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took up their guard duties.
    When the bow of the dinghy pushed up onto a small sandy spot on land, Zach jumped off the forward end and pulled it five feet onto the beach. He tied the small line at its bow to a bush as Denise stepped off, and they both looked around to get the lay of the land. They could make out a pathway through the shrubbery to their left that appeared to lead up a gentle incline to a level where they could see buildings.
    Zach motioned for Denise to follow him as he started up the path. Their eyes constantly scanned the dark area as they approached the level of the buildings. There was no movement around them, but anything or anyone could be out there, hidden by the dark bushes. The path led to a swimming pool that overlooked the bay.
    “That looks like the Aunt Millie’s pool,” Denise whispered.
    Zach nodded his agreement and started around the pool. As he rounded the corner of the pool near a clump of shrubs and tall palms, a figure ran out from behind a dark shrub and charged at him.



Chapter 9
    Z ACH felt… more than saw… the attack coming. The shrub was ten feet away, and the distance gave him time to swing into action. He immediately realized that for someone to attack this way, he must be unarmed.
    Zach wasn’t ready to kill, so he dropped his weapon and went into a crouch with his arms outspread. Meeting the attacker with a shoulder into his stomach, he wrapped his arms around his unexpected foe’s upper body and threw him hard to the ground. When the man tried to get up, Zach caught him on the side of his face with a powerful punch. The single blow knocked the man unconscious.
    Denise, who’d un-slung her AK-47 when she saw her father in a fight, came up beside him. “Wow,” she whispered, “that was quick.”
    “Quicker than it should have been. There’s something wrong with this guy. I got a look at his eyes for an instant. They looked crazed. He may be on drugs, or maybe he’s just starved. Whatever it is, he wasn’t up to what he tried to do.”
    “What are we going to do about him, Dad?”
    “I suspect he’s out for a while, and our time is limited, so we’ll have to forget about him and get on with what we came for. There might be others like him, though, so keep an eye out.” He motioned for her to follow, picked up his weapon, and started for the hotel once again. There were three paths leading from the pool to the hotel, and Zach chose the one in the middle. It led to the lobby. The glass door was locked, and the lights were out, but he was sure he saw movement there moments earlier.
    He made no attempt to break in but, instead, stood silently watching the interior, his assault weapon at his side. Denise followed his lead, standing beside him. As his eyes adjusted, a shape began to materialize behind the check in counter. The shape wasn’t moving, but Zach thought he recognized the contours of a somewhat familiar bald head.
    He kept his voice as soft as he could while trying to get the words heard on the other side of the lobby. “George, it’s me, Zach Arthur, and my daughter, Denise.”
    The shape didn’t move for several seconds. Neither did Zach or Denise. The shape finally disappeared, and a moment later Zach could see a crouched shadow creep to the side of the lobby and move slowly along the wall. He made no move to raise his weapon, and continued to stand silently while the person inside was apparently sizing him up.
    When the shadow disappeared again, he guessed what was happening. He would have done the same. The person – he was convinced it was George, the man he was looking for – went out to the pool via one of the other doors and approached him from the rear. He didn’t turn, even when he felt a presence come up behind him.
    “Drop your weapons!” Zach recognized the voice.
    “I will keep it down at my side, George, but there are bad guys out there. I need to keep it ready for immediate action, just in case I need it. You do remember us,