Jess hurried to get dressed in the cramped space of the cave, Burke doing the same beside her. Every now and then he’d glance at her, she could feel it, or she would glance at him, but they didn’t exchange words and barely even made eye contact. There was too much to do now, and they were running behind.

She finished dressing and crawled to the edge of the cave. Peered out and across the rock and cocked her head and listened to the motor. It was a boat, that was obvious, and she couldn’t hear the helicopter. Maybe they were lucky, and Kirby had left the bird behind.

Burke poked his head out beside her. “Can’t be in the pass yet,” he said. “That engine would be louder.”

“Not yet, but soon,” she replied. “You have what you need?”

He reached back into the cave, came out with the shotgun and two of the pistols. “What about Lucy?”

“I’ll tie her up somewhere the fighting won’t reach her,” Jess said. “She’ll be okay. You just worry about doing your job.”

He saluted, saying, “Yes, ma’am,” and she had to smile.

“Go,” she said. “And stay out of sight until you hear me start shooting.”

He hoisted the shotgun. Leaned over and kissed her, hard, on the mouth, and then he was gone, skirting the rock face to the forest and disappearing within. He would circle around to the northeast end of the island, wait to trap Kirby and the boys in the pass. If all went to plan, Jess didn’t think she would need him, but even if she did, the fight was going to end quick.

She called for Lucy. Heard the dog stretch, and the jingle of her collar as she made her way out of the cave.

“Good morning, girl,” Jess told her. “Things are going to get weird for a little while here, but I don’t want you to worry. Everything’s going to be fine.”

Lucy looked at her with worried eyes.

“I promise,” Jess said. “We’ll take care of some business, and then we’ll get on back to the mainland and I’ll buy you a steak, okay?”

Lucy licked her face, and Jess figured that was as good an agreement as she was likely to get. She reached over to the ruined inflatable, untied the line from the bow, and tied it around Lucy’s collar, and then, crouching low, she hurried the dog into the trees and circled up and around to the top of the rock wall, above the little cave. Found a nice little spot far away from where the shooting would happen, sheltered by rock and nestled in the ferns, and tied Lucy’s line to a tree.

“You stay here,” she told the dog. “I’ll come back for you soon.”