Seconds to Live

by Susan Sleeman

  Primm lifted her gun. Aimed it at Taylor.

  Sean had to intervene. “Stop!”

  She spun and aimed at Sean. Then turned back to Taylor, who was slipping fast down the river. Sean charged ahead, running full force. Launched himself into the air and slammed into Primm. They hit the ground hard. He grabbed her wrist, but she was strong and motivated by revenge. The gun fired. The bullet went wide.

  Sean lifted Primm’s arm and pounded it into the ground. The gun fell free. He flipped Primm onto her stomach and secured her wrists with the cuffs.

  Taylor.

  He glanced at the water. The boat slipped away, spinning and disappearing around a bend. No time to lose. He jerked Primm to her feet.

  “Hey, man, take it easy,” she whined.

  Anger flooded Sean, and he wanted to jerk harder but controlled his impulse. He got Primm into the Jeep’s back seat and zip-tied her wrists to the door. Then for good measure, he zip-tied her ankles together. She wasn’t going anywhere.

  But Sean was.

  He was going after Taylor.

  “I’m here, Dustee. I’ll untie you, and together we can get through this.” Taylor shivered as she crawled toward Dustee in the back of the boat.

  On a rush of water, the dinghy rose into the air, the current strongly propelling them toward frothy white water rushing around boulders and fallen trees. The boat fell hard, slamming her into the bottom, and water crashed over the top. Her injured arm banged against a wooden seat. Her vision darkened, and the world spun.

  She coughed out the water and blinked to fight the darkness. To gain control. To believe that God wanted her to save Dustee. To trust.

  Drenched and freezing, Taylor scrambled to her knees and over the seat to Dustee. “It’s okay, Dustee. I’m here. I’ll get you out of this.”

  Taylor glanced ahead. A huge boulder stood in their path.

  Decision time. Dustee’s mouth or hands?

  Hands. She’d need them if they capsized.

  Taylor grabbed the edge of the tape with ice cold and stiff fingers that wouldn’t cooperate. The boat crashed into the rock before Taylor could remove the tape, dumping Dustee on top of Taylor. She landed hard, and Taylor’s breath left her body.

  She frantically sucked in air and rolled Dustee to the side.

  The current caught the boat. It turned. Spun. Whirling with the rushing water.

  Taylor looked over the rim. Saw the rapids approaching. Water surging. Rising. Destroying.

  She had to free Dustee now. It was her only chance to survive.

  Sean hung up from calling the local sheriff for backup and raced the Jeep down the river road, glancing out to check the boat’s progress downstream. He came parallel with them but had to get ahead of them. He floored the gas and searched for the right spot to stop and effect a rescue.

  “You’re never going to get to them,” Primm said from the back seat, her tone satisfied. “They’re both goners, and good riddance.”

  “Another word out of you and I’ll gag you.”

  “Nah, you won’t waste the time.” She laughed, but there was no humor in it. “I might be going away, but before you lock me up, I get to see my revenge carried out.”

  Sean wouldn’t let that happen. But he couldn’t save them on his own. He knew that now.

  Help me rescue them. I can’t lose Taylor. I can’t. I need her in my life.

  Yeah, and how was he going to accomplish that?

  By giving up the lack of trust and the need to live only for punishing lying and cheating criminals.

  But she lied to you. The words niggled at his brain.

  So what? She lied to protect herself from more pain. She didn’t mean to deceive him. To hurt him. Had his mother been the same? Did she need to keep his father out of their lives for a reason that was valid to her? And what about Gina? She said she wanted to tell him about falling out of love with him, but she couldn’t bear to hurt him. Was that the truth?

  Did it matter anymore? Any of it? When he’d found a woman as wonderful as Taylor? Her ability to take things slow, to savor the moment and not rush past life in search of the next thing like he often did. She would balance out his haste and had so many good qualities that would make for an amazing relationship. He had to let go of his distrust and move on in life. Embrace his feelings for Taylor. And tell her.

  Once he saved her.

  He saw a wide clearance alongside the road with direct access down the bank to the river located just before the worst of the rapids. He swung the vehicle off the road and glanced back at Primm. She was well secured, but if Sean left the Jeep, he was still risking her getting free.

  Too bad. Taylor and Dustee came first. He’d risk losing Primm.

  “Don’t be a fool,” Primm said. “You’re gonna get killed, and for what?”

  For the woman I love.

  He shed his jacket, jumped out, and locked the car, then double-checked the locks. One last look at Primm, and Sean rushed down the incline to the river. His feet and legs caught on scrub and brambles, but he barreled ahead toward the angry swirls of water.

  He searched the rocky shoreline. Caught sight of a fallen tree jutting out into the water. If he could get them close to the tree, they could cling to it. But they’d have to ditch the boat and get into the icy water to do so. Maybe not such a good idea.

  He looked upstream. Their boat bounced through the rapids, surging his direction at high speed.

  What could he do?

  Father God, please! I can’t fail them.

  The boat suddenly spun, the bow headed for a boulder.

  Sean couldn’t just stand by. He grabbed a branch and waded into the current.

  The icy water bit into his legs. He could hardly breathe. He couldn’t imagine how Taylor had managed to cling to the boat. If she could do that, he could keep going. He took step after step. Feeling for the murky bottom of the river, planting his feet firmly so he wasn’t swept downstream.

  Waist-deep now, he focused on the spinning boat, picking up speed and whirling faster. They hit the boulder. Bounced. The current took them. Flipped the craft, expelling the two women.

  “No!” Sean shouted. Discarding the branch, he didn’t think twice but plunged deeper into the water. He swam toward the women. Both of them came up for air, gasping, wide-eyed, panicked.

  “Dustee!” Taylor swiveled.

  “Mmmm,” she got out before she went back under.

  Taylor dove for her witness.

  “No!” Sean’s shoulders burned with the effort of swimming against the current. He got close to them. Was about to dive himself.

  Taylor popped up. Alone.

  “I’ve got Dustee. Grab onto the tree.”

  She looked at him frantically for a moment, then nodded.

  Sean dove underneath the murky water. Could barely see. Focused hard and spotted Dustee’s white jacket. He grabbed the fabric. His chest screaming, he kicked to the surface. He gulped air. Taylor latched on and helped get Dustee above the surface of the water.

  She sputtered and coughed hard. Good. She was breathing.

  “Hurry!” Taylor called out. “The current’s pulling us downstream.”

  Sean tucked Dustee in a protective hold and backstroked toward the tree. Taylor remained upstream, moving at a good pace. If she grew too fatigued, his body would keep the current from carrying her past him.

  He reached the tree, sagged against it, and lifted Dustee up. Taylor swung her arm over the wood and coughed, her teeth chattering.

  He heard sirens in the distance. The best sound he’d ever heard.

  “Hold on, honey,” he said to Taylor. He slid his hands along the tree trunk to reach her.

  “I . . . I’m . . . s-so c-c-old.”

  He looped an arm around a branch and drew her to him with his free hand. “We’ll be fine. It’s almost over. Once we’re warm, I plan to tell you how much I love you.”

  Her eyes flashed open as he hoped. This wasn’t the way he wanted to
tell her how he felt, but he had to shock her into staying awake before she gave in and let the current take her.

  CHAPTER 33

  THE AMBULANCE PULLED UP to the nearest ER. Heated blankets covered Taylor when all she wanted was to be cradled in Sean’s arms as he looked at her from the bench seat. He’d obviously forgiven her. Why, she didn’t know, but she was overjoyed.

  He clutched her hand and kept encouraging her, his voice soft but insistent. He was an amazing man. Tough and soft at the same time. Handsome. Oh so handsome, even with his waterlogged look. And his incredible eyes. She couldn’t pull her attention from them now that Primm was heading to jail and Dustee had already arrived at the ER in another ambulance.

  How could Taylor have known him for six months and not fallen helplessly in love with him until now?

  Fear. Guilt. Feeling unworthy.

  After her near-death experience, she was done with all of that. Life was short. Certainly too short to waste it on regrets and fear, if a man like Sean was offering love instead. And their difference in personalities would complement each other. His passion and zest for life simply deepened his ability to love fiercely.

  The ambulance came to a stop, and the back doors opened. Sean grabbed her hand again, and she was rushed toward the doors. She wasn’t critical. Dustee was in worse shape, but the medics said all they needed was warming and should hopefully be able to go home today.

  They wheeled Taylor into a small room. “Dustee Carr. She was brought in before me. Is she still doing okay?”

  The nurse nodded. “But let’s focus on you right now.”

  Thank you. Thank you.

  The nurses and medics transferred her to a narrow bed. Her hand slipped from Sean’s, and she looked at him, keeping her eyes firmly on his. Something she wanted to do for the rest of her life. But what could they do about logistics? She loved her job and didn’t want to leave her witnesses. Still, she could care for witnesses in any city with a U.S. Marshals’ office, as long as there was an opening. She could even switch to judicial security or investigations if she had to. She didn’t want to be in criminal apprehension, though she’d do almost anything to be with Sean.

  He didn’t have that same flexibility in his job. The RED team worked out of one location: Washington, D.C. Of course, she was getting ahead of herself here, when they hadn’t even had a chance to talk beyond his confession of love.

  “We need to get you out of those wet clothes,” the redheaded nurse said before looking up at Sean. “And you should too. Soon as Taylor’s set, I can grab something dry for you to change into.”

  “Sure, fine.” His gaze never left Taylor. “After I’m sure Taylor and Dustee will be all right.”

  “Change, Sean,” Taylor encouraged. “You have to leave anyway while I do.”

  “Then I’ll go check on Dustee for you.” He smiled and squeezed her hand.

  Arguing wouldn’t change his mind. He was a grown man and could decide what to do on his own. After he left, the nurse helped Taylor remove her soggy clothes and get into a gown.

  “The doctor will be here soon, and we’ll get your temperature back up.” The nurse smiled and quickly exited.

  A few minutes later, Sean slipped back into the room and brushed her hair from her forehead, a glint in his eyes. “Alone at last.”

  “Sounds like you’re glad of that.”

  “I am. So I can do this.” He bent lower, and his lips landed on hers. They were cold and warm at the same time, and shock traveled through her at the foreign sensations of love flooding through her body. She’d never loved a man before, and she didn’t want the kiss to end. She brought her hands up and around his solid neck to pull him even closer, deepening the kiss.

  A man cleared his voice behind them, and yet she wouldn’t let go. She loved his touch. His taste. The joy.

  Sean eased free but kept his focus on her. She spotted the doctor grinning at them. His nametag read Randall Gibson.

  “Maybe we won’t need those warming blankets after all,” the doctor joked.

  Heat flooded Taylor’s face. Sean didn’t seem embarrassed at all but stood strong by her bed, holding her hand again as if he thought she might disappear if he let go.

  Gibson looked at Sean. “I’ll need you to step back so I can examine Taylor.”

  “Oh, right. Yeah.” Sean moved to the other side of the bed and took her hand.

  Gibson put his stethoscope around his neck. “You two newlyweds or something?”

  “Not yet,” Sean replied.

  She was shocked he was even thinking that way, but overjoyed too. Her heart rate likely gave away her emotions to the doctor. But he completed his exam and said she would be fine. That once her temp rose, he would release her. He gave them both a warm look and departed.

  “Before that nurse comes back,” Sean said, “I want to tell you again that I love you. Just in case you didn’t hear it over the rush of the water.”

  “Oh, I heard you all right. It probably saved my life.” She drew him closer. “And I love you too, Sean Nichols. More than I ever thought possible.”

  A wide smile radiated from his face. “What do you think we can do about that? I mean, you don’t want a relationship.”

  “Neither do you.”

  “I’ve changed my mind.”

  “Me too.” She took his hand and held it tight. “Nearly dying really puts things in perspective.”

  “And nearly seeing you die did the same thing for me.”

  She wanted to pinch herself to see if this was all real, but she had some hard work to do yet to be with Sean. “I plan to contact my parents and tell them that I’m done feeling guilty. Tell them I want to be part of their lives, and if they don’t want it?” She shrugged.

  “That’s my girl.” He gripped her hand tighter. “So what about the long-distance thing?”

  “If there’s a job open in the D.C. office, I could move there.”

  “I can’t ask you to do that.”

  “Oh, Doctor, aren’t you a cute one.” Dustee’s voice came from the next room. “I know I look like a wreck at the moment, but I clean up really well. Honest. We should grab some dinner after this is all over.”

  “Somehow,” Taylor laughed, “it’s seeming like less of a hardship right now.”

  “I don’t have a ring, but I know what I want, Taylor. Will you marry me?”

  “Yes,” she said without having to think about it.

  He grinned. “That’s probably the fastest decision you’ve ever made.”

  “That’s because I’ve never known anything as certainly as I know this.” She traced her finger over his lower lip, and he gave a soft groan.

  “We’re meant to be together, Sean,” she said, lifting her head for a kiss. “Forever.”

  The next morning, Sean and Taylor met Harold Wilson in the Marshals’ waiting area. Taylor had been gracious enough to arrange the interview before Sean hopped the redeye back to D.C. He couldn’t believe he was leaving Taylor behind only a day after declaring their love. But the team already had another assignment, and as much as love had rocked his private world, as part of the RED team, lives depended on him, and his life was often not his own.

  “Harold.” Sean shook hands with the man who he hoped held the key to finding the Montgomery teens.

  Harold’s palm was moist, and his deep-set eyes were tight with worry. Sean noticed that Harold had gained a bit of weight in the last few months, though he was still on the lean side. He was wearing jeans pulled up high with a wide belt and had a Bible tucked under his arm.

  “I really appreciate that you’re willing to talk to Agent Nichols.” Taylor smiled at him, and Sean could hardly believe he would have a lifetime of those smiles.

  “No sweat.” His high forehead, leading up to a bald head, narrowed even more.

  She handed him a small bag of groceries that she insisted they stop at the store to buy. “I got your favorite dried fruit assortment and some chocolates.”

  “Yo
u spoil us.” Wilson gave her a fond smile. “We don’t deserve it.”

  Sean was surprised at how humble the man sounded, a man who used to be such a braggart. Was he putting on an act for Sean or had he genuinely changed? Maybe the Bible hinted that he’d found faith and had taken on a new life. Sean wanted to believe people changed, but his experience said they really didn’t. He still wondered, had his mother lived, if she would have eventually told him that she’d purposely kept him from his father.

  “Of course you deserve it.” Taylor squeezed Wilson’s arm.

  Sean was even more impressed than before. She really was very good at her job, and it was such a hard one to do. Take Wilson, for example. He’d been in and out of prison for burglary and had a warrant out for his arrest when Sean spotted him in the crowd of onlookers outside Becky Vaughn’s house. He only agreed to talk if his priors were dismissed, and if he was protected from the possibility of the killer coming after him.

  “Let’s go in.” Taylor swiped her card on the reader by the door.

  If Sean hadn’t seen the damage from the break-in, he wouldn’t know anything had happened from looking at the busy office. Taylor nodded a greeting at her coworkers and entered a small room with four comfy chairs.

  Wilson took a seat and looked up at Sean. “So how can I help you?”

  While Sean was antsy and wanted to stand, he sat in order to seem less intimidating. “Take me back to the day you saw the van. Close your eyes and pretend you’re reliving it.”

  Wilson squirmed in his chair. “I don’t like to do that.”

  “We know this is hard for you, Harold.” Taylor smiled and sat across from him. “But can you try? For the missing girls.”

  He nodded but didn’t immediately close his eyes. He crossed his feet at the ankles and leaned back, then placed his Bible on his lap and clasped his hands over his stomach as if trying to protect himself.

  “Take your time, Harold.” Taylor’s voice was so soothing, Sean imagined Wilson couldn’t resist her advice. “When you’re ready, go ahead and tell us what you see.”

  He exhaled loudly. “It was a Friday night. I did what I always did back then after a week of thankless work at the machine shop. Stopped at the grocery store for a six-pack and a frozen pizza.” He gulped in air as if he were drowning. “I got home around five-thirty. It was almost dark, and when I got out of my car, I saw the girls through their dining room window.”