Hour Game

headfirst.

Eddie raced back to the cockpit, slammed the throttle forward, and the FasTech shot off before King even had a chance to break the surface.

When he did come up, he saw the FasTech circle around and head back toward him.

King turned and started swimming away. Why hadn't the bastard shot him and left it at that? Why run him over with the boat? As the FasTech bore down on him, King could almost feel the massive props eating into his flesh, turning the lake water red with his blood.

At the last instant the boat veered away and passed him. Eddie called out, 'Thanks for asking about my brother, Sean. It just saved your life. Have a good one.'

The boat roared away, quickly turning into a speck before completely disappearing into the darkness.

King screamed, 'Sylvia! Sylvia!' but it was useless. He turned, looked around, and it finally struck him why his surroundings looked so familiar. The dock he was now staring at was his dock. They were in his cove! And there sat his jet boat in its slip.

And yet the FasTech was already out of sight. How could he possibly find them in time?

And then it hit him, what Eddie had said. Full circle. He's coming full circle.

King swam toward the dock with all his might.

CHAPTER 97

MICHELLE WAS FLYING THROUGH the darkness on the Sea Ray heading toward Sylvia's home when Williams came up beside her.

'The connection was lost on your phone,' he said glumly.

'It's probably the storm.'

'Yeah, probably,' he said.

She looked to the sky. 'I don't see a chopper.'

'Damn, Michelle, in this weather? What'd you expect? You can't risk a bunch of people's lives like that.'

'Why the hell not? I spent nine years of my life doing that at the Secret Service!'

'Come on, we're doing all we can-'

'What's that?' she said suddenly.

'What's what?'

'It's the phone!' she screamed. 'My phone, where is it?'

'Back on the seat.'

'Take the wheel.'

She snatched up the phone and hit the answer button. Her heart leaped when she heard his voice.

'Michelle, could you hear anything on the phone?'

'Yes, Todd and I are in a boat heading to Sylvia's right now. We called out everybody.'

'Listen, Eddie's still got Sylvia. He's headed to the cove below where the first body was found. Do you know where that is?'

'Yes.'

'I'm heading there in my boat right now.'

Michelle raced to the cockpit with the phone pressed to her ear, grabbed the wheel and plowed the Sea Ray into a thunderous turn, pitching its deck almost perpendicular with the water. Williams fell down again.

'I'm on my way. Ten minutes. We'll send everybody there. Oh, and Sean?'

'Yeah?'

'Thanks for being alive.'

Eddie aimed the bow right at the ring of red clay that stuck out from the cove he was in, cut power and ran the FasTech right up onto it. He started to open the door to the cabin.

'Okay, Doc, let's go.'

The stream of fire extinguisher fluid hit him flush in the face. He staggered back and was hit on the head with the canister. Blinded, he grabbed at his face and dropped to his knees. But he sensed Sylvia racing past him, and reached out and tripped her with one of his big arms.

'Get away from me, you bastard, get away from me,' she screamed.

Eddie wiped his face off with his hand, his eyes stinging like crazy. He grabbed her by the scruff of her shirt, lifted her completely up in the air and threw her onto the hard clay shore, where she landed with a thud and lay still.

He opened a storage bin and lifted out the short-handled ax, jumped off the bow, and his feet hit dirt. He waded out into the water and dipped his head below the surface to clean off the crap she had shot him with. He stood, gazed out at the lake and the lightning crackling in the distance, took a deep breath, turned and walked over to her.

'Get up.'

Sylvia said nothing.

'I said get up.' He emphasized this point with a foot in her ribs.

'I think my arm's broken,' she whimpered.

'Which one?'

'My left.'

He reached down, grabbed her left arm and pulled her up as she shrieked in pain.

'Damn it, you're killing me, you bastard!'

'That's right. I am.' He dragged her along into the woods.

King's boat flew through the water. He glanced behind him and saw the wink of lights about five hundred yards behind. He clicked on his phone, which had somehow survived its dunking in the water.

'Is that you behind me?' he asked.

Michelle answered, 'And coming up fast.'

King slowed the boat as he maneuvered into the narrow inlet. As soon as he saw the beached FasTech, he cut his running lights.

'Okay,' he said into the phone, 'looks like they're out of the boat.'

Michelle's cruiser appeared at the mouth of the inlet. She powered down, cut her lights and coasted into shallow water next to the jet boat.

'Are you armed?' she called across.

He held up his pistol. 'I stopped at my houseboat before I headed back out.'

Michelle and Todd grabbed flashlights out of the Sea Ray's cabin, and the three climbed off their boats and waded to shore, their pistols aimed at the FasTech just in case Eddie was lying in wait.

Covering each other, they quickly made a search of the boat and found nothing except a used fire extinguisher.

They headed to shore and then into the woods.

'We'll spread out,' said King, 'but keep visual contact. No lights yet. He could pick us off easy that way.'

A bolt of lightning hit on the hill opposite them with such force that the ground seemed to shake.

'If the damn lightning doesn't get us first,' muttered Williams.

They threaded their way up to the crest of the hill and peered over.

'Two hundred yards and to the right is where the first body was found, if I'm not mistaken,' whispered King.

'About that,' said Michelle.

'We'll take it slow and easy,' said Williams. 'This guy's nuts but cagey as hell. I'm not looking to end up like Chip-'

Sylvia's scream hit them all right in the gut.

King tore down the hill, Michelle right on his heels, with Williams rumbling along in the rear.