The branch creaked. Emma glanced behind her. “Reed, you have to back off. Your weight is too much.”
“No. I’m not letting you go.”
“There’s no other choice. I need a few more inches and then I’ve got her.”
A long pause followed. Reed’s hand let go of her left ankle. He flattened himself out, spreading his weight as much as possible. “Try now.”
Bark scraped against her stomach. Something tickled the back of her neck. A pine needle or a bug, she couldn’t tell. Emma blocked it all out, focusing on reaching Vivian. Her fingertips brushed against her sister-in-law’s.
Just a little more.
A resounding crack broke through her concentration. Vivian tumbled away and Reed’s cry followed. Her ankle was ripped from his hand.
The world spun. A slap of cold water stole the breath from her lungs. Darkness covered her and, for a heart-stopping moment, she wasn’t sure which way was up. Then she hit bottom.
Shoving against the mud, Emma shot herself upward. She surfaced, coughing, and dragged in a breath. The current pulled her downstream. Vivian. Where was Vivian? She twisted in the darkness, searching. Her tennis shoes and clothes dragged her down. She dunked under the cold water.
Lord, please, help me.
She kicked off her tennis shoes and resurfaced. Sucking in a breath, she yelled Reed’s name, although it felt like the wind and the current stole it from her. Her fingers brushed against a tangle of something. Seaweed? No, hair. Emma grabbed a handful and yanked. Vivian popped up although her sister-in-law was deathly pale and still unconscious.
“Emma!” Reed yelled from the shoreline.
“I’m here,” she cried. Her limbs were going numb, yet she fought to keep Vivian’s head above water. Emma couldn’t tell if Vivian was breathing. The current thrashed them. Lights to the left indicated Reed and Austin were running along the edge ahead of her.
Rocks. Huge lurking objects in their path. Emma kicked but the river was too difficult to fight. She twisted, using her body to block Vivian from being battered against the stone. Her shoulder whammed against rock. Pain vibrated through her. She gritted her teeth and reached out blindly. Her fingers caught a groove. She held on.
The beam of a flashlight bounced toward her. Emma blinked rapidly to clear the water from her eyes. Reed balanced on a rock. His position was precarious. The surface was wet and smooth as glass.
“Take Vivian,” she shouted. Emma struggled to keep her sister-in-law’s head above water. Her arm trembled from the cold and exhaustion.
Reed bent down. Water stained his pants leg, turning the fabric dark. With one hand, he grasped Emma’s wrist and leaned across to grab hold of Vivian.
“I can’t...” His face reddened with the effort. Austin appeared behind him, but the rock wasn’t large enough for both men to balance. He couldn’t hold on to Emma and pull Vivian from the water. Not at the angle he was at.
“Take her first,” she yelled. Vivian wouldn’t survive if she was lost in the water. “I can’t hold her much longer.”
Reed nodded. He released her arm. “Don’t you dare let go. Hang on for me, Em.”
She was trying, but her fingers were already growing numb. Reed used both hands to yank Vivian from the water. He stood and handed her to Austin. The chief deputy cradled her as if she was more delicate than spun glass.
Emma’s hand slipped. A fresh wave of adrenaline shot through her veins. Reed gave a shout. He lunged for her, slipping on the wet stone, and nearly fell into the water. His hand clasped over her wrist.
“I’ve got you, Em. I’ve got you.”
Reed pulled her from the cold water. He swung an arm under her legs and delicately balanced along the rocks until they hit the shoreline. Emma collapsed on the bank, gasping for breath. Her heart thundered in her ears. She couldn’t feel her toes. Austin immediately started CPR on Vivian.
Reed yanked the jacket off Emma’s shoulders, replacing it with a blanket. “We need to get you warm, Em.”
Her teeth chattered. Sadie licked her face. Someone coughed and vomited. It was the sweetest sound Emma had ever heard. She pushed the dog out of the way. “Vivian?”
Her sister-in-law was tucked against Austin’s chest. Her blond hair clung to her face in strings. Somehow it made the bruising on her cheek and the black eye worse. Despite being tossed in the river, blood still stained her pajama top.
Reed pulled another blanket from his backpack and covered Vivian with it. Emma scooted across the distance between them.
“Li-Li-Lily?” Vivian gasped.
“We haven’t found her.” Emma took Vivian’s hand. “What happened?”
“T-t-took her from me. Hurt me. Fight. Don’t take the b-b-baby.”
Emma’s chin trembled. Of course Vivian would’ve fought fiercely to protect Lily. She’d nearly paid with her life.
“S-s-sorry.”
“No. You have nothing to be sorry for. We’ll find her, Vivian.” Water dripped on their conjoined hands and it took Emma a moment to realize she was crying. “Just like we found you, we’ll find Lily.”
A phone trilled. Surprise flashed across Reed’s face. “That sounds like it’s coming from Vivian.”
With trembling fingers, Emma lowered the blanket covering her sister-in-law. Vivian was wearing two shirts, a tank top under a pajama button-down. A dark string hung around her neck and disappeared into the button-down. Emma pulled on it. A cell phone came out, secured in a water-proof pouch.
Reed took over. He yanked the phone free of the pouch and answered the call, putting it on speaker so everyone could hear.
“Well, hello, Sheriff.” The voice was mangled by a digital voice distorter, making it unrecognizable. “As nice as it is to hear your voice, you aren’t the one I’m interested in talking to. Put Emma on the phone.”
Reed’s gaze shot to her and she grabbed the phone. Her daughter’s life was on the line. Whatever the kidnapper wanted, she would give it to him.
“I’m here,” Emma said.
“Good. How is your sister-in-law?”
“She’s
