“So, the west side of the bridge across the river on Maple?” Kane leaned closer to the phone.
“Yeah, hurry the water is up to the windows.”
Jenna stood and pulled on her slicker. “We’re on our way.”
Rain pelted the hood of Jenna’s slicker and flicked onto her eyelashes, making it difficult to see. She ran to the Beast and climbed inside. As Kane got in beside her, he was issuing orders to Carter to climb over the back and grab the ropes and pulleys.
Confused, Jenna stared at him as they turned, plowing through water along Main to get to Maple. “Why don’t you use the tow rope on the front of the Beast?”
“I figure we won’t get close enough to the river’s edge to do that without getting bogged.” Kane kept his gaze on the road ahead. “This truck is bombproof, but it will still get washed away in a strong current. That’s a mistake many people make when they drive their vehicles through water. Even a small amount of water can lift a truck and make it aquaplane across the road. The river at that end of town has cottonwood trees along the riverbank. We’ll be able to use them to secure the rope and then tie it to the vehicle. We won’t have any chance of pulling the sedan from the river, but the rope will hold it in position and give us a chance to get the occupants out.” He turned to Jenna. “You’d be safer inside the truck. If we get into trouble, call the search and rescue.”
“Yeah, don’t jump into the river now.” Carter grinned at them. “It’s cold and nasty in there.”
Indignant, Jenna glared at him. “I’m not staying in the truck.”
“Me either.” Jo exchanged a look with Jenna. “I swim like a fish.”
“Fine, but keep out of the water.” Kane accelerated along Maple. He drove over the bridge and followed the road alongside the river. “There it is.”
A man waved as they pulled up. Thunder rolled and lightning crashed as Jenna jumped from the truck with Jo at her heels. Brown water swelled around her boots, moving faster than she expected and carrying all types of debris, from small twigs and pinecones to long branches. The sedan had tipped over, nose down, and Jenna’s heart raced at the sight of a frantic woman pounding on the back window. It was as if the raging river taunted the vehicle, pushing it from side to side as if it weighed nothing. They needed to get the woman out without delay. The murky water inside the car had reached the back window.
She followed Kane to the line of cottonwood trees and stood to one side as Kane and Carter attached a pulley system. Both men removed their boots, slickers, jackets, and weapons and handed them to her and Jo. “I guess we put these in the truck?” She nodded to Jo. “Seems we are useful for something.” Rain lashed them as they hurried back to the truck and dumped everything on the back seat.
“Don’t be angry at Carter.” Jo grimaced. “It’s a SEAL thing. He figures he’s trained for emergencies like this and we’re not, is all.”
Splashing through the water, Jenna headed back to the river’s edge. The angry torrent sent shivers down her spine. She’d been trapped in a river, bounced along and barely survived, but this was much worse. The river rushed past in a swirling dirty mass, splashing over boulders, and from all around water poured into it, swelling the flow. Fear gripped Jenna as Kane played out the rope. “What do you want us to do?”
“Call the paramedics.” Kane indicated to the woman in the sedan. “When we get her out, she’ll need medical attention. Get search and rescue out here as well. Don’t delay. They’ll likely be busy.” He nodded to Carter. “Ready?” He grabbed the rope.
“Always.” Carter followed him into the river, one hand on the rope.
“I’ll call them.” Jo took out her phone.
Helpless, Jenna blinked away the heavy rain pouring from her hood as Kane waded toward the vehicle. He staggered against the rushing flow, losing his footing, and used the rope to drag himself to the surface. Carter kept pace beside him and the pair pushed on, battered by the unrelenting force of nature. It seemed to take forever for them to reach the sedan. Inside the vehicle, Jenna could no longer make out the woman and water lapped the window. The moving vehicle had become an unknown danger and when Carter pushed out of the water to tie the rope to the bumper, it lurched to one side, knocking Kane into the muddy flow. He vanished beneath the murky depths and then resurfaced, water streaming from his hair. Holding her breath, Jenna could only watch as Kane fought his way out of the torrent. Relief flooded over her as he emerged and, muscles bulging, climbed up the back of the sedan and, with one hand wrapped around the roof rack, pulled a tool from his jeans pocket and smashed the back window. Beside him, Carter hauled himself up and they grabbed the floating woman and dragged her out.
The next moment, a roar of rushing water came above the thundering of rain. Jenna stared in horror as a tsunami of water rushed toward them. “Oh no! Dave, watch out! The catchment wall has broken.” Terrified she grabbed hold of the rope. “Hold on, Jo.”
The wall of water hit her like a freight train, dragging her hands from the rope and tossing her into the fast-flowing river. Beside her, Jo had grabbed onto a floating log, and Jenna kicked hard trying to reach it, but another wall of water rammed into her. She’d gulped a deep breath just before it hit and tumbled through the muddy water. Not knowing which way was up or down, she panicked, weighed down by rubber boots filled with water. As she kicked them off, the flow picked her up and rushed her downstream. The slicker twisted around her, billowing up to cover her head. Lungs bursting, she attacked the snaps and fought to release her arms from the tightening shroud. She must survive for her boys—for Dave.
Without warning, pain shattered through her and her breath rushed out in a stream of bubbles as she slammed against boulders and then somehow broke the surface for a few seconds before being dragged down again in the swirling current. Unable to hold her breath for a second longer, she sunk into the dark abyss. Water went up her nose, and the next moment, miraculously, her feet hit the bottom. She kicked hard and broke the surface, gasping precious air. Blinking frantically as the riverbank sped past, she had no choice but to relax and try and ride out the flow.
Something heavy hit her in the back and she turned her head to see an elk, floating belly-up, its legs motionless and eyes staring blankly. A bridge lay ahead and the elk’s massive body rammed Jenna again, pushing her toward the bridge. Ignoring the searing pain in her chest, she swam, using the current to get to the low rocks under the bridge. Gasping, she dragged her aching body from the water and crawled up onto a ledge under the bridge and rolled onto her back panting. It hurt to breathe and it hurt to move. She rolled on one side and vomited. Her shoulder hurt bad and dizziness engulfed her. She was so cold and the fight had drained her. If she could just close her eyes for a moment and make this all go away. She stared at the bubbling swirling mass of water and tears ran down her face. “Oh, Dave, I’m so sorry.”
Eighteen
A roll of thunder and the zigzag of lightning made Kane glance up. He didn’t hear Jenna’s words, but her voice carried on the wind. Behind her a wall of water headed toward them. He gasped in horror as it washed Jenna and Jo off their feet and they vanished into the torrent. He could do nothing to save them, for a second later the wave hit him. It lifted the back of the sedan higher into the air and then tossed it right-side up. Beside him, Carter also had a firm grip of the roof rack but they’d both lost hold of the woman. The rope they’d tied to the bumper snapped and the vehicle floated away at high speed along the river. Legs trailing in the torrent, Kane grit his teeth and climbed onto the roof of the sedan. He took a firm grip of the roof rack and hauled Carter up beside him and they raced along the river.
“What the heck just happened?” Carter raised his voice above the thunder and stared at the riverbank. “Where’s Jo and Jenna?”
Trying to push words out, Kane turned to look at him. Something inside him had broken. A cold numbness seeped through him. All he could see was the river swallowing up Jenna. He shook his head, grief slamming into him. “They’re gone.”
“What do you mean gone?” Carter glared at him. “Did they fall into the river?”
The sedan lurched and spun, and Kane hung on, desperately searching the riverbank for any signs of life. He nodded, his throat sore from shouting. “They were washed away seconds before we got hit by the wave. There must have been a mudslide or the catchment wall has collapsed. It’s slowing a little now. We need to get off this raft and get to the bank and start searching.”
“Look ahead, there’s boulders.” Carter indicated with his chin, his voice barely audible above the rolling thunder and raging river. “With luck it will stop us and we can use them to get to shore.”
Mind reeling, Kane pushed into the zone, it was all he had right now. He needed to think straight. He’d given Jenna all his belongings and she’d placed them in the truck. He had no phone, no means of communication. He shook his head and berated himself for his stupidity. I do have a means of communication. He touched the silver buckle on his belt, a gift from Jenna for Christmas a couple of years ago and Kalo had fitted it with a tracker. If it hadn’t been damaged by the water, and he doubted it, it should work. He let go with one hand and pressed the buckle on his belt, feeling it click. It was something he hoped he’d never need—his instant communication with Jenna and Wolfe. The moment Wolfe received the call, he would alert Rio and Rowley and they’d find them.
