by Jeremy Cook
***
Ellis slowed down and slunk below the tall grass, making sure that he was out of sight of the men that had drawn on Elle. He cursed under his breath the fact that he’d been so distracted that he didn’t hear a boat pull up. He looked up the hillside, trying to see if Aran was on his way back, but he couldn’t make anything out at first.
“Where are you?” he whispered against the breeze, focusing on the tower on the hill. Suddenly he caught a glimpse of movement. Something was halfway down the hill and moving quickly. Aran was bounding down through the brush, trying to get down closer. Even though he was trying, Ellis knew he couldn’t get across the harbor. He began to slowly creep closer to the second man, who was at least ten feet behind the gunman, purposely keeping his distance.