“Hold on,” he yelled. Again he slammed on the brakes. The truck slid sideways for a hundred feet, then wobbled violently to a stop. Again he hit the accelerator. The truck reared forward. Now they were headed toward Charleston once again. The helicopter overshot them because of his defensive driving. But Shep knew his tactics wouldn’t buy them much more time.
“Maggie, get a fresh clip in that pistol!” he yelled over the screaming engine and the wind shrieking through the broken windshield. Keeping his intense concentration on the road, he gripped the wheel hard. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Maggie drop the used clip and jam a new one into the butt of the pistol. Good!
Before he could speak, he felt the truck shudder drunkenly. It was being hit by fifty-millimeter ammunition! Nothing could withstand that kind of attack. Swerving and slamming on the brakes, he heard two of the tires blow simultaneously.
Maggie screamed as the truck flew out of control at the high speed. One moment they were on the highway, the next careening in wild circles off into the muddy berm and down its slope toward a stand of pines. More bullets rained up on them. Metal tore. It shrieked. She threw her hands over her face. The gravitational force of the truck turning round and round ripped at her. They were going to die! That was the last thing Maggie wanted. But she saw no way out of this. They were going to die!
The truck lurched drunkenly to a stop only a few feet from the pine trees. From overhead, the strong wash of the helicopter rotor blades buffeted them. Shep jerked off his seat belt.
“Maggie!” he roared, “get out of the truck! Get out! Now!” He knew it was only a matter of seconds before one of those gutting, fifty-millimeter bullets found the gas tank and blew them sky-high. He saw Maggie struggling with her seat belt in the darkness. Blinding light from beneath the helicopter’s belly blasted in on them. There! Shep pulled her free of the belt. Reaching across Maggie, he shoved the door open. “Get out!” he cried, and pushed her with all his might.
Maggie sailed out the door. Her knees struck the embankment. The grass was wet as she landed with a thud on her hands and knees. Bullets continued to eat at the truck. Maggie looked up, terrorized, as the helicopter calmly hovered no more than a few hundred feet away, pouring hot metal into the vehicle.
Shep landed beside her. Gripping her upper arm, he jerked Maggie to her feet and pulled her toward the trees. “Run!” he roared. “Run!”
Her feet felt like concrete. She slipped a number of times on the wet grass. Shep’s steadying hand kept her upright. The blast of the rotor blades, the puncturing sound, tore at her eardrums. More bullets careened into the truck. She saw Shep slow, then place himself behind her. Trying to run as hard as she could, Maggie knew he was positioning himself as a shield between her and the enemy helicopter.
She heard a whoosh. Seconds later, she felt the shock wave from the truck exploding. The huge blast knocked her off her feet and sent her tumbling to the ground. Heat followed. Rolling over and over, Maggie flailed to a stop. As she crawled to her hands and knees, her eyes huge, she saw that the truck was a mangled, fiery wreck. Shep! Where was he?
Maggie crawled around, searching desperately for him. She saw him fifty feet away on the ground, unmoving. Oh, no! Was he wounded? He’d shielded her from a blast he knew was coming. He’d done it because he loved her. Tears stung her eyes as she swayed unsteadily to her feet. Maggie lurched toward where he was lying.
Above them, the helicopter began to move—toward them. Dropping to her knees, Maggie saw Shep open his eyes. He looked confused momentarily. And then his gaze sharpened and held hers. “Shep?” She reached out shakily, touching his hard, bloody face. “Talk to me….” Maggie pleaded hoarsely. “Are you okay?”
Nodding, he forced himself to sit up. The terror in Maggie’s expression made him wince. He’d never expected this. Not a Black Dawn helicopter shadowing them. It only underscored their determination to get the attaché case they believed Shep and Maggie still had. Launching himself to his feet, Shep grabbed Maggie and dragged her against him. The noise of the helicopter as it slowly approached, hunting them, assaulted their ears. The nose lamp was moving back and forth, trying to locate them. Shep put his mouth close to Maggie’s ear.
“Give me the pistol.”
She held it up to him. Her hand was trembling badly.
Gripping the weapon, Shep guided Maggie to a very large pine tree. “Stay here. Whatever you do, don’t run. Use this tree as cover.”
Before she could ask why, Shep ran toward the helicopter, which was slowly approaching them in a methodical fashion. The high, intense beam of light swept the ground relentlessly. Sobbing for breath, Maggie wondered what Shep could do against such a powerful enemy. They’d be hunted down like dogs. A bitter taste coated her mouth.
Breathing hard, Shep zigzagged among the pine trees. The beam of light from the aircraft made it easy for him to see where he was going. He knew what Black Dawn was going to do. They would hunt them down, kill them and then land in hopes of finding the attaché case that contained the phony anthrax. Grimly, he continued to run. Well, that wasn’t going to happen. He loved Maggie. And he damn well wanted a chance to love her once more—only this time, the right way—as a partner.
He hoped she would obey him now, though. She would be safer behind the thick, stout trunk of that pine. The rotor blade wash buffeted him. He was almost directly beneath the helicopter. Still not where he needed to be, Shep tried to anticipate the aircraft’s next move. Running hard, he slipped and fell. With a curse, he rolled. Almost without missing a beat, Shep rolled to his feet, launched himself upright and dug his toes into the soft, muddy pine needles. He had to be at a precise spot in order to carry out his plan of attack. The pine trees were a hindrance. Would his strategy work? It had to!
Sobbing for breath, his lungs burning with exertion, Shep skidded to a halt. Yes, he was in perfect position! Lifting his arms, he used a nearby pine to steady his aim. Near the top of the fuselage was a red, blinking light. Every time it turned, it flashed on the rotor assembly. That was his target: the assembly. That was what he would have to try and put a bullet into. If he could do that, it would bring the helo down. Sweat ran down his face, stinging his eyes. Blinking harshly to clear his vision, he waited tensely. The tops of the pine trees were whipping violently back and forth from the rotor wash. He’d have only one chance to make the shot. Slowly, ever so slowly, the helicopter eased toward him. As the rotor appeared above the tops of the pines, Shep took aim. He’d have mere seconds to fire off the pistol at the assembly unit.
The flashing red light illuminated his target. His finger brushed the trigger as if it were a lover in need of a caress. The pistol bucked in his hands. Shep saw the bullet hit within inches of the assembly. Sparks flew. If the pilot heard the pinging sound, he’d high-tail it out of there and Shep would lose his opportunity.
No way… Shep systematically pumped all eight of the bullets, one after another, into the assembly unit. He saw the bullets walking toward the rotor mechanism. Satisfaction thrummed around him. At least one would kill this machine.
Suddenly, there was a flash of light. It was followed almost instantly by the terrific thundering sound of an explosion. The helicopter nosed up, shrieking like a wounded being. Fire engulfed the entire rotor assembly. The aircraft sagged, then nosed down violently. In seconds, the aircraft crashed into the thick pines below. Shep leaped behind a tree as the wildly flailing blades struck limbs and earth. Metal cracked and shattered, filling the air with shrieking sounds as bits of shrapnel screamed through the darkness like lethal scimitars, slicing through everything in their way.
The tree he crouched behind shook and shivered as it was struck by the flying metal again and again. Shep doubled over in a tight crouch. The entire area shook with several more explosions—from the jet fuel catching on fire, he knew. Peering from behind the tree, he saw the liquid spilling like a river of fire all around the downed aircraft. There was no way anyone was going to survive this crash.<
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Standing, he realized the danger was past. Part of the blade had lodged itself only three feet above where he’d been crouching. When he touched the sheared-off metal, it felt hot to his fingertips. That was how close he’d come to death. His thoughts, his heart, turned to Maggie. Was she safe? Had she listened to him and stayed where he’d told her to?
Worriedly, Shep trotted toward where he’d left Maggie. The roar of the fire continued. There was no sense in trying to shout above it. Tucking the pistol into his belt, he hurried forward, winding among the trees.
Maggie looked up as someone came out of the shadowy darkness. At first she didn’t realize it was Shep. She thought one of the Black Dawn members had found her. The scream died in her throat when she realized it was the man she loved, instead. With a cry, Maggie launched herself upward and threw her arms around Shep’s neck. His arms came around her immediately, like steel bands, crushing the air from her lungs.
“You’re alive!” Maggie sobbed, holding him as tightly as she could.
Placing a rough kiss on her hair, her cheek, he sought and found her mouth. Lowering her to the ground, he leaned over her, cradled her head in his large hand and guided her mouth to his.
“I love the hell out of you, Maggie Harper,” he rasped, meeting her beautiful, tear-filled eyes. And he did. Now he was going to show her just how much. Their mouths clashed together, hungry, hot and needy. Just the way her body fit against his, her soft breasts pressed against his chest, her fingers digging into his massive shoulders as they deepened their kiss, was all he wanted. She tasted sweet against the specter of death that surrounded them. Her hair was damp and tangled, but he didn’t care. She tasted of life in a way he’d never realized until this past twenty-four hours. He knew now he needed her for the rest of his days….
Ten
Maggie sighed softly as she felt the fingers of sleep easing their grasp. She didn’t want to move. She felt warm and languid as she slowly came awake, became aware of the fact that Shep’s arms and his body were curved around hers. Sunshine peeked in through the cracks where the hotel drapes weren’t tightly drawn. Where was she? Oh, yes…As she lay there, the memories trickled back.
Shortly after the downing of the helicopter, Agent Prescott had arrived on scene. Maggie was shaken deeply by the unexpected turn of events. Never had she imagined that the aircraft would attack them from out of the sky, or that Shep would shoot it down. Life was so precious….
She moved her fingers down the length of Shep’s hairy arm. His hand was wrapped protectively across her waist. She felt very safe compared to earlier. After they both had been looked at by paramedics, Shep had demanded that Maggie be taken to Charleston, to one of the best hotels, where they could get cleaned up, shower and sleep. They were both beyond the point of exhaustion. Never had Maggie been more grateful for Shep’s leadership, direction and protectiveness than at that moment. She had literally been swaying with fatigue.
A soft sigh escaped her lips now. Looking toward the clock on the bed table, she saw that it was 6:00 p.m. She’d slept a long time. How wonderful it was to have taken a hot bath after they’d arrived at the hotel. Shep had hovered nearby, ordered in some food—breakfast—while he waited for her. After he had taken a shower, they had shared the table in the suite and eaten. Food had never tasted so good after their nightmare experience with Black Dawn.
Right now, Maggie was glad to be alive. She felt the rise and fall of Shep’s chest as he slept, his head nestled beside her own on the goose-down pillow. Just listening to him breathe filled her with an unparalleled joy. After last night, Maggie understood as never before how much life with Shep meant to her.
Turning over, she saw that his face was heavily bearded. He hadn’t shaved last night and now he looked positively dangerous lying there, naked, at her side. She was naked, too, and she relished the thought of sharing a bed with Shep like this. They had agreed that they were simply too exhausted to do anything last night other than fall into bed and sleep in the safety of one another’s arms. Sleep was healing. Sleep gave them peace from the violence that had hovered over them from the start of the mission.
Maggie moved her fingers gently through his short, dark hair, massaging the tips over his smooth, broad brow. In sleep, Shep looked far less dangerous. Normally, he was a man of action. He always would be, Maggie mused, her mouth curving softly in a smile. His lashes were thick and spiky against his ruddy cheekbones. The thick, black hair across his chest tickled and teased her breasts as she moved lithely against him. The urge to love Shep was overpowering. Maggie no longer questioned the fact that her love for him had never died. Moving her fingers in a massaging motion behind his neck, she felt the thick cords of muscle meeting his heavy, broad shoulders. There wasn’t an ounce of fat on Shep. A provocative, pulsating heat pooled deeply within her body. Rising up on one elbow, she leaned over him and placed her lips against his sandpapery cheek. He smelled of the lavender soap they’d used to bathe with last night. And then there was the very male odor of him, a heady fragrance to her flaring nostrils as she inhaled deeply.
With the delicious thought of kissing Shep Hunter awake and out of the arms of sleep, Maggie eased her lips against the parted line of his mouth. She felt him come awake in an instant, a knee-jerk reaction to possible danger. Leaning back, she smiled down at him, watching as the remnants of sleep fled from his icy blue eyes and were replaced by an alert, predatory look.
“Shh…everything’s okay,” Maggie whispered, still smiling. She moved her fingers in a lacy pattern across his arm and over his shoulder. “We’re safe…. I just woke up and decided to wake you….”
Shep gazed up at Maggie. Her red hair was in disarray and she reminded him of the wild British queen Boudicca. Her cheeks were a rosy hue, her hazel eyes simultaneously sparkling with mischief and smoky with desire. He knew that look well enough to know that she wanted him, and his body responded powerfully to her touch.
“Everything might be okay,” he growled as he eased her on her back next to him, “but you aren’t safe, brat.”
Soft laughter gurgled up from her throat and escaped her smiling lips as Maggie settled easily next to Shep. Just the touch of his flesh, warm and dry, was evocative. As he slid one hand in a possessive motion across her right hip, she felt his strong fingers range upward across her rib cage. When he caressed the curve of her breast, Maggie sighed and closed her eyes in pleasure.
Sleep had been torn from him, but he didn’t mind. He placed his weight on his left elbow as he leaned across Maggie. How beautiful and willful she looked to him. And she was here, with him. She was his. That realization made him feel strong and good as never before. As he leaned down and teased her ripening nipple with the warmth of his tongue, he felt her tense. A whisper of pleasure rippled from her. Suckling her, holding her, became his only focus. How badly he wanted to make love with her. She was his life. And last night had proven that beyond any doubt. As Shep caressed her, sucked her, he remembered starkly how he had raced back through the woods after the helicopter had fallen out of the sky like a flaming, wounded bird, to see if Maggie was still alive.
When he found her, he had needed to hold her, to reassure himself that she really was alive. And now, as he heard her moan with pleasure, her body arcing and sliding hotly against him, Shep savored life fully. Her fingers trailed languidly down his neck and dug deeply into his tightened shoulder muscles. She smelled of a woman’s sweet fragrance laced with the clean scent of the lavender soap she’d used last night to wash the stench of their nightmare mission from her flesh.
Helplessly caught by the thudding of her wildly beating heart beneath his chest, he felt her ease her leg over his, drawing him across her. Leaning on his elbows, he kept his upper body weight off her. Opening his eyes, he drowned in the gold and green of hers. “You’re so brave,” he rasped as he bent down and captured her mouth.
Maggie smiled beneath his male onslaught. She felt him grind his hips, his male hardness, against her, open
ing her legs. She felt the gruff hair of his thighs brushing the soft firmness of hers. Moaning, she felt his maleness pushing demandingly against her moist, beckoning entrance. Without hesitation, as he took her mouth, she moved her hands down the length of his torso, settling them on his narrow hips. Guiding him, Maggie arched upward, for she wanted to claim him, to love him and welcome him deeply into her womanhood.
The instant he thrust into her, Shep groaned. His entire body trembled from the raw pleasure that she was gifting him with. He felt Maggie’s slender legs wrap around his. The moment she arched shamelessly against him, he felt himself sucked into the hot, golden light of life itself. Grasping the bedsheets on either side of her head, he lifted his chin, his lips curling away from his clenched teeth. Her body was hot now, slightly damp, pulling him into a vortex of scalding heat and promise. The rocking motion of her hips increased and he was helpless to do anything other than move in the primal rhythm with her. Joy spiraled with unfettered desire as Shep lost touch with the world around them. Maggie—her scent, her soft, firm touch, the heat of her fingers raking across his tightened back muscles—was his only focus.
The hunter became the hunted. Shep felt himself spiraling completely out of control as she slid her tongue across his lower lip. Her fingers wreaked fire upon his chest, his nipples, and her hips moved in demand to take him even more deeply into herself. This was the primal Maggie he knew. In those moments just before the explosion of white-hot heat flowed out of him, he knew that he loved her with a fierceness that had never died in all those years of separation. This was the woman he wanted at his side forever.
Shep’s animal groan rippled through Maggie. She tensed with him. The powerful release of her body in tandem with his made her cry out. Clutching him hard against her, she buried her face against his dampened shoulder. The pummeling crash of his heart against hers, their wild and chaotic breathing, the taste of him on her lips, all combined. She floated aimlessly, locked in his arms as they shared the greatest gift of all.
The Untamed Hunter Page 14
