Mercy

stumbled forward.

Theo wrapped his arm around her, hauled her into his side, and, half carrying her, ran into the brush. He didn't have the faintest idea where they were headed. Completely disoriented, he ran headlong into spiny branches. He pushed through them with his

right arm.

He could still hear the motor roaring in the distance and was desperate to get Michelle as far away as possible before the men docked their boat.

They fought their way through the brush and the soggy undergrowth, stopping twice to listen for signs that they were being followed. Finally, breaking out of the thicket, they stumbled forward into the open.

Michelle stopped to get her second wind. She wasn't sure where they were.

'Should I risk it?' she asked as she lifted the flashlight and put her thumb on the switch. 'I don't think they'll see the light if I only have it on for a second.'

'Do it.'

She flipped the switch, then breathed a sigh of relief. 'I think I know where we are.' Turning the light off, she whispered, 'It's about a mile to The

Swan.'

They were standing on the edge of a dirt road which, to Theo, looked like a dozen others he'd driven down.

'You're sure?'

'Yes.'

He clasped her hand and started running. If they could get around the bend up ahead before their pursuers reached the road, they'd be in the clear. He kept glancing over his shoulder looking for lights. The only sound was their heavy breathing and the pounding of their feet against the road.

Michelle turned on the light again, just in the nick of time, because they would have run off the road where it curved. She tripped as she turned, but Theo caught her and kept her upright without slowing down. He looked behind him again, saw the small beam of light strike the road, and increased his speed.

He was positive they hadn't seen them.

'I'm okay now,' she panted. 'I can run.'

He let go of her, then took hold of her hand, and continued on. He could see a light twinkling like a star in the distance and

headed in that direction.

The stitch in Michelle's side was burning now, and her head felt as if it were going to explode. They reached a crossroad, and Michelle doubled over, her hands clasping her knees.

'The Swan's down the road to the left,' she panted. 'We can call the police from there.'

The road was gravel and mud. He remembered driving down this lane. As he ran, he constantly scanned the brush on either

side, figuring which way they would dive if he heard someone coming.

'You doing okay?' he whispered.

'I'm good,' she answered.

She felt like crying out with relief when she saw the dark building ahead of them. The feeling of euphoria was short-lived, for a scant second later, she heard the sound of a car screeching around the curve behind them.

She didn't have time to react. One second she was glancing over her shoulder to look for headlights, and the next she was flying off the road into a gully with Theo. Michelle landed hard on her backside. Theo crouched beside her and pulled his gun out, his eyes scanning the road. They were concealed by bushes and scrub.

Michelle gingerly probed the bump on her forehead, grimacing. Her mind raced. Then she remembered what she wanted to tell Theo.

She whispered his name. He put his hand over her mouth. 'Shhh,' he whispered close to her ear.

The car pulled up next to them. She fought the urge to recoil as she heard a thrashing noise in the bushes next to them. She realized she was holding her breath when her chest began to ache. She slowly, quietly exhaled. Her hand gripped Theo's knee. More thrashing in the underbrush, then muttering as the man walked back to the car. Gravel crunched under his shoes.

The damp air was getting to her. Her eyes suddenly began to tear and she needed to sneeze. Please, God, not now. I can't make any noise…. not yet. She clamped her fingers over her nose and breathed through her mouth. Tears were streaming

down her cheeks, and she pulled her T-shirt up over her mouth.

Theo heard the car door slam, and then the car moved on. He wasn't going to take any chances, though. He strained to hear

every little sound. How many were there? He knew for certain four men had tried to ambush them. He'd seen two in the front

of Michelle's house and then two who'd driven the boat to the dock. Their goal had obviously been to trap them inside the house, and he swore that as soon as they were safe and out of this jungle warfare, he would get every one of them.

He finally shifted his position to take the weight off his knees. Putting his arm around Michelle, he bent down and whispered, 'They're looking for us at The Swan, and we're going to sit tight until they're gone. You still doing okay?'

She nodded against him. As soon as he turned back to watch the road, she rested her cheek against his back and closed her eyes. Her heart was slowing down now. She wanted to take advantage of the temporary breather in case they had to start running again. Who were these men, and why were they after them?

She shifted her weight from one knee to the other. She felt as though she were sitting in compost. The smell of wet, rotten, decomposing leaves was thick and musty. She thought there had to be a dead animal somewhere close because she could smell the foul stench of rotting meat. She wanted to gag.

It had stopped raining. That was good, wasn't it? God, how long had they been waiting? It seemed as though an hour had

passed since they'd dived into the brush, but then time had pretty much stopped from the moment the first gunshot had been

fired.

She heard the car before she saw the headlights through the branches. It came roaring down the road, passed them without slowing, and sped on.

Theo chanced it and leaned out to see which way the car was headed. It slowed at the crossroad, then went straight ahead,

which meant the men hadn't given up yet and were searching another back road. He tried but couldn't see the license plate.

'They'll have to give up looking for us soon,' she whispered. 'It will be light, and they won't want to risk being seen by early morning fishermen. Don't you think they'll give up?'

'Maybe,' he allowed. 'Let's go,' he said then as he stood, bracing himself for the pain in his knee. He pulled her to her feet.

'Stay close to the side of the road and don't turn the flashlight on.'

'Okay,' she agreed. 'But if you hear them coming, don't throw me into a ditch again. Just tell me. My backside's going to be bruised.'

He didn't sound contrite when he said, 'Better a bruise than a bullet.'

She sneezed. It felt good. 'I know,' she said.

'Can you run?'

'Can you?' she asked, noticing that he was favoring one leg.

'Sure. I'm just a little stiff. Let's move.'

There was a single light shining from a pole near the opening to the parking lot. Theo wasn't taking any chances. He pulled Michelle over into the brush and edged around The Swan to the back door. He couldn't see anything moving inside. The back

door was metal, so Theo began to backtrack to one of the front windows, looking down at the ground now for a sturdy rock.