Page 11 of Critical Doubt

She hadn't considered until just now that they would know each other. Ryker had gone through Fort Benning's sniper school and been stationed there for several years. Of course he would know her father.

But there was no love in her father's eyes for Ryker. In fact, the anger he usually reserved for her seemed to be flowing in Ryker's direction.

Ryker hesitated, and then headed straight toward them.

Damn!The last person she wanted to know about her no-name, one-night stand was her very self-righteous father, for whom the lines of good and bad were very well-defined, at least when it came to her behavior.

"Colonel Kane," Ryker said, giving her father a respectful nod.

"Captain Stone."

Tension bristled between the two men, and Savannah didn't know why. It wasn't about her, that was for sure.So what was it?While she didn't get along with her father, most of the soldiers who worked with him thought he was amazing.

To her shock and amazement, her father blinked first, and with a muttered excuse, he walked away.

"What was that about?" she asked Ryker. "What's between you and my father?"

"That's a long story. Why didn't you tell me you were Colonel Kane's daughter?"

"I didn't even tell you my name. Why would I tell you who my father is?"

"I'm not talking about five years ago; I'm talking about fifteen minutes ago."

"I didn't think about it. I haven't been his daughter since I was thirteen years old."

Confusion entered his eyes. "What does that mean?"

"It doesn't matter. I came here for Abby. I don't need to deal with you or my father. You are both in my past."

She'd barely finished speaking when she heard a loud squeal of tires followed by a shockingly loud, reverberating crash that silenced the crowd.

She instinctively ran toward the door. Ryker was right on her heels. She headed toward the parking lot, the crowd streaming behind her. Smoke was rising from below, but she couldn't see the road yet. She took off her heels, running barefoot down the long, winding drive. Ryker kept pace with her, and while his long-legged gait was somewhat stiff and awkward, he still made it to the road first.

They stopped in horror, realizing that a car had crashed through the guardrail and flipped into the rushing Dobbs River. The vehicle was sinking fast as the water moved it downstream.

Abby came up next to her, screaming Todd's name.

Todd? It was his car?A sickening feeling ran through her.

Ryker stripped off his coat and kicked off his shoes. Before she could say a word, he jumped off the bridge and into the water, a drop of at least twelve feet. Two other men in uniform did the same. Her father called 911. Other men rushed down the riverbank, hoping to grab Todd when he came up for air.

"This can't be happening," Abby said, her shoulders shaking, as she put a hand to her mouth. "Not Todd, too."

She put her arm around her friend, wishing she could say Todd would be okay, but she didn't know if that was true. She was also worried for the men who had gone in after him. The car had completely disappeared now, and the rescuers as well as the vehicle were all being swept downstream.

She felt a rush of fear as a crazy thought ran through her. She didn't want to lose Ryker, even though he wasn't hers to lose.

Chapter Three

Todd wasn'tin the car.

It had taken what felt like forever for Ryker to catch up to the vehicle in the fast-running current. He was down at least five feet now, but new hope ran through him as he held on to the open door, searching the car for some sign of Todd, but he was nowhere in sight. The airbag had deployed; the driver's side door had been open. Todd must have gotten out. He had to be swimming. Hell, he could be on shore by now.

With his lungs bursting, Ryker let go of the car door and kicked his way back to the surface. He gulped in air as he came out of the water, and then swore as his body hit a sharp rock. The current pulled him ruthlessly around a large boulder. He didn't try to fight the current. He was on the same ride as Todd. And he had a better chance of finding him if he just rode it out as far as he could.

Turning his head one way, then the other, he saw another man crawling out of the river. It was James Lofgren, and he was alone. Another man was a hundred yards farther down the river. He was talking to a cop, pointing toward the water. Clearly, he hadn't found Todd, either.

A police car and fire truck were racing down the road above the river. More cars followed, with people jumping out at every point, scrambling down the bank to the shoreline. A couple of them waved to him.