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Lincoln grabbed for a tree branch jutting out into the water. He caught the edges of a stick, grasping on tightly, and gave me a shove toward it. I grabbed onto a thicker piece, wrapping my arms around it like a vise. The log buckled beneath our weight, snapping off and floating into the water. I fell under the surface before the log bobbed back up. Water rushed into my mouth as my heart pounded.
I clasped onto a piece of log tightly and shared a worried look with Lincoln. He looked over his shoulder, his wet hair flopping across his face as he tried to find something else for us to grab onto, but there was nothing.
The water’s edge before it plummeted was only a few feet away now, and my feet couldn’t touch the bottom. I doubted his could either. It didn’t keep me from kicking my feet wildly. A scream bubbled in my throat.
The current sucked us to the edge, and we plunged over.
Sixteen
Sawyer
I fisted my hands into tight balls and forced my attention on the road ahead. Dad sat next to me, driving with one hand on the wheel and the other with his phone pressed up to his ear. His face was beet red, and I could tell by the sneer on his face that Sloane and her pack had succeeded in some capacity.
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep the grin from spreading over my face. But then worry filled me. Lincoln and Sloane weren’t out of the woods yet. I wouldn’t be able to check on them for a while. Connecting to them required concentration and for me to have the chance to zone out.
That was something I couldn’t get caught doing. My dad had been watching me all day.
His eyes widened, and he jerked the wheel hard to the right, sending us across the double yellow line before tugging it back. I gripped the handlebar above my window, squeezing it tightly in case he lost control again.
His nostrils flared, and spittle flew from his mouth. “What do you mean? How many? How could you let this happen?”
I could hear Mikey talking on the other end but couldn’t understand what he was saying. His words were rushed and his tone clipped. He knew he’d screwed up. Dad would punish him when we returned home, and it wasn’t going to be pretty.
I almost felt sorry for him, except if the roles were reversed, he wouldn’t show me any compassion. He’d take pride and enjoyment out of hurting me.
My dad growled. His whole body trembled, and his face was so red I feared he might have a heart attack.
“Find them. Kill any man you find. I don’t care if you make it slow or painful. Make sure the women are brought to the main house. Nothing is to happen to them until I arrive. They’ll pay for this.”
He snapped the phone away from his face and tossed it into the center console. It hit the cup holder and bounced out, toppling over to the floor. I picked it up and set it back down for him, but not without noticing the large crack from the top of the screen to the bottom. That hadn’t been there a few minutes ago.
He made a sound, something between a growl and a scream. Then he pounded his fists on the wheel so hard, I was worried it might break. The horn blared, and it continued to sound, even after he stopped punching it. He jabbed at the center of the wheel a few more times before it finally shut up.
I clenched my jaw.
His nostrils flared with each breath he took. “There was an attack on our property. They came onto our land and attacked us.”
The irony of him being so furious about someone attacking us when he’d done that to every pack we came across wasn’t lost on me.
I swallowed. “How bad?”
I couldn’t tell if I sounded nervous or worried to my own ears. But I hoped my dad was so pissed that he wouldn’t notice.
My dad punched the center dash so hard the screen started to flicker. He let out a string of curses and pounded on the screen until it shut off altogether. Then he shook out his hand. “They’ve taken most of the women. There were a few loyal ones who chose to stay behind. They will be rewarded.”
I pressed my lips together. “As they should be for their loyalty.”
It wasn’t loyalty. They were scared out of their minds.
I sucked in a deep breath and held it before I continued. “Are they tracking the ones who escaped?”
My dad clenched his jaw so tightly I heard something crack. “They took off in vehicles. They’re traveling on several routes so they’re not all together. It was a very well-orchestrated plan.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “I should’ve listened to you and not pulled so many men to come get this stupid computer. Only a few have been captured so far. The rest are in the wind on their way back to North Dakota.”
I held my breath and waited for him to continue. He hadn’t mentioned Lincoln. I’d been feeling all sorts of emotions from my brother all morning. Most of it had been apprehension mixed with fear and panic. It was hard to tell if it was because he was captured or if it was just the excitement of everything happening.
It was impossible to check in with him, with my father sitting right next to me. He’d seen me and Lincoln communicate in non-traditional means before. He would probably recognize it.
My dad shook his head and gripped the wheel like he might wrench it off the car. “We’re turning around.”
