CHAPTER 22
Gavin
I hauled ass to the door as I heard the muffled cry from Charlie, unsure of what the hell was happening. I got there just in time to see her light blue T-shirt disappear into the bushes, recognizing her calls to the dogs as she went.
“Damn dogs,” I grumbled, hesitating to grab a loaded 9mm handgun from the kitchen drawer, quickly checking the safety before I tucked it into the small of my back and pulled the T-shirt over it.
I’d been a convict, and I’d also been raised on gang-infested streets. I knew how to handle a gun, and the FBI agents had quietly let me know it was there. If we had to run around chasing dogs, I sure as hell wasn’t going without protection for Charlie.
I slammed the door shut behind me, hot on Charlie’s trail. The only thing driving me was to find Charlie and my runaway mutts.
I dove into the woods where I’d seen her disappear, realizing there wasn’t much of a path, and there were plenty of briars as I pushed through them and finally came out on what looked like a game pathway.
“Charlie!” I bellowed as I followed hers and the dogs’ footprints in the dirt.
I hadn’t gone far before I came into a clearing, surprised to find a glistening pond right in front of me.
“Nooo! Come back. Please.” The pleading voice was Charlie’s and it made my blood run cold.
Both of the dogs were in the middle of the damn pond, both of them frolicking in the water. They were bouncing around, their heads occasionally bobbing beneath the water, but it was apparent that neither one of them were in distress.
“Charlie? What the fuck?” I exclaimed with concern.
What in the hell was she doing? She’d waded into the water and was begging the dogs to come back in.
I didn’t move fast enough to keep her from diving into what had to be fucking frigid water after the dogs. The pond was no doubt ice-melt, and cold as hell.
“Thor! Ripley! Get your asses here!” I yelled in an angry tone, watching as Charlie’s head came up to the surface. “Charlie! What in the hell are you doing?”
The dogs responded immediately, making time to the shore. I waited for Charlie, knowing she’d be right behind them.
I still couldn’t figure out what in the hell had possessed her to jump in after them. They were dogs. They could swim. The water was pretty damn cold, but Thor had a heavy coat, and Ripley’s was warm enough. I had no doubt both of them would have been headed back to the shore in short order. Neither one of them was going to freeze.
The dogs shook themselves off, then promptly rolled in the dirt, but I wasn’t paying much attention to them.
I was too busy watching Charlie.
She wasn’t heading back to shore.
She wasn’t swimming.
She flailed around in the water, and then a horrified scream left her mouth.
“Fucking hell!” I yanked the weapon from my back and tossed it in the dirt before diving into the freezing water, cursing myself for taking so long to realize something that was now pretty damn clear.
Charlie couldn’t swim!!
Charlie
I was nine years old again, and my fear was just as terrifying as it had been the first time I’d been swallowed up by frigid water. I tried to gulp for air, but I sucked in the chilly water with oxygen, choking as I tried to keep afloat.
I was so cold, so tired.
When I’d seen the dogs bobbing in the middle of the pond, something in my mind had just snapped.
I’d thought about Jessie and my father.
I’d thought about Thor, Ripley and Gavin. Would Gavin hate me if something happened to Thor?
Just like Jessie, I’d been responsible for Thor and Ripley, and I couldn’t watch them drown.
Both incidents melded together until I couldn’t focus my mind on what was really happening.
All I knew is that I couldn’t breathe, and I was pretty certain I was going to die.
Jessie. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry I couldn’t save you.
My head submerged for what I knew would be the last time. I couldn’t stay afloat no matter how much I flapped my arms in desperation.
The rescuing hand that latched onto my braid wasn’t gentle. It jerked me to the surface, and a powerful arm wrapped around my shoulders.
“Don’t fight me,” Gavin’s forceful voice demanded in my ear. “Relax.”
I still wanted to struggle, but the sound of his voice commanded obedience at the moment, and although I didn’t relax as he’d requested, I didn’t try to free myself in panic.
It seemed like a long time until we reached shore, but I knew it had only been moments. Gavin lifted me as he gained ground then trudged out of the water bearing all of my wet weight.
I coughed, spewing some water as I fought for breath.
“Breathe, Charlie. Breathe,” Gavin coached as he dropped to a patch of grass and rolled me onto my side.
My teeth started to chatter, and my mind was still muddled as I lay there with Gavin, coughing until I could suck in normal breaths again.
“I need to get you warm,” he pronounced, then unceremoniously lifted my body up again and starting striding away from the water.
I wrapped my arms around his neck to help him, my entire form shivering from fear and the chill of the air and water.
I relaxed as I saw the muddy dogs following behind us, my confusion clearing.
“Once I make sure you’re safe, we’re going to fucking talk,” Gavin grumbled, tightening his grip on me as he ducked through the bushes and into the yard.
I shook my head, but I knew I was going to tell him everything. I’d acted like a mad woman today, risking his life as well as my own.
He was trying to leave his past behind. Maybe it was long past time that I tried to exorcise my own demons.
I shuddered as he shouldered his way through the door, knowing it would be the hardest thing I’ve ever done.