Christine squeezed her eyes shut as she heard him kick the body over. She was afraid to move, didn’t dare look, but in her imagination she could see him checking for vital signs, making sure the man was truly dead.
She didn’t think he’d seen her. He’d have said something by now. If she stood absolutely still...
“What’s this?”
A different voice. There were two of them? Panic surged again as Christine calculated the new odds. Not that an extra person made much difference if guns were involved.
“Is someone here?”
Too late she noticed the bloody footprints. Terror squeezed her throat, constricting her breathing. Tremors shook her entire body. Had she actually stepped in his blood?
She silently toed off her shoes and ran across the room. She had no idea where she was going, but she knew one thing for sure. Standing still meant death.
Afraid to turn back, she ran, dodging sawhorses and abandoned tools. A noise from behind alerted her seconds before a bullet pinged off a joist above her head. She dove behind a concrete pillar and paused to take stock. If she kept running, she’d just be an easy target. Frantically she assessed the possibilities. Off to her right, behind a cabinet, more tarps hung over what looked like framing for a window.
“Did she see you?”
“I don’t know.”
“We can’t take a chance. Find her.”
Terror coursed through Christine at the words. The voice—a slow Texas drawl that should have sounded warm and inviting—sent chills down her spine.
All out of options, Christine stopped trying to plan an escape and just flat out ran for the opening, praying it was actually a window. She ran in zigzags and gasped in relief when the next bullet ricocheted off the wood to her left just as she ducked right.
“There she is.”
Another bullet splintered the wood framing the window. Praying with all her might, Christine launched herself at the cloth and burst through the opening.
Rain hit her face like a blessing, but the momentum of her jump sent her skidding across the wet sidewalk. She flung her arms out, desperately trying to find balance, but her torn stockings couldn’t gain traction on the slippery concrete, and she landed on her knees.
Tears mixed with the rain on her cheeks as she crawled behind a parked car. The men couldn’t be far behind, but would they dare follow her out onto a public street?
Almost in answer, a bullet grazed the car’s bumper.
Swallowing a scream, Christine scrambled to her feet. Crouching low, she edged along the car, looking for a new escape route. She had to keep going.
There was a car coming. If she could get across first, she could get away. She tried to gauge the distance and speed of the approaching car, waiting impatiently until she was sure she had the timing right.
Just as she moved to dash across the street, another bullet whizzed past her head. She jerked instinctively, and the motion sent her forward. Off balance, her feet slid again on the slick pavement. Her legs flew out from under her, and she felt the sickening sensation of sliding, like a kid on a water slide, on her hands and knees, directly into the path of an oncoming car.
* * *
The upcoming court proceeding had Blake Larsen’s nerves on edge as he pulled off the highway and onto the side street. He exhaled and rolled his shoulders, trying to ease tension ground in by worry and compounded by the sudden storm. He’d planned to get to court in time to visit with Sofia’s children before the custody hearing, but with the storm turning traffic into a nightmare, it wasn’t looking good.
A sudden burst of sunlight through the rain glinted off bumpers, momentarily blinding him. He eased his foot onto the brake as he squinted against the glare, barely making out a woman running into the street.
In what felt like horrifying slow motion, he watched her slip and slide directly into his path.
Instinct kicked in. After a quick glance in his mirror showed no one else on the road, he swung away from the woman. Wheels skidded on wet pavement and the car fishtailed. He hung on, holding the steering wheel steady, as he tried to work into the turn and keep the car from spinning back on her.
Long seconds passed before he could make out her prone figure in his rearview mirror. Knowing he was clear, he gently pumped the brakes, fighting to bring the car back under control.
As soon as he was safely on the side of the road, Blake opened the door and eased out from behind the wheel. His leg ached, but he shrugged off the pain and ran as best he could toward the woman. He was sure he’d missed hitting her, but she lay so still that worry reared its head. He called out, but she didn’t reply. When he reached her, he knelt, ignoring the throb in his knee as he searched for any sign of life.
“Ma’am, are you okay? Can you hear me?”
She didn’t move, not even to blink, as he talked to her, though he could see her chest moving and she had a pulse. Blake pulled out his phone and called for help.
The rain had slowed to a drizzle, and he didn’t want to move her, so he shrugged out of his jacket and laid it over her as he waited for the ambulance to arrive. “Ma’am, you’re going to be fine. Help is on the way.” He hoped talking might reach her, stir her to consciousness.
She began to wake, appearing anxious and restless as she slowly came back to consciousness. Her eyelashes fluttered several times before her eyes opened. The moment she spied him, terror lit her face, and she tried to scuttle away.
Blake smiled gently, hoping to set her at ease. “Ma’am, I think you should lie still. An ambulance is on its way.”
He could see her struggling to comprehend his words until the wail of the approaching ambulance penetrated her brain. She was breathing fast, and he feared she might hyperventilate. “Take a breath. Slowly. You’re okay. You’re safe.”
At the word safe, her gaze settled on him with a beseeching look. Her teeth were starting to chatter, but he couldn’t be sure if it was from the rain or shock setting in. She still hadn’t uttered a word, but from her expression he knew she was panicking.
He reached toward her, and she flinched, confirming his suspicions. He flipped the lapel on the jacket to show her his badge. “You don’t need to be afraid. I’m a Texas Ranger.”
Copyright © 2021 by Mary Curry
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ISBN-13: 9781488072123
Alaska Secrets
Copyright © 2021 by Sarah Varland
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
For questions and comments about the quality of this book, please contact us at [email protected].
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Alaska Secrets Page 21
