Chapter 32
Maggie twisted and tugged at the bindings.
Come on, come on, come on.
She glanced at the bank. They were so far out now, and they were coming into the faster-moving part of the water.
Nel uncapped the syringe. “Ready?”
“Even if you kill me, you won’t get my life. You won’t get Ethan. He loves me, he’s not going to just move on with another woman the second I’m dead. And you won’t get Polly. She doesn’t trust easily. She only trusts me because we’ve been best friends since we were kids.”
Nel’s eyes narrowed. “Are you saying I’m not good enough?”
“No, I—”
“Ethan was perfectly happy with me on those first two dates! And Polly and I got along great until she heard I was dating Ethan. And I already have a better relationship with your aunt than you do. I’ll live your life far better than you ever did.”
Nel lunged forward and drove the needle into Maggie’s arm.
Maggie screamed and twisted, the needle dislodging before the entire contents of the syringe had emptied. She kicked out, her heel slamming into the center of Nel’s chest. The other woman cried out and fell to the floor of the boat, making them rock violently.
Maggie yanked her wrists so hard her skin burned.
“You’re going to pay for that,” Nel growled, the boat rocking again as she pushed up from the deck.
Another ferocious jerk.
She was out.
Nel stood the same time Maggie lifted an oar and swung. The wood slammed into the side of her head, and Nel cried out as she fell, the top half of her body tipping out of the boat.
Maggie swung again, but before she connected, Nel turned and managed to grab the oar, shoving it back into Maggie. She fell backward, tripping over the seat, her head smacking the deck.
The world spun, and Maggie wasn’t sure if it was the hit to her head or the drugs, or maybe a combination of everything.
She’d barely opened her eyes when she saw the oar coming toward her. She screamed and jerked to the side, wood splintering off the oar as it hit the floor of the boat. The entire vessel rocked so violently it almost tipped.
As Nel tried to swing again, Maggie kicked her in the shin, making her fall forward.
When Maggie attempted to push herself up, a wave of dizziness overtook her entire body, hazing her vision.
This time she knew—it was the drugs. They were kicking in.
She scrunched her eyes, trying to make the boat stop swirling. The rocking didn’t help.
When she finally managed to sit up, Nel screamed as she lunged, wrapping her fingers around Maggie’s neck as they both fell backward. This time, the movement was too severe. The boat capsized.
Another scream pierced the air, and she wasn’t sure if it was hers or Nel’s. Then cold water enveloped her body.
For a single second, the world silenced. And her body was so tired that she almost wanted to stay there, in the stillness, where it felt safe.
Then her lungs started to burn and a voice in her head shouted, screamed, at her to swim.
She did. She clawed her way to the surface. Her head popped out of the water and she gasped for air. She got one breath before a growl reached her ears and hands pushed her back down.
She punched at the body on top of her, but her movements were slow and sluggish, giving her none of the force she needed.
Long seconds passed. The burn grew in her lungs, the fogginess in her head stealing a bit more of that fight.
No. She had to get free. She was not dying in this water like her mother.
She reached up and dug her nails into Nel’s skin before clawing downward. She wasn’t sure if it was her arm or her stomach or another part of Nel’s body. She didn’t care.
The grip on her head loosened, and Maggie broke the surface again. But she was so tired she could barely swim. The trees at the bank blurred, her eyelids heavy.
She got just a few more strokes in before Nel dove onto her head.
“You…are…going…to…die!”
They were the last words Maggie heard before her head was pushed beneath the surface one last time.
She fought the woman. God, she fought, but Nel felt like an impossible weight on her head, pushing her down, and she had no energy left. None. She just wanted to sleep.
When she could no longer fight off the burn in her lungs, water filled her mouth, choking her.
Nel was trying to kill Maggie. The words had been repeating in Ethan’s head since they’d left her house. He didn’t need any proof to know that.
“One minute out,” Ryan said quietly, as he took a hard right.
One minute. It could be the difference between life and death. Between seeing Maggie again, hearing her voice, and—
“Stop.” Ryan shot a look at him from behind the wheel. “We will not be too late.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I’m choosing to believe it. Connor’s behind us. The other guys will be there soon too. We’re not going to fail her. Remember, one team, one fight.”
Ethan’s jaw locked. One team, one fight—they’d said that to one another before every mission. A way of saying they had one another’s backs no matter what. That they were stronger together than apart.
This wasn’t a military mission though. They weren’t in a foreign country, extracting strangers Ethan had never met before. This was Maggie. In the water. In Deep River.
His fingers tightened around the Glock in his hand.
“I’ll park at the point closest to where her mother was found.”
Ethan nodded. They needed to be on foot to search the water anyway. “Let’s pray the water isn’t moving too fast,” he said, almost to himself.
Finally, Ryan parked. Ethan cursed when he saw the Hyundai. Nel’s vehicle.
They were here.
He didn’t wait for Ryan to turn off the vehicle or the other guys to arrive. The second he was out of the car, he sprinted through the trees.
Loud, thudding footsteps sounded behind him. Ryan. Ethan didn’t look back. His feet sank into the earth, the cold air rushing over his skin. He barely felt anything but that deep desperation to find Maggie.
When he finally reached the bank, he didn’t stop. She wasn’t there, but he hadn’t expected her to be. He continued sprinting alongside the river, leaping over roots and curving around trees, his gaze never leaving the water.
Come on, Maggie, where are you?
He saw the boat first. It had run up against some rocks poking out of the water. Then, a bit farther downstream, he spotted Maggie.
But only for a second before Nel leaped on top of her, sending her head beneath the water.
Ethan’s heart stopped. It just stopped fucking beating.
He didn’t waste time removing any clothes or shoes. He dove straight into the river. Icy water enveloped his body.
Because of the moving current, he remained beneath the surface, sweeping along quickly with disciplined strokes. His training and years as a SEAL took over. There was no panic. Just focused control.
He reached the women at the same time as Ryan, who tugged Nel one way while Ethan pulled Maggie up to the surface.
She was limp, her head lolling against his shoulder.
Fear cut across his skin like a blade. He pushed it down and swam hard toward the shore, the current fighting to keep them. His strokes remained strong and measured. The river would not stop or slow him.
When his knees hit the rocky bank, he didn’t flinch. He lay Maggie on the flat surface and lifted her chin so her head was tilted. Then he put his ear to her mouth.
She wasn’t breathing.
He touched her pulse. It was there.
Thank God!
Quickly, he sealed his mouth over hers and breathed into her. Once. Twice. Her chest rose. But she didn’t wake.
He locked his fingers and started compressions. He counted each thrust of his palms against her chest, ignoring the noises from Ryan and Nel behind him.
She didn’t stir.
“Come on, Maggie. Open your eyes. Fight.”
He lowered his mouth and sealed his lips to hers again.
One breath.
Two.
Suddenly, she jerked, a loud cough rattling in her chest as water erupted from her lips.
He barely gave relief a chance to rise before rolling her to her side, supporting her head as she continued to cough up water.
“There you go, I’ve got you,” he whispered, something cracking inside him. “You’re safe.”
Long minutes passed until finally she blinked up at him, eyes unfocused, hair wet as it stuck to her cheeks. “Ethan.”
He exhaled hard and lowered his forehead to hers. Because for a few moments there, he wasn’t sure he’d hear his name from her lips again.
But he had. Because she was alive. She was safe.