back to the shed and halted at the door. Whitson’s body still lay slumped on the floor. Drina paused, trembling and shaking. She had to pass close by him to reach her backpack.
A shot rang out, galvanizing her into action. Leaping over Whitson, she stuffed the money into her backpack, slid the computer in on top, flung the straps over her shoulders and hurried back to the door.
As she crossed to Norwood’s small car, she heard another shot. She slid into the seat but could barely reach the pedals.
No time to move the seat closer. She grasped the wheel, shoved the gearshift into Reverse and shot backward.
Slipping all the way back against the seat, she almost ran the car into a ditch. The briefcase on the passenger seat flew through the air and landed on her lap. She shoved it aside and pulled herself forward, then slammed on the brakes, pushed the gearshift into Drive and spun the steering wheel in the direction of the equipment.
This time she was prepared when the car hit the slight ditch on the side of the road. The unlatched door flapped open...closed...open again. She gripped the wheel tighter and gunned the engine. The car jumped into the air. When it came down, her foot jammed onto the gas pedal and the engine revved.
Carter, who still faced the culvert, heard the noise and spun.
Drina cried out as he aimed the gun in her direction and fired. She ducked to the side, leaning out the open door. The bullet shattered the windshield. The car slowed almost to a stop. Drina saw Carter through the crack in the swaying door. He marched forward, taking aim again. Soon he’d be close enough to hit her. Drina pushed the gas again. The car was only a few feet from the edge. It would be over the side in seconds.
Reaching across, she tugged the briefcase down onto the floorboard, directly onto the gas pedal, and rolled out the door. She hit the dirt hard, but turned quickly to see the car shooting straight toward Carter. He lunged away and fell backward over the side of the hill. The sound of twisting metal and shattering glass echoed through the culvert before the motor stopped abruptly.
Drina sagged against the ground. Taking a deep breath, she sucked up dust and felt grit on her lips. Trying to catch her breath, she rolled onto her backpack and looked up to see the blue sky fading into twilight.
She needed to get up. Carter might come marching over the hill any moment, pointing his wicked gun right at her. But she couldn’t move. Couldn’t force her body into action, even when she heard another motor close by.
She opened her eyes as the quad spun around next to her, kicking dust in the air. Norwood extended his hand.
“Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
The half smile floating over those oh-so-perfect lips gave her the reassuring charge of energy she needed. She gripped his hand. He pulled her up and she climbed onto the back.
“Hang on tight. It’s going to get bumpy.”
Drina wrapped her arms around his waist. With her cheek pressed against his warm, strong back, only one thought went through her mind.
We’re safe. We’re safe. We’re safe.
Norwood gave the quad gas. Dirt and gravel spun out behind the big wheels as he headed toward the road. Drina had to loosen her hold slightly as they hit bumps, but not too much.
She wasn’t sure why he’d betrayed his partners in crime...especially since he’d probably leaked the information that led to her kidnapping in the first place. Was he hoping to sell her plan and pocket the money for himself? Or was he on her side? Was that why he had risked his life to save her? She wasn’t certain but right now his strong, sturdy body was the only solid, stable thing in an exploding world. She clung to him with all her might.
The ATV reached the dirt road leading back to town. They dipped down into the culvert and started to climb the other side. Drina glanced back at the shed and the pile of equipment behind it. Still no sign of Carter. They were safe, really safe.
With that thought, they crested the hill and a helicopter surged in the air directly in front of them.
The black machine hovered above, menacing, kicking up wind and gravel. Drina squinted and narrowed her gaze just as a man in dark clothing leaned out of the side, a long rifle poised in his hands.
“Hang on!” Norwood yelled and turned so fast, Drina almost slid off the side of the quad. A series of wind turbines were located along the ridge to their right. The turbines rose over two hundred feet in the air, and the blades were over a hundred feet wide. The helicopter couldn’t follow them into the clustered turbines of the wind farm. If Norwood could put enough distance between them and the helicopter, they might be out of the rifle’s range.
Drina clung to his back, trying to remember the range of a rifle. She worked with weapons. She was sure ranges were one of the useless details she’d picked up over the years, but for the life of her, she couldn’t put her finger on a number.
Figures were safe. She knew numbers like she knew her own name but even they deserted her as she hung on to a man she thought was a traitor and hurtled over a narrow ridge, expecting to feel a bullet pierce her back at any moment.
They reached the first turbine and Norwood jerked the ATV sharply to the left. A bullet pinged the side of the turbine’s tower and bounced away. Zigzagging erratically, Norwood made it to the next tower before another bullet hit, this time striking the ground where they’d been moments ago. Drina flinched and glanced back.
The helicopter wavered up and down in the darkening sky, then adjusted so the sniper could take aim.
Where was the ever-present desert wind? Why did the gusts fade now when they needed them most? Drina heard the crack of another shot and cringed. She ducked, hunching up against Norwood, her body pressed against his. The zing whistled by, too close for comfort, and struck the metal turbine ahead of them... A direct hit.
Norwood jerked to the side, sinking down into the narrow gully below them. There were tall turbines on the ridge across and behind them. The helicopter couldn’t follow or come up on the other side. Another bullet struck the side of the hill but it was off. The marksmen in the helicopter couldn’t site them this deep in the gully.
The gulch’s bottom was too narrow for the quad’s wheelbase so Norwood was forced to zigzag up and down the sides. Their wavering path slowed their escape. Still, the sound of the helicopter came from farther and farther above them. Drina couldn’t look up. All of her concentration was focused on hanging on to Norwood’s slender waist as their path dipped and rose along the bumpy gully bottom.
Eventually it opened into a wider culvert and they entered the sandy bottom of a small stream. Their path straightened. The sound of the helicopter faded away as darkness settled over them. Norwood traveled a long time before switching on the quad’s headlights.
The beams shot across the streambed, lighting bushes and rocks as they traveled deeper and deeper into the desert. Drina had no idea where they were headed. She only knew they were traveling far away from town and any kind of help. After a while, her grip loosened.
A mile. That was the average range of a rifle. Funny how the number jumped into her mind now.
I must be beginning to relax. This time we’re safe. Really safe... At least for the time being.
At the moment she didn’t care. Only two things mattered. Her back wasn’t shivering
