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Calvin felt his body shift to its own command. He bent at the waist and bulldozed the blond with his right shoulder, catching him mid-section and driving him sideways into the black water. |
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Calvin mouthed against the tape for Terry to run. She began to stumble across the lawn, but the man with the shovel threw her onto the grass. |
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A muffled thwup, and Calvin felt a burning flash in his right side. He stumbled to the concrete apron of the pool. A bullet had gone through his side. Someplace across the lawn, he heard Terry cry out. |
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Calvin's hands were behind him, so he couldn't feel where he had taken the round. Never mind, he was more concerned with not moving, of playing dead. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the men rush to the pool. |
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The blond had surfaced and was flapping his arms and spitting up foul water. "Help me, goddammit, I can't swim . . ." |
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Two of them crouched at the edge but the blond had surfaced out of reach. One stretched the shovel handle to him, but he was too panicked and went under. |
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Raiders kicked off his shoes and lowered himself in. Still holding the shovel, the monitor eyed Calvin. |
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Across the lawn Terry picked herself up under the gun of the fourth man. |
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The two men at the pool worked to pull in the blond. When Calvin saw Raiders grab for the shovel to be towed in, he pushed himself up and staggered into the woods. The monitor was too preoccupied to take aim. |
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"Get him," Raiders shouted. |
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Calvin cut deep into the trees, trying not to blind himself on branches or stumble. His footfall was noisy. So was the man's behind him. |
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He risked ducking down and listening. No footsteps behind. When he was fairly certain the man had gotten lost or given up, he made his way back to the rear of the garage. |
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The light was out, so he had to feel blindly for the jagged glass. He backed up to it and sawed away at the bonds, the glass lacerating his fingers. |
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