Page 126 of One Last Chance

Maybe that’s what she’d been meant to find—not Kennedy in person, but maybe . . . peace.

The kind of peace that Barry Kingston had been talking about.“God says, ‘Trust me.’ He is not a God of chaos but peace. And when we trust him, we can know he will be with us, here in the valley or up on the mountain or even in the depths of the sea.”

Or behind a wall of water? Because the falls pinned her in on every side, crashing down three feet ahead of her, the power of it—and the thought of swimming through it—turning her weak.

Oh God, I really want to trust you—please?—

“Flynn!”

The voice sounded, faintly, on the other side of the veil.

Axel?“Here! I’m here!”

“Where?”

“Behind the waterfall!”

Nothing. “Axel!”

Another moment, and then his voice came from a different direction, closer to shore. “Okay, I can see you—are you okay?”

“Where’s Parker?”

“She’s safe. Are you hurt?”

She looked at her hands, then the shelf, and finally got a glimpse of Axel. He clung to the rock just outside the veil, near the shore, a red life jacket, like a beacon, strapped to his bare chest. “No. I’m fine—but I don’t think I can swim through the waterfall!”

“Listen, work your way over and then—just dive in. I’ll grab you.”

She sat in a pocket, and to move his direction, she’d have to cling to the gritty rock, hope the rush of water didn’t rip her away. But maybe—“I’ll try!”

Climbing back into the water—it stole her breath—she worked her fingers into the granite, kicking against the pull of the current. Started to edge her way over.

The water pelleted down, hitting her shoulder, her head. She went under, clawed her way back up, and scrambled back. “I can’t do it! It’s too strong!”

“You’re stronger than you think. Duck in and push yourself off the wall. The momentum will carry you out and I’ll grab you!”

She spotted him in the water, out of the churn pool.

Yeah, and then her momentum would take him down the river and over the next falls.

“No!”

He slapped the water. “C’mon, Sparrow! Do this!”

Her eyes filled.Shoot!

“Wait—stay there.”

Where did he think she might go?

He scrambled up onto the shoreline and disappeared.

Please don’t let him do anything stupid.

He returned in a moment, holding a stick. No, a paddle. “Listen. I’m going to push this through the curtain—I can’t hold it long, so I need you to grab it. I’ll pull you out.”

Right. This might work. “Okay!”

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