Rich (Benson Security #5) - Janet Elizabeth Henderson Page 0,114

world that you’re better than me, I actually enjoyed your company.”

“What are you doing?” Rachel said as Samantha dragged her toward the pool.

“What I should have done the first time,” she said. “Making sure you don’t annoy me again. Poor Rachel, she got drunk and fell in her pool. Her cousin, Samantha, tried to save her, but it was too late. It’s such a tragedy.” Her smile was vicious. “But don’t worry; I’ll console Harvard in his grief.”

And then she jumped into the pool, taking Rachel with her.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Cold water rushed over Rachel’s head as she sank beneath the surface. The shock of it threw her situation into stark relief. The cousin she’d thought cared about her was trying to kill her. And she might just succeed.

Gathering what little strength she had, she kicked upward. Her only hope was to break away from Samantha and call for help before the drug rendered her helpless.

Again.

As her fingers broke the surface of the water, a hand clasped her ankle and pulled her back down into the deep center of the pool. She forced her eyes open, to see Samantha grinning maniacally as the skirt of her dress billowed in the water around her. It was as if Rachel was looking at a strange underwater fashion shoot. Her cousin’s beauty and the surrealness of the situation made it hard to fathom. And with that thought came the dull realization that the drug she’d been given was making it difficult to think clearly.

She had to escape before she couldn’t think at all.

A rush of pure adrenaline coursed through her and, with herculean effort, she punched and fought and kicked until the hold on her ankle loosened. Lungs burning, she swam the short distance to the surface, her clothes weighing her down and her shoes long gone.

Hope surged through her as air hit her face, only for it to be dashed as hands clasped her shoulders and pulled her back under. She’d barely had time to take in a breath before she was trapped underwater again, with Samantha holding her down.

She tried to twist out of her cousin’s grasp, but the drug slowed her movements, and it seemed impossible to break free. She was going to die in that pool. In the water she stared at every night. Even if she got out of there alive, she’d never be able to look at the pool again. It was one more thing her cousin had stolen from her.

Which made her furious.

And rage gave her a renewed burst of strength. Desperate, she kicked out, catching her cousin’s thigh and sending her toward the bottom of the pool. It wasn’t far, but it gave her a few seconds to escape. Rachel didn’t hesitate. She clawed her way through the water, scrambling for the side. But as her fingers clutched the tile, harsh hands shoved her face into the hard edge of the pool.

She screamed, blood filling her vision before she was sucked back under. Barely managing to close her mouth before she took in water. Her lungs were aching. Her energy failing. Each movement felt heavier, more lethargic than the one before. Part of her just wanted to give up. To sink into peace. To make it stop.

But the rest of her was desperate to live.

For the man she’d found who made her love him.

For Harvard.

Summoning every last bit of her strength, she wrenched herself from Samantha’s hold. Only this time, she didn’t immediately rush to get out. Instead, she aimed a kick at her cousin’s stomach and almost cheered when she felt the impact. Samantha doubled over, and Rachel surged to the surface, where she grasped the side and pulled herself up.

The water wrapped around her, clinging to her like greedy hands. Determined to keep her submerged. With a cry of desperation, she hauled the top half of her body onto the tiles outside the pool. Gasping for air, she struggled to get her legs to follow. They felt as though they were filled with lead. And her fog-filled mind struggled to communicate with them.

“No,” Samantha yelled, grabbing Rachel’s ankle. “This time, we end it.”

Rachel saved her breath, not bothering to reply; instead, she kicked back with what strength she could muster. It took three attempts but, eventually, her foot connected with Sam’s face, sending her back into the water.

With a cry of rage, Rachel hauled the rest of her body out of the pool, then dragged herself across the tiles to the small table where