Chosen

by Denise Grover Swank

  The right lane opened up. Emma straddled the center line, weaving back and forth, trying to keep the SUV from getting alongside them. Another pack of cars appeared up ahead. Both sides of the road were still surrounded by guardrails. Emma hit the hi-beams. Once they got over the bridge ahead, there was a gap between the end of the guardrail and a line of trees on both sides. She glanced down at the GPS.

  “Hang on. I have an idea,” she told Will. “This thing is four-wheel drive, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “This is going to be bumpy.” She jerked the steering wheel to the left. The truck shot off into the grassy median. She backed off the gas, slowed down then wrenched the steering wheel in a tighter turn. The uneven terrain made the truck harder to control as she turned to face the opposite direction, trying to keep from flipping over. Pitching wildly, the truck plunged down the hill to the two-lane road under the bridge. Emma turned right and floored the gas pedal as she hurtled into the darkness.

  * * *

  As soon as Will stopped bouncing around in the backseat, his first thought was to kill her. The wild ride caused him to hit his head on the back window frame and he now had a raging headache. But when he sat up, he realized what she had done and changed his mind.

  “Did we lose them?” she asked.

  He looked out the back window and heard the squeal of tires from the cars on the highway above them. The headlights of the SUV appeared in the median. “No.”

  “Shit.”

  “That’s okay. You slowed them down and got us away from all the traffic. It will be easier to deal with them out here in the middle of nowhere.” Will leaned forward again to check the GPS. “There’s pretty much nothing ahead of us but corn and wheat fields for the next fifteen miles. This is brilliant.”

  Will glanced down at Jake. “How are you doing? Did you get banged up back there?”

  The dashboard lights cast eerie shadows across Jake’s face. “No, I’m okay.”

  Will eased into the backseat and reloaded his rifle and his revolver. Only one Navigator following them. Good. The headlights were still off in the distance and he knew the truck and SUV could probably maintain the same speed. They could drive like this until one of them ran out of gas. Or the police showed up.

  “Emma, I want you to slow down.”

  “What?”

  “We can play cat and mouse like this all night, but I’d rather just be done with it. We let them catch up and then I shoot either them or their tires. Or both. Either way, they won’t follow us anymore.”

  She looked over her shoulder. “Can you do that? Take care of them so they don’t follow us?”

  “Yes.”

  She turned around and gripped the steering wheel with both hands. “Okay. Tell me what to do.”

  “Slow down, but not too much or they’ll know it’s a setup.”

  The truck slowed slightly and the headlights behind them grew larger. “That’s good, keep that speed.”

  Will eyed Jake down on the floor. “Stay down. There’s going to be gunshots but as long as you stay down, you’ll be fine.”

  There weren’t any oncoming headlights in the road in front of them. He stuck his rifle tip out the back window. The silhouettes of crops rushed past on either side. Only a few houses and barns dotted the landscape, for which he was grateful. Witnesses were always bad.

  The Navigator headlights got closer as the vehicles raced down the county road. The gunshots Will expected weren’t far behind.

  “Emma, try to keep your head down.”

  “Yeah, a little hard to do when I’m driving here.”

  “Either keep it down or get it shot off. Your call, Princess.” He hoped to take care of the gunmen before they became a real threat to her.

  More shots echoed, but none had hit the truck yet. Will’s rifle still lay across the ledge of the open back window.

  “Are you going to shoot that thing or just let them catch us?”

  He smirked at the irritation in her voice. “I’m still weighing my options.” He grinned when he heard her snort.

  Will ducked below the window. They were getting close enough that their bullets could actually hit them. He aimed at the windshield behind him and squeezed the trigger. The SUV swerved and the bullet went into the center of windshield but didn’t shatter. It didn’t surprise Will that they had bulletproof glass, but it put him at a disadvantage.

  A man’s head leaned out the passenger window, the tip of a gun with it. Will ducked down as the glass of his back window rained down on his head. “Son of a fucking bitch!” Those assholes had blown out his back window twice. Now he was really pissed.

  “Keep your head down, Emma!” His voice was angrier than he meant. He wasn’t about to get this far and get her killed.

  “I am!”

  He stuck his head up, peering over the bottom edge of the window. The SUV weaved across the lanes as he aimed the rifle. He shot at the driver’s side of the windshield again, but the road was covered in potholes and the truck bounced. His shot missed.

  He aimed again and hit the window dead center where the driver’s head should be, but the glass still held together. There was no telling how many shots it would take to finally break it. One more or twenty, he grew tired of waiting. Will squeezed the trigger and released a round of shots into the windshield. It finally shattered and the SUV swerved to the right side then righted itself. A torrent of bullets hit the back of the truck and Will ducked.

  “They’re trying to pass us!” Emma shouted.

  Will tried to sit up to see, but the truck lurched to the side and jerked as it ricocheted off a hard object. The crunching of metal told him it was the SUV. Emma must be trying to run them off the road. He righted himself and looked out the back window, which was now completely open. Will leaned out the opening and released a round of shots into the half-open passenger windows. He pulled back inside the truck just as another round of fire shot at the back window.

  The truck swerved across the highway from the force of the SUV pushing it, the nose of the SUV reaching to the middle of the truck. They probably had a good shot at Emma but so far hadn’t taken it. He didn’t want to push his luck.

  “We’re gonna need something fancier than this. What else you go up your sleeve?”

  Emma’s head shook as she looked around. The SUV forced the truck onto the gravel shoulder. Her hands held the steering wheel like a vice grip. “An open two-lane road, our options are pretty limited.”

  “Come up with something.”

  “I hope you have insurance.” She mumbled as she jerked the wheel and rammed the truck in to the SUV. The truck shook and Will heard metal scratching. “I’m going to try to ram them into those mail boxes ahead. Can you do something to them after that?” Her biceps flexed as she strained to hold the wheel.

  “If you can manage your part, I can do mine.”

  The SUV rammed back. The two vehicles locked in a tug-of-war over ownership of the road. Emma needed to get them over to the shoulder, but she strained to hold the steering wheel. Will leaned forward over the seat back. He pressed his chest into her back as he placed his hands above hers on the steering wheel.

  “What are you doing?” Her voice rose.

  Her already tight back muscles tensed against his chest.

  “I’m helping you.”

  She relaxed a little and her hair tickled the side of his face. He turned to see the SUV next to them. The muzzle of a gun pointed out the side window.

  “Hit the brakes!”

  Emma spun her head to the side to see. “Let go.”

  Will released the steering wheel and threw himself backward into the backseat. He picked up the gun and lowered the back driver side window as Emma slammed the brakes. The SUV’s brakes squealed, seconds after Emma’s. The maneuver sent the SUV surging slightly forward of them, but clipped the front end of the truck in the process. Emma fought for control as Will shot at the SUV’s back tire. The smell of burnt rubber filled the air as the
y heard the tire explode. The SUV swerved back and forth as it fought for control. Emma braked hard. Will braced himself against the back of the seat, the squeal of the tires deafening his ears. The SUV swerved precariously in front of truck. She jerked the wheel to the left, barely missing the Navigator’s tail end. It crashed into a fence on the side of the road. Splintered wood flew into the air as the nose of the SUV dipped and came to rest in a ditch as Emma raced down the road.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Will told Emma to drive for another hour, turning onto multiple country roads and trying to put distance between them and the accident. Jake climbed into the front seat and fell asleep while Will stayed in the back giving her directions. He finally told her to turn onto a gravel road tucked between two cornfields. She parked under the canopy of a massive oak growing at the edge of one of the fields. Emma shut off the engine and relaxed for the first time in hours, slumping over the steering wheel.

  “Let’s get out and check the damage,” Will said as he pushed open the back door with more effort than it usually required.

  Emma rolled down the windows so Jake, still asleep on the seat, would get air from the soft breeze. She opened the door and climbed out, following Will.

  “Holy shit,” Will mumbled. Scratches and deep crevices dented the side of the truck, starting at the driver's door and angling to the back. Bullet holes riddled the body of the bed. "We're lucky we could open the door."

  “Sorry.” Emma stood behind him taking in the damage.

  Will ran a hand through his hair and winced. “Better the truck than us.”

  “Let me see your head.”

  Will turned to face her and winked. “I bet you’d like to see…”

  “Shut up. I was talking about your forehead.” The light of the full moon illuminated the dried blood that ran down his cheek. “Let me look at it.” She moved closer to him and reached up to touch his cheek.

  “Careful, Emma, I’ll think you’re trying to seduce me.”

  “As if.” Her thumb brushed the hair off his forehead revealing a half-inch gash. “We need to clean this up. Do you have a first aid kit?”

  His reached up and wrapped his fingers around her wrist. “Can’t you just kiss it and make it better?”

  Two hours earlier his comments would have pissed her off, but her view of him shifted. He just risked his life to save her and Jake.

  Emma laughed and pulled her hand away. “I don't think so. Do you know how many germs are in human saliva? I’m sure you have a first aid kit somewhere. A big boy like you carrying guns around should have Band-Aids for when things get a little too rough.”

  He tilted his head and narrowed his gaze as he studied her, then dropped his hand. “I have one in the back.” Walking past her, he opened the gate to the bed of the truck and hopped in.

  “Keys?” he asked, reaching out his hand.

  They were in her hand, out of habit, and she handed them to him over the side.

  Emma leaned her arms on the truck side and watched him lean over and unlock the metal box attached to the back of the cab. He opened the lid and Emma stood on her tiptoes in an effort to see its contents.

  “You do know that curiosity killed the cat?”

  “A cat has nine lives. I’ve still got a few left.”

  “Princess, after spending the last twenty-four hours with you I suspect you’ve used them all.” He rummaged in the storage box and pulled out a first aid kit and a couple of bottles of water.

  She walked to the end of the truck bed and waited for him. He sat on the open tailgate door, legs hanging over the edge.

  “Thirsty?” He handed her a water bottle and opened his, taking a long drink.

  “I’ll look at your forehead first.” She put the water bottle down on the tailgate and opened the small first aid box. She paused, studying the contents of the box. “Will, what do you really do for a living?”

  His silence hung in the air and it surprised her when he answered, “I told you, I’m a computer consultant.”

  Emma fingered a stack of band-aids. “Who happens to carry around a full assault rifle? And can fight off half a dozen armed men?” She shook her head and glanced up at him. “What do you really do?”

  He studied her, all teasing gone. “What does it matter, Emma?”

  What did it matter? Tomorrow they would reach South Dakota and part ways. She knew she should be cautious of a man she hardly knew driving around with a truck full of guns, but he’d proven he was on her side. And Jake said to trust him.

  “Why would your risk your life for us? You don’t even know us.”

  He took another drink of water before he answered. “All that honor and duty crap. You know.”

  “Damsel in distress?”

  “Yeah.”

  Emma climbed up into the truck bed and knelt beside him. She opened her water bottle and poured some on a gauze pad from the kit. “I need to clean this.” She began to gently wipe dried blood from his cheek.

  “I’m tough. You don’t have to be so careful.”

  “No reason to be rough either.”

  He looked at her from the corner of his eye, raising an eyebrow. His voice lowered huskily. “Maybe I like it rough.”

  Emma got a new gauze square, doused it in water and dabbed his face. “Why do you do that? Why do you pretend you’re such an asshole when you’re really not?”

  Will’s hand jerked up and grabbed her wrist, his fingers digging into her flesh. His eyes penetrated hers. “Don’t underestimate me, Emma.”

  Her gaze held his, her arm still in his grip, gauze on his cheek. The moonlight cast shadows across his face but allowed enough light for her to see emotions vacillate in his eyes. Anger, surprise, fear. Fear. What did Will have to be afraid of? Emma realized he was uncomfortable, but he refused to turn away so she broke away first and looked down. “Got it.”

  Releasing her arm, he grabbed his water bottle with both hands, twisting it back and forth in a barely perceptible movement.

  Emma continued to wipe the blood closer to his cut. “Does this hurt?”

  “No.” His tone was gruff.

  They had actually been getting along. It disappointed her that their truce seemed to be over. “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “For helping us. For saving us. Thank you.”

  He closed his eyes and let out a slow, ragged breath. Obviously she upset him, but his reaction was far from what she expected. Sarcasm, yes. Hostility, no. Will’s jaw clenched and unclenched as he seemed to wrestle with what to say. Finally, he opened his eyes.

  “You’re welcome,” he choked out.

  * * *

  What the hell had just happened to him? He never lost control, always kept his cool, yet he practically snapped her arm off, along with her head. Way not to look suspicious, dumbass. Yet Emma took it in stride, staring at him like he sprouted another head but was too polite to say so. What the hell happened to her?

  She's grateful. Gratitude made her feel indebted to him. A slow grin curved his mouth as he realized he could use it to his advantage. He turned a fraction of an inch to watch her as she bent over the first aid box. She was pretty, but either she didn't realize it or tried to hide it. Perhaps from all her years of hiding and trying to stay unnoticed. She used her abrasive exterior to keep people out. From what little he had seen, he knew it had to be effective. He realized she only let her guard down because she thought she could trust him. The tiny stab of guilt he felt over that puzzled him, but he ignored it. There was something else, something he couldn’t quite put his finger on. It came to him as she opened a bandage and placed it on his cut with a bewildering gentleness. Emma had lost her anger. Just as he rediscovered his.

  Emma closed the lid to the first aid kit and turned her head and smiled, the smile she saved for Jake. The pureness of it caught him off guard and his heart tripped. She studied his face, her eyes holding his in a thoughtful gaze, mesmerizing him. The dark pools promised some unnamed consolation
he had forgotten he craved. Until now.

  He clenched the water bottle in his hands, fighting the urge to touch her, yet unable to drag his eyes away. Her smile deepened with a look of tenderness and he had to suppress the impulse to suck in his breath. Emma lifted her hand to his face, placing her fingers on his temple and stroked his cheek with a feathery touch. She leaned over and her lips brushed his cheek, her breath hot on his face, hotter than the summer night’s air. He found himself drowning with a need he couldn’t name. His eyes closed involuntarily; this wasn’t lust, a sensation he was all too familiar with. This was something else. And it scared him.

  “See, I kissed it and made it better,” she whispered in his ear. Will wondered how she could speak at all, much less with the teasing tone she used. He was still trying to remember to breathe.

  “Um, I have to go to the bathroom.”

  It took him a moment to realize it was a question. “Ah,” he cleared his throat. Get it together, idiot. ”We’re going to stay here for the night, so that’s our bathroom.” He gestured to the oak tree.

  If the news upset her, she hid it well. “Do we happen to have any toilet paper?”

  Will got up and dug through the storage box. He handed her a couple of napkins. Her fingers grazed his as she took them, reigniting his desire. Moron.

  “Thanks.” She walked toward the tree and turned to see him still watching her. “Turn around, Will.”

  “Free country, Princess,” he said, grateful for his returned bravado.

  Her face scrunched in disgust and she walked behind the tree trunk. “Seriously, Will.”

  He made a show of turning away from her, but was thankful to have a moment to recover.

  She emerged from behind the tree several minutes later, holding the napkin gingerly in her fingers. “Got a trash bag?”

  “Aren’t those biodegradable?”

  She pursed her lips and raised an eyebrow, the napkin dangling from her hand.

  Will groaned and retrieved a plastic bag from the storage box. He hopped down from the truck bed and walked toward her. “Here you go.”