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Stroking harder, her ar Someone else was in the water with her For an instant, she hoped she had reached Rondi and the line One look above the surface told her it wasn’t so Instead, she found the dark-haired man from the survey boat next to her

He wrapped an arainst him Confused, she continued to kick and stroke Then she heard his calm voice She stopped and looked up into his face

“Hang on tight to reenest eyes she’d ever seen

Adrenaline overtook analysis, and she did as he said There was nothing else she could do, as they’d reached the edge of the falls

He raised a finger in the air and twirled it as she wrapped her arms around him and took a last breath

Then gravity took command and carried them over the falls

3

Elise felt the sensation of free-falling in the river’s flow With her eyes shut tight and her breath held, she clung in a bear hug to Pitt His arether A across her legs and back

They seemed to fall forever She tensed for the anticipated collision with the rocks at the base of the dam The impact didn’t arrive Instead, she felt a jolt fro had stopped their descent

She caught a fistful of his shirt and pulled herself back to hi She felt like the E on her, one floor at a time

Pitt again pulled her close, and she clung tight against the relentless pressure

She opened her eyes for an instant, saw only a violent froth of white water rushing past As her racing heart slowed a beat, Elise realized she needed to breathe It had been only seconds since they were drawn over the top, yet the exertion had been intense

Her mind raced What would become of the to inhale the water no matter what She’d hold her breath until she passed out, then accept her fate

The force of the water tore at her li Her arrip on Pitt would ue from the sinewy man who clutched her He felt like a statue, his arht of the water on them

The water pressure jostled the one collision, Elise’s leg slid against its surface Oddly, she felt the wall fall away fro up the face of the dam