“I’m okay,” she said, her hands tight on the steering wheel, her head slumped over. “I’m all right, Nathan.”
She didn’t sound all right. More like out of breath and going into shock. “I’m calling for help.”
“No.” Grabbing his arm, she said, “Just get me out of here, please.”
He looked at her and then looked down into a dark abyss. She’d somehow managed to stop the car against a jutting rock, but most of the car sat nestled against an old jagged tree trunk. A rotting and weathered trunk that could give at any minute.
Mere inches away from what looked like a sizable drop-off into a ravine.
“I’ve got you,” he said. “C’mon, take my hand.”
She nodded. “My bag.”
“Okay, grab it. But careful.”
She lifted the big businesslike leather bag and handed it to him. Nathan set the bag on the ground and gently tugged at her. “Turn slowly toward me, okay.”
She nodded, the car rocking with each movement. Once she twisted and managed to put her legs on the ground, the car moaned and slipped another inch into the old tree trunk.
Nathan’s heart slipped right along with the vehicle, his breath caught. That old stump wouldn’t last much longer. “On three,” he said. “One, two, three.”
His hands on her waist now, he tugged her up and out and then pulled her away from the now shaking car. With a groan and the hissing of tires and metal, the car plummeted against the weak tree trunk, causing the weathered wood to crumble into a hundred powder-dry pieces. Nathan held Alisha down, the sound of the car’s front right fender scraping against the rock as it slid over the edge of the ravine and crashed down below with a last moan. A hard crash and then the sound of metal breaking apart echoed out over the hills.
They fell together onto the grass near the curve in the road. Nathan held her close, shut his eyes and took in the sweet scent of her hair.
“Alisha.”
She suddenly sat straight up and scooted away from him. “What?”
He lay there, checking her over, the urge to hold her close still strong. “Are you all right?”
“Yes. But my car... It’s gone.”
Nathan took in her dark golden hair all scattered and wispy around her heart-shaped face. “I’m sorry about that, but I had to get you out. Too late for your car but I need to get you away from here.”
Brushing at her hair and clothes, she let out a long, shuddering sigh. “I still owe on that car.”
Still practical, he thought, his pulse pounding like a jackhammer in his ear. “You have insurance?”
She gave him a nod, her expression blank now. “Did you call reinforcements?”
“Yes—a friend nearby and the locals waiting down the road. Tell me if you hurt anywhere. Did you hit your head?”
“No. I mean I bumped against something but I’m okay. When they rammed me, I tried to steer the car toward a tree. I found a rock and a tree. Bounced a bit. I could have died if you hadn’t come along.”
She was shaken but Nathan knew this woman. Tough and stubborn.
“Okay, but you did not die.” He stood and offered her his hand. She hesitated and then grabbed on while he tugged her up, the touch of her skin against his fingers jarring him with a current of awareness. “I called my friend Carson Benton. He’s a deputy sheriff who helps me out a lot.”
“Unofficially, I’m sure. I hope he chased them away.”
“Unofficially, yes. I hope they don’t shoot him.”
Looking her over, he took in the boots and straight black skirt, the tan leather jacket and black turtleneck sweater. Classy. “Alisha, listen, they don’t know you’re still alive. That gives us time. We need to get you somewhere safe, okay?”
“I’m going to Campton House.”
Just as he’d thought, and the closest place to hide for now. “Good. Mrs. Campton has a state-of-the-art security system.”
“I know. I told her to get a system installed because of the sensitive nature of some of our cases. It serves as a safe house at times, too.”
“Well, that will come in handy since we have to hide you until I can figure this thing out. The longer they think you died in that car, the better our odds of keeping you alive.”
“You mean, until we can figure this thing out. I’m the one who witnessed a double murder.”
He liked her spirit but heard that stubborn tone in her voice. “And I’m the one who’ll protect you and help you find justice. You have to stay hidden.”
He took her by the arm. “I’ll report the crash from the truck. And before you start up, it’s too cold out here to argue about this right now.”
“I’m not going to argue,” she said. “I’m exhausted.”
Nathan’s heart went out to her. “Alisha...”
“Don’t,” she said, holding up a hand. “Don’t baby me, Nathan. Just get me to my grandmother’s house.”
Nathan grunted and let her open her own door. Then he grabbed her big leather bag and hopped in on the driver’s side. “Here’s your purse.”
“This is not a purse. It’s full of work, my laptop and a flash drive, clothes. And my phone. My life is in this bag.”
And hidden chocolate, if memory served him.
“That’s a lot of life crammed into one fancy lady purse.”
“I don’t have a life,” she said. Then her gaze met his in sheepish surprise. “It’s a briefcase.”
“You didn’t mean to admit that, did you? The part about not having a life.”
“I’m tired. Not making much sense.”
“Well, if I have it my way, you’ll have a lot of life left in you.”
His cell buzzed. “It’s Carson.” Hitting Accept, he said, “Did you find them?”
Carson’s voice came over the Bluetooth connection. “Saw them, followed while the locals gave chase and we had them surrounded.”
“But?” Nathan glanced over at Alisha since she could hear the call. Her expression held dread.
“They crashed the SUV near the main highway down the mountain. Got out and ran away on foot. We’ve got men searching the area and we’ve called in the K9 unit, but I have a feeling they had another ride coming. It’s still not safe.” Then he added, “One of the escort officers is alive but critical.
