Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 83520 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 418(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83520 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 418(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Am I losing it?
No.
I straighten my shoulders. I’m going to get Aubrey to admit the truth no matter what it takes. When she attempts to follow her friend, I lock my fingers around her forearm to stop her.
“Why are you lying to me?” I ask.
“I’m not. We never spoke that night. Now let me go, loser.”
With that, she jerks her arm away before shoving me in the chest. The boat bounces over a wave and I lose my balance, tripping over my own feet. As the backs of my thighs hit the railing, my eyes widen, locking on Aubrey’s as I tumble overboard. Panic fills me before attempting to swallow me whole. The camera drops from my hand as I try to grab the railing, but it doesn’t do any good. The metal slips through my fingers and a scream escapes from my lips as I hit the frigid water and slide beneath.
AUSTIN
It all happens in slow motion.
One second, Delilah is talking with Sloane and Aubrey, and the next, she’s stumbling into the railing and falling over it. My heart lodges somewhere in the middle of my throat as she disappears from sight.
The high-pitched scream that fills the air has the hair at the base of my neck prickling as I leap from the couch and race across the deck before diving headfirst over the side and plunging into the chilly depths of Lake Michigan.
As I arrow into the water, I scan the murkiness that surrounds me but don’t immediately spot her blonde head.
Fuck!
I surface before sucking in a lungful of air and diving back down, using my arms and legs to propel me forward. It’s almost impossible to see more than a foot in front of my face. Panic and fear engulf me, spreading through my veins like ice and weighing me down. My lungs burn from lack of oxygen as spots dance in front of my vision. With a kick of my legs, I force myself deeper.
There’s no way I can give up, but I won’t be able to stay under much longer.
Just as I’m about to shoot to the top, I spot her long blonde hair fanned out around her. A golden halo shining in the darkness like a beacon. Relief explodes through me as I cut through the water and grab her arms, dragging her forward.
Her eyes blink open and our gazes lock for a heartbeat before drifting shut again. With her lifeless body secured against me, I propel us upward. The moment we break the surface, I gasp for breath as Delilah remains motionless. Her skin has been leached of all color and her lips are an unnatural shade of blue. Panic spirals through me and I can’t help but wonder if I’m too late.
I didn’t react quickly enough.
I didn’t find her fast enough.
What the hell will I do if that turns out to be the case?
Her eyelids fly open and it’s like a switch has been flipped as she claws at the surface of the water and then me.
“I have you, baby. Just relax. You’re safe now.”
Even though my words are gentle and we’re no more than a couple yards from the boat, it does nothing to quell her panic. It only seems to incite it. Her large blue eyes go wide, nearly rolling in her head as she flails, coughing up water.
She continues to struggle as I maneuver her in my arms until her back is pressed against my chest. Once she’s turned away, one arm slides around her ribcage to keep her anchored to me as I use my other to propel us toward the boat. Barely am I cognizant of our classmates hanging over the edge and watching us. Summer throws a striped life ring into the water about two feet away. As it drifts into reach, I pull it toward us until Delilah is able to wrap her arms around it. She clutches it to her chest and continues to cough and splutter.
I need to get us out of the water before she goes into full panic mode. As we reach the boat, Duke drops a swim ladder over the side. Unwilling to release the flotation device, she flails about with one arm.
“You need to let go of the ring. I won’t let anything happen to you, I promise.”
Her wide, frightened eyes flicker to mine. Pure terror lights them up.
Just as I’m about to wrestle it from her, she shoves it away and throws herself at the ladder, clinging to it as if for dear life. A choked cry escapes from her as she grasps it, attempting to hoist herself up the rungs. My hands settle on her bottom, forcing her upward as Duke leans down to grab hold of her wrist.
“You’re safe,” I grunt, only wanting to put her at ease. “Everything’s going to be all right.”