Page 57 of The Way We Are

“I love you.”

25

Ryan

“Savannah!” I scream, my roar as loud as the heart-crushing sound of Axel’s car colliding with the volatile ocean.

With my heart thrashing my ribs, I scale down the unstable rock edge of Bronte’s Peak. Brax follows closely on my heel. The loose rocks struggle to hold our combined weight, but we continue trekking down the uneven surface, more determined than ever. Now is not the time for a lack of courage. The red peaks of Axel’s car are barely visible floating above the dark, murky waters. We don’t have minutes to spare. We don’t even have seconds.

By the time we make it to the beach, Axel is part of the way to shore. He crawls out of the water on his hands and knees. His head is hanging low and his lungs are heaving.

“Where’s Savannah?” I ask him, grabbing the lapels of his sports jacket to yank him to his feet.

His massively dilated eyes dance between mine, but not a word seeps from his lips. The pompous gleam his eyes were carrying all evening has been snuffed, replaced with a pair of eyes belonging to a frightened boy.

Droplets of salty water fling off him in all directions when I violently shake him. “Where is she?” I ask again, my voice filled with anguish.

My heart falls from my ribcage when Axel’s eyes drift to the pitch-black ocean. “H-h-her belt. She c-c-couldn’t get her belt undone.”

I grip his jacket so tightly, a vein nearly bursts in my hand. “So you left her?!”

Nodding, he returns his eyes to me. “I-I panicked. The water was coming in too fast.”

“So you left her?!” I repeat, yelling so loud I’m certain I’m heard a half-mile away. “She can’t swim! Do you know she can’t swim?!”

Axel sucks in a sharp breath before he nods once more. His eyes show his remorse, but it does nothing to lessen my fury.

Roaring like an animal, I throw him out of my way before racing to the shoreline, toeing off my shoes on the way. Ignoring Brax’s request for me to wait, I dive into the nearly black waters. The icy-cold conditions steal the last breath of air from my lungs, but nothing can slow me down. Axel’s car is sinking into the abyss even faster than my heart is pumping blood. I literally have seconds to reach Savannah before her greatest nightmare comes true.

I reach Axel’s convertible with barely a second to spare. Its soft-top design is sending it to the bed of the ocean at a rate faster than I anticipated. I’ll never be more grateful for Axel’s showboating ways as I am right now. If it weren’t for the moon reflecting his bright red paintwork floating just below the surface of the water, I would have never found his car in the sea of blackness.

After filling my lungs with three sharp breaths, I swim down to the hanging-open driver’s side door. Bubbles of air rush out of my nose in quick succession when the murky waters clear enough to spot Savannah inside. Her honey-colored hair is floating around her raised arms, and her eyes are snapped shut.

No, god, please no.

Ignoring my lungs frantically hunting for air, I swim into the cabin of Axel’s car to yank at the strip of material holding Savannah hostage. I pull, yank, and tug at her belt with all my might, but it refuses to budge.

Recalling Axel’s admission, I trail my hands down Savannah’s still torso in search of the malfunctioning latch. With visibility poor, it takes me longer to find than I’d like.

The last portion of air in my lungs is evicted in a roar when I yank on the seatbelt latch with so much strength, the steel case buckles under the force, freeing Savannah from her watery grave.

Fighting against the panic attempting to swallow me whole, I fling the offending material off Savannah’s chest, hook my arm around her torso, then drag her toward the driver’s side door.

Our exit of the plunging vehicle coincides with it coming to rest on the ocean floor.

With nothing but moonlight lighting my way, I swim us to the surface. The strength of my kicks are remarkedly strong for how woozy my head is. I’m panicked beyond belief, both frightened and angry.

Bursts of air hit my lungs in quick succession when we break through the water surface, causing me to cough. Unfortunately, Savannah’s body doesn’t react the same way.

“Help!” I choke out in a scream, praying my panicked cries will alert people to our location. “Help!”

My screams have the effect I am aiming for. A small fishing boat arrives at my side not even two seconds later.

“Is there anyone else inside?” the dark-haired man asks while dragging a motionless Savannah onto his boat.

With panic clutching my throat so firmly I can’t speak, I shake my head. The buttons on my dress shirt rip off when the stranger assists me into his boat with a tug of my arm.

“Check if she has a pulse,” he demands while racing back to the wheel to guide us to shore. “If her heart isn’t pumping, you need to do it for her.”

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