"Feehan, Christine - Leopard 02 - Wild Rain" - читать интересную книгу автора (Feehan Christine)

could be a paid assassin. She had no choice but to die, and the storm would
provide the perfect opportunity.
Rachael was comfortable in a world of deceit and treachery. She knew no other
way of rife. She knew better than to depend on anyone else. Her existence would
have to be solitary if she managed to survive. She kept her face
6 Christine Feehan

averted from the others, loving the feel of the wind. The humidity should have
been oppressive, but she felt it as a shroud, a blanket of protection. The
forest called to her with the fragrance of orchids, with the cry of the birds
and the hum of insects. Where others cringed at every sound and looked around
fearfully, she embraced the heat and the moisture. She knew she had come home.

The boat rounded a bend and headed for the rickety pier. A collective sigh of
relief went up. All of them could hear the roar of falls in the distance and the
current was increasing in strength. The men worked to maneuver the boat to the
small dock. One lone man stood waiting for them. The wind tore at his clothes.
He stared into the surrounding forest nervously but stepped onto the shaky muddy
platform that served as a landing, raising his hand to catch the rope thrown to
him by Kim Pang.

Rachael could see beads of sweat on his forehead and dripping down his neck. His
shirt was stained with sweat. It was humid, but it wasn't that humid. She looked
carefully around, her hands automatically reaching for her backpack. She needed
the contents for survival. She noted that the man tying off the rope to their
launch was shaking, his hands trembling so much he had difficulty with the knot.
He suddenly dropped flat, his hands covering his head.

The world erupted into a nightmare of bullets and chaos. Amy's high-pitched
screaming sent birds shrieking out of the treetops, rising upward toward the
boiling clouds. Smoke mixed with the veil of mist. Bandits poured out of the
forest, waving guns wildly and shouting orders that couldn't be heard above the
roar of the river. Beside her, Simon suddenly slumped down into the bottom of
the boat. Don Gregson bent over him. Duncan dragged Amy to the bottom of the
boat and reached for Rachael. Eluding Duncan's hands, Rachael quietly pulled on
her backpack and snapped the safety catch around her middle. Kim frantically
tried to cut through the rope tying them to shore.

WILD RAIN 7
Whispering a silent prayer for the others and for her own safety, Rachael went
over the side of the boat, slipped into the fast-moving water and was
immediately swept downstream.
As if on cue, the heavens opened up and poured down a wall of water, feeding the
strength of the river. Debris churned and raced by her. She kept her feet drawn
up in an effort to avoid any rocks or snags. It was difficult to keep her head
above the choppy waves, but she struggled to keep the water from her mouth and
nose as she allowed the current to carry her away from the bandits running
toward the launch. No one saw her in the swirling rush of tree branches, leaves
and foliage being carried rapidly downriver. Again and again she went under and
had to fight her way to the surface. Coughing and choking, feeling as if she'd