in the rearview mirror caught Rick’s attention. Uh-oh. “We’ve got company.”
Shay twisted in the seat to see. “We can’t be the only ones traveling this road. They’re probably just heading home for the day.”
“Or maybe it’s the same two men who gave me trouble. Let’s test your theory and see if they come after us.” He punched the accelerator.
The engine roared to life and echoed the truck behind them as it raced forward, gaining on them. That was a bad sign. A very bad sign.
His weapon bounced on the seat and almost out of reach, but Shay caught it.
“You know how to use one of those?”
“My daddy taught me how to shoot. How to fire a weapon at a target after...”
The way she trailed off, as though her mind was a million miles away, made Rick wonder what had happened. He wanted to her to finish the sentence.
“But aiming at a living, breathing human is different,” she said, redirecting her thought.
She’d left something out.
Apprehension reflected in her expression. She understood what he’d truly been asking when he’d wanted to know if she could shoot. If they had to face off with the men in the truck behind them, and things got bad, could she pull that trigger?
As a marine helicopter pilot, he’d already had the experience of firing his weapon at living, breathing souls and knew he could do it. But he’d hoped to leave those days behind. Still, he wasn’t going to dump the responsibility onto the woman by his side who wasn’t trained for the job.
“Hand it over,” he said, and pressed the gun against his thigh in the seat.
Behind him, the truck’s lionesque roar grew louder as it gained on them.
TWO
“I suppose it’s too late to turn around.” Shay held tight to the edge of her seat to keep from getting bounced around, but her effort felt as futile as her words.
His focus on driving, Rick didn’t respond, but her question was mostly rhetorical. His frown seemed to engulf his strong features as he worked his jaw, the muscles in his neck straining. If anyone could get them out of this, Rick could, but this situation looked more than out of their league, if you asked her.
Still, what did she know? Maybe it was only out of her league. Rick had served his country in the Middle East. Probably in worse situations than this.
The road grew shoddier the farther they went, the thick evergreens closing in around them, and the incline began to rise, making Shay more uncomfortable. Her knuckles turned white, she gripped the seat so hard.
Rick whipped the vehicle around a corner too fast and the force pressed Shay against her door. She was more than glad it was locked, safe and secure.
“This thing had better not roll.”
The Jeep bucked and bounced next to a ridge—the drop a hundred feet at least. Her face pressed to the window, Shay yelled at him to be careful. But she didn’t scream. She’d never hear the end of it back at the shop if she dared to act “girlie.” Never. If they even made it back to the shop.
“Okay.” She gasped for air. “Did you get a good look at them? Was it the same ones who followed you in the village?”
“I think so, yes.”
“What would happen if we just stopped and faced off with them? Find out what they want. This is crazy.”
“That’s a bad idea,” he said. “We’ve lost them for a minute. Time for a new game plan.”
Suddenly, Rick shifted into four-wheel drive and started up an incline to their left, squeezing between trees. She could only suppose that the plan was for their pursuers to make the corner and miss them completely, clueless to the fact that Rick and Shay had turned off the road and made their own path up the side of the mountain.
Shay glanced behind them, and just beyond the ridge they’d almost tumbled from, she could see for miles. A river splashed over boulders and there was a lake a few miles out. Was that where they’d been headed? Or was that the lake near Tanaken?
But she couldn’t see an airstrip. The trees were too thick; they hid it from her at this angle. While the Jeep traversed the mountain, the grade growing steeper by the second, Shay imagined the vehicle just falling, much like the feeling she’d had on the steep streets of San Francisco.
I’m going to be sick. Rick’s going to know the truth—that I’m not so tough at all.
Connor would find out, and that would be the end of her job. He hadn’t been easy to convince she could do such a physically demanding job in a man-dominated field. But what did that matter if they didn’t get out of this? She squeezed her eyes shut, breathing too hard and fast. Her stomach rolled as if she were on an amusement-park ride.
Releasing her grip, Shay shifted forward and held her face to her hands against her lap and groaned. When would this be over?
Suddenly, it all stopped. Shay’s silent cries had been answered.
Rick’s warm hand gently squeezed her shoulder. “Hey. You okay?”
She sucked in a few more breaths, slower now, until finally, she could breathe normally. She hated he’d had to see that, and she sat up to peer at him. “No, I’m not all right. Are you?” She glared at him. He’d better not tell her he was fine.
The concern swimming in his eyes surprised her. He frowned. “I only meant... You seemed... Never mind.”
Turning the other way, he studied their surroundings. Shay joined him. Her heart was still in her throat, but at least she could breathe now. Breathe...and think of the consequences of her little breakdown.
He’d seen right through her. She’d always been tough, self-sufficient. Never shown any weakness. She hated that Rick saw her vulnerable now. In the military, Rick was accustomed to being surrounded by strong women, so he expected nothing less from Shay. This was the first time he’d seen the weakness she’d worked so hard to hide. Resentment over that, compounded with the fear she’d felt when the men had chased them, made her want to snarl at Rick.
“Why are they after us, Rick? What in the world is going on? You don’t think they’re trying to keep us from getting that plane, do you?”
“It seems like too much trouble for that. Why chase us down like this when all they have to do is keep us from taking it? That’s why we should try to sneak in—so we won’t have to have a confrontation, with or without guns.”
“So what’s the plan, then?”
“We wait until I’m sure we’ve lost them.” Rick examined his weapon and chambered a round. “Then I’ll get you back to the village as soon as I can. You’re getting on the next plane out of here. Unfortunately, that probably won’t be until morning.”
“But...there’s a plane that I’m supposed to repair, and then
