Page 56 of The Truth

Ayla just kept going.

She headed toward the middle of the creek. She could hear him behind her now. He was coming after her.Loudly.

Cold bit at her arms, but she welcomed it. It made her sharper. Kept her mind from spiraling. She wasn't weak. Shewasn'tbroken.

She was alive. And she was getting back to the people she loved.

He was right behind her. Not even two seconds behind her. Ayla forced herself to movefaster.

She was going for the deepest part.

He was yelling and splashing behind her. She didn't look. She went under instead. Held her breath. Kicked toward the bottom until she felt it beneath her feet. She just needed to know how deep it was.

Over her head. But her fingers were out. So… notthatdeep. She could do this.

She would.

If she stopped, she was dead. She wasn't going to just drown quietly. Ayla Fisher wouldnevergo down without a fight.

He yelled out behind her, but she couldn’t make out what he said.

She risked turning her head just enough to see his arms slapping uselessly at the water as he tried to follow her. The dude seriously could not swim. She wasn't going to let him near her—he’d pull her under just from sheer incompetency.

Ayla just kept swimming.

She was putting more space between them.

He let out another garbled yell. She didn't look back. The widest part of the river was right there. Where Gunn had said was the deepest. She stayed in the wider space, where she had room to maneuver. She could totally swim circles around the guy.

Her shoes were weighing her down. Ayla quickly kicked them off.

The other shore was only fifteen feet away. She could make that easily if she had to, but what she’d do once she gotoutof the water… well, that was a bigger problem.

She needed to help Gunn. And she reached down, for her pocket… her phone was there, and it was in a waterproof case. Maybe… maybe…

If she could get to the other shore, she could call forhelp.Real help.

The guy had reached the place where the bottom dropped and was trying to keep his footing. And doing very badly.

Ayla caught a glimpse of him—mouth open, head jerking left and right. Dude waspanicking.

The water was barely five feet where he was, and he had to be close to six feet tall. Seriously? She drew the line at rescuing her attacker. That just wasn’t going to happen. His arms flailed, pulling water, getting him nowhere.

Ayla let her legs sink beneath her for a second, treading quietly now. She turned her body slowly, watching. He wasabout twelve feet away. Far enough. She waited until she had his attention. “You should probably just stop moving. You seriously are pathetic at this! Turn and go back, dude. Before you drown! You’re going to drown and I’m not! See, I canswim!You can’t. And what if there aresnakes? Slither, slither! You are going to be snake food!”

He started flailing even more.

She swam backwards three or four feet, just to put more space between them.

She really was getting tired right now. And shore… it was right there.

She could probably pull herself out. Crawl, if she had to.

Ayla pulled in a breath and screamed one last time. "Gunn!"

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He started for the door.

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