Deadly Lies (Deadly #3)(93)

The drumming of his heartbeat filled his ears, and he whispered her name, again and again. Be alive. Oh, Christ. She had to be okay.

He jumped from his car even before it had come to a full stop. The black truck sat near the edge of the road, the engine idling, the door hanging open, swaying. But the driver’s seat was empty.

Bastard’s out there. Waiting.

Watching. He’d known Samantha was tailing Max. He’d taken her out and deliberately brought Max into the open in order to attack.

Screw him.

Max ran for the river. He screamed Samantha’s name because he didn’t see her. The VW was sinking quickly in the deep water near the bridge. A fist squeezed his heart as he prepared to dive into that icy water—

A bullet tore through his shoulder. The blast of the gun echoed in his ears even as he fell. Max tumbled down the embankment and rolled toward the water. The fiery pain stole his breath, and when the damn world stopped spinning, he was in the water.

Samantha. He rose up, struggling to his feet.

Another gunshot—this one hit him in the back of the leg. He couldn’t see the VW’s tires anymore. The car had flipped, and it had sunk so fast, going completely under.

Max slid down again. “Bastard!”

Laughter echoed across the lake. “No… that would be you, brother.”

His head whipped around, and in that split second, Max found himself staring back at Quinlan. His stepbrother stood on the road, close to the black truck, with a gun in his hand. A gun pointed right at Max.

“Move toward her again,” Quinlan said, “and I’ll put a hole in your chest.” And he smiled. Smiled.

The cold water lapped at Max with greedy, grasping hands.

I-I wanted to die. By the fifth time, I begged to die.

Hell, no, he wouldn’t leave Samantha in that water. “Then shoot, *, shoot!” Max dove under the water, ignoring the pain in his shoulder and the agonizing throb in his leg.

Bullets blasted into the river, shooting around him. He struck out, swimming awkwardly because his leg was nearly useless. Get to the car. Get her.

His hand struck metal. The VW. He grabbed the door, wrenching it open more and—

Fingers touched his. Soft.

Samantha was there, kicking out of the car as bubbles rose from her lips. Max grabbed her. Pulling her close, he sealed his lips to hers, and gave her the last breath he’d taken.

Her body shuddered against his. He knew that she wanted to kick up. The surface was temptingly close.

But so was Quinlan. The brother he’d tried to protect. The one who wanted to kill him and his lover.

They couldn’t swim straight up. They’d be perfect targets. He’ll take us out as fast as he can, and leave us in the water.

An easy way to dispose of their bodies.

Samantha kicked against him, trying to rise, but he wrapped his arms around her, held tight, and pushed her down.

Her eyes opened, wide and panicked as she stared at him. He shook his head, needing her to understand. Desperate for her to see…

But there was fear on her face because he was shoving her farther down, farther…

A thick line of woods waited on the eastern side. If he could get them closer to the bank, they might have a chance to run for it. Better than nothing. He pushed her toward that side and kicked as best he could as they fought the current.

But Max had used all his strength to push her, and the bullet wounds were taxing him, draining him fast. His lungs burned, and he knew they’d have to rise soon.

The fire in his lungs burned hotter. Samantha’s eyes were on his. Wide. Dark.

So beautiful. Maybe the last thing that he’d ever see would be her pale face surrounded by the floating cloud of her hair.

Another bubble slipped past her lips.

They had to take a breath. Max kicked up. She kicked too, fast and desperate, and they drove up toward the surface.

Before he broke through the water, Max knew they weren’t far enough away. Not even close. But maybe Quinlan would be looking the wrong way. Looking toward the spot where the car went down.

Just need a few moments.

The water lightened. He could see the bright rays of the sun. Close, so close.

They burst through the surface. They both sucked in deep gulps of air as hard as they could. Max spun around, shoving her behind him, because there wouldn’t be much time.

His eyes found Quinlan. He saw his brother whirl toward them—saw him lift the gun and smile. Max braced himself as he got ready to take the third hit.

The thunder of the gun almost deafened him. But that hadn’t been Quinlan’s gun. It had been Samantha’s. She’d lifted her arm out of the water and fired the small weapon he’d never even seen when he’d pulled her from the car. Quinlan staggered back with a look of utter shock on his face. Blood ballooned on his chest in a thick, wide circle, and he fell back into the water, slipping out of sight.

Samantha’s hand was rock steady, and the gun stayed pointed at the spot where his brother had been standing seconds before.

Max’s breath panted out, matching hers, and he looped his arm around her waist as he pulled her close.

“We’ve got to go,” she whispered, her lips feathering against his neck. “We have to, Max. I-I don’t think he’s dead.”

He started struggling for the shore.

“I… lost my glasses… couldn’t see…” She choked a bit, sputtering water.