Page 65 of The Hunted

Faster, I work my wrists back and forth, trying to loosen the damn ropes. I force my weight forward away from the tree.

“Oh fuck, fuck!”

I look up to see my sweet girl in water to her chin. My heart accelerates as I struggle. Everything hangs in the balance before my eyes, again.

“Goddammit! Mother fucker! Hold on, Raven! Hold on!”

I roar, terrified as I yank as hard as I can, feeling the tension lessen in the ropes.

“Knox! I’m going under!”

“Don’t worry. Take a breath, baby. I’ll be right behind you. I swear to all that is holy, I will be right behind you. Deep breath.”

My beautiful, brave Little Bird raises her chin and gulps air into her lungs while I continue to work feverishly. We lock eyes, and I don’t take my eyes off her as she begins to slide under the water.

My heart tries to leap from my chest, and with one massive surge, my wrists come free. I untangle the rope from around my chest.

I break free and run with everything I have in me toward the water. I’m about to dive in when fire erupts in my thigh. I don’t give a fuck. They will have to kill me to keep me out of this fucking water.

Bullets sail through the air as I dive under the water. The dark, murky abyss has almost no visibility, but I don’t let that stop me. I swim down further through the depths when I finally see a shimmer of white.

Thank God!

I stretch my arms out in a large stroke. My hand hits something. Rope. I use it to guide my way down to her.

She’s not moving. She’s still. Too still. Her hair fans out around her like black silk, and the muddied white dress floats around her like an eerie death shroud.

My heart stalls in my chest as I reach her.

She isn’t conscious! My God!

I blow a burst of precious oxygen into her lungs then trail down her body, grabbing the rope around her ankles that’s tied to the anchor. I twist the length around my forearm several times as bullets slice through the water closer and closer to us. I tug Raven down into my arms and blow another breath into her mouth before I wrap the arm holding the anchor around her waist and kick with everything I have, using my free arm to swim upward. The gunfire grows louder as we near the surface, and once I crest into the night air, I see why. Men in Iron Mayhem colors are stationed around the pond, firing into the surrounding woods. They’re acting as our line of defense against Albatross.

I swim toward the bank with Raven in my arms, dragging ropes and the post from the opposite shore behind us. She still isn’t moving, and I’m certain she’s not breathing. Fear grips me as I try to stay calm but fail miserably. I finally get close enough to shore to touch the mucky bottom and push through to the water’s edge. Movement out of the corner of my eye draws my attention, and one of the men from Iron Mayhem jogs toward us. Every instinct I have screams to put down my girl and kill this fucker but he must sense that and throws his hands up in the air.

“We ran the shooters into the woods. Here to help, brother. What do you need?”

“Cut that anchor loose and the other ropes tied to the posts.”

He nods and starts toward the rope hooked to the anchor, pulling a knife from the sheath on his belt.

I lay Raven down gently in the grass, pushing her hair from her face. My fingers dip into her mouth, sweeping any debris from it. I place my fingers at her chin to tip it forward before I lean in to listen for breathing from her nose.

Nothing.

I pinch her nose shut as I seal my mouth around hers and begin to blow. I watch her chest rise with my breath filling her lungs. I give her another breath, and Raven sputters. Water and pond debris leave her. I turn her to her side and rub her back as she continues to expel the water from her body. My eyes sting with tears.

She’s alive!

“I’m here, baby. Just breathe.”

Tears run down my cheeks, and my chest aches as I rub her back and continue to shelter her in case any more bullets begin to fly in our direction.

“The ropes are cut, man. You need anything?”

“Got an extra piece I can borrow?”

He studies me for a minute before reaching down into his boot and handing over a .22 magnum from his ankle holster.