverbank and to the front of the house. Frankie stayed glued to her side. The taillights of an ambulance disappeared into the mist, and she sank deeper against Dax.
“Ethan’s been taken to the hospital then will be transported to the county jail,” Deputy Sanders said. “He won’t hurt you anymore.”
Dax steered her toward the second ambulance sitting in the driveaway. The back door was wide open, and a middle-aged woman stood at the ready.
“You two need anything else from me?” Madden asked.
“Nah,” Dax said. “Go tell Dad everyone’s okay.”
Vanessa untangled herself from Dax long enough to wrap Madden in a hug. “Thank you for saving him—for coming to save me.”
Madden gave her a quick squeeze. “That’s what brothers are for.”
Dax snagged her back against his side then stretched a hand toward his brother. “Thanks, man.”
She tried to step away to give the two men space, but Dax refused to let her go. Not like she’d complain. After her ordeal today, there was nowhere else in this world she’d rather be.
Madden slapped his palm in Dax’s and pulled him in for a quick half hug. “You’d have done the same for me. Take it easy for a while, okay?”
“I’ll make sure he does,” Vanessa said, snuggling into the heat of his body.
Madden dipped his chin then strolled to his truck.
Deputy Sanders appeared before they reached the impatient medic. “I hate to do this, but I’ll need a statement from both of you.”
She squeezed her eyes shut for a beat. For as long as she lived, she’d never forget the terror she’d endured, but the idea of speaking the experience out loud, of reliving every single detail, had her fisting Dax’s wet shirt in her hand.
“Can you give us a little time?” Dax asked. “It’ll be easier to go through everything in warm clothes.”
“Sure,” Sanders said. “I’ll wait for you on the porch.”
Vanessa sighed, wishing she could head inside right now. She wanted nothing more than to put the ugliness of the day behind her, but that wasn’t possible. At least not yet.
The medic finally approached. “Who’s first?”
“Him,” Vanessa said.
He opened his mouth to argue, but she cut him off with one hard look.
“You came for me. You saved me. Now let me take care of you a little. Let her give you a clean bill of health so we can dry off and get comfortable. Then I need to make sure and follow through on my promise to your brother and make you rest.”
He tucked his thumb under her chin. “As long as you’re beside me when I do.”
She pressed her lips to his. “Sounds perfect to me.”