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out below the base of his skull. Kate quickly shifted aim and fired at the men on the metal walk way that ran around the tank. The steel jacketed rounds cast a shower of sparks from the thick metal as Kate poured on the firepower. Dropping the empty magazine, Kate was reaching for another in her vest when a heavy weight slammed into her back and twisted her arms behind her. The pirates had left two other men on the ground and Kate realized she was in the very hands of the pirates she was trying to kill.
    Gaylon heard the sound of gunfire and quickly signaled the three man team to follow him back to the area of the water tower they had left but a short time before. The gunfire stopped as Gaylon and his men reached the base of the hill and started the long climb to the top. As Gaylon fought his way up the hill, he could not push away the thought that Kate had somehow followed him again and was in terrible trouble. The gunfire he heard must have been Kate running into the very pirates that he had been looking for. Gaylon grabbed and pulled on tree branches to pull himself higher up the hillside in an effort to try and reach the top before the pirates could kill Kate and get away. As he reached it, he motioned his team to circle the tower in case the pirates were still there. Gaylon saw the bodies of the paramilitary guards and the dead pirate and said a small prayer of thanks that Kate was not with them on the cold ground. One of his team ran up.
    "Did you find anything?" Gaylon asked.
    "I found some tracks where someone had been dragged off, that's all."
    "Show me where."
    The ground was trampled and brass shell casings reflected in the small hand flash as Gaylon searched the area. He picked up one of the brass and looked at the stamp markings on the base. The stamp mark of his own reloading press shone back at him. Gaylon frowned and swept the flashlight farther around and then stopped. Reaching down into the grass, Gaylon picked up one of Kate's hair barrettes that she always wore in her hair. Slipping it into his pocket, he motioned for his team to find the trail and after a moment of thought, started after them.
    Kate could no longer feel her hands as the rope cut deeper into her wrists and she silently cried from the pain caused by the pirate’s beatings. All she could think was that Gaylon must have heard the shots and was searching for her even now. She just had to survive until he could rescue her and knowing the pirates, she hoped it was really soon. One of the pirates fell to the ground, blood covering the front of his shirt. Kate realized that she must have shot him on the water tower before she was jumped. The pirates tore up part of a shirt and re-bandaged the man’s chest as best they could, then helped him to his feet. With a jerk on the rope around her neck, they walked on. The trees were only dark shadows, but Gaylon had little trouble following the trail through the woods. The quarter moon reflected enough light to see well through the open woods and the stars were bright in the heavens. Gaylon looked up and thought of Kate as she had been the night before. He wished that he had had more time before this had happened, but knew that they would never be apart again if he got her back. The man on point signaled for them to stop and Gaylon quietly made his way forward. The man quickly flashed his light down and Gaylon knelt on one knee and touched a dark spot on the ground that was outlined in the red beam. Gaylon's fingers came away sticky and dark with blood, his first thought was that it was Kate's, but there had been no blood where she had been captured, so it had to be one of the pirates. A torn bandage cover and part of a shirt lay near the blood, a man's shirt. They moved on.
    Kate stared at the camp fires that stretched out before her as the pirates approached their camp. Dozens of pirates were partying and dancing around a huge bonfire in the center of the camp. In the darkness, Kate could hear the