Part 51 (1/2)

”Hmph,” she murmured. ”Pretty cool.”

”Dar!” Kerry called down from the bridge. ”Radar just picked up something.”

Dar handed her father back his toy. ”About d.a.m.ned time.” She 300*

felt tension grip her guts, and she wanted the confrontation to be long over and done with.

”Heck of a vacation there, Dardar,” her father commented wryly. ”Maybe next time ya'll should go find you some little farm somewhere and just do you a picnic or something.”

Dar shook her head. ”I should have guessed. Even when we spent a couple days up at the lake, Kerry's horse got bee stung, she fell off, we almost capsized, and we managed to out ourselves on a family hay wagon ride.”

Andrew ruffled her hair. ”You always did get into the d.a.m.ndest things. You remember that time we done went up to that ranch and you rode up on that bull?”

Dar covered her eyes. ”Don't mention that to Kerry, please?”

”Mention what to me?” Kerry materialized at her elbow, peering out through the rain. When it appeared that neither of the Roberts was going to answer, she asked, ”Any sign of them yet?

Charlie's going to stay up at the controls. It's tough for him to get up and down the ladder.” And it gave him something very useful to do, Kerry reasoned, since no one was willing to trust Bob with the boat.

”Couldn't hardly see nothing yet in this spit,” Andy said. ”You two ready?”

Kerry patted her rain slicker. ”About as ready as I'm going to get. Dar?”

Dar had her hood down, and the wind was whipping her dark hair relentlessly. ”I'm ready.” She lifted her chin. ”Lights.”

They looked in the direction she indicated, and sure enough, a moving speck could be seen very faintly through the storm. Kerry flexed her hands nervously, her heart rate picking up speed now that things were happening. She wasn't stupid enough to ignore the fact that she was scared; any reasonable person would be in her place.

She trusted Dar, and she certainly trusted Andy. However, she didn't trust DeSalliers, and part of her worried that logic didn't have a lot to do with his planned actions. She worried about Bud, trapped in the man's hands, and she worried about what they would find over on the other boat.

The cabin door opened and Bob stuck his head out. ”I think he's on the radio,”he said, just as Charlie called down from the bridge with the same news.

Dar squared her shoulders and walked over to the door. Bob backed out of her way as she went for the radio console inside, Kerry and Andy at her back.

DeSalliers' voice cut through the static. ”Roberts? One more chance at answering, then I slit this piece of s.h.i.+t's throat.”

Andy's eyes narrowed. ”Ah already do not like this man.”*301 Dar picked up the mic. ”I'm here,” she answered shortly.

”About time you showed up.”

”You have what I asked for?”

”I have what you need,” Dar replied. ”So let's get this over with.”

DeSalliers laughed. ”You don't like not being in control, do you, Roberts? Well, that's too bad. You just sit there. I'll tell you when I'm ready.”

The transmission was terminated and Dar dropped the mic on the console as though it were a dead rat. ”I've encountered more appealing things than that six days dead on the roadside up to Marathon,” she commented. ”What an a.s.shole.”

”Yeah, well, he's going to get what he wants, isn't he?” Bob asked bitterly. ”To h.e.l.l with the rest of us.” He stomped over to the chair and flung himself down in it. ”f.u.c.k you all.”

Andrew folded his arms over his broad chest. ”This here situation's just chock full of jacka.s.ses, ain't it?”

”Yeah, isn't it?” Bob shot back at him.

”You know something?” Kerry addressed Bob before either Dar or Andrew could answer. ”I'm really starting to regret risking my life for you, and I hate that. So cut it out and grow up before I have to do something about it.”

Bob subsided into a sullen silence, his eyes fixed firmly on the floor.

Kerry expelled a breath in disgust and gave herself a tiny shake. She pushed her hood back, revealing damp and tangled blonde hair that she ran her hands through in agitation. ”Jesus.”

Dar put an arm around her and pulled her close. She hit the intercom. ”Hold steady here, Charlie. Let's wait to see what this b.a.s.t.a.r.d has in mind.”

”Ain't no good, whatever,” Charlie replied glumly. ”Sons of b.i.t.c.hes.”

”Mah gosh, listen to this here language,” Andrew drawled. ”Ah ought to spank the lot of you.”

The comment eased some of the tension and drew a smile from both Dar and Kerry. ”I hate waiting,” Dar admitted. ”And he's right. I hate not being in control.” She released Kerry and turned, choosing a path and pacing it across the living area.

Kerry leaned against the radio console and watched her, resigning herself to the knowledge that all they could really do is wait.

As Dar paced, Andrew merely leaned back against the door frame and relaxed.

At last, DeSalliers' boat approached them, circling their position twice before they were contacted again. Dar's nerves had tightened almost to the breaking point. She'd stopped pacing and 302*

ended up back out on the stern in the rain, counting to several thousand under her breath in a vain attempt to relax.

Kerry stuck her head out of the cabin. ”Dar. He's on.”

Dar stalked to the door and ducked inside. She could feel her breathing coming quickly, and she took a second to inhale, hold it, then exhale before she picked up the mic. ”Yeah?” She unkeyed and waited. The sudden warmth of Kerry's hand on her side almost made her jump, but after a second she relaxed a little, calming as Kerry's thumb idly rubbed her skin.

”I see you've got a canoe back there,” DeSalliers said. ”Get in it and get over here. No bulls.h.i.+t, no smart talk, or I'll gun the engines and run your sorry a.s.s over.”

”Make sure you hit me the first time,” Dar growled back. ”Or you'll end up upside down talking to crabs.” She keyed off and dropped the mic, then headed for the door. ”C'mon.”

Andrew held the door and waited for them to go ahead of him.

As they pa.s.sed him, he turned to face Bob. ”You mess with anything while them girls are over there, Ah will kill you.”

Bob stared at him.

”That is not a bluff, it's a promise,” Andrew said quietly. He turned and closed the door after him.

Dar made her way down the ladder and into the solid black watercraft in which her father had arrived. It was a familiar sight: two incredibly tough rubber pontoons and a flexible but stiff inner structure, and engines that could probably propel a jet. It had hooks and catches everywhere that were intended for military use, not surprising since its primary purpose was to carry Navy SEALS into battle. She didn't ask how Andrew had gotten it.

Dar turned and took hold of Kerry as she climbed down, keeping her steady as she joined her in the bottom of the craft. They were both in dark rain slickers, and Andrew was almost invisible as he made his way into the boat, causing it to rock under his weight.

He was dressed in full-length black neoprene, with a canvas vest buckled over it that held all sorts of things, including one waterproof case Dar knew usually housed a sidearm. The thought put a sudden p.r.i.c.kle down her back, and she tried not to think about how dangerous the situation was.

DeSalliers sounded like he was capable of anything. Dar let out a slow breath, acknowledging the fear she was now feeling in her guts. But the fact was, her father was also capable of anything, and having him there s.h.i.+fted the odds, if not in their favor, at least more toward equality.

Andrew took a seat at the controls and started the powerful engines. ”Want to let us loose, Dardar?”