heat was suffocating, and he knew they had to stop or collapse from it. They came to a gully and slid down it. He took her clasped hands and pulled her up the other side. They gulped in hot air.
Voices echoed through the trees.
“We have to go. Walk on the leaves. Try not to disturb them.” She followed orders easily and he liked that. The woods grew thicker and difficult to get through. “We have to find a hiding place.”
“Where?” She looked at the dense woods all around them.
He pushed through thick yaupons and saw a felled oak tree with more yaupons growing around it. “C’mon.” The tree was big and had been dead for some time. “We’ll hide behind this.” He pulled back some branches and they crawled in. “Lie lengthways against the trunk, your taped hands out in front, and don’t make a sound.” She stretched out against the trunk and he joined her—their hands inches apart.
Voices rumbled through the dense woods.
“Have you found them?” Rudy shouted.
“No, man. Let’s get the hell out of here. This ain’t part of our plan.”
“Screw the plan.” Rudy’s voice rose. “Shoot the guy. The woman is mine.”
CHAPTER TWO
ABBY HUGGED THE rotted tree trunk with her body. Dust clogged her nose, and dirt coated her skin and clothes. Vivid terror held her captive like a ball and chain clamped to her. It beat a rapid warning in her chest.
She inched her fingers along the ground, through the leaves to touch the man’s hands. He clutched hers. He was there...with her. The thought gave her courage, which she feared she would need in the next few minutes.
“They have to be here somewhere,” Rudy said. “Help me look.”
“I’m done, man. I’m taking the money and leaving.”
“You better not.”
“The woman’s only trouble. She’ll get us caught, Rudy, and I’m not going back to prison.”
“You sorry bastard.”
“So long, sucker.”
“Devon!”
A gunshot rang out followed by a curse. Then a barrage of bullets slammed into the woods. A couple of shots hit the tree and the dried wood splintered over them. Neither moved or made a sound, but she gripped the man’s fingers tighter.
“You sorry sons of bitches, I hope you die out here,” Rudy screamed, and then the pounding of footfalls receded into the distance. Still neither one of them moved.
Neither wanted to die.
Silence was crucial.
Creep-crawly bugs swarmed out of the tree, covering their arms. Were they termites? Did they bite? The feel of them on her skin made her want to scream, but she knew her very life depended on her not responding.
The silence stretched. A soft rustling was the only sound. Sweat ran from her hair onto her neck and the heat was stifling. Breathing was difficult. She had to get out of here. Away from the bugs. The heat. Panic rose in her chest, but reality kept her grounded.
She lifted her head from her arm. “Are they gone?” came out barely audible.
“I’ll check.” He looked over the trunk and surveyed the scene. Then they both heard the sound—the revving of a motor. “They’re leaving.”
“Both of them?”
“I’m not sure, but we have to get this tape off our hands.” They shook off the bugs and crawled through the yaupons into a small opening. They sat in the dirt while he kept one eye on the woods, in case Rudy was lurking behind a tree.
With his teeth, he caught the edge of the tape on his wrists and pulled. Scooting closer, she used her fingers to help undo it. Then he helped her free her hands. The tape left open welts on her skin, but she was glad to be free of it.
“Now what?” she asked, instinctively knowing he would know what to do.
“We start walking.” He rose to his feet, as did she. Slowly, they trekked through the woods, down the gully and back to the shack. The van was gone and the dried grass torn apart where the men had sped away. “They’re gone,” he said. “I guess Rudy decided to go with the money.”
Sweat rolled down her back and pooled at her waistline. She was miserable, but at his words relief washed over her.
They were gone.
All the courage she had mustered and the fear she’d bottled up inside burst forth into an array of weakness she couldn’t control. Her body trembled and tears rolled from her eyes.
“Hey.” He touched her arm. “No tears. It’s dehydrating. Take a deep breath and keep all that moisture inside. You can’t fall apart now.”
“I...I...” She couldn’t form a sentence and she felt so weak in front of this strong man.
“C’mon. Let’s sit under a shade tree and figure out what we need to do.”
She sank down under a huge live oak, willing the tears away as she tried to regain control of her emotions. “I’m so thirsty,” she murmured.
“Me, too.” He sat beside her and drew up his knees. His legs and arms had scratches from the trees and she realized her arms were scratched, too. Yet he seemed cool as ever, unruffled about what they’d been through.
“Who are you?”
He looked at her and his dark eyes were tired, the first signs of stress she’d noticed. “Ethan James.”
“Thank you” was all she could say. After a moment, she found more words. “I’m so grateful you insisted on coming. I don’t know what would have happened to me if you hadn’t.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “I wanted to make sure I get my bumper fixed.”
Through all her agony, she smiled. “I’ll fix it with my own two hands.”
They stared at each other for a long time and Abby felt a connection like she’d never felt before—a connection of trust and friendship. And above that she knew she could depend on him. Words like honor, loyalty and hero floated through her mind. She didn’t think there were men like him left. Of course, she could be delusional. But she still wanted to know more about him.
“What do you do, Ethan James?”
“I’m a detective for the Austin Police Department. I work homicide.”
It fit. “That’s why you’re so cool and collected.”
“I was in the Marines, too. The first thing you learn is to never show fear.”
“You have that mastered.”
“On
