Never Tell (May Moore Suspense Thriller 2)

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

May grabbed hold of the wheel, desperately trying to veer the truck off course. But Zinaida was stronger than she looked. Her arms were tough and wiry. And she uttered a cry of rage at May’s interference.

Now the truck was weaving dangerously, slewing from side to side as the two women fought.

May held on with all her strength, pulling it to the right, trying to veer the truck off its route.

But Zinaida was still fighting to hold the wheel straight. And with her other hand, she was throwing punches and blows at May. Her fist slammed into May’s shoulder. Her nails raked May’s face.

“Zinaida, please!” May cried, trying to grab her arm, but Zinaida yanked it away.

Then Zinaida swung at her again, this time hitting May hard in the face.

“Ow!” she cried, the impact stinging her cheek. She lunged for Zinaida’s arm again and this time, managed to grab it, digging her fingers in as hard as she could.

“Don’t do this, Zinaida. Please.”

“No! I will do what I need to do! It is not your business. You do not understand!”

The vehicle was veering wildly left and right. It was impossible to control the wheel any longer. But they were still heading toward the lake.

May lashed out at Zinaida, hoping that she could somehow hit her away, or push her away, but the woman seemed immune to her blows. Zinaida was wedged into the corner of the truck, and May couldn’t even reach the door to try and push her out.

May tugged at Zinaida’s arm, trying to tug her off balance with every shred of strength she had. The truck swerved again, and May felt her heart race as the wheels lifted from the road. It was going to roll!

But then it righted itself and rattled on, faster than ever.

“Stop it, Zinaida,” she said. “Stop it, please. I’m trying to save the other women. They’re being rescued as we speak. I am trying to help. We need his testimony.”

Zinaida’s only reply was to try and slap May’s face again. In response, May aimed a punch at her. It was hard and accurate, thudding into her side, but Zinaida didn’t seem to feel it. She threw a punch right back at May and knocked her sideways.

May’s head bashed against the door of the truck and for a few moments, the world went gray.

Then it brightened again, propelling her into a terrifying scenario.

May shrieked in fear.

The runaway truck was now accelerating over the water’s edge. At high speed, it was curving out in a deadly arc that would take it down into these deep, cold waters. The descent was twisting her stomach with its speed. She could hear the engine’s roar and see the lake’s dark depths, waiting to swallow her.

But the driver’s door was swinging open and Zinaida had gone.

At the very last second, her captor had jumped out and made her escape, leaving May to her fate.

*

The truck plunged into the lake. The impact felt as sharp and sudden as a car crash, and May was jolted in her seat. Water surged and foamed high in the air. The truck rolled violently to the left. She was horrified by how quickly it sank, with water streaming through the door that Zinaida had opened.

Panic rose in her throat but she forced it down. She could get out of that door, although it was now at the lower part of the steeply angled truck. Zinaida had left her a lifeline. She wasn’t trapped. She could dive, swim through it, and find her way to the surface.

May took a deep breath. The waters were already at neck height, cold and clammy.

She dove down, swimming as strongly as she could toward the gap in the door, feeling utterly focused on saving herself. She was not going to become the killer’s final victim. She was not!

She made it through the door, wriggling out of the narrow gap. Determinedly, May kicked for the surface of the lake.

With her lungs bursting, she reached it, gulping a huge breath of air.

She’d saved herself. She’d done it!

But then, with a clench of horror, she realized the truth. She didn’t just have to save herself. She also had to rescue her witness. The ordeal was not over, and in fact, had only just begun.

Every second now counted. She had to dive down again, in time to get Lewis out of the now flooded truck.

May just hoped there was a corner of air left in the back of the truck, because otherwise, by now, he might have drowned.

Feeling cold terror clench her stomach at the thought, she turned back, gulped in the deepest possible breath, and plunged underwater again.

She felt her heart pound as she descended. She could feel her fear was ready to overpower her. What if she drowned? What if she was too late?

Her lungs were burning. Her fingers were numb, and she couldn’t feel her legs anymore.

But she had to do this. She had to save him. May kicked as hard as she could. She had to get there.

She reached the truck and stared into the darkness. She could hear water sloshing, and could hear the truck now creaking and groaning as it settled further into the lake.

The keys, May remembered. She’d almost forgotten about them. Without the keys, she couldn’t open the back of the truck. She grabbed the open door and pulled herself back into the cab, fumbling for them in the ignition.

There they were. She kept a tight hold of them because if she dropped these keys, she would never find them again.