Chapter 44

  

Penelope woke to the sound of rushing water. She was in an awkward position, her legs cramped, a seatbelt holding her upright. She opened her eyes with effort, fighting the overwhelming urge to fall back asleep. Her arms were heavy and she had a hard time lifting her head. The sound of water and the cold damp soaking her jeans motivated her to try again.

Rolling her head onto the seat rest behind her, Penelope realized she was behind the wheel of her truck, which was tilted at an odd angle. She looked in the rearview mirror and saw blood from a cut over her eyebrow.

“Help,” she whispered hoarsely into the cab, unable to yell. “Help.”

The icy water inside the cab rose to her thighs, reviving her some more. She undid the seatbelt, feeling it fly off, the metal buckle clanging loudly against the window. Outside, all she could see was water rushing against the driver-side door.

“Help!” she called, louder this time, panic taking over. She crawled toward the passenger side, her legs tingling painfully, and reached across. She yanked on the door handle, pushing against the passenger door with all her might. It opened an inch, then closed. She felt the water rise farther up her chest.

She screamed again and kicked the passenger door, getting it to open a few more inches. The thought of Joey popped into her head and gave her the strength to pull herself to her knees. Her throat hitched when she saw a log hurtling toward the car. She closed her eyes and turned away just before it smashed through the window.

An icy wave followed the log inside, filling the car until there were only a couple of inches of air left at the roof. Penelope kept her nose and mouth out of the water and grabbed the door handle once more. Taking a deep breath, she ducked under and, with all her might, shoved on the door, almost crying out with relief when it opened. She swam toward the surface, her pushing her panic and exhaustion aside.

“Help!” she gasped after breaking the surface. It was pitch black and the water was numbing her from the inside out. Uncontrollable shivers took over and she worried she’d be unable to keep her head above water.

“I’m here!” Penelope thought she heard someone, then figured it couldn’t be. Her head dipped under the water and she held her breath, struggling to swim to the surface again.

Two strong arms hugged her chest, pulling her to the surface. “Hold on!” a man’s voice shouted as her body went limp in his arms. As he pulled her onto the riverbank, Penelope felt cold mud under her fingers and took long painful breaths of the frigid air.

“Let’s get you inside,” the man said, picking her up in his arms.

Penelope laced her fingers together behind his neck and rested her head on his shoulder. “Thank you for saving me, Bailey,” she whispered.