"Operative word being dead. No, I'll opt for the swim."
"Right. So you ready?"
"What, now?"
"We could wait for the sniper to get bored and come down after us… Yes, now."
Reece whispered back to them, interrupting their conversation. "Whenever you're ready."
Sean motioned to him with a flick of his head. "See? He's good to go. When I fire that first bullet, move."
"But…"
Tommy couldn't voice the rest of his protest.
Sean crawled over to the other side of the boulder and took up a position on both knees. From this range, he doubted how accurate he could be. Hitting the target would be improbable. Even pinging a few rounds within a yard or two of the sniper's spot would be unlikely. Sean's entire escape plan depended solely on his experience with people. And that experience told him that guys with guns usually ducked for cover when someone else started shooting at them. It was the natural survival instinct built into every living person on the planet. Only the most well-trained individuals could ignore it. Sean hoped this sniper wasn't one of those.
He took a deep breath and let it out slow to reach total calm. It was an exercise he'd learned a long time ago: take a deep breath, count backward from ten, slow the heart rate, unleash the fury.
For Adriana.
Sean reached the number one in his mind and stuck his weapon around the boulder's edge. He raised it fast and squeezed the trigger. "Go!" he barked at Tommy.
Sean adjusted his aim slightly — higher and to the left. The first round sent a poof of rock and dust off the canyon wall. He fired again. The second shot was much closer to the sniper's position and had the same effect on the stone as the first. Reece hit the water with a splash as he launched out headfirst into the pool close to where it flowed downstream.
Tommy tripped on a rock and tumbled to the ground. He rolled a foot or two and came to a stop close to the water's edge. He was out in the open, easy pickings if the gunman above was still taking aim.
Sean kept moving and fired again. No rock debris or dust this time. The bullet must have sailed over the target and into the bush beyond. He marched forward with an insane look of fearlessness in his eyes.
Tommy struggled to his feet and plunged into the water. A second later, he disappeared below the surface.
Sean's weapon popped again, the fourth round much closer to the target than any of the others but still a yard away. He stole a glance into the rippling water. No sign of Adriana. Reece was drawing close to the short drop-off where a patch of rapids churned and pushed downstream. He could see Tommy's pale skin moving quickly toward the drop-off as well — not far behind Reece.
Sean shot again. He noticed movement behind the rocks above. It wasn't much. Just the shadow of a leg moving by the shooting hole. But it told Sean what he needed to know. The sniper was on the move.
Sean continued toward the water's edge. Tommy was gone now. Sean realized Adriana's body must have floated downstream. He didn't have time to wonder. The thought fueled his rage, and he shot again. Over and over again he popped off repeated shots, peppering the rocks above in the direction he'd seen the movement. As he emptied his magazine, he moved faster and faster toward the water's edge until he felt his feet licked by the cool liquid.
He counted the rounds until he reached the last one. The water was up to his shins. Sean saw the sniper's barrel poke around the side of his rock fortification. One more step in the water, and Sean squeezed the trigger again. The last bullet smacked into the big boulder, sending the sniper ducking for cover and pulling his weapon out of view.
Sean didn't hesitate.
He dove into the water as quietly as possible and frog paddled downward until he felt he was deep enough. He kicked out with his legs, going as hard as his muscles would allow. Something struck the water nearby, mere inches to the left of his shoulder. The big-caliber bullet jittered for a foot or so and then fizzed out, falling limp toward the pool floor. Another zipped through the water a foot in front of him. Again, the water snubbed the round's force and sent it drifting to the bottom.
That did little to ease Sean's concern. He'd done the research long ago about bullets and water. He didn't necessarily want to put it to the test in this kind of situation.
Ahead, the water churned noisily. He was almost to the rapids. Another round struck the water next to him, then another. The sniper was getting desperate, firing shots faster than he could aim.
At the edge of the pool, the pool's floor sloped up to the point where the space between it and the surface was marginal. If the shooter was on target, there wouldn't be enough water between Sean and the bullet to slow it down.
Sean kicked harder. His legs started to burn. He was almost there. Speed would be crucial. A fast target was a hard target.
He reached the lip of the pool where the water dropped over the rocks and rushed down the river. He winced, anticipating a bullet into his spine as he felt his body slide over a smooth river rock.
Sean was close enough to the surface that he could hear the gunshot. It never came, and he splashed into the next section of the river and the onrushing current.
Chapter 26
Sean tumbled through the white water, if he could call it that. In East Tennessee, the Ocoee River offered much more treacherous waters. This was more like the Nanthahala in North Carolina — a river Sean also knew well — deep enough to keep his body covered but no real danger as far as the undercurrents were concerned.
Fortunately, that part of Australia had gone through a wetter-than-usual summer, and the river pushed downhill at a rapid rate.
Sean saw Tommy's head bobbing out of the surface thirty yards ahead. He knew Reece was probably just beyond. Sean forced thoughts of Adriana out of his mind and kept paddling forward, only slowing his effort occasionally to look back up to the canyon's ridge for any signs of the shooter. They were moving so fast, he doubted the guy could keep up on foot for long, especially with such a big weapon. By the time the sniper reloaded, they would be nearly out of range, and nearly impossible targets in the unpredictable current.
After five minutes of swimming steadily with the current, Sean caught up to Tommy. Reece was only forty feet away.
Sean gasped for air. He'd exerted a good deal of energy during the swim. His muscles felt like Jell-O.
"Any sign of her?" Sean asked, his voice still in a panic.
Tommy shook his head as he floated downstream on his back. "I'm sorry, Sean. I've been watching the shore, but I haven't seen her."
Sean couldn't fight back the emotions any longer. He sobbed uncontrollably, mixing his tears with the river water on his face.
Tommy reached over and grabbed the back of his friend's head. "I'm so sorry, buddy." He couldn't think of anything else to say. Silence was probably best. Any words right now would just stir up more emotions.
Reece had slowed his progress up ahead, and the two Americans gradually caught up. The big Aussie flapped his hands to keep steady on his back as he floated next to the others. He said nothing to Sean. It was the same dilemma Tommy faced. What could he say to a friend who'd just seen the love of his life gunned down right in front of him?
They reached a calm point in the river where the currents slowed.
"What are we gonna do now?" Reece asked Tommy.
"Where does this river go?" Tommy answered with a question.
"Through the outback, mostly. Not much out here."
Tommy thought through the issue. "We can't go back to the car. They'll be waiting for us."
"Not like there's much to go back for anyway."