CHAPTER SEVENTY-SEVEN


It went against all of Elena’s training to stumble through the undergrowth making as much noise as she could. She cried out as if a child, the voice abruptly cut off, sounding like a silenced, frightened boy, then the whimper of a baby, snapping branches until shots rang out and she knew that her ruse was working. There was cursing behind her and she increased her speed, now using stealth, her movements sure and silent, waiting for her opportunity to make her shots count.

Once she heard movement in the bushes to her right, not the sounds of a man and she stood quietly while what ever animal it had been rushed off into the darkness. Several shots rang out but fortunately for the fleeing creature her pursuers seemed to be lousy shots.

Something with long spikes flicked across her arm, ripping her shirt and leaving a long scratch that stung ferociously but she had no choice but to ignore it and push on.

It had been too long since she heard anything from the gun men so she let loose a couple of rounds into a grove of trees, then raced away, hoping to attract their interest again. Sure enough the semi opened fire, completely severing the limbs of a thin tree near where she had been. She clambered quietly up to the top of boulders she knew from their earlier trip were the start of the ridge that led to the point, laying flat on them and looking down into the trees, checking for movement.

There at her 8 o’clock, someone intently watching the ground as if expecting there to be neon lit footprints. She ignored him, loath to give her elevated position away and slithered over the rocks on her stomach until she had put some taller boulders between her and her tracker.

She was making a wide arc to the north, going inland, intending to double back slightly for the climb to the top of the rocks. She sensed movement to her left and waited, saw the muzzle flash as one of the thugs shot at a shadow, aimed instinctively and heard his scream as her aim rang true. She moved on, heard Urs message and clicked her reply.

“Jump?” What did he have planned? Not that it mattered. She trusted him… he said jump, so she would jump.”

Another of the gunmen got a little careless and she took him out with a head shot when he raised himself too high to look and was silhouetted against the night sky.

It wasn’t far now and she made a last scramble up the boulders, through the trees, felt a burst of semi auto fire breeze past her side as she launched herself into space and fell toward the water.

**