Page 97 of Parker

“Christ, man. Think about what you just said. If you go into that water, you’ll expose yourself to that very same risk!”

“I know what I’m doing, Ash.” Parker slipped the heavy vest up over his head before dropping it next to his shoes.

“Really? Because I’m pretty sure you’ve lost your damned mind.”

No. He’d lost Quinn. And there wasn’t a force strong enough to keep him from going to her.

With Asher’s continued pleas falling on deaf ears, Parker walked over to ledge, climbed on top, and… He jumped.

The initial weightlessness took a second to get used to, but as gravity continued pulling him toward the water at a high rate of speed, his days of swim meets and dive competitions came rushing back with a vengeance.

As the top medal earner three straight years in high school and a year at MIT, Parker expertly gauged the distance between him and the river’s surface. Best he could, he straightened his body into a tight, sleek line.

Toes pointed, chin up, arms and hands plastered to his sides.

Feet first, he hit the water with a loud, unceremonious splash. The breathtaking temps never even registered until he was completely submerged.

Kicking vigorously, Parker forced his way back to the top, his desperate screams for Quinn leaving his throat just as his mouth broke through the surface. He ignored his labored breaths and shivering bones and swung his dampened gaze in every direction.

“Quinn!” He shouted her name again.

Water splashed against his neck and chin as he kept tread, skimming the barely-moving current for any signs of life. Sheer panic threatened to stop his heart when he found none.

“Quinn!”

Ah, God. Please, don’t take her. Please!

“Qui—”

“There!”

Parker spun his body through the water to face the river’s bank. Filling a large chunk of the far-away grass stood Asher, his teammates, and the men of Delta Team. And they were all pointing toward something behind him.

“Behind you!” Asher shouted.

Using his arms as paddles, he spun back around in time to see Quinn’s blonde hair disappear beneath the water.

No!

He began to swim in that direction, his eyes never losing sight of where he’d last seen her. Muscles burned and his lungs felt like they were on fire from the cold, but he didn’t dare stop. When he got to the place Quinn had gone under, Parker didn’t hesitate to do the same.

Drawing in a deep, deep breath, he closed his eyes and mouth and dipped into the deadly abyss. He opened his eyes, the dark, murky water nearly impossible to penetrate.

At first, he thought he’d lost her again. The fear of losing her damn near paralyzing in its strength. Yet he refused to give up.

Needing a breath, he pushed himself back through the surface just long enough to fill his lungs again. Parker went down again, the fierce need to save her pushing him on.

Seconds passed as his desperate search continued, and just when he was starting to consider the possibility that he’d failed…

There!

Movement to his left caught his eye. He swam toward it, the shocking image became clearer with each new stroke and kick.

McMahon was still alive. The bastard had his back to Parker and his meaty hands on Quinn. The two were struggling, each doing their best to push the other’s head beneath the surface.

It was truly a fight to the death, and there could only be one winner. And he was going to make damn sure the right person came out on top.

Remembering the gun still tucked between his soaked waistband and his lower back, Parker carefully approached McMahon from behind. The son of a bitch was so busy trying to kill Quinn, he didn’t realize the new threat behind him.

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