"True," Tommy nodded. "I know. Passports, your ID, weapons, everything. It's all gone."
Sean remained quiet, though he still clutched his Springfield in one hand. It was the only possession they had left. At least Reece and Tommy still had clothes on. Sean was in his underwear.
"Wait a minute," Reece said, a glimmer of hope in his voice. "I have a friend a few miles from here. His name's Rick, Rick Teague. He's a bit of a hermit, but he might be able to help us. If we ride the river a little further, we can get out and go on foot. Won't take us long."
The plan sounded good enough, considering the circumstances. "What does your friend do?" Tommy asked.
"Not sure anymore. He used to be a businessman in Adelaide. Then one day he walked in to his boss's office, pissed on the desk, and walked out. Since then, he's just been living out here."
Tommy raised a suspicious eyebrow. "Wait, how long have you known this guy?"
"About five years. Actually, I only met him once. Accidentally stumbled on his property while driving a group around. He was kind enough to help me get the Land Cruiser out of the mud. Said if I ever needed anything to just ask."
"So this guy is more of a one-time acquaintance than a friend."
Reece cocked his head to the side. "Yeah, I guess that sounds about right. But he's a good guy. We can trust him."
"I don't trust anyone," Sean said.
It was the first time he'd said anything in several minutes. "Well, you trust us, buddy." Tommy patted his friend on the shoulder.
Sean didn't respond. He simply stared off into the distance.
The three floated through the still waters and back into faster currents.
"We don't have much choice," Reece said over the sound of rushing water. "We've got no money, no ID, no credit cards, nothing. And Sean there has no clothes. Our only chance is Rick."
Tommy sighed. "Fine. A bad plan is better than no plan at all," he muttered.
After another fifteen minutes in the water, the canyon gradually shortened until the men found themselves on the desert plains that stretched beyond.
Reece pointed to a sandy, rock-strewn beach to the right. "Over there. Make for that shore."
Tommy and Reece paddled their way over. Sean hesitated for a moment. He would have been fine with the river taking him far away from here. Adriana was here. Was she at the bottom of the river? Or had she drifted to shore somewhere and he'd just not seen her? Sean considered staying in the water, if for no other reason to keep the hope alive that he might find her. His eyes desperately scanned the shore on either side of the river, thinking maybe she'd washed up on the rocks.
She was gone. Deep down, he knew that was the reality. Sean didn't want to admit it. He'd failed. All the people he'd protected over the course of years, the lives he'd saved, ran through his mind. But he couldn't save hers — the life that mattered most to him.
Reluctantly, Sean started stroking his way over to the beach. The current wasn't strong, and he easily spanned the distance. Tommy and Reece were already on dry land, sitting on some rocks to catch their breath. Sean felt the first rock under his feet and gained a foothold as he struggled out of the water a few dozen yards downstream. River water ran off the tip of his nose as he stared at the ground. His fingertips and elbow dripped constantly for a minute. His boxer briefs were soaked.
He slowed his breathing and let his muscles rest for a moment. He fought the emotions back again and refocused his mind on the one thing he could controclass="underline" that was the moment and his next move. Even though those were things he could normally command with willpower or desire, this was different. The sickening pain filled his chest again and tightened his stomach.
She can't be gone. The thought kept running through his mind. She has to be alive.
His imagination started going through wild scenarios where Adriana somehow made it to shore. If she could, maybe she'd get help. He choked thinking about it. He knew it was all just fanciful dreaming. If she'd been able to miraculously make it to the river's edge, she'd still be bleeding and in desperate need of medical attention.
Tears rolled freely down Sean's cheeks. He squeezed his fists against his knees, hoping the moment of pure rage would make him feel better. It did little to stem the utter heartbreak pulsing through his being.
A bird chirped in the distance, barely audible above the sound of the rushing water. Sean looked toward the trees on the other side of the river. A bird — possibly the one he'd heard whistling — took off, flying in an up and down pattern through the air until it disappeared into the forest.
He and his friends needed to do the same. Sean knew it, but he was paralyzed with grief. The idea of escaping the killer didn't register in his mind. All he could think about was Adriana.
Sean twisted his head toward his two friends sitting with their arms folded across their knees. Tommy, unsurprisingly, was still panting for breath from the short swim to the beach. They'd been uncharacteristically quiet since their narrow escape. He couldn't blame them. Sean knew Tommy well enough to know that his friend wouldn't say anything stupid. Reece would follow that lead.
The urge to jump back in the river and go looking for Adriana downstream resurfaced. Maybe she's just around that bend, he thought. Or maybe he should run back up the shore and get a higher point of view to see better. He searched the beach and noticed a thin trail leading back toward the canyon.
Common sense took over, and Sean shook off the irrational thoughts. For a man who was used to taking action to get things done, doing nothing felt like having a thousand-pound weight sitting on his chest.
Again, he took a sidelong glance at his friends.
"They'll come looking for us," Reece said. "We're safe for now, but we need to get moving."
Sean could tell his friend didn't want to say anything. Reece's reluctance further proved his friendship. Sean couldn't think about leaving, though. He had to find Adriana, even if she was dead.
Dead. He shook his head violently to rid it of the thought.
"Sean?" Tommy said, full of hesitation. "He's right. We need to get going. If we sit here, we'll get picked off one by one."
Sean honestly didn't care. He didn't want his two friends to die. But concern over his personal safety was no longer present. In a strange way, he almost hoped the sniper found him sitting there on the river beach. Nothing mattered anymore.
"Sean? We have to move."
Tommy's persistence bounced off Sean like a marble striking a tank. "Go on," he said in a voice that was almost absent from his body. "Leave me here."
The other two exchanged nods and slowly got up from the ground. As they trudged toward Sean, he saw his pistol on the ground next to him.
Tommy and Reece stopped a couple of feet from Sean. They both wore anxious expressions on their faces.
"I don't mean to be a jerk about this, brother, but Adriana knew what she was getting into. She was stubborn. We loved that about her. But you dying out here in the wilderness isn't going to bring her back. And I somehow doubt that's what she'd want you to do."
The words stung. Sean winced again, like the pain was taking another swing at him.
"I can't move on," Sean said. "Not without her. I at least have to find her."
"Tommy's right, mate," Reece said in a solemn tone. "I know how much you love her. But sticking around here… it's suicide. We need to get to my friend's place and hunker down for the night."
"Yeah," Tommy agreed. "I can guarantee you Adriana wouldn't want you to sit around here and get killed. You have to keep going, no matter how hard it may seem. Live for her, if for nothing else than to get back at the guys who did this."
The last line struck a chord in Sean's head. Yes. They have to pay, he thought.