Page 30 of Legacy's Destiny

The pain peaked, sharp and excruciating, and then it was gone.

A strange peace took her, wrapping her in its embrace as the edges of her vision dissolved into blackness. Her final thought lingered like a whisper, soft and bittersweet:I’m not ready.

Deacon watchedin horror as the surging wall of water struck the rock Echo had been perched on, sweeping her away as if she weighed nothing. His heart lurched in his chest, and his mind screamed her name. Without hesitation, he launched down the ravine, his boots skidding over loose vegetation and his pulse pounding in his ears. The flash flood had transformed their small clearing into churning chaos, and the roaring of the water drowned out nearly all sound.

For one agonizing moment, she vanished beneath the foaming surface. His breath caught. Then he saw her hand clawing for a hold about fifteen feet ahead.

“Fuck!” The curse erupted from his throat as he pushed himself harder, legs burning with effort.

“Cap! Ten feet farther!” Ace’s voice came through the comms. He’d spotted her from his elevated overwatch position.

Deacon didn’t slow, didn’t even respond. Ranger and Bandit flanked the other side of the raging current. Every step felt like an eternity. He scanned the rushing water, praying for another sign of her.Please. God, please.

An explosion tore through the air, the force reverberating in his chest. “Diverting the water!” Rip’s shout echoed across the comms, followed by the rumble of shifting rock upstream. The flood began to slow, its ferocity easing but not fast enough.

“Anyone see her?” Deacon yelled, his voice hoarse, desperate.

“There!” His eyes locked onto a flash of red—a hair tie, spinning in the current before it floated past him.Past him?

“Shit, Cap! Go back!” Ace’s voice cracked with urgency. “I can see her hair—she’s underwater!”

Deacon pivoted without hesitation, his feet splashing into the water as he surged upstream. His eyes locked on the faint gleam of her hair, barely visible beneath the surface. Without a second thought, he dove in. Ranger hit the water at the same moment from the opposite bank.

The current tugged at him, but he forced his way forward, his arms slicing through the water.Don’t stop. Don’t stop.When he reached her, he froze. Her eyes were open but lifeless, her foot pinned beneath a jagged boulder.No. No, no, no. This isn’t happening.

He surfaced. “Ranger, she’s pinned!” Deacon shouted, his voice raw with panic. Together, they dove, braced against the current, and strained against the rock that trapped her foot. The weight was immense, and the water fought to drag them both down. Deacon’s lungs burned, but he shoved harder, his muscles screaming in protest. Finally, with a sickening scrape, the boulder shifted, freeing her.

Deacon yanked her to the surface, her limp body heavy in his arms. He fought the current, his vision narrowing as he focused on Bandit waiting at the bank. Ranger was at his side, helping steady them as they pushed toward safety. When they reached the edge, Bandit and Ranger helped him to haul her onto themuddy ground, their movements precise and practiced despite the storm raging around them.Dear God, please …

“She’s not breathing!” Bandit’s shout cut through Deacon’s haze. “Clear her airway—now!”

Deacon dropped to his knees beside her, his hands trembling as he tilted her head back. Pinching her nose, he delivered two sharp breaths, his lips barely brushing hers. “Come on, Echo. Come on.”

Bandit’s hands moved to her chest, compressing with ruthless efficiency. “Stay with us, dammit,” he growled, his focus unshakable.

Deacon hovered, his gaze locked on her pale face. The rain pelted down, cold and unrelenting, but he didn’t notice. “Don’t you dare give up,” he whispered, his voice breaking. “Fight, Echo. Fight.”

Her body convulsed suddenly, a wet, gasping cough tearing free as water spewed from her lips. Deacon twisted her head to the side, his heart leaping as she retched and choked. Bandit didn’t pause, moving to stabilize her as her breathing hitched unevenly.

Deacon sat back, his body trembling from exertion and sheer relief. For a moment, the world blurred, his vision clouded by tears he hadn’t felt in years—not since his sister had been found, battered but alive. He swiped at his face, pretending it was the rain. No one was watching him anyway. All eyes were on Echo, her chest rising and falling in shallow, ragged breaths as Bandit continued to work.

Ace and Rip appeared beside them, their faces grim but determined, as Bandit continued working with Echo. Every moment stretched, each shallow rise and fall of her chest an agonizing reminder of how close they’d come to losing her. And then it came—the sound that shattered the tension like a lightning strike.

Echo cried.

The small, broken sound was the most beautiful thing Deacon had ever heard. A strangled sob escaped him as he held her hand. His own hand trembled. He didn’t care if his tears mingled with the rain cascading down his face. “It’s okay, babe. It’s okay,” he whispered, his voice hoarse with emotion.

She reached for him, her fingers clinging weakly to his arm. He bent closer, wrapping himself around her as much as he could while Bandit worked. Her shivering was almost imperceptible but unmistakable against his skin.

“She doesn’t have a distended stomach,” Bandit muttered, his tone shifting into diagnostic mode. His steady professionalism was a lifeline. “Okay, sweetie, what’s your name?”

Echo’s body jerked as another coughing fit wracked her. When it subsided, she managed to rasp, “Echo.” Her voice was raw, barely audible over the rain, but it was there.

Bandit nodded, his expression softening a fraction. “Good. That’s good. Where are you?”

Deacon’s stomach clenched when she responded, barely above a whisper, “I don’t know.”

Bandit’s gaze darted up to meet his. Worry etched in his features. “Cap, we need to get her out of this weather ASAP. She wasn’t without oxygen for long, but she’s at risk for complications—pneumonia and pulmonary issues. She needs chest X-rays and observation.”

---