Page 50 of Flashback

The arctic waterstole Allie’s breath as the rapids dragged her downstream.Dakota!

She swam to the surface just in time to see Dakota jump off the cliff. She fought the current to see him splash down into the river.

He’d waited for her, made sure she was safe yet again.

Something dark on the cliff edge above her caught her eye. A dog barked. A reflective orange collar practically glowed against his black fur. ItwasScout!

Before she could call to him, a man with a ponytail broke through the trees above them. He held out a gun, pointed at Dakota.

She screamed.

The gunman spotted her, but the river sucked her back under.

Allie fought against the ice-cold water. The weight of her clothes and backpack dragged her down. She kicked hard, trying to surface again, and managed to catch another breath.

It wasn’t enough.

The water pulled her down once more.

She clawed at her backpack and tried to free herself of its burden. Her feet hit a hard surface—the bottom or another boulder. Didn’t matter. She kicked off and broke through to the surface to see rocks and scrub brush passing by on the banks as she was carried along. Dakota had to be behind her somewhere, but it was all she could do to keep her head above the water and gulp in air.

Trees flew past in a blur. She finally got a few good breaths in.

Shore.

The cliff walls towered over her, but a thin strip of rocky shore gave her hope. She needed to aim for it. She pointed her feet toward the edge of the river, but the rapids spun her around. With heavy arms, she paddled enough to keep her head up.

There!

Up ahead, a fallen tree lay across the river, and beyond it a wider shoreline. The thick trunk dangled a foot or two in the air. If she could grab it, she could maybe hoist herself out of the water. At the very least, she could hold on and wait for Dakota. Maybe Scout would see her and come, and together they could make it to that clearing at the edge of the river.

She reached for the tree. Bark scraped against her hands. She fought the pain to grasp the lifeline. Dug her fingernails in. But the river carried her away under the log, submerging her as though all her efforts were nothing.

Allie tried to aim her beating strokes for the direction of the shoreline again only to be yanked under. Water thundered over her, pummeling her into its depths, filling her nose and mouth.

She kicked desperately. Her lungs burned with the need for oxygen. No! She couldn’t go out this way. She had too much to make up for!

The more she fought, the weaker her arms grew. She couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t kick anymore. Her vision began to fade to black. Sounds muted to almost nothing.

Strong arms pulled her up and lifted her out of the water. She could’ve sworn she heard more barking, but it sounded far away. She coughed and gagged. Tried to catch her breath.

When she could finally open her eyes again, she found herself in Dakota’s arms.

Somehow, he made it to a wide rocky shore. The river widened here, the water slowing to a gentle roll instead of the frothy white rapids. He carried her tight against his chest, his red hair plastered to his forehead, dripping water into his eyes. As soon as they were on dry land, he set her down.

“Allie?” He gasped air. “Please tell me you’re okay.” He coughed, leaned over, searching her face, pushing back her hair.

“I’m okay.” Her raspy voice sounded weird even to her own ears. But she was alive.

She couldn’t hold back the tears, and she buried her face in Dakota’s chest.

He held her tight, chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. “That was close.”

Neither of them said anything for a few minutes.

Birds in the trees above them chirped and rustled. The gurgling river continued to traipse through the forest.

Allie took in each breath of fresh, pine-scented air like the gift it was. Never again would she take breathing for granted.

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