Page 2 of Riverbend Gap (Riverbend 1)

He slowed further and rolled up to the scene. Tire tracks led through the foliage. Small car, he guessed, based on the size of the tracks in the mud. A sinking feeling weighted his gut—just beyond the scrub lay a formidable cliff.

He pulled well off the road to avoid causing another accident, dismounted, and removed his helmet. The emergency was probably over, only an investigation—and likely a funeral—remaining. But he withdrew his phone anyway as he scrambled through the brush.

No cell signal. And being off duty he had no radio.

A flash of silver caught his eye. He pocketed his phone and scuttled through the dense thicket. Branches poked him in the neck and scraped his arms, but he forged on, homing in on the car. Honda Civic, not running. North Carolina plate. Rear wheels—oh jeez—several inches off the ground.

“Hello?” He pushed through the low-growing brush alongside the vehicle. “Can you hear me?”

“I—I hear you,” a woman replied.

“Don’t move. I’m coming.” He shoved aside a branch and inched forward until he was beside the car. Then he knelt and assessed the situation.

The front tires had cleared the edge of the cliff. The nose of the sedan pointed downward, the car balancing on its frame. The vehicle and its occupant would’ve plunged to the bottom of the ravine—some fifty feet—if not for a lone tree growing from the cliffside. The tree had broken off at some point and now stood about five feet tall. It hardly seemed sturdy enough to support the weight of the car.

One little movement could send the thing crashing to the ravine below.

“Don’t move.”Cooper stood and approached the driver’s side. He appraised her through the partly open window. Midtwenties,blonde, petite. Small cut on forehead. She stared, stricken, out the windshield.

“It’s going to be okay. My name’s Cooper. What’s yours?”

“Katelyn. Can—can you get me out?” Her voice trembled. “I can’t open the door.”

“I’m a sheriff’s deputy, Katelyn. I’m going to get you out of here, but I might need your help.” His gaze fell to the door where the car had wedged against a large rock, leaving a dent. “This door’s jammed. Do you have a phone?”

“I—yes. It’s down there, on the floor.”

“Sit tight, okay? I’ll go around the other side and grab it.” Hopefully it had a signal—though it was unlikely since his didn’t.

He made his way around the vehicle as quickly as possible. When he reached the other side, he found the door accessible.

“I’m going to open the door and fetch your phone.” Cautiously, he reached for the handle and slowly pulled until it was open. So far, so good. He reached for the phone, careful not to put any weight on the car. Once he retrieved it he checked for a signal.

He looked back at Katelyn who stared at him as if he was her last hope. “No signal.”

He wasn’t sure the car was stable enough for a safe evacuation, but he didn’t have a chain or even a rope to secure it. He had to extract her before that tree gave way.

“Okay, here’s what we’re going to do. You’re going to very slowly climb over the console.”

Fear blazed in her wide blue eyes. “I’m afraid to move. When I reached for my phone, the car tipped forward.”

“You’re going to keep your weight against the seat back this time. Once you’re over the console, I’ll snatch you right out of there. You can do this, Katelyn.”

Her expression shifted, her eyes growing determined, her jaw setting. She gave a nod, then slowly lifted her leg. She swung itover the emergency brake, over the gearshift. On a steady exhale she lowered her foot until it dangled on the other side. Her pulse leaped in her throat.

“Good job, Katelyn. You’re doing great. Now I need you to lift yourself up on the console. Keep your weight back.”

“O—okay.” She put a hand on the console, paused for a beat. Then she began lifting her weight, back pressed to the seat.

“That’s it. You’ve got this.” A few inches more and he could reach her. He’d be quick about it, and even if the car—

The vehicle groaned, shifting forward.

Katelyn screamed.

Cooper flung his body onto the trunk. The back of the car sank a couple inches and stabilized. He expelled a breath. Sweat trickled down the back of his neck.

“Hello?” Her voice quivered. “Are you still there?”