Search Me(62)

Without another thought, I grabbed Maddox’s hand. “I trust you.”

“Then jump.”

Chapter Nineteen

I can’t describe what it felt like to take that jump off the solid rock into thin air. My legs flailed desperately to connect with something. We began freefalling, the air rushing up at us as the water grew closer. Our clothes and hair whipped and rippled against us, but all the way down, Maddox kept hold of my hand. We only broke apart when we plunged into the water.

I plummeted down through the murky depths of the river. When my legs skidded along the bottom, I opened my eyes and searched above me for light, desperate to reach the surface and Maddox. I started frantically kicking my legs and pumping my arms, forcing myself upward. The closer I got to the light, the further away it seemed. My lungs burned and ached for oxygen. Silently, I thanked God that Maddox had taken the gold, or I think I would have continued sinking.

When I finally broke the surface, I gulped in air, wheezing and sputtering. The raging rapids pitched and tossed me back and forth, dunking my head under and causing me to swallow water. Once I got my head up again, I kicked with all my strength to stay afloat. “Maddox!” I shouted, scanning the water for him. I craned my neck, searching frantically for a sight of him. I couldn’t find him and a wave of fear crashed over me. Finally his head bobbed up a few feet ahead of me. My heart restarted as happiness surged through me.

The rapids began to calm and flow smoothly. Maddox swam up beside me. “Are you okay?”

“I think so.”

“You got the gold?”

He patted the purse at his side. “Still got it.” He grinned. “I told you to trust me, didn’t I?”

“You did.”

Maddox grabbed me in a bear hug and whirled me around in the water. “I can’t f**king believe we just jumped off that cliff.”

“Me either,” I cried, before dissolving into hysterical laughter. “And we’re actually alive.”

“I never doubted we’d make it for a second.”

“Ha! Easy for you to say, Mr. I-used-to-jump-out-of-planes-in-the-Army.”

He gave an indignant snort. “Uh, no, that’s a totally different ballgame, smartass. I had a little something called a parachute then. We were freefalling out into nothing.”

I cocked my head at him, drinking in how cute he was when he was mad. Instead of arguing with him, the out-of-whack endorphins pumping through my system wanted one thing.

Him.

Skin on skin with his lips on mine. I didn’t even stop to question it. I grabbed his wet shirt and jerked him to me. “Considering this was the third time we’ve almost died in the last forty-eight hours, can’t you give a girl a little victory lip-lock?”

A slow grin slunk on his face. “Ooh, Princess, I think I like what walking on the wild side does to you.” I gripped his shirt tighter and leaned into him. He brought his hands to cup my face, and then the warmth of his mouth was on mine. We kissed for a few blissful moments that made cliff jumping worthwhile. “Damn. You taste good,” he murmured against my lips.

I groaned. “We gotta go. Dad…Jensen,” I argued, but I still remained pressed to him.

But then we both came to our senses and pulled away. He shook his head. “Mentioning Jensen was a definite mood killer.”

My stomach tightened into knots at the thought of Dad. “What’s the plan? Do we see where the stream comes out at?”

“No, if I know West, he’s not going to give up so easy. He’s going to be waiting for us downstream. We have to backtrack to get back to the truck.”

“Whatever you say.”

Maddox started swimming against the current. He made it look a lot easier than it really was. I may have been able to keep up with him on land, but with soaked clothes and the strong water, it was hard. My arms and legs flapped and flailed to keep from being swept away, and my breaths came in frustrated pants from all the exertion. Thankfully, we didn’t have to go too far to get to the shoreline. Maddox climbed onto a rock, and then reached back to help me. When I went to step up, my shoe slipped on the slick moss, and Maddox had to jerk me onto the rock. I banged into him, and he almost lost his footing.

“Did I hurt you?” he asked.

“No, I’m fine.”

“I was afraid I ripped your arm out of the socket or something.”

I laughed. “I’m not that fragile, thank you very much.”

Maddox cuffed my neck playfully. “Yeah, yeah.”

He then hopped off the rock and onto the shore. This time I was able to make it without his help. Once we were safely on the ground, Maddox craned his neck left then right. He appeared to be calculating what direction to go in his head. Then he decided on one. “This way!” he said before breaking into a sprint. I fell in right behind him. We raced through the heavily tree lined woods with water sloshing off of us and splattering out of our shoes. Tree branches slapped against my face, sending a stinging scrape across my cheek, not to mention taking out a clump of wet hair. But I kept on running.

Finally, we came around one side of the cave’s entrance. My heart surged when I could see our truck, but then it rattled a little in fear at what I assumed was West’s car almost directly behind it. “Wait here,” Maddox instructed.

I knew better than to argue with him, so I stayed stock-still. Hunched over, he crept along the outside of the cave’s wall. When he got to the opening, he ducked inside. Seconds ticked agonizingly by as I waited to make sure he was all right, and West hadn’t fooled us by staying put rather than chasing us.