He nodded. “They were reconning you.”
“Here’s my offer, Keo. Lend us a hand, and I’ll give you everything you need to reach Santa Marie Island. It beats swimming over there.”
“I don’t know, I can swim pretty far, as you saw last night.”
She continued as if he hadn’t said anything. “I’ll give you a sailboat with an outboard motor and plenty of fuel and supplies to last for weeks out in the Gulf of Mexico. The way I hear it, boats are in pretty short supply these days.”
“I’m sure there’s one lying around somewhere…”
“Not according to what Carrie told me.”
“Carrie talks too much.”
“She wants to stay here. Lorelei, too.”
“Are they?”
“You mean, am I going to let them?”
“Yes.”
“I am,” she nodded. “There’s no reason not to.”
“That’s big of you.”
“It’s common decency.”
“I’ve heard of that. Never had much use for it.”
She smiled at him. “That’s not what the girls told me.”
“Like I said, they talk too much.” He sucked on the spork again. “I could always just walk to Texas.”
“Yes, you could. It’s a long way, but hey, maybe one day you’ll actually make it. Hide in basements at night, walk in the day. Of course, you might run into those soldier buddies of yours again, or some nutcase with a sniper rifle who decides he wants your stuff.” She shrugged. “Who knows, you might even find a working vehicle.”
“You’ve thought this through.”
“I’ve been out there, Keo.”
“All right. I’ll play along. What exactly do I have to do to win this great prize of yours, Barbie Barker?”
“I don’t need you to fight our battles for us. I just need you to help me delay the attack.”
“Delay it?”
“Yes.”
He seemed to think about it, then gave her that noncommittal shrug again. “For how long?”
“A day. Two. Whatever you can give me. I’m going to get reinforcements from two Army Rangers either later today or the day after. But I’m not waiting around to find out when the attack is coming.”
“You want to attack them first.”
“Yes.”
“Ballsy.”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “Just desperate.”
He actually looked impressed. For a moment, anyway. Then he was back to pretending he didn’t give a damn about her or the others on the island. “Sounds like you have it all figured out, Lara.”
Except for the part where I mess up and trust the wrong man and get everyone killed as a result.
“The question is,” Keo said, “are you really willing to put your life, and the lives of everyone on this island, into the hands of a stranger with a gun? Because that’s what you’re about to do. Are you certain you’re not going to regret that decision?”
“Is this smart?” Carly asked.
“I don’t know,” Lara said.
“Can we trust him?”
“I don’t think we have a choice.”
“What did Will say?”
“I didn’t tell him about Keo or last night.”
“Oh.”
“Should I have?”
“I don’t know,” Carly said. “I guess that’s why you get paid the big bucks. To make decisions like this.”
“Yeah,” Lara said. “The big bucks.”
If I’m wrong, we’re all dead.
Then again, if I don’t do this, we’re probably all dead, anyway.
“If all else fails, there’s always Plan Z,” Carly said.
“God, that’s such a stupid name.”
Carly chuckled. “Isn’t it, though?”
They both smiled. Mostly because they didn’t know what else to do. Carly, more than anyone, knew what was at stake here. Not just her own life, but her sister Vera’s, too. The fact that she was making a decision that could take away both lives hung over Lara like the Sword of Damocles.
“We’re probably all going to die,” Lara said.
Carly laughed. “Yeah. Probably.” Then, after she had settled down, “I have to tell you, the image of Kate out there pulling the strings makes for a pretty icky visual.” She shivered a bit. “I liked her, you know. We were friends.”
“I know.”
“But I don’t think we were ever as close as you and me right now. The age difference and everything. She was always kind of…”
“What?”
“I don’t know. I guess out of my league.”
“I didn’t know the two of you dated.”
Carly snorted. “She wishes.”
They leaned against the railing on the hotel’s front patio and watched Keo and Roy across the open grounds in silence for a moment.
The two men were observing Kendra and some of the kids as they worked on a patch of land that Kendra told them had the best soil for growing vegetables. They had found everything they needed to loosen the earth from the supply shacks in the back, including rakes, shovels, and more variety of hoes than Lara knew existed. Kendra had been disappointed they didn’t have a tiller machine, which would have made everything easier. In one of Will and Danny’s forays on land for supplies, they had picked up a crate full of seeds from one of the home improvement warehouses. It wouldn’t be long now before they could begin planting along the rows being carved out.
If they were still alive in a week from now, anyway. A lot of things could happen in a few days. All she had to do was look at the last couple of weeks for evidence of that.
“I know what you’re doing,” Carly said.
“What’s that?”
“Giving him a tour of the hotel, then showing him everyone eating breakfast together in the dining room. And now showing him the garden, with Kendra and the kids. Danny told me about this. The Army calls it psy ops. Psychological warfare. Hearts and minds, right? You’re trying to convince him without actually saying a word that the island is worth saving by showing him the people on it. I mean, the kids, Lara. Who could resist Elise and Vera covered in dirt? You’d need a heart of stone, and I don’t think Keo has one. At least, not the Keo that Carrie and Lorelei told us about.”
“You give me way too much credit, Carly,” Lara said before she smiled to herself, hoping that Carly hadn’t caught it.
“Slick,” Carly said, grinning at her. “Real slick, boss. I always knew you had it in you.”
She stood with Keo on the beach. He had taken off his boots and was enjoying the sensation of bare feet soaked in the cool and clear Beaufont Lake water. Elise, Vera, and Jenny, fresh from helping Kendra with loosening dirt for the garden, were fighting against the waves in front of them, cleaning off the dirt and grime of their hard work. The girls hadn’t bothered to change into bathing suits given how everything on them was dirty. She guessed this way they were hoping to kill two birds with one stone — clean up themselves, and their clothes, too.
Blaine’s silhouetted form on top of the boat shack watched them carefully; he was there just in case Keo decided he wanted the boat and supplies minus the whole risking his life part. That was why she only wore her Glock in a hip holster. Worst-case scenario, Keo would be armed with a handgun while Blaine had the M4. Maddie was also watching them from the Tower with the ACOG-equipped rifle while Roy and Carly were on alert back at the hotel.
She hadn’t counted on the girls showing up suddenly on the beach, though. If things did go bad and he grabbed one of them…
Please, God, don’t let me be wrong about Keo.
“If you were me, how would you do it?” she asked. “Delay the attack.”