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she concentrated hard on the spot. When she reached it she dived, but found nothing. She came up for
air and glanced toward the woman still clinging to the ropes. I can t swim, the woman gasped,
pointing at a spot to the left.
Dani dived again, her eyes straining through the gloomy water. Finally, she caught a glimpse of red
the girl s swimsuit. She could feel the tug on her lungs, signaling the need for air. But she couldn t
give up. She couldn t fail. Not this time.
Her fingers snagged in the long blond hair and she tightened her fist around it, dragging the girl
toward her and pushing to the surface. She came up gasping and lifted the little girl s head above the
water.
Dani could detect no sign of breathing, and she swam strongly for the shore.
She laid her on the sand and knelt by her side. She looked about six, the same age Sam had been&
Pinching the girl s nose, Dani breathed air into her mouth. Come on, she muttered.
Finally, a choking sound. Dani crouched back on her knees as the girl rolled onto her side, retching
as she spewed up the seawater she d swallowed.
Dani closed her eyes for a second, weakness flooding her system. You okay? she asked.
The girl nodded, then sat up, blinking her huge blue eyes just as her hysterical mother descended on
them, dragging her daughter into a merciless hug.
The last of her strength oozed out of Dani, and she sagged. A large, tanned hand stuck in front of
her. She grasped it and allowed Zach to tug her to her feet. He wrapped her in his arms and pulled her
close. He was wet. His clothes clinging to his body. So was she.
Hey, he murmured. You did good.
She smiled and burrowed her face against his chest, content to be close.
Thank you. The woman s voice spoke from behind them, breaking the moment. Dani peered
around to see the woman still clutching the girl to her side as though she couldn t bear to let her go. I
thought it would be safe, but then the sea got rough and the dingy capsized, and I thought& Thank
you.
She should be all right, but I d take her into the local emergency room and get her checked out.
Someone s already called an ambulance.
Good. And learn to swim. Make sure she does as well.
Here. Gary came up to them. Compliments of the local café owner. He tossed them both a
towel. For the heroes of the day.
Heroine, Zach said. You were amazing.
She rubbed her hair with the towel and then wrapped it around her shoulders. I ve been trained.
Glancing around, she found they were the center of attention, the crowd keeping their distance but
watching them. She was guessing Gary wouldn t be happy with all the interest. Let s get out of
here.
We ll go sit in the sun, Zach said. Dry off, then we ll head home. I think I m ready to take you
up on that offer.
Which offer is that?
The one where you take me to bed and screw my brains out until I forget how scared I was when
you dived into that water.
You dived in as well.
So I did.
She bit her lip. I couldn t have faced it if she d drowned.
It wouldn t have been your fault. It was that stupid imbecile of a mother. You can only do your
best.
She shivered in the hot air and wrapped the towel around her. Yes. But sometimes your best isn t
enough.
&
For a second, she d looked so tragic.
Tell me, he said. Tell me about the one you didn t save.
They were leaning against the seawall, the afternoon sun beating down on them, drying their damp
clothes. Dani stared out to sea and he held his breath, waiting to see if she would open up to him at
last, or whether her inbuilt defense mechanism would snap closed and shut him out yet again.
Her hair was drying in riotous curls, framing her small face, and she pushed them off her forehead
impatiently.
My brother, Sam. He was about the same age as that little girl. So small.
How old were you?
Twelve. I was looking after him.
What happened?
He wanted to feed the ducks at the canal. We weren t supposed to go near the water alone, but no
one could ever say no to Sam. It was a beautiful day, the sort of day where you can t imagine anything
bad happening. He leaned in too far to see if he could touch the ducklings and fell in. He could swim
and at first I thought he d come up and get out, but I waited too long. She was talking faster now, as
though to get the words out before she changed her mind. I jumped in, but I must have knocked
myself out against something in the water. Someone saw me jump, and they pulled me out. They didn t
know about Sam. They didn t find the body until later that night.
He took her hand, squeezing her fingers. I m sorry.
So you see, sometimes whatever you do isn t enough.
Is that why you joined the army? So you could learn to save people?
She shook her head. I told you. I was given a choice young offenders prison or the army. I nearly
chose prison. She gave a quick grin and then the sadness returned.
Was there just the two of you? You and Sam?
Yes. She bit her lip. I was adopted when I was five. She only had a hazy memory of her real
mother. And had no clue of her father s identity; there was a big glaring blank on her birth certificate.
She d been taken into care when she was three and spent the next two years in the foster system,
handed around like a package while her birth mother decided whether she wanted to get her back.
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