Lauren couldn’t imagine the situation getting any worse. Fear ravaged her. Rain pelted her face, stinging her eyes.
She gently tapped Jaden’s cheek with the flat of her hand. “C’mon.”
With a severe shake of his head, Jaden sat upright. “I’m all right.”
He grinned a haughty, sexy little grin, no doubt meant to abate any doubts about just how fine he felt and then bound to his feet. His gaze locked onto the road behind them. “We gotta get out of here. Now.”
The sense of urgency in his voice skyrocketed.
“What is it?” Sure, the weather was an issue but he hinted at something worse. .
“Get in the Jeep and drive,” he said.
“What do you mean?” What are you planning to do?”
“Go. And don’t look back.”
“What about—”
“I’ll meet you. Don’t worry. I’ll stay back and cover you.” He wedged behind the mound of debris, pulled out his new gun, and took aim.
Lauren turned in time to see a black SUV speeding toward them.
Her hands shook from adrenaline. Determination welled in her chest. She refused to give up. But leaving Jaden? The one man who’d kept her alive this long?
His plan had better work. Whatever that was. He had better find her again.
She would not survive without him.
Lauren hopped into the driver’s seat. She wanted to scream and cry, but what would that accomplish?
Slamming the gearshift into Reverse, adrenaline pulsing through her arms providing a boost of octane-like strength, she practically stripped the gears trying to back up the truck.
The motor coughed, chugged, and then stopped.
She mashed the clutch and stomped on the gas pedal. Next, she jiggled the key.
The Jeep growled.
“C’mon.” She cranked they key again after giving the truck a moment to rest. Nothing. She sucked in a breath before trying again. The engine whirred but didn’t catch.
Pumping the pedal harder, she prayed she wouldn’t flood the engine.
Please. Don’t do this…
Suddenly the engine hummed as the Jeep vibrated to life.
“You got this,” she said, trying to rally. She stole a glance toward Jaden for support. He was huddled behind the debris. Tap. Tap. Tap. Flashes of light shot from the barrel of his gun. The SUV had stopped, the doors were splayed open, and men were answering the firestorm.
She slammed the gearshift into Reverse, and then jammed it back into Drive as she nailed the gas.
Inching the truck forward, she wretched the emergency brake when the tires spun. The last thing she needed was for this baby to roll backwards at a critical moment.
Battling worsening weather conditions and her own scattered nerves, Lauren gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles went white. The sounds of gunfire tapped all around her.
Inside the Jeep felt like a time tested tornado shelter compared to what waited on the other side of the thin aluminum door.
She could do this. Just like everything else in life, when pressed, she’d found she could do almost anything. There’d been no choice then and none now. This hunk of metal on four balding tires had to roll over the barrier.
Tires spun as she eased on the gas pedal. She released the emergency brake. The vehicle began its crawl at a frustrating pace. The wipers on the Jeep couldn’t clear slobber off a baby’s chin, and the headlights were even less effective. Water and fog combined into a thick wall that decreased visibility next to nothing.
And she hoped like everything there wouldn’t be anything else on the road. She was straining to see past the front end of the Jeep as it was. She was thankful, at least, for four-wheel drive.
The Jeep tires ground on top of branches as it continued its climb. Then came a loud thud. Lauren’s foot slipped off the gas. The Jeep rolled backward. She mashed the brake.
Lauren wiped fog from the windshield. It streaked. Damn. She couldn’t see any better. If anything, she’d just made it worse.
She nailed the gas, but nothing happened. The sound of tires spinning out reverberated in the rain, the whirring noise trapped in the space around her. No forward movement.
Another crush of panic caught in her chest. Something slammed into the back of the Jeep. Had she been hit by a bullet? She scanned her shirt for blood. Relief flooded her when she found none.
Jaden?
Chapter 13
Panic gripped Lauren as she glanced around. No. Thank God, Jaden was fine. She didn’t even want to think what she’d do if he was hit.
Pressing the gas pedal harder, the Jeep rocked back and forth. With a loud thump and a chug, the truck broke free, and she navigated it to the top of the hump.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The sound of rapid gunfire nearly stopped her heart as she crested and then drove as fast as she could until she recognized nothing. Her pulse galloped. She had to remind herself that this was his job. This was what he did for a living.
He’d told her to keep driving, and that’s what she intended to do. He would turn up again. A few minutes passed when she saw a dark figure in front her waving his arms. Jaden?
God, she hoped.
If not, she was as good as dead out there with nothing to protect her. She slammed the brake, fishtailing. The figure, head down, came to the passenger side. Lauren’s foot shook on the pedal.
Relief fueled her when she got a good look at Jaden’s face. “You’re alive.”
He nodded as he climbed in.
“But how did you get that far ahead of me?” She realized that he must know the area.
“Winding roads,” he said, repositioning to take aim out the back of the Jeep.
“What about your forehead? You took a nasty crack before,” Lauren said, putting the Jeep in Drive and stomping the gas pedal.
“That explains the headache.” His fingers searched his face as if making sure he still had two eyes, a nose, and a mouth. “Just gimme a minute. I can take over when I’m sure we’re safe.”
“Are you
