Chapter 9 #2
I cast my stare across the raging river.
Normally, it’s a tranquil, misty spot at the bottom of high, cascading falls. Like a wading pool of slippery rocks and gentle, meandering currents.
But I’ve heard that after a deluge of rain, the river surges to deadly levels, its fatal crush of white water falling like bombs from above before its swift current takes you under, crashing you against rocks and downstream to the next lethal plunge over the falls.
On the other side of the river, there’s a woman. Looks like she’s wet, naked, and crouched, stuck on the slippery outcrop, unable to climb the steep, rocky cliff behind her.
Tugging the chin strap on her helmet, Alena doesn’t hesitate. “I’m going. She’ll trust me.”
“No, I’ll do it.” But our head ranger, Paul, thinks he’s protecting her when really, he’s undermining her skills.
“Allen is the only woman rescuer we have,” I shout, gesturing to the harrowing rapids. “She’s also a damn strong rescue swimmer and the best chance we got.”
Shit, I let it slip. How I saw her rescue that boy at the beach.
Alena’s chestnut eyes go wide, surprised by my praise, so I cover my tracks. “And men will only scare the hell out of that woman.” I point to her. “Why is she out there naked? There’s obviously some trauma going on, and Allen is the only one who can get her.”
“Fine.” The chief in charge points to me. “She tethers to you. You’re a fucking house and our biggest; we’ll hold the ropes to you.”
Tourists crowd the steps above us. Their phones are up. The news crew has its camera aimed on us. Alena sees them and orders our head ranger, “You’re in charge of this park, so make them put their cameras down. I can’t rescue her if the whole fucking world violates her privacy, and she goes viral.”
I gawp, impressed by this side of Alena. She’s sweet and plays by the rules until someone’s at risk; then all bets are off.
She’s fearless.
We don’t waste time. Our boss controls the crowd while the rescue crew stands by the edge of the river, attaching ropes to me, and I stand behind Alena, clipping my rope with the carabiner into the hook on the back of her life vest.
“You got this.” I tug, securing her to me with the rope. “And I got you.”
She glances back, grinning. “You owe me a Slurpee when this is over.”
But she doesn’t give me time to promise her my life.
She jumps, chest-first, hitting the water aggressively, as we’re trained. Swimming through rushing rapids to the nearest rocks, she fights to gain her footing as the roaring water threatens to take her down.
Fuck, my hammering heart’s in my throat. One wrong step and Alena’s going under, smashed against the rocks, and drowning.
Training tells me to give her enough slack. To let her fight her way across the chest-deep rapids. But instinct tells me to pull this rope and bring her back to me. To keep her safe. Or to plunge into the raging water and go down with her.
But she makes it to the other side, emerging from the churning water to climb the low slippery rocks to the woman crouched there; she’s scurrying backward.
Over the roaring falls, I can’t hear what they’re saying, but it looks like the woman would rather die than be saved.
Alena takes off her helmet.
No! That’s dangerous, Babygirl. What are you doing?
One fall, and Alena’s skull will crack open on the rocks. But she shakes her long hair out. Damn. Her gear hides her feminine curves, so she’s proving she’s a woman to the other. She holds her hands out, crouching low, waiting for the woman to come to her instead of scaring her away.
“What in the hell is Allen doing?” One of the crew yells from the shore, “Her goddamn hair?”
I turn around, barking, “Her fucking job! Shut the fuck up!” I hold my tether to her with both hands, waiting for the woman to trust Alena.
Finally, she does.
She lets Alena put a life vest on her nude body. She lets her put an extra helmet on her, too, while Alena snaps hers back on. She must be listening while Alena points at the surging river, explaining how they have to cross back to safety to me.
Then… fuck! Alena breaks protocol again. She reaches around, unhooking my tether to her, securing it to the victim’s vest instead.
“Alena!” I shout into the cacophony. “Babygirl, no,” I mutter under my breath, fucking terrified of her bravery.
She’s supposed to hang on to the victim and bring them back, not sacrifice her safety for her.
Goddamnit, she’s just like her father. Just like all of us.
Slowly, she guides the woman into the water, holding on to her vest. I tense as they reach the deepest spot, and the woman slips from Alena’s grasp, disappearing underwater, so Alena goes under, after her.
I tug the rope, my heart exploding. Alena, baby, no! No, no, no! My thighs flex, ready to jump in after them, but they emerge. First the victim’s head, then Alena’s as she uses her strength to pull the woman to the shallow water, to the rocks until they find footing.
I hold out my hand for the woman to pull her to safety, but she flinches away.
“I got her,” Alena shouts over the roaring water. She won’t let the woman’s vest go.
So I reach out to Alena, pulling my future wife to safety. I don’t give a fuck what I have to do to make it happen. This woman is every badass thing I need in my life.
She steps onto the rocks beside me, her smile instant, then disappearing. Turning, she pulls the woman to her. “You’re okay. I got you.”
Wrapping her body around the trembling woman, half exposed, she shields her from dozens of men on the shore. “What the fuck are y’all gawking at?” Alena rages like the river. “Give me a blanket and show her some respect!”
I turn, catching the space blanket a crew member tosses to me. Some look like pros. A few stare like pervs. “Here.” I hand it to Alena.
Carefully, she wraps it around the tiny woman who cowers so close to me. Her big, aqua eyes, terrified. Her long, dark hair, hanging in wet ropes. Her brows bend, scared. Her skin, alabaster. Her face, like a doll’s, like…
Fuck, she looks familiar. She looks like the victims my mom, brothers, and I have saved in the past…
But she looks like more.
I can’t place it.
EMTs approach from the shore, trying to bring the victim up on the platform, but she clings to Alena.
“I’m going with her,” Alena tells them. “I won’t leave her, so fucking take me with you, or I’m taking her home and keeping her safe myself.”
A lump forms in my throat, witnessing Alena’s strength. She has no idea how much we’re alike.
I don’t make a scene. I try not to make it any more obvious that my future wife just impressed and scared the shit out of me. I’m already worried my shouts gave my love away.