Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense March 2021--Box Set 2 of 2 Dana Mentink (e books free to read TXT) 📖

like life, control was an illusion. The whitewater reminded him that only one was in control. He could try to choose a path, but in the end, he needed to do his best, fear the Lord and enjoy the ride. Nora had never forgotten. Ironic that Bobby and Henry seemed to be challenging the very flexibility they both seemed to appreciate about her.

“Let’s get going,” Henry said. “Nora, take the lead.”

She rushed forward and situated Henry in the middle of the raft while she took the back portion. No one needed to be right in the small front bow, at least not for now. Once they were a good fifty feet in front of the other boats, she leaned forward in the hope that the wind wouldn’t take her words and carry them to the others. “I don’t know what to expect from the river, but I’m going to need you to paddle today. Are you feeling ready?”

He twisted and offered a smile. “I told you. It’s all coming back to me.”

She leaned back and focused on the water. They didn’t bother stopping at Sandy Cape since they’d already searched that area top to bottom. The upcoming rapids of The Killer rushed with extra ferocity but not enough to bump it up a level of classes. Henry moved quickly and without argument at each paddle command. Toward the end, a shadow she hadn’t seen before hovered underneath a new, swirling hydraulic right in their path.

The raft spun sideways and she felt the shift before visually seeing the raft begin to lift on one side. They were stuck on a rock. Barely, but enough that the rapids were about to capsize them right on top, a dangerous proposition. “High side!” she called out as a command.

She kept her hand firmly around the hard end of the paddle, lest she lose control and it hit Henry. The ends of the oars were hard enough to take out a tooth or to bloody a nose if not careful. She shoved her foot against the raft to propel herself to the downstream side. They needed weight on the side of the raft where water flowed immediately. Henry seemed to have frozen, dangerously teetering and about to be swallowed by the water. “High side, Henry!”

He blinked and dove her way, the paddle underneath him. The waters grabbed the edge they’d both clambered on, swirled the raft around and spat it out on the other side of the rock. They bounced over one remaining baby rapid and the waters calmed. Henry leaned back over the rampart and closed his eyes. “That was close.”

“You did great.” She twisted to see that Bobby and Carl had learned from their experience and deftly taken the rougher current, the one that avoided the chance of capsizing. Zach’s eager grin couldn’t be missed as he hooted and hollered with every bounce. Perry seemed to be laughing along with him.

“Guess they figure they might as well enjoy the ride,” Bobby hollered over the dulling roar.

Except something didn’t look right. They weren’t lifting up out of each wave like they should have been. “Bob—”

“I see it now.” He dug his paddle in the water and shouted commands to Carl. The kayak spun around as if on a dime and they fought against the current to get closer.

“What’s going on?” Henry popped up on his knees, squinting.

“Something seems wrong with Perry’s boat. I don’t think they were laughing but shouting. They’re trying to let us know they have a problem, but it’s impossible to get back into those rapids. We can’t go that far upstream. The current is too strong, too fast.”

“We have to try.” Henry sat upright and moved to the front of the bow. “Tell me what to do.”

“Left!” She didn’t hesitate, fighting against the waters as they tried to catch up to Bobby. Once turned around, she could see the raft had already capsized. But how? She held her breath, paddling faster. Please keep them safe. The left side of Perry’s raft crumpled and flipped bow-over-stern until it was spat out over a boulder. No one was in the raft, but she couldn’t see the two men anywhere. The last wave of the rapids beat the raft into a piece of flat and limp plastic that was half immersed in the waters.

“What!” Henry tried to stand in their raft but fell back down. “What is happening?”

“They’re not in the boat.” Nora lifted her oar, losing the fight against the current. “I’ve never in my life seen a raft sink. There’s four distinct chambers in a raft. If one of them gets punctured the others keep the—”

Henry’s eyes widened. “You’re saying this was on purpose.” He put his hand above his eyebrows, searching the banks. “Perry!”

“There,” Bobby said, allowing the current to shove his kayak back until it was side by side with Nora. He pointed with his oar. “I see them. They’ve made it out. Look!” On top of a rock closest to the bank, Perry stood, drenched, waving. Zach was on his hands and knees, sputtering on the rock. She pushed through the burning in her arms, attempting to paddle closer again. “He’s bleeding.”

Bobby leaned over the side of his kayak and caught the flimsy raft drifting past. “Worthless now.” He fought to lift it and study it, rivulets of water pouring over the side of his kayak. He finally dropped the deflated raft back into the water. “This was punctured and resealed with junky glue on all four sides.”

Henry sank down to sitting. “Does that mean what I think it means?”

Nora fought to process the news herself. “Someone wanted them to drown in those waters.”

* * *

Henry’s satellite radio squawked. He grabbed it and clicked it on in one fast motion.

“We’re okay,” Perry said with a huff.

“Your raft was sabotaged.”

“I figured that news flash out as soon as we started to sink in the middle of The Killer. That raft is self-bailing but took on water faster than it