Her foolish decision to leave Treasury’s had landed her in a terrible fix. At the moment, she lay tied and gagged in the hull of a boat transporting her to her death. Her clothes were soaked from the driving rain, but she knew from past experience the storm would only get worse. She would be left alone to drown in a concrete hole in a sandbar, and the only people who knew of her predicament were determined she would die. She suspected that would happen shortly. The man at the controls of the boat cut the engine and glanced at his friend sitting beside him. “You need me to help you get her in the blind?” He shook his head. “I think I can manage. Just be ready to get out of here. This rain is coming down harder, and I want to get back to shore.” He bent over, jerked her to her feet and threw her over his shoulder like she weighed nothing. His muscles bulged under his shirt, and she squirmed to make carrying her more difficult. It didn’t appear to bother him. As if he was going for an afternoon stroll, he stepped out of the boat onto the submerged sandbar.
