Part 68 (1/2)
Jenny and Sheila appeared on the trail. Jenny was struggling with her bag and Annja grabbed it from her.
Tom frowned. ”She's supposed to carry her own load.”
Annja shrugged. ”I'm more physically fit than she is. She's a desk jockey. Pushes paper all day long.”
”If that's so, then why is she out in the field?”
”Change of pace,” Annja said. ”You want these things hauled properly or what?”
”Of course I do.”
”Then let me get her load. She can hand them down to me from the cave entrance and I'll carry them the rest of the way.”
Tom eyed Jenny. ”You okay with that?”
”Sure.”
”All right.” He looked at Annja. ”Just don't forget that the gun is trained on you all the time. There's something about you that I don't trust. And if you give me the slightest reason to do it, I'll gun you down. And then your physically inept friend there won't have any choice but to carry the bags. Understand?”
”We've been through this already,” Annja said. ”I'm not trying anything. I just want to get this over with. Maybe you'll find some compa.s.sion in your heart and let us live. Tie us up for all I care and get your head start. There's no real reason to shoot us, though.”
Tom smiled but Annja knew he wasn't really going to consider it. ”I'll think about it. If you keep your end of the deal, who knows? You might just get out of this alive.”
Yeah, right. But if Annja could keep him thinking she wasn't going to try anything funny, it might give her the chance she needed.
As she and Jenny walked back down the trail, Annja kept b.u.mping into her friend. As she did so, she whispered. ”You'll have to take out Sheila.”
”What?”
”I can't handle them both at the same time. And Tom's the more dangerous one. That shotgun can kill us both with one shot.”
”I can't do it. Sheila's bigger than I am,” Jenny said.
”Just get close enough and kick her hard in the knee. When she goes down, stomp her hand and get the gun away. I'll come to you as soon as I can but I'll have my hands full dealing with Tom.”
”You two keep quiet,” Tom said from behind. ”Don't make me start feeling all nervous inside.”
”I was asking her how her ankle was,” Annja said. ”Stop being paranoid.”
They marched back to the cave and Jenny climbed back up. Sheila followed. After a minute, Jenny reappeared, grunting under the strain of another heavy bag. She tossed it down, which made Tom hop around, waving the gun.
”Don't throw the d.a.m.n bags! If the contents spill, it'll make a huge mess and we won't get our money. Hand them down carefully!”
Jenny looked meek. ”Sorry. It slipped.”
”I'll bet it did.” Tom shook his head and then looked at Annja. ”You'd better tell your friend not to screw this thing up or else she'll be the first one who gets shot. You understand me?”
”Perfectly.”
Annja picked up the bag and started walking back to the car. She would have to make her move soon. Tom was already growing impatient with the handling of the drugs. He could snap at any moment.