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

trying to control her or had misjudged her, she turned into a stubborn, immovable spitfire. It didn’t make sense why he missed that so much.

“Why are you smiling like that?”

“No reason.” He fought against a laugh.

She eyed him. “Why do I feel like I’m missing the joke?”

“I was remembering how fierce you can be.”

She pursed her lips. “Well, don’t forget it. We’re entering another canyon.”

Walls on either side engulfed them, offering no sign of any banks to climb out upon. “Stay to the right, close to the wall. That’s the safest current. Remember to breathe,” she added, her voice gentle as they bobbed along the calmer waves.

Her eyes flickered above him. “Henry, look.”

The terror returned to his gut. It took all his willpower to look away from what lay ahead to the rock face above him. A line of mountain goats dotted the wall. From his vantage point, they appeared to be standing in midair, as if their fur must have just stuck to the side of the cliffs.

“Looks like they found their way.” She lifted her free hand and pointed. “Hopefully, we will find ours, too.”

There, two stragglers—the goats they’d seen back at the site, if he had to guess—were rushing effortlessly across the sheer rock wall to join the rest of the herd.

The sound of a snapped branch sent a shiver up Henry’s neck. Surely it was just the wind. But the mountain goats seemed spooked, as well. They all took off at unbelievable speed, disappearing over the cliff edge.

“I wonder what—”

A bullet hit the rock wall and sprayed debris over them. Nora let go of his hand, instinctively covering her face as she screamed. Henry reached for the gun on his waist he no longer had and fought not to lower his legs. On the opposite side of the ravine, a gunman perched on the top of the cliff, a rifle aimed in their direction. A bullet splashed the water a foot to his right. Too close. The gunman had them trapped. They had nowhere to run or hide.

Except under water. No, anything but that, please, Lord. An idea hit him over the side of the head. “Nora, how is the current next to the other cliff side? Any undertows?”

She looked over. “Risky but should be—”

A bullet hit his helmet. The force flung him back as the sound of Nora’s scream pierced the air. He felt her fingers dig into his wrist and drag him closer. “The bullet hit your helmet. Come on!” Her voice shook. “Swim parallel before we have more boulders. Now!”

Henry’s brain felt like it was still rattling around his skull, but he reached up to find a foam edge where a chunk of the helmet was missing. He didn’t need to be told again. She tugged on his arm and released. He kicked, careful to keep his feet up high, and strained to move toward the opposite rock face even as the stream pressed them forward. Another bullet kicked up a splash of water too close to his hand for comfort.

Just past the halfway point across the river, Nora twisted and pointed her feet up. “We can’t go farther but…” She pointed with her left hand, reaching with her right to grasp his hand.

He couldn’t quite reach her but kicked his feet forward, trying to understand. Instantly he spotted the churning water near the rock face. Another undertow. The bullets had stopped, though. He looked up. They were in a shadow now. The cliff was so steep, they’d passed the point where the gunman could see them.

A fistful of water sloshed into his mouth as an unexpected wave slapped his face. But even if the gunman couldn’t get them now, he’d clearly been waiting for them. And if he’d shot at them, then there was a good chance he’d shot at Bobby and Carl. The waves bounced more violently, interrupting his train of thought. They were rounding a bend.

“We need to be on the other side if we’re going to get our chance to get the package.” Nora pointed ahead. “Henry, there’s no kayak. I’m worried… Bobby?” The fear in her voice spiked his adrenaline. But what could he do without gun, radio or boat? He’d never felt so helpless in his life.

* * *

Nora splayed her arms and legs wide, which only slowed her speed for half a second, but it was enough to get close enough to grab Henry’s foot. They needed to be side by side to get back across the river to the site. “This is the hard part.”

Henry barked a laugh. “Let me guess. Another plan? I’m not sure I want to know.” He looked over his shoulder. “I think we might be past the shooter’s vantage point.”

“We have other problems now. We’re coming up on the take-out site fast. There are several smaller creeks that dump into the river here.” She flashed him a sheepish grin. “I forgot that the river is going to rise fast here. And there’s only one place that’s safe to approach the bank without worrying about an undertow.” On a boat, it would be different, but in the water, the risk level jumped exponentially. I really need Your wisdom and guidance now, Lord.

Henry gave a resolute nod. “How do we get to that one place?”

“The moment we round the bend, there’s a small waterfall to our left, off the rock face. Don’t take time to look at it. It produces a crosscurrent only for a moment. We need to use that to our advantage.”

She squinted at the area twenty feet from the bank. “See that floating branch up ahead? We’re going to need it.” The confidence he had in her threatened to break Nora’s concentration. She couldn’t let him down, but she also couldn’t do it on her own, a thought that terrified her. “I don’t think I can swim fast enough, even with the cross current, to get across to the branch before we pass it, as much as I try.