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Giordino didn’t wait for the a beat, he stepped to the side rail, grabbed it, and vaulted over the side

A spray of bullets peppered the rail a second later as Giordino plunged safely into the sea He dug hard into the water, swi deep and away fro for air, and to take a quick look

Dirk’s voice filled his ears “Grab the line and hang on!”

A large dark object speckled with orange whisked by Giordino’s head He felt a rope sliding by his body and he clamped onto it with both hands

He was ied across the surface as a spray of water pounded his face His ar ripped fro on for nearly a minute Whenever his head broke the surface, he heard the inter on water and out of breath when the rope in his hands finally fell slack

He treaded water a ed up beside hiunfire still sounded but in di intensity

Giordino lunged aboard and spit out a ,” he sputtered

“Sorry I figured it was the fastest way out of Dodge They nicked our inflatable pretty good, but we’re well out of vie”

Giordino sao of the Zodiac’s five airtight coun happy”

“Guess they weren’t too crazy about your shipboarddemonstration”

Giordino looked back toward the Sea Raker, several hundred yards distant Somebody had pulled the power on the bulk cutter, but only after it had chewed up thirty feet of deck He could justaround the ship like a hive of bees

Dirk hit the throttle and turned for home

As they bounded over a rising sea, Giordino grimaced at the chaotic scene behind them Their foray had been a co ship, Pitt and Su held captive, and now they would be hell to rescue

43

A half-boat carrying Pitt and Suhter awake as the boat scraped against a dock and its motor shut down