Page 67 of Chilled

“Or maybe he’s just a jealous lover.” Nick pressed harder on the gas pedal. Something about this abduction didn’t smell like the others.

“If he is our bad guy, we have to find Robin before something awful happens to her.” Brenna’s brows furrowed in the light from the dash. “The levy overlook is about a mile out the north end of town. We should be there in another two minutes.”

The headlights shone off the water accumulated in the ditches, giving the slushy road the appearance of a very wet, black island.

Brenna touched his arm. “Start slowing down. I’m not exactly sure where the turn-off is.”

The heat of her fingers on his arm radiated up his arm. “You know, Brenna, when this is all over...”

Her hand jerked away. “I know. You’ll go back to your job on the east coast, and I’ll be in either Bismarck or Minnesota.” She didn’t look at him, only at the road ahead.

His heart squeezed. After the time he’d spent in Riverton, he found he wasn’t as anxious to leave as when he’d arrived. The reason for his change of heart sat with her lip between her teeth in the seat next to him. “That wasn’t what I was going to say.”

“Nick, you don’t have to say anything. I’m a big girl. I know what we did the other night didn’t have any strings attached. You don’t have to worry about the local trying to cling to you when you leave.”

Nick ground his teeth, recognizing Brenna’s attempt to push him away, most likely to avoid being hurt, and it made him mad. While his fingers tightened on the steering wheel, his foot pressed harder on the gas pedal. “Would you shut up and let me say what I want to say? I want to?—”

“Stop!”

Nick jammed his foot on the brake and the car hydroplaned, skidding sideways before straightening.

“Look. There in the ditch.” Brenna pointed ahead and then scrambled for her seatbelt.

Nick’s gaze followed Brenna’s direction. His headlights glanced off the white tailgate of a Chevrolet pickup that protruded from five feet of inky black water. All he could see was the truck bed and a corner of the cab sticking up above the water.

Nick felt the cool night air hit him as the passenger door to his car flung open. Brenna leaped out, shed her jacket and charged along the road until she was even with the truck. Before Nick could unbuckle his belt, Brenna disappeared down the embankment.

Nick yelled, “Wait, Brenna!”

She couldn’t hear him, or she wasn’t listening. Nick couldn’t tell which, he only knew he had to get to her before she hurt herself.

Brenna plunged into the frigid water up to her waist. She pushed deeper until she was up to her neck.

Nick yanked off his jacket and grabbed the police-issue flashlight from beneath the seat, thankful he’d thought of securing it from the police station his first day. He raced to the edge of the embankment, descending into the water after her.

When the icy water soaked through his jeans to his thighs, Nick’s breath caught in his throat. He tried to reach out and yank Brenna out of the water, but she was out of reach. “Brenna, get out!”

“I can’t. They’re probably still inside. We have to get them out!” Her teeth clattered, making her speech more like a chattering stutter. Her hands traced the top of the cab to the passenger door. Then she reached beneath the surface, grabbed the submerged door handle and yanked. Nothing happened. “I think it’s locked.”

Just beneath the surface of the water, a pale, white hand drifted into view against the passenger window.

Brenna screamed and staggered backward. “Oh, my God. Robin’s in there, and she’s still alive. Help me, Nick!”

She renewed her effort to pull the door open to no avail.

His breath coming in shallow gasps, Nick eased up behind Brenna and grabbed her shoulders. “Move.”

“No! We have to get her out.”

“That’s what I’m going to do.” Holding the flashlight for her to see, he climbed into the back of the pickup, Brenna right behind him. “Get back, Robin! I’m going to break the rear window.”

The hand drifted into sight again and then disappeared in the blackness of the water.

“Hurry!” Brenna urged.

Nick tapped the glass on the back window with the battery-laden end of the flashlight. Bunching his muscles, he reared back and slammed the flashlight down with all the force he could muster. The old glass shattered into jagged edges and water rushed in, filling the remainder of the cab.

“There she is!” Brenna cried.

---