Dead Hunt

asked.
‘‘All right, considering,’’ he said, smiling.
She scrambled down to his feet and took off his shoes and socks. She took the time to put the shoes back on before she continued. She didn’t want to take the chance that the kid would suddenly decide to dump them somewhere and Kingsley would be without shoes.
‘‘What are you doing?’’ Kingsley whispered.
‘‘Your socks are the only thing I can get at right now to dress your wound,’’ she said.
‘‘You know, I don’t really like the sound of that,’’ he said. ‘‘My socks?’’
Diane smiled briefly. At least he was alert and not focused too much on pain. She thought it was a good sign. She folded one of the socks and put it next to the wound. She folded the other one.
‘‘I’m going to have to try and scoot my hands up your jacket and shirt to put this in place,’’ she said. She rolled him over.
I’m an idiot, she thought. Letting myself get in a situation like this. I should have my PhD revoked. Then, Keep alert. Forget about the pain in your head . While he was on his stomach, she untied his ropes.
‘‘I’m watching you,’’ said the kid.
She looked up front. He had popped his head inside the window and was pointing a gun at her.
Diane froze. ‘‘I know,’’ she said with all the calm she could muster, ‘‘but I have to dress his wounds. He’s too injured to do anything. If he dies, you are going to be in a great deal of trouble. I think you know that. And I am still tied up and you still have two guns.’’
‘‘Tie him back up when you finish. If you don’t, I’ll shoot you too. Then where will you be? I’ll tell you where, in the water, that’s where, feeding the fishes.’’ He laughed as if he had just told a terribly funny joke.
‘‘I understand. Just let me tend his wound and I’ll tie him back up,’’ she said. God, he’s a little maniac, unpredictable and with a temper, thought Diane. Her hands shook as she reached for Kingsley’s jacket. Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm, she kept telling herself.
‘‘You’d better. Remember, I’m watching,’’ he said, grinning at her and pretended to shoot, mimicking an explosion noise before he disappeared from the window.
The ferry rocked back and forth on the water and Diane felt sick. She concentrated on breathing evenly.
Kingsley helped her take off his jacket and shirt, wincing at the effort. Blood was running from the entrance and exit wounds, but they were small and Kingsley could move his arms and shoulders. It was painful, but it was possible. She used strips of his shirt to fashion bandages. She put his jacket back on. She untied and retied his feet, then she tied his hands in front of him.
‘‘I’ve tucked the end of the rope under the loops here where it’s hidden,’’ she said, her mouth close to his ear. ‘‘If he checks your hands, he’ll see that the ropes are tight. But if you pull on this loop here, free the rope and pull on it, it will come undone,’’ she whispered.
‘‘That’s right, you know your knots.’’ He grinned.
Diane thought he looked pale.
‘‘I did your feet the same way,’’ she said.
She got busy and untied her feet and retied them in the same manner as she watched their captor at the helm of the small flatbed ferry.
‘‘I want you to look very sick whenever he sees you,’’ said Diane. ‘‘That way he won’t consider you a threat.’’
‘‘Yes, ma’am,’’ he said. ‘‘That won’t be too hard.’’
‘‘Now we need to eat this food,’’ she said.
‘‘Okay, I was following you up until that point. Why do we need to eat the food?’’ he asked.
‘‘Because I don’t know when the marshals will get here or when we can escape. I think we both know we are going to Clymene’s house. Do you want to eat or drink anything she prepares?’’
‘‘Oh, good point,’’ he said. She gave him a banana.
Diane hoped she could keep hers down. Just focus on the goal, she thought, and breathe slowly and deeply.
They were quietly eating the food when the kid peeked in.
‘‘What are you doing?’’ he asked, pointing the gun.
‘‘Eating,’’ said Diane.
‘‘Oh, okay,’’ he said and went back to the helm.
Diane wondered if Kingsley could swim. If she could get loose she would swim back and get help, but she could do nothing with her hands tied up. She looked at him. He really did look sick. She began trying to untie her rope with her teeth. She was making progress when she saw