to them’s way too exposed. He must have known we’d try to cover ’em.’ As if to illustrate his point, more gunfire started, this time from the shore. The remaining members of the SWAT team had reached positions from where they could see the path down to the jetty, and opened fire. A scream echoed off the cliffs: one of de Quesada’s bodyguards had been hit. The drug lord’s men shot back, dust and chipped stones spitting from the clifftops.
‘So, what, you think he’s using his own men as a decoy?’ Nina said dubiously.
‘The guy’s a drug lord – he’d probably use his own grandma as a human shield. He wants us looking at
‘Like what?’
‘I dunno. Maybe he’s not really leaving – he’s just going to hide in a panic room until everyone’s gone.’ He regarded the house – then stood.
‘Get down!’ Nina yelped, yanking at the sleeve of his battered jacket. ‘They’ll see you.’
‘There’s nobody there. They’re all by the boats to give de Quesada time to do whatever he’s doing. I need to get over there before he does it.’
‘And how are you going to do that?’ Even at its narrowest point, the channel was still over fifty feet across. ‘The bridge has gone, and I don’t think high-diving into the sea to swim across would be a good idea!’
He pointed. ‘That cable. I can slide down it.’
‘Are you
‘Then I won’t touch it.’
‘If you don’t touch it, how are you going to slide down it?’
Rather than answer, he hurried back to the parked vehicles and climbed into the truck’s bed. As well as carrying the Colombian SWAT team, it had also transported the weapons, including the Barretts. But it wasn’t their now empty cases Eddie was interested in; rather, the ratchet straps used to secure them. ‘Here we go,’ he said as Nina arrived, detaching one. It was six feet long, made from a heavy-duty polyester. ‘It’s insulated, so I can chuck it over the wire and use it as a zipline.’
Nina wasn’t impressed. ‘And if the line doesn’t hold?’
‘Let’s not worry about that, eh?’ He headed for the stub of the bridge.
She followed. ‘Oh, you know me, I worry about everything. Especially you!’
Eddie reached the pole supporting the power line, looped the strap round the pole and held the ends tightly together. ‘Okay, stay low, just in case I’m wrong and there’s still someone over there. Once I’m across, use the radio in the truck to tell Kit what I’m doing. Back soon.’
‘How?’ she demanded. ‘You’re going to slide
‘I’ll think of something.’ He kissed her, then, using the strap for support, climbed until he reached the metal pegs that acted as a ladder. Warily eyeing the power line on its ceramic insulators, he scooted round to the pole’s seaward side.
It was his first clear view of the channel far below. Waves churned and frothed, and the rocks poking from the water suggested it was not especially deep. High-diving definitely wasn’t a good idea. The open sea was visible at the far end to his left; to the right, it curved out of sight towards the jetty. Gunfire was still being exchanged, but less frequently than before – the two sides seemed caught in a stand-off.
Which wouldn’t last long. Beyond the island, Eddie saw an approaching ship: the Colombian Coast Guard. The drug lord’s bodyguards would soon be forced to make a break for the boats, or be trapped.
Which suited Eddie. Their attention would be focused well away from him. He hooked the strap over the power line, applying experimental pressure. It seemed secure. Nina watched anxiously from the trees; he gave her a thumbs-up.
A deep breath, and he shifted his weight to the strap. The line pulled tight, but still held. He fixed his eyes on the house, not looking at the dizzying drop. ‘
He threw himself off the pole.
The cable twanged and juddered with the extra load as he slid down it. The cliff-edge rolled past beneath his feet, nothing below for over a hundred feet. The island loomed ahead . . .
The strap rasped against the cable. He slowed . . . and stopped.
Ten feet short of the far side.
‘Shit!’ He tried to jolt free, but the line wasn’t steep enough for him to overcome the strap’s friction. Another futile jerk, then he changed tactics. Legs together, he brought them gently back, then kicked sharply. He jerked forward by about a foot. Another kick, and another—
The insulator on the pole ahead sheared apart.
He dropped.
Nina barely contained a scream as the line gave way, Eddie plunging towards the water – then the sagging line snapped taut again. His fall gave him a boost of speed.
Too much speed.
All thoughts of concealment gone, she ran to the edge as he hurtled helplessly at the cliff.
Eddie whipped up his feet just before he hit the rock wall. The collision was a hammer-blow against his soles, crashing up through his knees and hips. The cable shook, the strap squirming in his grip.
