With her eyes on Nic’s body, Arista shoved off the river bottom and plunged toward him. She kicked and paddled with every ounce of strength she had, trying to keep her face above water.
When the river closed over her head, she panicked, thrashing her way to the surface just long enough to suck in a breath before she went under. The next time she pulled herself above the water, she’d lost sight of Nic, but it didn’t matter because she sank yet again.
Her muscles screamed in protest. Cramps were seizing her legs, making it impossible to keep kicking. She had no strength left to try and fight her way to the surface again. Water clogged her nose and mouth. She fought the urge to draw it into her lungs, and they burned. An eerie silence filled her head.
Slowly, she began to sink.
Then, suddenly, her jacket tightened around her chest and water rushed past her body. An explosion of sound and light erupted around her and she instinctively sucked in choking breaths of air. An arm wrapped around her middle and she was pulled against a solid body.
“I’ve got you.” The familiar timbre of Grae’s voice unleashed the torrent of fear bottled inside her. She grabbed his arm and sobbed. When she felt ground under her feet, her legs were useless. Grae picked her up and carried her to the riverbank as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Her entire body shook uncontrollably.
“I told you I would save you if you ever fell in the water,” he said, setting Arista tenderly on the ground before he lowered himself to sit next to her. Then Becky was there, her face wet with tears, putting Grae’s jacket around Arista’s shoulders.
She threw it off and struggled to stand. Nic. She had to save Nic. “I have to…” Her gaze was drawn to three men swimming to where he’d drifted, almost at the middle of the river. They began pulling him toward the riverbank and Arista struggled to get to him. Grae wrapped his arms around her from behind and held her tight.
“They’ve got him,” he said.
She frantically searched for any sign of life as the men carefully pulled him from the water and lay him on the riverbank. They were talking in hushed voices, but from their tone, she knew.
“I couldn’t get to him,” Arista sobbed. “I tried, but I just couldn’t.”
Grae pulled her into his arms and held her face against his chest as she cried.
“It’s over,” she whispered, looking up at Grae. Then her glance slid to Becky. “It was Bones. He did that to Nic.” She looked past her friend to the spot where she’d last seen Bones, but of course he wasn’t there. The packet? Had he taken it with him?
“Bones is alive?” Becky gasped.
Of course there was no sign of her tormentor or his lackeys. But…“The secrets.” Arista tried to free herself, but Grae kept her in his grasp.
“You need to be still. You inhaled half the Thames,” he said.
“Becky—there, by the warehouse. I threw the packet that Nic gave me. Will you see if it’s there?” If it was, then this had not all been for nothing.
Becky hurried away, searching the ground as she went.
“I’m sorry,” Arista said to Grae. “For lying to you again.”
“Nothing else matters, except that you’re alive. When we got back to the ship and you were missing, I wanted to tear the thing apart. My first mate remembered a boy running from the ship. Becky knew the place that the note mentioned, and we were able to get to you in time.” His entire body shuddered against hers. “I came so close to losing you. If we had been only a few seconds longer…”
She laid her face against his wet shirt. “But you weren’t. You saved me. Again.”
“Miss!” Becky’s excited shout rose above Grae’s heartbeat in her ear. “I’ve got it.”
This time Grae allowed her to stand as Becky came rushing over. The papers, still rolled tightly, were right there.
“What is it?” Grae asked.
Arista shook her head. “I have no idea. But Nic gave his life to get it to me.” Grae gently touched her arm. He watched the river and, from the expression on his face, Arista knew what he saw. Becky took the papers from Arista’s numb fingers.
Arista stared at the spot where the men had left Nic’s body on the riverbank. She had to be sure. As she stood and started toward them, Grae fell into step beside her. She stopped and looked up at him. “I need to do this alone. I hope you can understand that.”
“Of course. I’m here when you need me.” Grae pressed his lips to her forehead.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
It was the hardest thing she’d ever done, taking that short walk. The way the men stood, so solemnly, told her that it was too late. That Nic was gone. They moved aside as she stepped closer.
“I’m sorry, lad. He were gone before we got to him.” The closest man dragged his cap off his head and hugged it to his chest.