Cut and Run 2 - Sticks and Stones

eyes on the opposite riverbank the entire time.
    Ty clambered out of the water, struggling over slippery rocks, probably frozen already and unable to feel the fingers he was using to scratch his way to dry land. Once he was clear of the steep riverbank, he turned and waved to them like they hadn’t been watching him like hawks the entire time. The rope on his chest was visibly tugging him, obviously still caught on something large. After he was sure he’d gotten their attention, he yanked at the line a few good times until it came loose, almost sending him falling backward as the tension was released.
    Deuce sat back down with a relieved thud and closed his eyes for a moment, rubbing at his forehead. Earl finally tore his eyes from the riverbank in order to finish rolling their supplies into dry packs.
    “Lucky son of a bitch,” one of the two prisoners muttered grudgingly.
    Zane turned to slog back up onto the bank and looked over the four men with him. “Deuce, why don’t you go next? Then there will be two of you over there when we send one of them.” He jerked a thumb at Earflaps and Redjacket.
    “Good plan,” Deuce muttered as he began to strip his clothing just as Ty had done. They stuffed his and Ty’s things into one of the waterproof packs with as many supplies as they could, and Deuce slung it over his shoulders as Earl worked the winch.
    On the other side of the rushing water, Ty had found a tree to secure the heavy nylon line to. When the winch pulled it tight and it held, Zane could see Ty’s shoulders slump in relief. He felt like slumping himself. But not yet. He watched as Ty picked up a handful of leaves from the ground and began rubbing his bare skin down, trying to dry himself before he got too cold. They needed to hurry.
    “Ready to go?” he asked Deuce.
    Deuce sighed as he looked at Zane, but his lips quirked into a wry smile as he nodded. “I just wish I could think of something clever to say,” he admitted as he put his hand on the taut line and began to follow it into the water. “Holy shit, it’s cold!” he called out as the water lapped at his bare ankles, but he kept moving anyway.
    Zane rolled his eyes, put his hands on his hips, and turned on their prisoners. “Who’s next?” he asked pleasantly. They both sat staring at him as if he was out of his mind. Studying them, Zane thought he might understand why Ty got that look of unholy glee in his eyes sometimes. “Right then. I nominate you.” He pointed at Redjacket. “All in favor?” He raised his hand.
    Beside him, Earl raised his hand as well without taking his eyes off Deuce. Earflaps quickly raised both hands, since they were lashed together.
    Redjacket snarled at him. “Put your hands down, idiot.”
    “The ayes have it.” Zane grabbed Redjacket by the arms and started propelling him toward the water.
    Earl watched them distractedly, his attention torn between them and Deuce as he struggled out of the water on the other side. He breathed a sigh of relief as Ty grabbed Deuce by the forearm and yanked him up the slippery bank to safety. He turned to Zane and stepped close enough to speak to him in a low voice. “Don’t you think we should cross with them?”
    “Too risky for us,” Zane reasoned as he watched Redjacket inch into the water. Earl looked at him in confusion for a moment and then turned to watch Redjacket’s progress. The man had stopped and dug in just short of the water, and Zane shrugged. In one smooth motion, he pulled his gun and fired a shot that hit and skidded through the wet dirt at Redjacket’s feet, sending him scurrying into the water with a yell.
    “You asshole! You’re gonna kill me!” he bawled. But he grabbed the rope, put it to his back to have support against the strength of the rushing water, and started moving deeper into the current.
    Across the water, Ty and Deuce had stopped getting dressed and were both shouting unintelligibly at them. Zane glanced at Earl to see if he was making out what they were saying.
    “I think they’re asking you not to shoot at them again,” Earl answered, his lips almost twitching into a smile.
    Zane smiled and gestured significantly with the weapon when Redjacket looked back at them obstinately. The longer he tarried, the colder he would get. They hadn’t allowed him to remove his clothing, and Zane didn’t care if he caught ill. He raised his gun again threateningly. Across the water, Ty and Deuce both scrambled to take cover behind