Eyes of Fire

“You can’t just kill everyone,” Adam began.

Hinnerman turned his gun on Joey Emerson. He fired. Sue screamed. Joey fell, clutching his shoulder.

“Want me to keep shooting?” Hinnerman asked Adam politely.

“Jem, get the first-aid kit,” Sam said quickly.

“Sam, if you don’t want to see anyone else bleeding and in pain, you’d better start suiting up.”

“Am I supposed to dive alone?” she demanded.

“I’ll go with her,” Adam offered.

“Oh, no, not you, he-man!” Sukee said sweetly. “You’re just a little bit too dangerous. I’ll be going with Sam while Liam and his Magnum keep you all company up here.”

“It’s all right, Adam,” Sam said, looking at him. But oddly enough, Adam wasn’t looking at her. He was looking beyond her.

Day was just beginning to dawn. Blackness had receded. A crimson sky allowed them to see the foam-tipped waves rising all around them.

What the hell was he looking at? Sam wondered.

And what in God’s name was she going to do? She was fairly certain that she actually did know where to find the ship.

Oh, God…

“Miss Carlyle, Jerry has been a real pain in the ass lately. If you don’t move quickly, I think I’ll shoot her next. Right in the kneecap. Not a lethal shot, but one that will cause her excruciating pain.

“I’ll get my suit,” Sam said flatly. She turned to get her equipment.

“Better get suited up yourself,” Hinnerman told Sukee.

“Yeah, all right.” Sukee followed Sam, smiling as she carefully slipped her gun into a pocket of her jacket. She kept her distance from Sam while she shed the jacket. “Don’t get any ideas, Sammy. I can see it in your eyes, you’d love to make a grab for my jacket—and my gun. Liam will shoot Jerry if you make one false move. Take my word on that.” She smiled and started toward Liam. He took the jacket, then Sukee walked to Sam to put on a dive suit. “You going to be okay up here?” she called to Liam.

“Yep,” Liam assured her. “I won’t mind killing anyone who moves.”

“You’ll just have to be fast to do it,” Adam said matter-of-factly.

“What?” Hinnerman demanded.

“Look, look out there! On the water!” Adam said.

Hinnerman spun around, firing blindly and automatically.

And as he did, Adam took his chance.

He leaped on Hinnerman and sent them both catapulting over the port railing and into the water.

Sam didn’t dare risk the time to glance overboard.

Sukee’s jacket had gone overboard with Liam, she was certain. And without her gun, Sukee was just an obnoxious little half-pint bitch.

Who’d been willing to kill them all.

Sam grabbed her by the shoulder. She’d never really taken a good solid punch at anyone’s face in all her life.

The ability to do so now came with amazing ease.

Her right knuckles connected with Sukee’s jaw. Sukee screeched, trying to sock Sam in return. She made an ineffectual lunge for Sam’s stomach, but Sam didn’t feel the blow at all. She clenched her fist again, and this time caught Sukee beneath her jaw. Sukee swore, ranted and tried to strike Sam again. She missed completely. Sam struck her once again.

Sukee screamed wildly, clutching her face, falling to the floor. “You’ve broken my nose, you bitch. You’ve broken my nose!”

Sam swung around. Half of the Sloop Bee’s passengers were staring at her.

The other half were staring over the port side of the boat. “Can you see them?” Sam demanded, ignoring Sukee, who was moaning on the deck.

“No!” Yancy cried to her.

“I’m going after them,” Jem said, diving into the water.

They heard shots coming from the water. Someone still had a gun.

It didn’t matter. Jem was already over the side.

Sam swore, zipping up the suit she was already half into. James Jay Astin was reading her mind, standing next to her, ready to help her into her vest and cylinder. Jerry was behind him with her mask and fins. She accepted both, looking at Jerry.

Her mother.

What a night.

Psychologically, of course, she would never get over it.

But she would get past it.

And she would help Jerry get past it with her. It was just that right now…

Right now she had to find Adam. She started to move. Sukee grabbed her ankle, trying to trip her.

“Could someone please take care of Sukee?” she asked politely.

“They just shot Joey,” Sue said. “You bet I’ll take care of her.”

Perhaps that wasn’t such a good idea, but Sam couldn’t waste any more time on Sukee. Besides, she realized, as she went over the side, Sue wasn’t a vicious killer. Sue wasn’t a killer at all. She was just in love with a man who came from a family with a shady past.

Joey’s father had killed hers.

Her mother had killed his father.

Sweet Jesus…

No more killing. No more deaths.

She went over the side.

Her dive gear gave her the same advantage Adam had used to sweep her away from the Emersons. She sank down a good fifteen feet, grateful that dawn was breaking, that she was also being given the advantage of the light that was just beginning to break through the water. She could see the kicking legs of all three men.

Jem was perhaps twenty feet from the other two.

Liam Hinnerman was still in possession of his gun and still shooting. But he was finding it almost impossible to get a good shot at Adam in the midst of the waves that were buffeting him.

Adam…

Adam was perhaps fifty feet from her. Diving, rising, diving, rising.

Trying to beat the waves and avoid Hinnerman’s shots at the same time.

She swam toward Adam.

Tugged on his feet. Jerked his ankles.

He came shooting downward in front of her. To her amazement, he was smiling. Her weights balanced them against the buoyancy of the water. They went pitching downward together for a long moment. She started to offer him her regulator so he could breathe, but he pulled her mouthpiece away for a moment instead, gripped her head and kissed her hard as they plummeted.

Interesting way to drown….

But they didn’t drown. Adam released her, sharing her air. He motioned, indicating Jem, and she knew he was telling her that they had to do something to help Jem.

When she realized what he wanted to do, she shook her head fervently.

He nodded.

She couldn’t stop him.

He was going to bait Hinnerman. Force the man to keep taking potshots at him.

Sam was to drag Hinnerman down until Adam could turn and struggle with the man.

“No!” she mouthed.

Adam was already gone.

Even in a shirt and jeans, he was still amazingly smooth and supple in the water, like a dolphin. He went streaking by Hinnerman, who fired.