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freighter! He'd damned sure called that one all right! Something bitter spurted up into his mouth and he
swallowed it back. He dug the revolver from against his belly and ran for the wheel. Damnit! He'd make
a fight of it anyway!
Coming around, he opened her up, for all the damn good it did. She felt like a scow beneath him and
when he looked back he could see the bag, a black shiny object, hitting the surface and skipping,
submerging again, then breaking water to repeat the cycle. Beyond, and still a little north, came the
speed-boat, her bow raised high out of the water and cutting a hell of a wake behind her. She was
coming straight at him and he thought he could make out two ... maybe three people in her.
For a moment he panicked ... decided to cut the bag loose, then caught himself. To hell with it! He'd
gone this far. He'd go all the bloody way! He gripped the gun tight and felt the sweat slime between the
handle and his palm. Godamn them! He'd take a couple of them with him anyway! Jesus! Almost, but
not quite! A half million dollars ...! Beautiful! Come on you bastards! Take it away from me!
"Well, Charlie, a cool head can't win 'em all, can it?" he said aloud, then laughed bitterly. A maze of
things were running through his mind. He remembered as a kid how he had always abhorred the
thought of being aboard a sinking ship and how God-horrible a watery grave would be ... and how his
own little son had drowned ... and how he would never see Annette or Madeleine again, or any other
godamned thing ... He swore aloud and watched the boat coming down on him. Behind, the bag broke
water and went out of sight once more. He shifted the revolver from one hand to the other and back
again. Wait until they were close enough. No use wasting the bullets. He had only six, and they had to
count. He could see them now ... make them out. A man at the wheel and another in the seat behind him
... wearing white shirts and yachting caps ... yachting caps?
Shannon straightened slowly. The third passenger was a woman ... in a bathing suit. They were beside
him now and maybe fifty yards off the starboard. The woman waved!
His arm felt as if it were made of lead. Both the pilot and the man in back waved. He could see the smile
on the woman's face! He forced the hand that didn't have the gun up into the air. They all waved once
more and he waved back.
Suddenly, he was limp. He wasn't certain whether he was going to laugh or cry. He plodded back to the
pilot seat and flopped onto it. Then, he laughed until he choked, and when that was passed the
speed-boat was two miles beyond and going away.
Chapter 12
The storm came up in what seemed to be a matter of minutes, the cloud bank of thunderheads looming
rapidly out of the southwest to quickly overcast the heavens and burst open at their dull grey bellies,
unleashing vicious bolts of chain lightning with great claps of thunder and churning up a wicked sea.
Fortunately, Shannon had reached the island and was mooring the boat in the cove when it let loose its
wrath. He hauled in his booty and ran to the house where the girls waited tense and weepy with both
fear and excited anticipation.
The moment he entered they were all over him, hugging and kissing him, tears streaming down their
cheeks in their obvious joys at his safe return. He dropped the bag, taking each in an arm and held them
tight while they clung to him, pressing their delightful bodies snugly to his from either side, their hands
caressing, their soft lips on his bearded face while he sought their round full buttocks with his big hands
to smooth and massage them there. Christ, it was almost too much that one man should have it so good,
he beamed happily.
"We worried so, Cheri," Madeleine whimpered.
"Especially when we saw the storm coming up," added Annette. "We were both sorry we'd let you go ..."
"What would we ever have done if something had happened to you?"
Madeleine sniffled.
"Okay, okay," Shannon chuckled, finally working himself free. He picked up the bag and said: "Nothing
did happen ... but for awhile there I had my doubts ... Anyway, there it is! A half million bucks, dolls ...
all ours! From here on out the world's our oyster ... and man, are we going to enjoy it! Come on, let's
start counting."
Greedily and with nervous hands, he removed the waterproof container, opened the valise and gaped at
its contents. Slowly, the girls came in close on either side to stare with him. It presented an almost
unbelievable, breathtaking sight. It was divided in Canadian and U. S. currency and tiny little gasps of
awe escaped each of them as they studied and touched it almost reverently.
"Y-You suppose it's all there?" asked Madeleine, her voice barely audible.
"I'd wager it is, but let's count it and find out," said Shannon, turning the valise over, emptying the
packeted money onto the table. "Go ahead, you girls start counting while I watch and catch my breath."
"Oui, Cheri," chirped Annette, setting immediately to the task with enthusiasm.
Sir Launcelot came up to Shannon then, nuzzling close to him affectionately. The movement surprised
and pleased him; it seemed that he'd finally been accepted all the way around. He petted the massive
head and heard the animal's whining response. Christ, it was a great life he had ahead of him, almost too
great to comprehend right at the moment. All the money in the whole godamned world ... He crossed
the room, his mind reeling with its pleasurable thoughts.
Outside, the rain had increased in its intensity, changing momentarily into hail-stones and causing an
immediate dropping of temperature that would produce fog. Shannon looked to the girls who were
working feverishly over the money and wondered if they had yet noticed the prompt cooling off of the
house. Neither of them were overdressed:
Madeleine in a summer mini-thing she'd brought with her, and Annette in the thin sweater-slacks outfit
she'd been wearing when he'd brought her there, but they were too busy to pay attention to anything but
the stacks of bills before them. He laughed to himself, sensing the odor of musty and overstuffed furniture
along with that of partially burned wood from the fireplace the cooling dampness was raising. While they
went on counting, he found paper and chips to light a fire, then made coffee, all of the time thinking about
the wild little orgy they were going to stage right there before the godamned fireplace in celebration, just
as soon as he calmed his nerves and remartialed his wits ...
"It's all here, Cheri," informed Annette happily. "Five-hundred-thousand dollars! Mon Dieu! I'll bet mon
pere has turned blue with rage." She ran to where he sat and threw herself onto his lap, her arms around
his neck, kissing him passionately. "Where are we going from here, lover? A thousand, thousand miles
away, I hope."
"That far anyway," Shannon replied with a grin. "But not before I get a bit of loving from you two to
show your appreciation."
"Mmmmmmmm," Annette purred, kissing him once more.
Madeleine came and joined them, sitting her lush full buttocks on the arm of the chair and slipping her
arm around his neck. She said: "How long do we stay here, Cheri?"
"We'll leave sometime tonight. The storm should be over then," he said.
"But there'll be fog," Annette warned. "There's always fog on the water after a storm like this one."
"Maybe ... but I think we can make it all right with the compass ..."
A loud throaty bark of warning from Launcelot caused Shannon to jerk erect. At first, he thought the
wind had blown open the heavy door, until he saw the two of them burst through the entrance with
leveled guns in hand, both of them crouched forward like something left over from a cheap monster
movie in their skin-diving outfits. But the expressions on their faces advised differently, and from that
point he never had a moment's doubt what was going on.
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