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“How’s your mental sidekick?”
He stiffened. “What the hell do you mean by that?”
“I have my sources,” Joan said cryptically.
“She’s just fine.”
“I’m sure. But if you want my advice, you don’t need a fragile person covering your back in a crisis situation.”
“My back is just great.”
“Don’t I know it, along with your other parts. But seriously, Sean, friendship is one thing, but would you bet your life on it? Three people have already been killed. I don’t want you to be the fourth.”
She clicked off leaving Sean hating himself for suddenly having doubts about Michelle, but doubts they still were. What if she cracked when they were on CIA territory? What if she did something that might end up getting them killed?
CHAPTER
64
THE FOLLOWING AFTERNOON Michelle was trying to find Viggie, only no one knew where the girl was. Alicia was at her hut working, and the guard assigned to watch Viggie had somehow lost track of his charge. However, something Viggie had said earlier came back to Michelle and she set out at a dead run for the river.
Five minutes later she reached the boathouse and right away noticed that one of the kayaks was missing. Her gaze swept the river. A storm was
rolling in, the wind was gaining strength and the water current was fast. A rumble of thunder reached her ears and the smell of rain coming swiftly was suddenly thick in her nostrils.
The next sound she heard froze Michelle.
“Help me! Help me!”
Michelle grabbed a two-person kayak and paddle from the holder next to the boathouse, threw a loop of rope in it and raced down to the end of the dock. A few moments later she was in the kayak and cutting through the frothing chop of the river with each stroke.
“Help me!”
She saw the speck of red in the distance. As Michelle drew closer she saw that Viggie’s kayak had capsized. The girl was clinging to it, but she was being swept along by the accelerating river current. Michelle redoubled her effort and the kayak flew through the water. Michelle hadn’t rowed this hard for many months and even for her, the pace was grueling. A moment later she had all the incentive she needed. A lightning bolt struck the other side of the river with such force that the ground shook. This was followed by a deafening crack of thunder.
Viggie’s shrieks became louder now. Michelle kept her gaze steadily on the girl, letting the muscles of her arms, back and legs do the rest. Five minutes, and several hellish cracks of thunder and vicious lightning strikes later, Michelle pulled alongside the girl. As she put out her paddle for Viggie to grab the skies opened up and the rain came pelting down with such force it stung their faces and arms.
Viggie didn’t even make a grab at the paddle; she clung stubbornly to the side of her overturned kayak.
Michelle said as calmly as she could, “Viggie, I’ve got you. You’re going to be okay. Do you understand?”
The girl shook her head. She said in a trembling voice, “I’m going to drown. I don’t have a life jacket on.”
“You’re not going to drown. Take your free hand and grab hold of the paddle.”
“I can’t.”
“Yes you can, Viggie.”
Lightning struck so close to them that the hairs on Michelle’s neck stood up.
“Viggie, grab the paddle. Now!”
Viggie didn’t make a move, but the current did. It ripped the kayak out of her hand and sent it spinning off. She screamed and started to go under.
Michelle tied the coil of rope she’d thrown in the boat around one of her ankles and attached the other end to the carry loop on the kayak.
“Help me!” Viggie screamed as she floundered in the water and then went under.
