Sloth (Sinful Secrets 1)

The Escalade is near the middle of the reed-laced marsh, nose-down in the water... pointed a little left, toward me. It’s still moving, sinking ever so slowly into the muck. The waterline spills over the windshield. As I gape at it, the right side of the Escalade sinks down a few feet.

“Oh Jesus, God, fuck fuck!”

I jerk my shoes off, yank my pants off, and splash into the chilly sludge. I’m screaming, waving my arms above my head. I flop forward, belly-first, and try to freestyle, but the weeds are too thick. My arched feet fumble for the muddy bottom. I kick hard, but my feet touch nothing, so I’m swimming, gasping.

I hear a low glug-glug and see the car tilt even further downward on the front end. Fear cuts like a knife. Adrenaline makes my arms and legs move faster. My thigh bumps something hard. I shriek—fuck just a log. I’m almost there. Oh fuck, Kellan—what if he’s not even in the car?

Treading water, I try to look around. The night bears down around me, dark and textured. I surge forward.

“Buckle up for safety, Cleo...”

Please be in there!

Oh God, I can barely see the driver’s side door. There’s a door behind the driver’s door... the back door, I can open that. My throat constricts as I stroke closer to the car. It looks so large and dark. Over the stink of swamp I smell burned rubber, maybe even smoke.

I try the back door handle. How surreal to pull the handle up and brace my foot against the car’s body and tug. It won’t open!

I groan and pull harder, and the door opens! But the water that rushes into the Escalade somehow sucks it shut again.

“FUCK!”

I pull again, and when the door cracks open, causing a cascade of water to spill into the car, I keep pulling.

There is no doubt—not even any doubt inside my mind that I will get to Kellan—so I tug as hard as I can on the door and thrust my body at the gap between the door and door frame. My forehead smacks on something. I let out a sob and then I’m in the car! Water! It’s up to my boobs, but in the front seat...

“Kellan,” I sob. Fuck, the front is underwater almost. Is his face submerged? I jerk the door shut to stop it flowing in. My limbs are clumsy, my heart pumping as I splash between the front seats. Oh, his face... It’s not submerged, his head lolls leftward and there’s blood—

“Kellan! Wake up!” I grab his face before I realize don’t do that; the neck, and “KELLAN.... please!” The car jolts as it sinks further still, and I scream. The seatbelt! Got to get the seatbelt! Don’t look at his face! I reach into the tarry water and I feel

and... there! My clumsy fingers press against it... tiny, cool, metallic... it comes undone. I’m panting as I work the belt off of him. I try. It’s hard. He’s big. He isn’t moving.

What if—

No.

I slap his cheek. His eyes open, blinking blood... His head is bleeding.

“Wake up! Damnit, fuckshit, wake the fuck up... Come on!” I grab his right arm, tugging violently. I jerk him toward the back of the car and realize instantly that he will have to move himself. “Come on, you have to swim!”

There’s water to our necks now; Kellan’s head is tilted back. “Kellan, please!” I start to sob. He blinks twice, slow and dazed. His eyes roll... his eyes find mine.

“Come on, baby... Come on, we have to swim!”

I grab his arm, clawing his bicep as I tug him toward the back seat. “MOVE YOUR LEGS!”

He groans... his body twists... and then he slams against me. We move in a tangle to the back seat.

“Cleo...” He grabs me, looking confused. “What—”

“Shhh, I’m opening the door now, kick against the seat and push yourself out of the car.” The Escalade lurches leftward now. I sob and tell myself to shut the fuck up.

“Right now, Kell! I’m opening the door now, come on! Get in front of me...” I push his broad back forward, putting him in front of me, so I can push him out. I reach around him to push the door open. Stupid. I can’t push because he’s in my way—but Kellan pushes. He pushes the door, and I push him, and together we get the thing open.

Water pours in, so fast I almost don’t catch a last breath before the car is nearly full.

I push Kellan again, and he disappears into the murk.

The second I swim out behind him is the longest of my life. When I break the surface I find him treading water, moaning with his head tipped back.