Page 135 of Deep Tide

“No.”

“You know if they’re any good?”

Sean’s gut clenched. “Yeah. Supposedly, the best.”

“They’d better be.”

•••

Leyla hid behind the forklift, praying they wouldn’t see her. Her heart was thudding so hard, she thought it would pound right out of her body.

Voices neared her, and she tried to melt into the shadows. People were looking for her. She couldn’t make out all their words, but she could tell from the urgent tone of their voices. Gagnon knew she was missing, and he had put the word out to search. Now she could hear men rushing around, combing every inch of this place.

More footsteps, and she hunched low, trying to be invisible. She hadn’t gotten anywhere near a door yet, or any sort of room where she might find a phone or radio. She needed a weapon, too, preferably a blade. A chef’s knife would be beautiful, but she’d settle for anything sharp. Or heavy. She glanced around, looking for a wrench or a crowbar or even a glass bottle. But there was nothing out here. Sure, there was plenty of heavy equipment, but everything was either bolted down or secured with chains. She looked behind a pile of wooden platforms and saw a roll of orange twine. Not helpful. But then she spied a pair of pointed pliers with rubber handles. No match for a gun, but better than nothing. She snatched them up.

Ducking around a pipe, she spotted a metal staircase leading to the lower level. She made a dash for it, trying to keep her footsteps quiet as she hurried down the stairs. The lower level was darker, with more pipes and ducts and places to hide. But she still needed to locate a phone.

Footsteps thudded closer, and a pair of big men rushed by, so close she could smell the sweat on them. She moved deeper into the shadows, closer and closer to the edge of the drilling platform. Wind whipped her hair against her face, and she could smell the saltwater. She was out here in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico! And this platform had to be forty feet off the water.

She had to find a better hiding place than this. And she had to get her hands on a phone or a radio. She had to make a call for help and then—

A hand clamped around the back of her neck. She whirled around and found herself face-to-face with Gagnon.

Leyla stabbed him with the pliers and wrestled free.

•••

There! Look!”

Sean jerked his head around. Joel was looking through his binoculars and pointing at the rig. Sean rushed to the starboard side and lifted his binoculars.

Leyla.

She was crouched low, running along beside a metal railing.

“She’s running from someone,” Joel said. “See?”

Sean scanned the area, looking for someone chasing her.

“That team needs to get in there now,” Owen said. “Sean?”

Sean whipped out his phone and with a trembling hand dialed his contact.

•••

Leyla darted behind a big metal duct and stopped to catch her breath. Her heart was thundering. Where had he gone? Where? He was just behind her.

She kept moving, trying to keep to the shadows as she stumbled forward. She reached a thick yellow pipe and climbed over it, landing hard on her knee. Then she scrambled to her feet.

“Stop.”

Her skin went cold, and she whirled around.

Gagnon strode toward her, his black pistol pointed right at her.

Leyla looked to the side. Her stomach lurched. In the glow of the rig lights, she saw whitecaps on the churning water.

“Don’t bother,” Gagnon said. “It’s a long way down.”

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