Ryan was dead.
Mercy couldn’t hear, her ears ringing from her shots. And stress.
She knelt in the mud next to Ryan Moody and shone her flashlight on him as she felt his neck with a trembling hand. No pulse.
Of course not. Look at the holes in his chest.
He would have shot me.
Truman.
She jumped to her feet and lunged at the fence where Ryan had been standing when she first spotted him. Her flashlight showed her an angry rushing creek ten feet below the fence. The water appeared manageable for a strong swimmer, but what about a man with a broken arm? And a possible gunshot wound?
“Truman!” she shouted at the water. She ducked between the rails and stepped carefully to where the ground dropped off down to the water.
The ground gave way under her boot, and she leaped back.
She shouted his name again and started running downstream, projecting her light back and forth over the water.
Close sirens penetrated her hearing, and the rapid flashing of red and blue lights made her path harder to see. Backup had arrived.
I’m not stopping.
“Truman!”
She wouldn’t consider that he was gone. She wouldn’t. He was somewhere out here in the dark.
She combed the river and its narrow banks with her light. There were no trees or shrubs. Just big rocks that at one time water or ice had deposited in the wash. Her ankle twisted in a hollow, and she went down on one knee. Her bad leg. “Fuck!” She pulled to her feet and pushed on, not trusting her leg. But it didn’t matter.
He’s not gone. He’s not gone.
I forbid it.
He’d just come back to her.
There. She slammed to a halt and squinted at the water. Her flashlight’s glow picked up his white face against the black water. He had both arms wrapped around a good-size rock as the water tried to pull him farther downstream. He looked up at the light.
He’s almost done.
Ignoring the police shouting for her to stop, Mercy shuffled down the steep bank sideways, her leg threatening to collapse with every step. Reaching the water, she plunged in and quickly found herself up to her waist. The water wasn’t deep, but it was fast and strong.
It’s so cold.
She pushed through the water to Truman and grabbed his right hand, bracing herself against the rock with her other. She didn’t have the strength to get him out, but dammit, she would hang on to him until help arrived.
“Hey.” His teeth chattered, and his gaze struggled to hold hers.
“Hey yourself,” she managed to choke out. His hand was freezing. “We’re going to get you out of here. There’s help right behind me. Are you shot?”
Thank you, God.
“Ryan?” he blurted.
“Dead.”
“I heard the shots. I didn’t know if he shot . . .” He trailed off.
“He drew on me.” She was numb from her twenty seconds in the water; Truman had to feel worse. She rearranged her grip on the rock and clutched him more securely.
He pressed his cheek against the rock and closed his eyes, still clinging with both arms. “I can’t hold on much longer.”
Hurry up! She squeezed his hand tighter. “It doesn’t matter as long as you hold on to me.” I won’t lose him this time.
His eyes barely opened. “Always.”
Her heart melted as she met his fatigued gaze. Splashing sounded behind her. The police had entered the water, their shouts intelligible, but Mercy knew their rescue was minutes away, and she leaned her forehead against Truman in relief.
Never letting go again.