She sat up, pushing loose hairs from her face.“Isn’t that dangerous?The water’s still too unpredictable.”
“It’s our best chance, and it’s not far from shore.I’ll tow it around to this bay.I just wanted to tell you where I was going.”
She frowned.“Why?In case you didn’t come back?”
He shrugged.“There are risks with everything.”
“I’m coming with you.”She got to her feet.
“No.I’m a strong swimmer.I need to concentrate on what I’m doing, not worry about you.”
“I’ll watch from the shore.If you run into trouble, I can rescue you.”
“If I run into trouble, you’ll only get yourself into trouble by trying to rescue me.There are plenty of things I can grab on to.The worst that will happen is I’ll get pulled out to sea.”
She glared at him.“Oh good.”
Her sarcasm made him smile and he dug into his pack, pulling out some rope.It might be long enough if he needed rescuing.He handed it to her.“You can throw me a line if I’m in trouble, but only if I give you the signal.”He waved his hands to demonstrate.“Otherwise I don’t want you breaking from the cover of the jungle.”He handed her his scope as well.“Use this to keep an eye on what people are doing in the village.If anyone comes near you, hide.”
“All right.”
The last thing he pulled out was his spare pair of thick socks.“Put these on.They’re not as good as shoes, but they’ll protect your feet a little.”
Quickly she did so and then they moved back to the bay.It took him a moment to spot the zod again.It was perhaps ten metres further out than it had been and it looked as if it was being pulled away from the shore by the current.
Shit.
He jogged through the jungle to where he had the least amount of open ground to cover.Mila took a moment to catch up.He pointed out the boat to her.“The plan is to swim it around the bay as it is and then check its condition where no one is around.”
“What if the current is too strong?”
“Then I’ll test the engine or use the oars.”Maybe some of the oars would still be with it.“No matter what happens, stay here.I will come back for you.There’s enough food and water in the pack for two days.”
“Damien, you’re scaring me.”
“Just coming up with Plan D.”
She gave him a shaky smile.“Be careful.”
“Always.I have to go before it drifts further out.”Dobby took the scope from her to scan the people closest to them, but no one was looking their way.He couldn’t delay leaving her any longer.
He gave the scope back and then dashed across the debris-ladened shore to the water, all the while listening for shouts of alarm.At the water he went low, pulling his way across the sand until it was deep enough to swim.
Immediately the water pulled at him, tugging him this way and that.
It was difficult to spot the boat with the rest of the rubbish in the water, but he used breaststroke to part the debris.
The black water smelled like refuse and he refused to think about what might be in it.
The further he got away from the shore, the more the current pulled him out to the ocean.The boat was still about twenty metres away, but it was floating in the same direction.
He increased his pace, as part of a bedroom dresser hit him.He absorbed the weight and pushed past it.
Only ten metres to go.
In the distance he heard the fishing boat coming closer.He lifted his head over the debris to look.It was heading in his direction, but the captain wasn’t looking at him or the boat.
Still it wouldn’t be long before he spotted it if it kept coming this way.
