Page 127 of Sunrise By the Sea

The two children were huddled underneath a large swathe of marram grass, clutching one another, white-faced, Daisy’s mouth wide with panic.

And in front of them, rearing and hissing, was the huge snake.

Marisa turned pale. She too was utterly terrified and it took everything in her not to simply bolt. Her throat was dry and she felt absolutely stuck in place.

‘Okay,’ said Alexei very quietly. She looked at him in horror.

‘You have a plan?’

He didn’t answer. She saw in his face that flash of anger she had seen before.

The snake was waving its huge head, poised to strike. The children were struck dumb with terror.

‘Are you ready to take children?’ he said. ‘Be ready.’

‘You know . . . snakes are really fast!’ whispered Marisa, remembering a terrifying documentary.

‘Be ready,’ he said, unsmiling. He took off his shoes and advanced, very quietly, then suddenly, shouted, ‘NOW!’ and, from behind, brought down his heavy shoe on the snake’s head while simultaneously grabbing it round the back of its throat, squeezing it into himself where it couldn’t reach him and shouting a huge stream of furious invective in Russian at the unsuspecting animal, all the while whacking it.

‘Daisy! Avery! Come with me!’ screamed Marisa, and the children, shaken into action, leaped up. She grabbed their hands and charged back towards the beach, as all she could hear behind her was furious hissing and a repeatedwhompingnoise, and the crowds on the beach began to race towards her.

Chapter Seventy-eight

Polly’s face worked in slow motion as she saw the twins running towards her. She opened her body like a gate, gathered them in, clung them to her, a warrior queen, fierce in fury and holding them tight, oblivious to their cries or their need to tell her what had happened. Avery looked up, all preferences forgotten.

‘Daddy! Daddy! We need you too!’

And Huckle, who had been thundering up behind, completely whey-faced, was hurling himself on top of them, completing the circuit.

Polly looked up to babble at Marisa, but she had already left and was charging back to the dunes.

By the time they got there, the situation had changed considerably. Alexei was standing being shouted at by the girl with the short hair for damaging her snake, which she insisted had been no threat at all, and now he’d given it concussion and Alexei appeared to be apologising.

Marisa saw red.

‘What the hell are you doing letting a snake roam free at a children’s party?’ she hollered.

‘We don’t believe in cruelty to wild animals, actually?’ said the woman.

‘You rent it out for children’s parties! If you really don’t believe in it, take it and set the bloody thing loose in South America! And I don’t believe you. I’ve watched documentaries. That thing was ready to go for one of those children.’

‘Don’t talk about Janice like that.’

‘You are actually going to be sued to South America, and back,’ said Reuben, who was unable to stop himself clutching his cutlass. ‘So, I hope that suits you?’

The women sloped off in a hurry after that, carrying the very dazed-looking beast over their shoulders.

‘Should have stuck to pirates,’ said Reuben, half to himself.

He stalked over to Alexei, who was panting slightly.

‘You saved my friend’s kids,’ he said. ‘Tell me what you want. Anything is yours.’

Alexei shook his head.

‘It was nothink,’ he said. ‘It was my pleasure.’

Marisa, bold as brass, stepped firmly in front of him.

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