Oh, she hated that he was right. Part of her had been holding out hope they might find one of those rope bridges like Indiana Jones always did, but she got the feeling there’d be no archaeologist swooping in on a rope to save them.
Not that Indiana Jones could beat Mack Grey anyway.
If she was going to cross this river, she definitely wanted Mack by her side. “Time to put on your big-girl panties.” She muttered to herself and wrapped her hand around the smooth bark of the tree.
“No panties,” Mack growled out behind her.
It was true. Her panties had vanished this morning, but this was no time to joke about sex. She hoisted herself up and hung from the limb by her fingers, slowly inching her way out over the brown, murky water. Something splashed in the water below her and she froze, slamming her eyes shut. “Oh God, oh God, oh God.”
“Marley, you know how I said no panties?”
What the hell was he still talking about her panties for? There was probably a bed of piranhas licking their chops beneath her, just waiting on her to fall. “What?”
“Marley, look at me.”
Marley clenched her jaw and shook her head. If she opened her eyes, she might look down and see the gaping maw of a giant crocodile.
“You know those panties you couldn’t find this morning?”
She managed to peel back an eyelid and glare at him over her shoulder, gasping when Mack came into view. He was standing on the shore behind her with his feet braced and the remnants of her underwear hanging from his fingers.
“A little souvenir.” He rubbed them against his cheek before shoving them back into his pants pocket.
Marley gasped out loud, “You are insane. I can’t believe you let me look for those for nearly five minutes this morning. I thought some monkey had hauled them off.”
“Not a monkey, honey, just me.”
Marley gasped, forgetting for a moment how badly her fingers burned from holding up her own weight.
“Keep moving. You’re almost there.”
Oh, she was going to move all right, and once they made it to the other side, she would lay into him like he couldn’t even imagine. She made it to the end of the limb before she even realized it. She dangled there for a second, steeling her nerves. Maybe if she swung back and forth, she could catapult her body a few feet closer.
“Just drop in and start swimming. I’m right behind you.”
The limb shook and Marley turned to see Mack swinging his way toward her at a rapid pace. “Mack, stop! It can’t hold both of us!”
“I know. Let go.” He was less than five feet away now.
Oh, God, he was right. Somehow, Marley forced her fingers to uncurl. The water splashed up and over her head, sucking her under. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t see. She was drowning. No! She kicked and kicked and kicked. Her head broke the surface and she gulped air while flailing her arms.
“Swim, Marley!”
Something jumped into the water behind her, but Marley couldn’t look at it—she’d panic if she did. She forced herself to swim, kicking with all her might.Please don’t eat me.
Her lungs burned as the river’s current tried to pull her away from her target—the closest jutting out area on the other bank. Something brushed past her legs, slimy and undulating, and Marley screamed, gulping a big mouthful of water. She scrambled and kicked and fought her way across until she grabbed onto the long weeds on the bank and pulled herself onto dry, blessed earth. Marley lay there panting, thanking God and feeling the dirt and grass beneath her fingers like it was precious silk.
It took her a moment to realize Mack had not followed her. Marley scrambled to her knees, edging as close as she could to the water. “Mack!”
There wasn’t even a break or ripple on the surface of the river.
“Mack! Mack, answer me!
Had she lost him? Where was he? Had he been eaten alive?
Please, please be alive.She couldn’t go back in the water to search for him, the very thought made her ill. She just couldn’t.
“Mack, for the love of God, answer me!”
