Iris Johansen - Quicksand

She dove for the rifle lying next to her.

Hot pain tore through her as a bullet pierced her left shoulder. She ignored it and rolled over as she grabbed for the rifle.

"Oh, no." Kistle's foot stomped down on the rifle. "Though I do admire your determination." He picked up her rifle. "Now lie still while I see if you have any other weapons. Make a move and I'll smash in your head with this rifle butt." His hands ran over her. "Clean. But then I wouldn't expect you to be loaded with firepower. It's not your area of expertise." He stepped back. "I could kill you now and I'd feel nothing but pleasure. No guilt, no regret. But you'll find that wound I gave you is nothing, a trifle. I barely skimmed your shoulder. Do you know why?" He didn't wait for her to answer. "Because you wouldn't care enough. I'll have to up the stakes to get the response I need from you." He moved back into the trees. "It has to be Joe Quinn, I think."

She struggled to her knees. "No!"

"You could always stagger after me and try to stop me. That would be amusing. You wouldn't have a chance, of course. You're wounded and you have no weapons. You must know by now how good I am. No, you'd better wait here. I'll bring him to you."

"Kistle." She got to her feet. "You can't-"

Kistle was gone.

And he was going after Joe.

You wouldn't have a chance, of course. You're wounded and you have no weapons .

But as he'd said, the wound was minor, and she could go back to the boat and get Joe's Magnum he'd left with the rifle.

There's always a chance, you bastard.

She reached under her windbreaker to compress the wound. She flinched as pain shot through her. It hurt, but the good news was that it didn't appear to be gushing blood. Maybe Kistle was right and it was only a flesh wound.

She started back toward where the boat was moored.

SOMEONE WAS IN THE BUSHESahead.

Joe froze and drew his.38. He couldn't see anything even wearing his infrared goggles, but he had heard a whisper of sound.

Kistle?

But it could also be Eve. He didn't trust her to stay away from the island. He'd only hoped he could get Kistle before she made a move.

Get off the ground and get a better view.

He shinnied up a blackgum tree towering next to him. Come on, Kistle. Move.

Nothing.

But there was someone there.

A bullet plowed into the branch next to him!

From where?

From the left of that patch of bushes. He snapped a quick shot.

"Close," Kistle called. "You have good judgment, Quinn. Another two inches and you would have had me." The last sentence had been several yards to the right. He was on the move.

Joe swung over to the next tree.

"I just encountered Eve Duncan. It was very interesting. I shot her as she knelt by her daughter's grave."

Joe went rigid. He had to be lying. Kistle just wanted an answer, a response, so that he could gauge his shot. Joe wouldn't give it to him.

Kistle chuckled. "You didn't rise to the bait. I didn't kill her. I'm waiting to do that when I can be sure of optimum satisfaction. I was thinking about killing you. But I think I'll go and retrieve Laura Ann instead. That will hurt Eve and you'll have to follow and come out of hiding to save the poor child." His voice was fading away. "Two for the price of one."

Joe muttered a curse and began to climb down from the tree. Laura Ann had been on the other island, so Kistle must be heading for the bank where he could get across. Kistle knew every inch of these islands. He'd be traveling with speed and surety.

Joe would have to avoid any traps and move very, very fast.

HE SAW HER!

Miguel could barely make out Laura Ann on the water, clinging to the bole of a cypress tree. She was very little and the huge tree was dwarfing her small body.

"I'm coming, Laura Ann," he called softly. "I see you. I'll be there in a minute."

She didn't answer. Perhaps she thought he was Kistle.

"My name is Miguel Vicente. I'm a friend of Eve's. You talked to her on the phone, didn't you?"

She still didn't answer, but he thought he heard her sob.

"I'm going to get you out of the water. The roots of that tree are too big for me to get close to you in this boat, so I'm coming in after you."

"Don't jump in the water. He'll hear you."

"Kistle?"

"No." She pointed to the bank. "I heard him come into the water. I've tried not to make any noise. It's too dark to see, but I think he's watching me."

Holy shit.

Laura Ann couldn't see in the darkness, but with his goggles on Miguel could. An alligator at least twelve feet in length was hovering near the bank. God knows why he hadn't attacked.

"Laura Ann, can you try to climb that tree you're holding on to?"

"I already tried to do it. It's too slippery. There's slimy stuff around the trunk."

And Miguel wouldn't have time to swim to her and then pull her back with him to the boat before that prehistoric monster was on top of them.

"I'm going to have to get in the water."

"No."

"Don't be scared. Our ugly friend won't even know I'm swimming toward you." He hoped. He took his knife from his sheath. "Here's what we'll do. When I get next to you, I want you to let go of the tree. I'm going to give you a boost past that slick part of the trunk and throw you up as high as I can. Then you scramble up to that first branch."

"Will I be able to do it?" she asked doubtfully.

"A girl who could get away from a bad man like Kistle? Of course you can do it." He just hoped he'd be able to do his part with these damn hands. "You only have to be ready when I get there."

"Okay."

He carefully lowered himself over the side of the boat. No splash. No vibration in the water. Take it slow. Keep an eye on that triangular snout that could bite a man's arm off in one snap. Pray. Yes, definitely pray.

One yard.

Two yards.

He could hear the little girl's hoarse breathing, but she wasn't sobbing or screaming. That's a good girl, keep it together and we might get through this.

One more yard to go.

And then his leg hit the roots of the cypress and started a shock wave in the water.

"Shit."

The alligator was moving away from the bank!

He reached Laura Ann in seconds. "Up!" He took her by the waist and threw her up the tree. "Grab it, dammit."

She grabbed, but her feet were slipping again.

"Hold on." He started to climb the tree.

Too late. The alligator was right beside him, mouth opening.

He stabbed his knife into the alligator's mouth and left the knife sticking in its jaw. Hell, it probably didn't hurt the reptile more than a mosquito bite.

Then Miguel was scrambling up the tree toward the first branch, where Laura Ann was clinging.

He heard the snapping of jaws below him, but he didn't look down. Laura Ann was sliding down toward him. He grabbed her and held on as he wrapped his legs around the branch. "It's fine," he said. "We're safe." Big lie. The alligator didn't look like it was going anywhere and Miguel could see the snout of another alligator in the water a short distance away swimming toward them. Evidently their first attacker had invited a guest to dinner.

Laura Ann was clinging to him with all her strength. "What… if the branch breaks?"

He wished she hadn't asked him that. "I'll think of something. I can always fight them off. I'm very strong."

She looked down at the alligators and then back at Miguel. "I think they're stronger." Her gaze went to his bandaged hands holding her. "And your hands are all bloody already."

Damn, she was right. He'd broken the stitches and the blood was staining the bandages. The colonel was going to murder him.

He suddenly chuckled as he realized what he was thinking. If the branch broke, it didn't really matter how angry Montalvo was going to be.