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“I’ fast, but it swung around almost immediately, then made two more passes They’re either curious about this spot, or they knoe’re here”
“Where’s the dinghy?”
Reray rubber jutting froot it under cover as quickly as I could”
“Good” Saet into the cave If they decide to land and look around, that’s our best hiding spot” Ears tuned for any sign of the Bell’s return, Saear and handed it over to Re it on
“What’re you going to do?” she asked
“You cross the lagoon and slip into the cave and wait for me There’s a clockwise current in there, so watch yourself Take up the slack on the rope and stay close to the entrance”
“Three tugs froency; two for all okay, stay put”
“Got it”
“I’ll bring the dinghy over and try to get it inside We’ll wait until it’s dark, then see e can see”
Reear, took one last look around, then crawled into the water and slipped beneath the surface Saoon, then slip out of sight into the cave Next he crawled through the underbrush to where Rehy He went still and closed his eyes, listening, but heard nothing
After stuffing all their loose gear into their two SealLine dry bags and securing theht-foot painter line around his belt, slipped into the water, and started breast-stroking across the lagoon He was halfway across when suddenly fro of rotors Even as he looked over his shoulder, the Bell appeared over the tops of the palms and stopped in a hover above hiure in dark coveralls was leaning out and looking down at him It wasn’t Frobisher’s kidnapper, Arkhipov, Sam realized immediately, but the other one, whose photo Rube had e- the stubby cylindrical object in Kholkov’s hands: coun
He took a quick gulp of air, flipped over, and dove, his head disappearing beneath the surface just as the dinghy’s side tube exploded with a whoosh The water rippled above hih the water leaving trails of froth in their wake The dinghy tre, then collapsed in on itself and slipped beneath the surface, the trollingit down stern first
Sas hard, arms spread wide as he pushed and pulled hi stopped for two seconds—Sa the surface like hail, the bullets penetrating four feet before their thrust fell off and they fell har went dark as he slipped beneath the rock arch The pop-pop-pop of gunfire and the thu of rotors became muffled
He rolled over and kicked upward, hand groping for the ceiling Roperopecohy Sinking toward the botto on his belt as the painter line went taut, felt hiunfire continuing outside His fingers touched the rope; he drew his dive knife fro, being sucked inside
Lungs aching, head pounding fro to knot the rope around the knife’s haft The knife slipped froain, ed to work a square knot, then kicked for the surface and broke into air To the right, in the corner of his eye, he saw Re to the rock wall He felt the vortex seize hi