Amelia and Sally opted for the pretty blackberry drinks. “I’ll head over with you and help you!” Amelia told Edward.
“Great! I can’t stand it a minute longer. I’m hopping in the water—and look! The pool is almost empty. I can get in a few unhampered laps if I get in right away,” Sally said.
The woman evidently did exercise. Out of her cover-up, she was still attractive and even younger-looking for her age than usual. Wes figured that she was a determined person—determined to keep up with her physical activity for her health as well as for her looks.
She headed to the water.
“I’m going to hop in, too, I think,” Chloe murmured. “The water does look wonderful.”
“That it does!” Wes agreed.
He lowered his head for a moment, remembering his quick stroll out on the deck in the middle of the night.
He could still swear that he’d heard a strange splash. But if so, so what?
What the hell could the splash have meant?
Maybe someone had gone in when the pools were officiallyclosed for the night, a teenager determined on doing their own thing.
A drunk adult or someone who just didn’t care about the rules?
He wasn’t sure why it still bothered him so much and he knew he needed to appear chill with the rest of the group. He spread his towel out on the lounger by Chloe, smiled as he stretched out on it beside her, reaching out to run his fingers along her arm, just like a loving husband might do.
He found himself smiling. It was odd... he could imagine spending all his time with her.
More intimate time...
But as his thoughts veered where they shouldn’t go, he realized that Chloe was suddenly sitting up.
“Hm, I just watched Sally do one of her laps and now... now I don’t see her,” Chloe murmured.
“There is the possibility that she hopped out to use the ladies’ room,” Daniel said, shaking his head at her worry.
But Chloe stood, looking out over the water.
Then she stood, frowning, and headed slowly toward the water, looking around.
Wes jumped up, as well.
“My lord, you people are worrywarts!” Broderick commented.
“Yeah, dumb, I know, but...” Chloe murmured.
Then she was gone. Looking at the others and lifting his hands, Wes stood and headed after her.
When he reached the side of the pool, she was already in the water.
And then he saw why.
Sally had not hopped out to go to the ladies’ room. She was at the bottom of the pool by the drain, and it appeared that...
The drain was sucking water inward, when and where it shouldn’t have been. And Sally was fighting to free herself from the suction.
Chloe was headed to her, grasping the woman around the waist, trying to drag her away from the suction.
Wes dimly heard a whistle blowing from outside the water; the lifeguard had seen what was happening. He would be in the water in seconds...
But how long has Sally been without air?
