Detective Danny Cavanaugh 01 - The Brink

swallowed the remaining air trapped in her mouth so her hungry lungs could feed on the oxygen. She untied the ferry’s tow cable from her ankle. She had seen it snaked in a heap on the front edge of the ferry when she grabbed the rifles from Danny’s truck. As soon as she saw the border patrol jeep racing down to the shoreline, she knew their only chance was to use it to tow the ferry to shore. She also knew that if she explained her risky plan to Danny, he wouldn’t let her try it. Sydney didn’t know any police officers personally, but she was familiar with enough men to know that they always wanted to play the hero. Police officers had to be even worse.
    Sydney hung onto the tow cable with both hands as she tucked her feet up underneath her and broke the water’s surface with maximum thrust. She didn’t dare relinquish her hold on the cable to wipe the water from her eyes. Instead, she blinked furiously until she saw the Jeep. It was less than thirty feet away. She churned through the water, climbing up the gummy slope until she hit hard surface. It was the ferry’s concrete landing dock. She tried not to think about the fact that now she was out in the open, an easy target for the guards. She concentrated on the Jeep as she charged forward.
    Just get to the Jeep.
    Suddenly the ground slipped out from under her. She crashed down, both knees hammering the concrete beneath her. Sydney stuck both palms out to brace the rest of her body against the impact. As she did, she let go of the tow cable. Her hands struck the slimy concrete and slid a few inches before they dug in, finally bringing her body to a stop.
    The cable!
    Sydney remained still as she frantically searched the ground and water around her. She found nothing. She looked behind her and saw the ferry. While the huge wall of fire had completely engulfed the last car, both of the other vehicles were still intact. But where was Danny?
    She finally saw him in front of his truck, crouched behind one of the two guide-on ramps that had been set in the upright position as safety blocks so cars wouldn’t slide off. Danny spotted her and signaled. Sydney held out her damaged hands in the air and shook her head back and forth.
    “I don’t know what you want,” she mouthed, hoping he could read her lips.
    Danny pointed again, more furiously this time. He wants me to look at the shore for something . But before Sydney could turn her head, she felt a hand grip her shoulder. She looked up and saw a border patrol agent standing over her. In his other hand, he held the tow cable.
    “Get to my Jeep,” the pudgy agent said as he grabbed her arm and helped her to her feet.
    A wave of adrenaline revived Sydney’s legs. The pain in her knees subsided as she ran for the Jeep. Using her speed, she broke free of the agent and got to it before he did.
    “Shit!”
    Hearing the agent’s plea, Sydney whipped around. The ferry had broken free of the rope line and was now floating sideways down the river. The agent was still holding onto the cable, but he was being dragged back toward the water.
    Sydney dashed over to the driver’s side of the Jeep and climbed in. Whatever confidence she had mustered after driving Danny’s truck was immediately wiped away. Sticking up from the floorboard next to her throbbing knee was a manual transmission gearshift.

Chapter 32
    “She can’t drive!” Danny wanted to shout at the border patrol agent as soon as Sydney climbed into the Jeep. As he watched Sydney’s plan disintegrate before his eyes, he had to formulate a plan B. Although the ferry was moving toward the U.S. shore, it was also drifting down the river. He predicted their landing spot. It was a flat, sandy spot but had steep cliffs looming above it. Even if he could get his truck off the ferry, there was nowhere to drive. He would have to escape on foot. Or he could dive into the river and swim to shore. But the curtain of fire and smoke from the ferry that blocked the guards’ view of the U.S. shore was creeping aside. They would soon have a clear shot at the border agent, the Jeep, and Sydney. They would also have a clear shot at Danny in the water. Their only hope was to get the ferry to the landing and hope the fire continued to provide them cover.
    Danny heard gears gnash together. He looked over and saw the Jeep lunge forward.
    It’s stick shift, Danny thought. He felt helpless as he heard the gears grind several more times. After each time, the Jeep would lunge