“We’ll get inandwe’ll watch for danger,” Reyva insisted.
Soon, they were at the end of the trail. Crouching down behind one of the boulders on the shore, they looked out at the dock. There! She saw the boat, but a dark figure stood at the helm. Who was—
The boat’s motor roared to life.
The man in camo maneuvered to the side of the boat and untied the line from the dock. He looked back at shore, scanning the edge of the forest. His shotgun lay next to the steering console, in easy reach. His face was unreadable at this distance, but Claire thought—
“Stop!” Jack roared. He burst out of their hiding place and ran toward the dock.
“Jack!” Mariana cried. At the same time, Claire yelled, “Come back!” And Reyva yelled, “Get back here!”
The man in the boat picked up his shotgun.
Mariana screamed, “Jack, watch out!”
“Get down!” Reyva yelled.
Eyes on the shore, the man kicked off from the dock with one booted foot. Gun tucked under his armpit, he shifted to the back of the boat and increased the throttle. As Jack ran onto the dock, the boat sped away.
“Come back!” Jack yelled after him. “What are you doing?”
“Stop, Jack!” Claire shouted. Reyva and Mariana joined her, shouting at him to get off the dock, to watch out—this was the same man who’d tried to shoot them and who had most likely shot Ms. Williams.
Hearing them, Jack turned toward them, away from the boat—
And a gunshot thundered.
Screaming, Claire, Reyva, and Mariana ducked behind the rock. They heard the boat motoring away, increasing in speed. Reyva rose to peek around the boulder.
Another thunderous shot.
As Reyva dived to the ground, Claire clapped her hands over her ears and closed her eyes. She felt as if the sound were echoing over and over in her head. She’d never heard a gun fired before, not outside of a TV show or a movie. It sounded like a thunderclap inside her head, and she felt its echo in the base of her stomach.
The motor grew farther and farther away.
“Jack?” Mariana whispered.
“I don’t know,” Reyva said.
Mariana rose to her feet, and Claire pulled her back down. “Not yet.”
When the boat’s hum grew more distant, she released her. Mariana popped to her feet. “Jack!” She ran toward the dock, her footsteps thudding on the wood.
As she rose to her feet, Claire saw Jack, prone on the dock, lying facedown. Mariana dropped to her knees next to him. She kept repeating his name.
No, no, no, she thought.He’s dead. And it’s our fault.Myfault. I knew there was danger.If she’d warned him better... If they’d stopped him from running out there... If they’d taken another second to explain what they were afraid of... Sinking to the ground, she tried to focus on inhaling. She couldn’t seem to get a full breath. She felt sweat bead on her forehead. Counting furiously, she tried to beat back the panic.Not now, she thought.Not here. Please.
“Not dead,” Reyva said. “Claire? Breathe. He’s not dead.”
At Reyva’s urging, she looked again to see Mariana helping Jack stand. He was clutching his head and staring out across the water at the distant boat.Not dead, Claire’s brain repeated.He’s not dead.She found she could breathe again.
Claire and Reyva joined them on the dock.
“Are you shot?” Reyva asked bluntly.
Wordless, Jack shook his head, then winced.
“Move your hand,” Reyva ordered. “Let me see your head.”
