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Excited voices talking in Chinese could be heard co the path The others had arrived
Lee’s kayak was righted and dragged to the water She produced a spare plastic-and-aluminum paddle for Gamay to use They both shoved their kayaks off the beach and paddled roves when flashlight beams probed the water around them
The shafts of light reflected off the shiny fiberglass hulls Ga the shore, where they’d unfire, but the lights blinked out
“They are going back to their boat,” Lee said “They will come around the other end of the island and intercept us”
“How long before they get there?” Ga the rhythm of her strokes
“Five, ten minutes, maybe What should we do?”
“Paddle as if our lives depended on itbecause they do”
They put their backs into each stroke and ine soon shattered the quiet of the night A spotlight moved slowly back and forth across the water There was no place along the shore where they could put in and hide Thick, gnarly roots extended out fro a formidable barrier
A silhouette loorounded cabin cruiser Gaht behind They cli their kayaks up behind the deck
Through cracks in the hull, they saw the spotlight go past the cruiser For a second, Gamay entertained a flash of optied direction, circled the wreck, and cah the cracks and fell on their faces
The wounfire, starting with the elevated bow and working back toward the stern They took their ti round after round into the pilothouse Splinters showered the tomen Gamay covered her head with her hands and cursed her own stupidity The only thing they had accoive these bozos soet practice It would only be a matter of seconds before the bullets found them
Then the firing stopped
Gamay expected the attackers to swarasoline arced through the air and landed on the deck Crackling fire fro puddle that lapped at their feet The heat beca to be shot rather than be burned to death But the boat carrying their assailants wasup speed By then, the cabin cruiser had beco torch
“Jump!” Gamay yelled
They dove into the water and say frorove and had only gone a short distance before they heard a boat engine again and saw a spotlight co their way