What saved him from certain death wasn’t his willpower, however.It was the memory of Vanessa’s PT sessions.He mimicked the motions she’d shown him, and the pain receded.He was able to keep moving because of her.Soon, he was halfway there, and Mendez still hadn’t shot him.
In the final stretch, the pain returned with a vengeance, and his progress slowed to a crawl.He switched to a sidestroke, with his left arm hanging uselessly under water and his right doing the bulk of the work.Paul had to dig deep to finish the grueling trip to the shore.He recognized the spot he’d visited recently—was it only yesterday?He headed there.He used one arm, and he kicked his legs, and he propelled his body forward through sheer determination.He wasn’t sure how he did it.He thought of Vanessa and Emily, and he just did it.When his feet touched the sandy lake bottom, he made a sound like a dying whale.Dragging his body forward, he beached himself on the rocky shore.
He shuddered and heaved, grabbing handfuls of wet soil.He leaned over and vomited into the shallow water.Wiping his mouth, he crawled a few more feet and collapsed.If Mendez wanted to shoot him, here he was.
Come and get me, you bastard.
“Not much of a swimmer, are you?”a man asked.
Paul spat onto the rocks, and opened one eye.He knew without looking that the voice belonged to Aiden Mendez, but he wanted a visual confirmation.The man standing nearby wore black clothing with no markings.He had short, dark hair and an athletic build.A black gaiter covered most of his face.
“I was better before your brother shot me,” Paul said.
“You know who I am?”
Paul coughed weakly and nodded.He took his time to recover.No sense hurrying to become Mendez’s next victim.After a few minutes, he straightened to a sitting position.Aiden Mendez didn’t seem interested in Paul’s struggles.He wasn’t watching, at any rate.He was looking across the lake.He didn’t appear particularly threatening.The binoculars around his neck could have belonged to a mild-mannered birdwatcher.Paul wondered where he’d stashed his rifle, and how long he intended to keep him alive.
“Why are you here?”Paul asked.
“To kill you,” Aiden replied.
It was a chilling reply, delivered in a conversational tone.Paul was too exhausted to feel anything, even fear.He followed Aiden’s gaze toward the water.There was no evidence of the boat or Bennett.
“You missed,” Paul said.
“I never miss.”
“You meant to kill a stranger?”
“Based on my observations, he deserved it.”
Paul couldn’t argue with this assessment, though he didn’t understand the endgame.His head was still fuzzy from the near-drowning, his stomach queasy, and his muscles trembling.He tilted his face toward the sun, eyes closed, and tried not to vomit again.
“Do you disagree?”Aiden asked.
“No.I’m just surprised you would bother.”
Aiden pushed away from the tree and picked up a nearby rock.He sent it skipping across the water.Paul had read an extensive amount of background on the Mendez organization.Aiden was an interesting case.He hadn’t participated in the family business as much as his brother—Angel.He’d done a tour of duty in Iraq.He was in his mid-twenties, and he looked more like a college student than a career criminal.
“Tell me about your woman,” Aiden said.
Paul felt another wave of nausea crash over him.He knew the cabin was visible from this vantage point.“What woman?”
“Don’t play dumb.”
“How long have you been watching me?”
“Long enough to get an eyeful.”
He swallowed hard.It was better to keep Aiden talking, even if the subject was Vanessa.“What do you want to know?”
“Why did that guy come after her?”
Paul spat on the rocks again.“He was her ex-husband.He wanted her to drive him to Mexico.”
“Who was he running from?”
“I don’t know.”
