‘Doddle, my ass!’ Nina retorted.
He grinned, then looked past her at the river ahead as he pulled away from the waterlogged bank. His plan was working; they had made up ground on the fleeing spy. If they cut a few more corners, he would soon be in effective rifle range of the other Englishman…
Brice came back into view — closer than Eddie had expected. He wasn’t taking the shortest possible route through the curves, instead following the deeper, safer middle of the waterway. The Yorkshireman realised why. The spy’s full attention wasn’t on piloting the boat because he was multitasking, one hand raised to his head—
Holding the satellite phone. ‘Shit! The bastard’s calling for help!’
‘I don’t care,’ Brice barked into the phone. ‘Get that chopper to me ASAP. If Sir Robert kicks up a stink, remind him who set up his deals in the first place. Just get it done!’
He disconnected and pocketed the phone — then heard another engine. He looked back.
A boat was following him, two familiar figures — one bald, the other red-haired — aboard. ‘Really?’ he said with a faint huff that was as much grudging admiration as exasperation. ‘What does it take to kill you, Chase?’
The engine at full power, he changed course to cut more tightly through the river’s bends. Another look back as he sliced around a muddy bank. Chase’s boat disappeared behind trees.
Confident that he would reopen the gap, he checked his watch. The helicopter he had summoned should reach him within half an hour, less if his contacts hammered home the urgency of its mission.
And once he was airborne, he could arrange to take care of any loose ends — including those pursuing him.
27
Eddie glared after Brice’s craft. Now that the British agent had seen he was being pursued, he was cutting corners himself to maintain or even open the gap—
‘Eddie!’ They turned to see Fortune’s boat behind them — and the Insekt Posse in pursuit. ‘They’re catching up!’ Paris called.
Only one of the three enemy craft had more than two people in it, yet ironically this also seemed the fastest. ‘It’s Luaba!’ Eddie said, recognising the hulking figure in the sleek black-and-gold speedboat’s prow.
‘Mukobo’s buddy?’ asked Nina.
‘Yeah. And he’ll probably be pretty pissed off about what happened to his mate!’
‘Oh, you think?’
He looked ahead as Brice went around another curve, then back… ‘Take over,’ he said.
Nina blinked. ‘You want me to drive?’
‘You want to shoot instead?’
‘I’ll drive.’ She hurriedly switched places.
He tipped the AK to drain any water that had collected in the barrel, then lined it up on their pursuers. The leading boat was well within range — but the man in its front seat had an identical weapon to his own—
Fire flashed from its muzzle. ‘Split up!’ Eddie shouted. Fortune sent his boat to the right, Nina peeling left as rounds kicked up little geysers in the water between them.
He fired back, scoring a hit on the first boat. The gunman flinched as splinters flew at his face. Luaba’s craft pulled out to overtake, the huge man readying his own gun. ‘Paris!’ the Yorkshireman called. ‘You take the—’
‘Eddie!’ Nina cried in alarm. ‘No way through!’
Toppled trees bobbed ahead, forming a literal logjam. A churned line of froth showed where Brice had slalomed between them, but his wake had moved the obstacles, closing the gap—
‘There!’ Eddie shouted, pointing. The flood wave had inundated another swathe of low-lying marsh — and he glimpsed the curving line of the river beyond its far side. ‘Take a shortcut through there, quick!’
‘Are you crazy?’ she protested. ‘We’ll hit a tree!’
‘You’d rather get shot?’
Nina didn’t like either option, but the only alternative was slowing to pick their way between the logs — which at the rate the Insekt Posse were closing would get them killed. She turned towards the drowned bank.
Fortune took another route, however, heading straight for the obstruction. ‘Fortune! What’re you doing?’ Eddie yelled. ‘You’re gonna crash!’
The Congolese kept going, Paris scrambling into the boat’s rear and shouting for Rivero to follow him. The overweight American clambered to the stern… and Fortune released the throttle. The sudden deceleration pitched the bow downwards. Rivero lost his balance and fell — as the mercenary jammed the outboard back to full power. The combination of the surge in speed and Rivero’s landing flipped the boat’s nose back up, out of the water—
It hit the tree, the keel rasping across the wood like a saw blade as the vessel rode over its top. For a moment it seemed too tail-heavy to clear it… until Paris threw himself forward, landing beside the shrieking Lydia and bringing the boat see-sawing over the downed trunk.
Eddie stared in astonishment. ‘He is the luckiest bloody…’
The Insekt Posse raced around the bend behind them. The leading boat’s driver saw that Fortune’s craft was not yet back at full speed and swerved to follow, assuming that if one boat could clear the log, so could another—
He was wrong.
The speedboat’s prow hit the tree — and caved in.
The vessel somersaulted into the air and sent its occupants flying. One hit another floating trunk, a broken bough punching through his torso. His companion splashed down just ahead of Fortune’s boat. The Congolese twitched the tiller to drive over him. The thunk from beneath the hull as his head bashed against it was followed by a muffled crunch as his face met the propeller.
Eddie winced. ‘That’s one way to get a really close shave!’
Nina was about to respond with distaste when she realised the other two boats had turned to avoid the blockage — and were coming after them. ‘Okay, that’s not fair!’ she said instead as she drove into the floodland.
The boat vaulted over the submerged bank into the muddy new lagoon. The water was deep enough for it to traverse — but only just, the craft lurching as earthen humps beneath the surface punched at its underbelly. She struggled to guide it between the trees as Eddie took aim at the Insekt Posse.
Shots cracked between the boats. Luaba was in the front of the leading craft. He blasted away with his AK, bullets closing on their target—
Nina gasped and ducked as rounds hit the hull, then looked up again. ‘Whoa!’ she cried. A stand of trees loomed before the bow. She swerved hard left to avoid it. The sharp turn threw Eddie sidelong, sending his shots wide. ‘Sorry!’
She straightened out, only to find the way ahead blocked where a huge tree had fallen. No choice but to take the long way back around the stand—
The militia cut right to intercept her.
Luaba’s speedboat emerged on the other side, not far behind Nina’s — and the faster vessel quickly drew level and swept in for an attack. Eddie fired at the militia leader, but hit only air as his boat bucked through the shallows—
The two boats collided.
The Englishman was thrown to the floor, landing amongst the expedition’s spilled supplies. Nina managed to keep hold of the tiller and angle away. She saw Luaba recovering, about to fire at Eddie—
She shoved the outboard hard over. Her boat’s bow slammed against the other vessel’s stern — and kicked it into a spin.
Luaba was almost flung overboard, sheer muscle power keeping him inside. The driver frantically cut the throttle, the whirling boat stopping just short of a tree. The big man bellowed French obscenities and pointed after the fleeing couple as the other militia overtook them. The outboard roared again, sending the craft back in pursuit.