started the engine and pulled forward. The shot echoed around the boat and had probably lodged in the hull somewhere. His boat gained speed.
The other boat was eaten up by the fog, but not before another gunshot echoed around them. Joseph turned the throttle, hoping to put distance between himself and the other boat.
The roar of the other boat’s motor remained steady in intensity.
His boat slowed and vibrated.
“What’s wrong?”
He gritted his teeth. “We’re in shallow water filled with reeds. We’re not going to be able to get anywhere.” The disorientation from the fog had caused him to get too close to the shore. He revved the throttle, hoping to make some progress.
The other boat rammed into them. Their boat shook from the impact. The man leaped off his boat and reached for Sierra. She screamed and struggled to get away. Joseph lunged toward the man who had his hands around Sierra’s neck.
Sierra twisted her body in an effort to escape his grasp. Joseph heard a loud splash as Sierra and the man both fell into the water. He could see only flashes of movement in the fog.
He dove into the blackness, praying he wasn’t too late to save Sierra from the clutches of the man who sought to kill her.
Sierra’s lungs threatened to fill with water as darkness and cold enveloped her. Pressure let up on her neck, but the man continued to grab at her clothes, seeking to hold her down and keep her under.
She struggled to get away, bobbing to the surface, gasping for air. She caught sight of a baseball hat floating on the water’s surface. The man grabbed her once more. She got a good look at him before he dragged her underwater again. She went limp, hoping that playing possum would make the man give up. He held on.
She couldn’t hold her breath much longer. Her world seemed to be getting blacker and colder.
She kicked her legs in a final attempt to break free.
Another set of hands grabbed her from above and yanked her to the surface.
She gulped in air as the waves rushed around her.
Joseph’s face was very close to hers. “This way.”
She saw him swimming for only a few seconds before the fog engulfed him. She could hear Joseph’s hands and feet slicing through the water. She followed the sound. The fog caused her to lose her sense of direction. They must be swimming toward the shore. The attacker blocked their way back to the boat. It was useless at this point, anyway.
Noise of her attacker swimming through the water behind her made her move faster.
Joseph called back to her, his voice like a lighthouse beacon. “This way!”
She lifted her hand above her head and kicked her feet, trusting that Joseph was leading her to safety. It was blind trust on her part. Why would a drug dealer be saving her? But she had no choice. She wasn’t sure why, but he’d pulled her from danger twice. She had a chance of getting out of this alive if she followed Joseph.
Death was a certainty if she didn’t. The other man was still moving through the water toward her.
Closer to the shore, the fog lifted enough that she could see Joseph as he stood up and walked onto the rocky beach. She put her feet down in the waist-deep water.
She was jerked back as her attacker grabbed her by the collar. He clamped his hands on her shoulders, seeking to push her under in the shallow water.
She twisted free by angling her body to one side. She ran until she was in calf-deep water. The would-be assassin grabbed the hem of her hoodie. As she struggled to get away, she heard Joseph plunging back through the water.
Joseph landed a blow across the man’s face and then to the stomach. The man groaned and doubled over. Joseph clutched the sleeve of her hoodie and guided her toward the shore. The shallow water weighed on her legs as she pushed through, until her feet touched the hard surface of the beach.
She glanced over her shoulder as they bolted toward the brush. The attacker had recovered and had just stepped on the shore.
Sierra sprinted beside Joseph as the brush turned to evergreen forest. They ran for at least ten minutes. She’d grown up exploring these woods, but it was much harder to navigate in the dark.
She stopped for a moment to catch her breath. “Do you know where you’re going?”
Joseph bent over, resting his hands on his knees and sucking air between each word. “Maybe you could help me. I’m new in town, remember?”
Pounding footsteps behind them told her they needed to keep running. Sierra took the lead, zigzagging around trees, searching for a landmark that would orient her.
If she could figure out where the road was, they might be able to get back to her car and escape. As they darted through the evergreens, their pursuer stayed about ten paces behind them.
Fatigue settled into her leg muscles. She shivered from being soaking wet. Though it was summer, the nighttime temperatures only made her colder.
Joseph grabbed her and pushed her to the ground. Fear shot through her. Had he just been waiting for a chance to do her harm? They’d landed in a shallow ditch.
He signaled for her to be quiet as he pressed low to the ground.
Their pursuer ran past. So that’s why he’d knocked her down.
They waited until their pursuer disappeared into the trees and his footsteps faded in the distance.
Joseph jumped to his feet. “He might double back when he figures out we lost him. Where are we going?”
She glanced around, recognizing a rock outcropping though it was covered in shadows. “I think I can get us back to the road.”
She sprinted uphill, still cold, still out of breath. The ground leveled off. Now that she knew where she was, she ran faster. Joseph kept pace with her.
She took in a deep breath when her feet touched the hard-packed dirt of the country road. She’d parked on a shoulder just around the curve. Sierra sprinted as a sense of relief filled her. In less than a half hour, she’d be back at her place, sitting in dry clothes in front of the fire. She’d be safe, but she still didn’t know about Trevor. She’d have to tell the police about the attack. If Trevor wasn’t back at his foster home with his sister, maybe the police could find him. Maybe they would be able to figure out if he had set her up.
A question raged through her head as her feet pounded on the road. Why was that man in the baseball hat so bent on killing her? The question made her shudder. With God’s help, she would get over the attack.
She rounded the curve to where her car was sitting, and slowed her pace as she drew nearer to it.
Joseph came up beside her. “Looks like they slashed your tires.”
Despair
