Spyder Web

59

Kilkenny grabbed hold of Stone’s jacket as Spitfire capsized and they were flung into the river. Once in the water, he threw his free arm across the injured man’s chest and pulled him clear of the wreck. Yakushev broke the water’s surface nearby, still shaken from the crash as he seized hold of the Spitfire‘s hull.

With Stone in tow, Kilkenny swam over and joined Yakushev beside the wreckage. ‘You okay?’

‘I’m a little bruised,’ Yakushev replied, ‘but otherwise fine. What about Kang and Parnell?’

‘You’re right. One or both of them might still be able to cause us some trouble. Can you hang on here with Andrei?’ he asked Stone.

‘I think so — I’ve still got one good arm.’

Kilkenny left Stone by the hull and began treading water. ‘I’m going to take a look around and see if anyone from Parnell’s boat survived. Holler if you guys see any trouble.’

Kilkenny glided away from his comrades, propelling himself silently beneath the water with only his head above the choppy surface. Steam and exhaust poured out of Spitfire‘s engine compartment. The boat’s propeller finally sputtered to a stop as the engine choked on river water. Rounding the stern, Kilkenny discovered a widespread field of flotsam littering the surface.

About five meters away, he found someone struggling in the water. Kilkenny fought off the vindictive urge to let one of the conspirators drown; instead, he moved in to help. Kilkenny recognized Roe in the brief instant that her face was above the water. She was lashed to a captain’s chair and the seat’s foam cushions were buoyant enough that they held her facedown in the water. Kilkenny’s muscled forearm wrapped around the chest of the frantically choking woman and pulled her head out of the water.

‘I’ve got you,’ Kilkenny reassured her. ‘You’re going to be fine. Just relax and I’ll take care of everything.’ Kilkenny pulled her through the water and Roe calmed down once she stopped choking and caught her breath. ‘By the way, I’m Nolan Kilkenny.’

‘Kilkenny!’ Roe’s eyes grew wide when she repeated the name. ‘I thought you were in jail!’

‘A simple misunderstanding that a Russian friend of yours claims you can explain.’

Looking at the wreckage, Roe wondered how her mentor had fared in the violent exchange. ‘Is Andrei all right?’

‘Yeah, he’s a tough old guy.’ Kilkenny pulled Roe back to where the others clung to Spitfire‘s hull.

A fatherly smile came to Yakushev when he recognized the person in Kilkenny’s grasp. ‘Anya, are you hurt?’

‘I’m fine, Andrei, just a bit handicapped by these ropes.’

‘I’ll get those off as soon as I can get a few more hands on you,’ Kilkenny promised. ‘Andrei, take hold of her for a minute.’

Yakushev grasped the chair with his free arm, struggling to keep Roe from flipping facedown into the river. Kilkenny let go and treaded water while untying the knotted ropes.

‘Nolan, did you see anyone else over there?’ Stone asked.

‘No.’

‘Kang, Parnell, and I were the only ones left,’ Roe offered.

‘Well, it looks like you’re the lucky one,’ Kilkenny replied. ‘I’m surprised that any of us survived that crash.’

The pilot of the police helicopter Eagle witnessed the collision in horror from above the river. He had maintained a safe distance from the speeding boats earlier to avoid drawing any gunfire; now he held his distance for fear of swamping the survivors before help arrived. He hovered as close as he dared and counted four figures in the water, clinging to an overturned hull. One of the survivors waved to him. It appeared that they were all right.