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"They’ll follow us," Jack objected

"They’ll try," Sam admitted "But they’re insects, not bloodhounds I doubt they can see tracks at night"

"He’s not sure," Toto said

"No, he’s not," Sainary friend, "He’s confusing"

"Which way do we run?" Dekka asked

"Drake will expect us to head straight for town We don’t want to fight hied Jack "You want another laptop, right?"

Jack squirmed "Well, at least some more of the batteries"

"Okay, then Into the water Swim for the marina If they don’t chase me, I’ll come back before you can reach the dock and we’ll think of some other plan"

"Could we think of that other plan before this one?" Jack asked

Caine stood in the bow of Quinn’s boat as it plowed through the very light chop toward Perdido Beach

Quinn had warned hi in the water: he would not fall He used his power to support ht so that his feet barely touched the deck

He was not going to arrive hunched over He was going to Perdido Beach like George Washington crossing the Delaware: standing tall

He was floating Al Physically, yes, but mentally as well He was filled with a war

They needed him They had sent for him They had found they could not survive without him Him, not Sam Him

Penny lay cru at e to whistle and then stopped hiain

Quinn was at the tiller, looking at Caine’s back Caine could feel his eyes boring into him Quinn’s doubt and worry ritten all over his open face

Diana had been co on her that he was still in charge, that she still depended on him That she still needed him as much as the kids in Perdido Beach needed hiet over it Diana was a survivor She would get past her disappointether they would be the first couple of Perdido Beach, like king and queen

The thought made him smile

"It’s a pity we don’t have a camera," Caine said "I’d love to capture the moment of etting enough exercise," Caine said, then laughed at his own cruel joke Penny’s sourness wasn’t going to ruin this for hiuilt