Call It Destiny

and there won’t be any chance at all of getting across the stream. It will be pouring through that upper canyon like a runaway train by now. I’m not even sure we can make it across here.“ The arcing light swept off to her right.
    „They’re focusing the searchlight on this side of the canyon,“ Jake muttered, watching the sweep of light. „They obviously don’t expect us to try the stream.“
    „Rick knows this area. He’ll assume we’ll have more sense than to try crossing a flooding mountain stream in weather like this.“
    „You’re sure?“
    „I’m sure. Anyone who’s ever lived for any length of time in the desert knows better than to get in the middle of a dry wash or a mountain stream when the thunderstorms hit like this.“
    „Then we really don’t have a choice. We’ll have to risk it. They’ll be concentrating their search on the right-hand side of the canyon.“
    „Logically, yes.“
    Carefully Jake edged toward the left, feeling his way. He kept his fingers lashed tightly around Heather’s wrist. The usually murmur ing stream was in full roar, well over its banks and rising quickly. It tumbled down its path out of the canyon with an energy that was awesome. In the darkness Heather couldn’t see the far side.
    „Jake, we’ll never make it,“ she said flatly as her foot sank into the slippery sand on the stream’s edge.
    „We haven’t got much choice.“ He released her momentarily to fumble at his waist.
    „What are you doing?“
    „I'm going to chain us together. Hand me your belt.“
    Another shot cracked through the darkness but the light was definitely playing on the canyon wall, not on the stream.
    „It won’t be long before Rick realizes we must have tried the stream after all,“ Heather offered, trying to keep her voice even. This was no time to allow the fear she was feeling to show. Plenty of time to break down and have a fit of hysterics later, she assured herself bracingly.
    „Then we’d better get moving.“ Stepping close to Heather, Jake fed the end of her belt through three of the belt loops on the side of her jeans. Then he threaded his own belt through three of the loops on his own jeans. Heather peered down, watching intently as he then intertwined both lengths of leather and fastened each belt to create a chain of leather a couple feet long stretching between them.
    „It’ll hold as long as the belt loops hold,“ Jake rasped. „All right, let’s go.“
    He circled her wrist once more in a grip of iron and plunged into the raging stream. Heather stumbled in behind him and nearly lost her breath as the impact of the water struck her. Even Jake’s strong body gave beneath the force of the water. They both scrambled for footing and found it only after being carried a few feet downstream. Jake pulled himself upright, tugging Heather up beside him. She gasped for air.
    Fortunately, although the water was flowing furiously, it was only about waist high at this point. Underfoot Heather felt the slipping sliding surfaces of rocks that were being pushed along the bottom of the streambed. It made it impossible to keep one’s footing for more than a few seconds at a time.
    Only the vague outline of boulders on the far side guided them. Jake struck out for the uncertain safety with all the single-minded determination Heather had instinctively known he possessed. She was pulled along behind him, frequently feeling the chain of belts go taut.
    She estimated that they were probably halfway across when the first of the denim belt loops on her jeans gave way.
    „Jake!“
    „Hang on,“ he growled above the roar of the water. His fingers tightened even more forcefully around her wrist.
    If Rick and his pal Joe were still firing wildly into the darkness, Heather could no longer hear the shots above the flooding waters. The only important thing in the world right now was getting to the tentative safety of the boulders on the far side of the stream. As she stumbled and fell again and again, she occasionally caught sight of the shadowy rocky outline. Jake’s strong grasp was the only other point of reference in an environment gone mad.
    A stronger surge of water crashed into them and under the force of it Jake was shoved sideways. His grip on Heather’s wrist slackened momentarily and then broke. Only the belts held the two floundering people together during the desperate seconds it took for Jake to reclaim his footing and Heather’s wrist.
    In those few