The shot was answered by a loud scream. Nancy peered over the top of the rock to see Mashti and Shara lingering at the mouth of the cave.
But where was the third terrorist—Rashid? She had to lure him out of the cave! Otherwise, Mick and Theo would receive a violent reception when they emerged from Lake Kea.
Just then Mashti aimed his gun in her direction and fired. Nancy ducked, her head hitting the sand as the bullet zinged overhead.
She was still taking cover when she felt the sand shift beside her. She had company. A hand closed over her shoulder, chilling her to the bone.
Chapter Seventeen
Strong fingers gripped Nancy’s shoulder, pulling her up to a sitting position. Rashid! her mind screamed.
Nancy glared at the man—then let out a sigh of relief. It wasn’t Rashid after all. She was staring into the surprised face of Officer Rossolatos. He didn’t look at all pleased to see her.
“Nancy Drew!” he said, crouching beside her. “What are you doing here?”
“Trying to lure the terrorists out of the cave,” she said desperately. They both pressed against a boulder as two more bullets flew overhead. Quickly she explained the plan she and her friends had put into action when it seemed that the police wouldn’t arrive in time.
“We were held up waiting for the female agent,” the officer explained.
Peering over the top of the huge rock, Nancy frowned. “I’ve got to get the other man out of the cave—or my friends will be in big trouble!”
“Say no more,” Rossolatos said, kneeling beside her. He drew a gun from the holster at his waist and fired. Nancy cringed at the noise, but the barrage of shots sent Mashti and Shara scrambling behind the Sea Star.
But what about Rashid? Nancy thought frantically. It was a long shot, but she decided to shoot off one more flare. Quickly she reloaded the gun, stepped beside the boulder, and shot a flare toward the mouth of the cave.
The flare made it inside the entrance, and an echoing blast followed. A moment later Nancy saw Rashid crawl out of the cave entrance. He was firing a machine gun!
Nancy dived for cover, silently praying that the plan had worked. Behind her, half a dozen boats closed in on the shoreline. Rossolatos was speaking into a walkie-talkie, updating the other police and Interpol officers.
A shower of gunfire tore along the beach, chasing Rashid and ripping holes into the hull of the boat where Shara and Mashti were hiding. The terrorists were clearly outnumbered.
Within minutes the threesome surrendered, marching onto the open beach with their hands over their heads. Nancy watched as they were handcuffed and loaded onto a police boat.
Weak with relief, Nancy dropped the flare gun in the sand. “I need to find out if my friends made it out,” she told Officer Rossolatos, anxiously pointing toward the rocky ridge. “Can one of the police boats give me a lift?”
Nancy was escorted onto a launch, which sped over the water, circling the point. Immediately she spotted the borrowed fishing boat anchored in the cove. Zoe and Bess were pacing along the beach.
“Still no sign of them,” Zoe reported as Nancy waded ashore. “What was all that gunfire?”
When Nancy told them what had happened, Bess widened her eyes in terror. “Oh, Nancy, what if they don’t make it!”
“They will,” Nancy said, hugging Bess. She only hoped she was right!
The three girls waited in silence, staring into the clear pond that disappeared into the tunnel. Minutes dragged on, and Nancy thought the waiting would never end. Then, at last, she saw the silhouettes of swimmers coming through the dark mouth of the rock tunnel.
“It’s George!” Bess squealed. “And Kevin! They’re back!” She raced into the pond.
A moment later George and Kevin emerged from the water, pushing back their snorkel masks. Their clothes were clinging to them, but to Nancy, it was the best sight she had seen in her life.
“You had me scared sick!” Bess said, throwing her arms around her cousin.
Nancy was right behind Bess. “Thank goodness you’re safe!” she said, hugging George and Kevin. Then she turned to Mick and Theo, who were just emerging from the water and taking off their masks.