And that’s why he was killing her now, destroying the only witness.
I’m going to die.
The car slammed into the water, then bobbed and rocked on the rough, stormy waters. Icy cold seawater filled the cab as it sank faster than she would have thought. But she could escape. She could do this. She tried to open the door, but it wouldn’t budge against the pressure of the water, so she tried the window button.
Hope filled her. She could swim through the opening.
Except the window stopped. What? Why had it stopped? No way could she make it through that small gap. “No, no, no! God, help me!” Jo cried out.
She just needed to break the glass.
The force of the water pushed her up to the roof, and it was then she realized her foot was tied to the accelerator. Even if she could get the window open, she was trapped. She yanked on her ankle, tried to undo the zip tie, but she couldn’t free herself.
A knife, she needed a knife.
The vehicle was completely submerged now, and cold seawater poured in. Her entire body shook as she held upher face to breathe from the remaining air pocket. Her last lifeline.
She fought the window and the door. Taking what could be her last gulp of air, she opened the glove compartment to search for a gun or a hammer—anything to help her break the glass—or a knife to cut herself free. Papers floated out of the compartment.
A lump of terror squeezed her throat.
Panic engulfed her as fast as the rising water.
God,I’m going todie. All this hiding from one killer,and another onegot me anyway.
Mom had been right.
Jo hadn’t seen danger coming...
2
Standing on the deck of a small recreational cruiser he’d secured when he flashed a big wad of cash to the hesitant owner, Cole Mercer couldn’t believe his eyes. A silver Lexus sedan had rolled off the Washington State ferry with someone still inside.
Someone do something!But people on the second level of the ferry simply watched the tragedy unfold. Nobody jumped in.
“Get me up there. Take us closer!” He shouted to the pilot steering the boat.
“But—”
“Now!”
Looked like Cole would have to be the one. He’d had enough traumatic experience when it came to the deep blue that he recoiled at the thought of jumping in. But he would do what he had to do.
The boat sped forward, closing in on the ferry, which kept moving. “Stop here!”
Bubbles erupted on the surface of the rough waters. Thevehicle had floated for about thirty seconds before sinking completely.
God,save whoever’s inside. Keep them alive.Help me get them out!Cole shrugged out of his coat and took off his boots. Drawing in a big breath, he dove into the frigid, murky water. The shock of cold almost robbed him of breath. He caught the grille of the sinking sedan in his peripheral vision and, kicking hard, corrected course. His mind raced through the steps required to free whoever remained trapped inside. He feared he would be too late as he made it to the slowly sinking vehicle. At the driver’s side, he found the window halfway down—not enough for someone to slip out. He tried the door, but it refused to open. He’d need to break the window. The front of the cab was completely submerged. Was there even a pocket of air left?
He tried to signal to the clearly panicked woman inside.
Big brown eyes stared back. His heart lurched.
Jo?And he might have released too much air. Even so, his pounding heart was using up too much oxygen. He removed his gun from the holster at his waist and waved her away. He hoped the water wouldn’t slow the bullet enough to make it ineffective in breaking the glass.
She shook her head, eyes wide with fear. Was she stuck? Couldn’t move?
Cole angled away from her and fired at the window. It shattered. The bits of glass floating away posed a danger of their own. But her path was free.
