42097609460

“Her name is Miss Katie,” Kristen chirped from behind him. “But
I already told you that, remember?” Alex glanced over his
shoulder at her. When he turned back, Katie was smiling as she
handed the money to him.
“Just Katie,” she said.
“It’s nice to meet you, Katie.” He tapped the keys and the register
drawer opened with a ring. “I take it you live around here?”
She never got around to answering. Instead, when he looked up,
he saw that her eyes had gone wide in fright. Swiveling around he
saw what she’d caught on the monitor behind him: Josh in the
water, fully clothed and arms flailing, in panic. Alex felt his throat
suddenly close and he moved on instinct, rushing out from behind
the counter and racing through the store and into the storeroom.
Bursting through the door, he knocked over a case of paper
towels, sending it flying, but he didn’t slow down.
He flung open the back door, adrenaline surging through his
system as he hurdled a row of bushes, taking a shortcut to the
dock. He hit the wooden planks at full speed. As he launched
himself from the dock, Alex could see Josh choking in the water,
his arms thrashing.
His heart slamming against his rib cage, Alex sailed through the
air, hitting the water only a couple of feet from Josh. The water
wasn’t deep—maybe six feet or so—and as he touched the soft,
unsettled mud of the bottom, he sank up to his shins. He fought
his way to the surface, feeling the strain in his arms as he reached
for Josh.
“I’ve got you!” he shouted. “I’ve got you!”
But Josh was struggling and coughing, unable to catch his breath,
and Alex fought to control him as he pulled him into shallower
water. Then, with an enormous heave, he carried Josh up onto the
grassy bank, his mind racing through options: CPR, stomach