on
around them, and prayed. Donovan can’t
die. Do not take him from me. It wasn’t his fault.
The gunfire continued for what seemed like
hours. She kept sane remembering all the good times Donovan had
created for her over the past few months. The time he’d cheated at
checkers, and thought she wasn’t aware that he moved her pieces
around the board every time she turned away. The way she’d catch
him staring at her in the early morning hours, and then pretend to
sleep when she opened her eyes. Donovan had given her a lifetime of
feeling cherished in the short time they’d been together. If good
thoughts brought good things into a person’s life, she’d keep him
alive remembering every precious thing he’d done for her.
Eventually the gunshots stopped, Josie
stopped shaking from the cold, and she’d lost track of how long
she’d lain on the wet, rocky riverbank with Donovan. She had no
idea if she slept, dreamed, or hallucinated, but she opened her
eyes and the sun was rising. She pushed herself up into a sitting
position, her muscles stiff and sore.
“Donovan?” She ran her hand down his cheek.
“Oh, God, you are so cold.”
He lay with his eyes closed as if he were
sleeping, but his skin was pale, and his chest rose and fell with a
rattling wheeze. Not wanting to disturb the blood-soaked sweatshirt
she’d tied around his shoulder, she leaned over and kissed his
cheek. “Listen to me, sweetie. I’m going to leave, but I’ll come
back. I need to get you help.” She wiped the dirt on his chin.
“Don’t you die on me. You hear me? I need you. I-I love you.”
Groaning, she struggled to
her feet and peered out at the river. Last night the water had been
flowing the opposite way. She rubbed her head. No. That wasn't
right. When she fell out of the canoe, she must have swum to the
wrong side of the river. Shit. She’d have to cross the current to make her way
back up the mountain to the cabin.
Deciding to hike farther
upstream before crossing over, she concentrated on putting one foot
in front of the other. Each step brought her closer to helping
Donovan. She’d gone one hundred and seventeen steps when she
stopped. A flop-flop-flop-flop sound grew louder. She turned her gaze to the
sky.
A black helicopter headed in her direction.
A man dressed in camouflage sat on one of the runners with a rifle
in one hand. Adrenaline coursed through her veins.
“Tony!” She jumped up and down, waving her
arms over her head. “Tony! Help!”
The chopper kept coming. She turned around
and ran back toward Donovan. Her shoe caught on a rock, and she
fell. Scrambling to her feet, she kept waving and moving. “Help!”
She reached Donovan and stood over him. “Look, Donovan… It’s Tony.
You’re going to get help. He’ll take you to the hospital.”
Her arms cramped, but she
never stopped waving. She screamed until she lost her voice, and
she finally saw Tony being lowered by a wire. Kneeling down, she
put her hands on Donovan’s chest. Oh,
God…
Chapter Five
“You should have seen her, Donovan.” Tony
shut the engine off. “Her head cracked open, one eye almost swollen
shut, and covered in your blood.” He rocked back on his heels. “She
would have made you proud.”
“She does.” Donovan
stepped out of the van. “Now where the hell is she, and why won’t
you tell me why she didn’t pick me up?”
Tony laughed and hurried around to the
passenger side. “If I tell you, the woman would kill me. I might be
a G-man, but damned if I’m going to cross your woman.” He motioned
to Jolene’s cabin. “Go ahead. Go in.” Tony smiled. “I’ll see you in
a few days.”
Donovan frowned. “I thought you were
planning on taking the two weeks off the boss gave everyone after
taking out Jackson and closing the case last month. Did you get
called out again?”
“Gotta go.” Tony waved over his shoulder and
hopped back into the van.
He stared after the van pulling out of the
driveway. Once