Sins of the mother (Chapter-41)

The freezing water had a numbing effect that decreased the pain in Lukas’s chest. He was sure he had a broken rib, maybe worse, but the icy water would slow the bleeding if there was an open wound and keep swelling to a minimum. His immediate problem was that he was handcuffed and sinking into a black abyss.

When Dolan shot Lukas, he must have had no idea Lukas was wearing the ghost vest. Otherwise, he would have shot him in the head. But center mass was always what was taught, and Lukas figured Dolan had used his Citizen’s Police Academy training to aim for center mass. As it turned out, the damned vest worked.

His military training kicked in as he sank downward. He knew from his distance to the shoreline that the chances were good the water wouldn’t be more than fifteen, twenty feet deep at the most. He didn’t lose consciousness, not even for a second, probably because the water was so brutally cold. When he reached the bottom, he kicked his way to the surface. Memories of the pool exercises from when he was going through the pipeline at Lackland Air Force Base came back to him.

Surfacing, he took in a long, life-conserving breath. He took a quick look around but didn’t see Dolan. He’d worried that Dolan would still be there to make sure Lukas was dead.

As he sank a second time, he arched his back, curled his legs, and worked his cuffed hands over his boots until they were in front of him. Reaching the bottom, he kicked off once again. He angled toward his right, changing directions to surface under the dock. He wanted to make certain he remained undetected and to keep a barrier between himself and Dolan in case Dolan was still there.

He slowly surfaced and listened. The only sound was the wind rustling through the trees. He struggled into a modified breaststroke, pushing through the cold water and finally onto the shore. He hurriedly removed his handcuffs with the key from the ring in his front pocket.

Lukas knew it wouldn’t be long before he became hypothermic. He stripped off his jacket, shirt, and vest, leaving him bare-chested. Next, he took off his boots and socks. He put the boots back on, knowing they would provide some much-needed body heat once they drained completely. He checked his chest, which was throbbing, and found a nasty bruise but minimal bleeding.

He reached down to his ankle where he kept a Glock 42 backup. Thankfully, it was still there. Dolan had missed it.

Dragging himself to his feet, Lukas began to hurry toward the cabin. He hoped he wasn’t too late.

Next Chapter