Alone (Bone Secrets, #4)(82)

“I think it’s raining harder up here than back in the city,” he said.

“The Coast Range always gets an insane amount of rain. Floods the coastal towns and highways with its runoff.” She was tapping her cell. “I got Katy’s voice mail. I don’t know if she’s on the phone or what. But I told her we found Trinity and she’s okay. Cell reception is horrible. I had to try three times to get the call to go through.” She glanced at him and her expression hardened. “That bad?”

“I don’t know how we’re going to get them out. The water is fast, and I can’t tell how deep it is in spots.”

“I called nine-one-one and reported it too. I told them there’s a car trapped in the water. They’ll send a fire truck with heavy rescue equipment.”

“Christ, I hope they can find us.”

“They locked on to my signal. She said she could tell where I was.”

“Good. Thank God for modern technology.”

“Yes, except I was cut off. I’ve tried to call back and can’t get reception.”

“Shit. Think they got our location clear enough?”

She took a deep breath. “I think so.” She set her phone on the console.

He took her hand, squeezing it tight as he studied the kids in the car. They’d rolled up their window partway, but he could see two sets of eyes pointed in their direction. They were scared to death. “How much water do you think is in their car?”

She was staring too. “I don’t know. It’s getting higher, isn’t it? We’ve got to do something.”

“Do you have any rope? Or anything like that in here?”

“Yes.” Her eyes lit up, and she opened her car door.

Seth hopped out and went to the back of the SUV, where she’d lifted the hatch, covering them from the pounding drops. Next to her boat paddle and life jacket, she had a coil of yellow synthetic rope. She tugged on a length. “It’s strong. Do you think it’s long enough?”

Seth took the rope. “This’ll work. I’ll take a look at the front.”

He moved into the blinding headlights and kneeled, looking for something to anchor the rope. “Perfect,” he muttered, spotting a thick metal loop that screamed for a rope to be hooked through it. He brushed the water out of his eyes and ran the rope through the loop, yanking with his body weight to test its strength. He knotted it and stood, turning to check the kids. The water was higher on the sedan’s door. “Shit.” Victoria watched him from the driver’s seat. He moved to her lowered window. “Can you get closer?”

She nodded and inched her vehicle forward. Seth watched her front tires move into the deeper water. The rain splattered through her window, her knuckles white on the steering wheel. “I’ll go a little closer,” she said.

“Let me see how far this gets me first.” Seth looped the rope around his waist and secured it. He turned to move into the water. Reaching out, Victoria grabbed his arm.

“Be careful.” Her eyes were huge.

“I will.” He held her gaze. “Back up if you see me go under. That water is fast. I don’t want to be slammed into the trees. And keep trying to reach nine-one-one again.”

She nodded, her lips pressed together.

Seth stepped into the water, and it soaked his ankles. Fuck, that is cold. He pushed deeper to mid-shin, his focus on the sedan, his brain shrieking at the icy temperature. How could water feel colder than ice? The rush of the water was steady but not impossible to navigate. He felt for every foothold before shifting his weight into that step.

The ground shifted from underneath his shoe as he stepped off the road and into the softer dirt. He flung out his arms for balance and the water moved above his knee.

That was close. He didn’t look behind him for Tori’s reaction. He could feel her gaze boring a hole in his back. The windows in the sedan were steaming up, but he saw two sets of wide eyes watching him through the barely opened window. Maybe this wasn’t the smartest idea. Should they wait for help? The water was nearly lapping at the door handle. The sedan had ended up in a depression at the base of the trees, slightly lower than the roadway.

Fuck it. Going in.

He lunged through the final ten feet of water, letting the water propel him forward, and slammed against the passenger door. “Hey, guys!” The water rushed around his thighs. Trinity’s face was wet from the rain. Or was that tears? “Ready to get out of here?” The boy rolled the window completely down.

“God, yes. Get her out first,” the boy said. “Are you sure it’s safe?”

Hell, no. “I’ll tie her to me. I think we’ll be okay.”

Trinity crawled into a sitting position in the window of the door, her feet dangling over the side. Seth untied his rope and looped it around her waist, bracing his knees against the car door.

“There isn’t enough to tie to you!” Trinity shouted over the roar of the water.

Seth already knew that. “I’ll hang on tight.”

“No, I’ll go back then throw the rope to you. No one should go through that without it!”

“We’ll be fine.”

Trinity’s expression showed she didn’t believe him. But she slid down into the water, gasping at the temperature. She wasn’t tall. The cold water was nearly to her crotch. Seth gripped the rope with both hands, refusing to look at Tori. She would be throwing a fit that he wasn’t tied. “Follow me.” He pressed forward, angling for the side of the runoff river. Every step felt like he pushed through deep mud. He tightened up the rope and pulled himself forward. Trinity grabbed at the back of his belt, and he wavered. He caught his balance and plowed ahead, each step getting shallower.