She sighed. “You’ll see. Buck, take the next right, then cut through the alder stand on the left to a narrow spur. We’ll ride that to the tidal shelf.”
Buck didn’t even hesitate, following her directions as the truck bounced down a logged clearing, suspension screaming,tires spinning. They hit the bottom, turned left, then sped across a short path and onto the shore.
Wet sand stretched out before them, endless waves lining one side, a steep, cliff face bracketing the other. White waves rolled across the pebbled beach, clawing at the rocks before retreating, the next breaker surging in even higher.
Nick inhaled, the narrow shelf between the tide and the cliff quickly closing. “Tierney…”
She held firm, nodding at Buck when his buddy picked up speed. “It’s gonna be close, but if Buck hits the right line, we should make it through.”
“And if he doesn’t?”
“Not an option.”
Buck committed, pegging the speedometer way too high for the conditions as he raced along the shoreline, tires slipping a bit in the sand. Waves slapped the rocks, foam collecting in small pools as they hit the shelf, clawed their way through the standing water.
An incoming breaker slammed the side of the truck, shoved the entire vehicle sideways as they reached the narrow pinch, rocks looming on both sides. Buck rode the wave, turning into the slide, back wheels chewing at the cliff before the rear end slingshotted back.
The vehicle overcorrected, swinging the other way just enough it caught the mirror, snapped it off as they scraped the basalt, a high-pitched screech echoing through the cab. Nick held his breath, planning how he’d get Sloane out of the vehicle if they got swept into the ocean, when the tires caught, propelled them forward. They slewed out the other side, sand flying, bits of the mirror still dropping off.
The SUV slowed, water already lapping at the wheels as the driver seemed to gauge the odds. He gunned it, got sweptsideways by a large wave, only to stop, again, retreat, the passage submerged beneath a churning layer of white water.
Buck veered right, headed up a semi-hidden access ramp, then onto a higher road. Below them, the SUV idled on the wrong side of the shelf, the surf pounding the cliff, the water covering the passage rising. Their headlights punched through the fog, slowly fading as Buck turned onto another road — left the shoreline behind them.
Nick relaxed against the seat. “That was interesting.”
Tierney sighed. “Every salvation has its concessions. This one has a one-way gate that only opens during low tide.”
“You two got a place in mind?”
“We’ll head to my cabin, reassess. Hopefully Avery’s got some intel because now that the Reaper’s got your scent…”
He wouldn’t give up, and Nick knew they’d only won the battle, not the war.
