Page 411 of Hidden Depths
John crouched below the starboard railing, waiting for a clear shot.
He saw me.
The kidnapper didn’t.
“Move,” the man ordered.
Hazel dug her heels into the deck.
“You’re not taking me anywhere.”
He tightened his arm.
Her face twisted in pain.
I raised my weapon.
No clear shot.
John held up three fingers.
Then two.
One.
John rose on the starboard side.
The kidnapper turned toward him.
Hazel dropped.
Not forward.
Straight down, the way someone had taught her to escape a hold.
The man’s arm slipped over her head.
I fired.
The bullet struck his shoulder.
John vaulted the railing and hit him before he recovered.
The gun skidded across the deck.
Hazel kicked it away.
The kidnapper drove John backward.
I crossed the flybridge and caught the man from the side.
He swung at me.
I blocked the strike and drove him against the railing.
He reached for a knife.
Hazel picked up the gun.
