Sophie Oak - Siren Beloved

He focused on Lucas’s voice, calmly requesting assistance from the 911 operator. He concentrated on Lexi’s hand on his leg.

He looked for anywhere to go. The truck pitched, jerking forward in a chaotic movement. There were only two lanes here, but a half a mile ahead, the ground to the left became flat. He could pull off the road and see if the man followed.

Aidan watched the road ahead of him, waiting for that moment when the ground leveled. Then he could make his move.

The air around them cracked with the sound of an engine roaring. The sound seemed to get closer with each second.

“He’s passing us,” Lexi said with an irritated sigh. “What an asshole.”

Aidan tried to slow down to allow him to pass. He got a quick glimpse of an SUV, and then it slammed into the side of the truck.

“Fuck,” Aidan cursed as he tried to regain control. He felt the wheels grasping for purchase. The world was tilting on its side.

“Hold on,” he heard Lucas say.

There was one final crash, and the truck began to tumble. Over and over. Aidan thought it rolled three or four times before it hit the water with a slapping splash. His head snapped forward. The seat belt bit into his chest. He had to force his eyes open. The world seemed out of place.

Upside down . He felt gravity working against him. He hung in his seat against the belt. The car had flipped. Everything was dark, so stinking dark. They were sinking to the bottom of the reservoir. Only the headlights showed anything at all and that was a watery universe. Ghostly light filtered in.

Aidan clawed at his belt, finally managing to get it off. He fell forward, his chest hitting the steering wheel. He had to get them all out of here. The reservoir was large, serving the entire county. It wasn’t a recreational lake. It had been dug thirty feet deep in the middle, and it hadn’t been a dry spring. The reservoir had overflowed at times. Aidan tried to think. Here at the edge it couldn’t be more than ten, maybe fifteen feet down, but it didn’t matter if they couldn’t get out of the vehicle.

He tried the door. It didn’t budge.

“Aidan?” Lucas finally came to, and Aidan could hear him trying to click the belt.

“Don’t panic. You’re upside down. Prepare to fall when you get out of the belt.” Aidan tried the power window. His side had taken the hit. He could already feel every muscle in his body screaming, but he wouldn’t give in.

There was a muffled groan as Lucas made it out of his belt.

Aidan’s window wouldn’t move. There was no hope for it. There was so little room to move. He couldn’t get his boot up to break the window. The truck thudded as it hit the bottom. Aidan moved to pull Lexi out of her belt, cushioning her fall with his body. She dropped into his arms. Water dripped on her face.

“She’s breathing.” He had to thank god for small miracles.

“Aidan?” Lexi’s voice sounded tiny, but Aidan’s heart leapt at the sound.

“Hush, angel. We’re in a little trouble, but Lucas and I are going to get you out of here. You just hold on to me and don’t let go. Lucas, try your window. It’s the only way out. I can’t fit through the back window. If the window doesn’t work, we’ll smash through the back and shove Lexi out of here.”

Lexi’s arms tightened around his neck. “I’m not going anywhere without the two of you.”

Sweet words, but he couldn’t allow it. Now he would play the Dom. “You will mind me, Lexi. If we have to, you’ll get the hell out of this truck, and you won’t look back.”

“No need, I got it.” Water began to pour in as Lucas spoke.

“What if he’s waiting?” Lexi asked. She had to shout. The sound of the water rushing in pounded at the silence.

It wouldn’t be long before the water invaded the cab, and they would be forced to get to the surface or die.

Aidan had already thought about that. It hadn’t been an accident. It hadn’t been some drunk. That car had a purpose, and it was to take out everyone in his truck. He’d caught a glimpse of it. A dark SUV. Karen drove a dark SUV. He’d never imagined she would go so far. But her husband had owned many guns. If she was waiting to finish the job…

He felt so fucking helpless sitting in the dark, waiting for the cab to fill up. His heart raced because even though he knew he had to wait, his primal brain was screaming that he was going to drown, and Lexi and Lucas would drown, and it would all be over. It couldn’t be over.

The water reached his chin. He tried to push Lexi up, putting off the inevitable time when she would be submerged.

“Lucas goes first. He’ll get out and pull you through. He’ll get you to the surface and swim for the other side. I’ll deal with whoever is waiting for us. Lucas, you understand? You take her and run. You don’t look back.”

“Yes, Master.” Aidan heard Lucas take a deep breath, and he went under. There was nowhere left to go. Lexi took a breath and then she went under, too. It was the hardest thing he’d ever done, but he let go of her hand. It would be all right. Lucas was here. Lucas would take care of her.

That was the comfort of this arrangement. He always had a partner. He’d cheapened it by calling Lucas his partner in Lexi’s pleasure. It was so much more. Lucas was his partner in her joy, her love, her needs, and her comfort. Now he was Aidan’s partner in saving her life. Lucas would be there. He would do what needed to be done. Aidan wouldn’t be alone because Lucas was here.

As he felt his way to the window, he caught a glimpse of them swimming, their hands tangled together. Lucas pulled her along, doing everything he’d promised. Aidan would be able to do what he needed to do—take out the person who was trying to kill his woman.

His whole body tensed for battle as he reached the surface, but he was assaulted by lights. A bright one shined right on his face.

“That you, O’Malley?” Aidan recognized Sheriff Lou Mark’s voice.

The bright light disoriented him for a moment. He shielded his eyes. Now he could see the red and blue lights of the squad car flashing their signal of safety. He took a deep cleansing breath. The air had never seemed so clean, so pure.

“Yeah, it’s me. My truck’s at the bottom of the damn lake,” Aidan shouted.

Lucas was treading water next to him. Lexi was beside him. They seemed strong and secure. They were alive and whole, and Aidan felt an overpowering sense of relief threaten to take him under again. His eyes watered at the sight of them. In the distance, he heard an ambulance.

Aidan nodded at Lucas and all three began to swim for the shore.

Lexi hated hospitals. She loathed them with every fiber of her being. They were too bright and always so cold. The clinic in Deer Run was no different. It was small, with only two exam rooms, but it had all of the applicable machinery. And it had an efficient nurse and a doctor. Luckily, she’d managed to convince Lucas not to call her mother. She had enough to deal with. Lexi was fine without dragging her family into yet another attempt on her life.

She sat on the narrow hospital bed and wondered just how long they were going to keep her here.

“Just a little bit more, angel.” Aidan seemed to be reading her mind tonight.

He stood there looking surprisingly masculine in the green scrubs they had given both he and Lucas to wear. She was in a damn hospital gown because she’d hit her head at some point in time during the accident, and Lucas and Aidan were demanding the doctor run every possible test.

“I feel fine.” She had a bit of a headache, but overall she felt physically well given the fact that she’d been in an accident. It was worse than the other accident even though…