Pull (Push #2) Read Free Page B

grim line, opening and closing rhythmically, just enough to manage a few gasping breaths.
    “She’s here,” he says at last. “I’ve got her. She’s right here.” And then I see Emma floating in the water in front of him. She’s face-up, and he has a viselike grip on her upper arms. Her eyes are closed, and her lips are parted. Christ almighty. She looks dead.
    I swim around David and tell him to let go of her right arm so we can tow her to the shore together.
    “No,” he says quietly. “I’ve got her. Just make sure her face stays up out of the water.”
    “You sure?” I ask, disbelief and anger surging through my voice. “You sure you’ve got her?”
    “I’m sure,” he says, looking straight at me.
    He swims backward toward the streetlights hanging over the retaining wall with Emma’s outstretched body dragging across the top of his. I swim beside them, occasionally reminding David to lift her high enough to keep her nose and mouth above the water line. Every time I speak, his head snaps toward me and his eyes open wide, almost as if he’s angry at me for being here.
    By the time we get close enough to see the retaining wall, my arms are nearly numb. I feel weary, and I’m seriously doubting my own strength. I hope David can manage to get Emma up over the wall, because I don’t think I’ll be much of a help. The concrete sticks out of the water by a good four or five feet, and when we reach it, David tells me to hold onto Emma while he pushes himself up out of the water and tries to catch his fingers on the lip of the wall. After three or four jumps, he finally connects with the edge. He hangs there from one arm for a few seconds before he swings his other arm up and over the top. A surge of adrenaline must be working through him because he pulls his entire body up and out of the water in half a heartbeat. I am struggling to keep a grip on Emma, and my legs are turning to stone.
    “Don’t let her go,” he shouts, lying on his stomach with his upper body hanging down over the wall’s edge. “See if you can lift her arm up so I can get a grip on her hand.”
    I move closer to the wall and shift our bodies so we are parallel to the concrete blocks. David’s arms dangle over the edge; his fingers are spread wide and his face is still wearing a look of unmistakable terror. I lift Emma’s arm as high as I can while my bare feet struggle to get some kind of a grip on the slimy concrete beneath the water. I leverage my body against the wall in hopes of lifting her arm high enough for him to be able to reach it. A moment later, I feel them connect. Emma’s weight rises up out of the water, and David lets out a small groan. I’m not sure if it’s out of exertion or relief.
    He pulls her out of the water, and for a minute, they are both out of my sight. I’m tired, and I know there is no way I can get out of the river without his help. But before I can shout out to him, I see his arm drop down over the edge and reach for me. I stretch upward, and when our hands touch, relief bites into me and my body goes slack.

Chapter 4
    David—Present Day
    Fuck.
    Jesus, Emma. Breathe.
    Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. Take a breath. Please.
    Please.
    My hands are on her face, rubbing her cheeks. Softly shaking her head from side to side. Wake up, Emma. Breathe. Please breathe.
    I need help. I look over at Matt. He is splayed out on his stomach with his upper body hanging over the edge of the wall. I can hear him puking into the water. I can hear his insides splattering out of his body and hitting the river. The sound is both horrid and divine. I wish it were coming from Emma.
    A phone. I need a phone. I jump up and run to Matt’s car, hoping it’s unlocked and his phone is inside. It’s there. On the front seat. I reach in through the open window and dial.
    Less than a minute later, I am kneeling beside Emma with my free hand against her neck. The woman on the phone is shouting orders at me. I think she said her