she refused to let these men harm her, kidnap her without even a token resistance. She wouldn’t go down without a fight.
She thought of Alec Kincaid, the selfish bastard, walking out on her, leaving her to fend for her life. Alone. She was in this mess because of his stupid letter! She worked up a good mad and funneled the energy toward planning her escape. They had to get off the interstate sometime. And when they did …
A car behind them honked, and she absently turned her attention to the passenger-side mirror. An idea niggled. Maybe she could signal someone in another car….
She glanced sideways to the knife-wielding maniac who rode beside her and nixed that thought. She couldn’t tip her hand. When she acted, she had to catch the men totally off guard.
She returned her gaze to the side mirror with a wistful glance. If only—
Erin sat straighter in the seat and narrowed her gazed in disbelief. A man was on top of the eighteen-wheeler behind them!
What kind of idiot—?
Her breath caught, and she blinked to make sure her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her.
No trick. It was Alec.
Her heart, responding to Alec’s daring with a drumroll, rose to her throat. She stifled the gasp that threatened, determined not to give Alec’s presence away to Mr. Knife and his buddy. Her gaze riveted to the SUV’s side mirror. Her fingernails cut into her palms.
Horrified, she watched Alec inch along the roof of the truck’s trailer. He crouched low, adjusted his arms for balance.
Dear God! What was he planning?
An image of Bradley’s broken body flashed in Erin’s mind, and her stomach rolled. Alec was coming to help her. Like Bradley had been. Putting himself in danger. Risking his life. Taking foolish chances. For her.
The bitter taste of fear filled her mouth, and Erin swallowed a moan. Not again.
“You say something, sweetheart?”
Erin jerked her head around to face Knife. “N-no.”
“Take it easy, darlin’,” Knife said with a sadistic leer. “Soon as we get that letter back from Kincaid, you’ll be free to go.”
The man driving grunted. “For a swim with the fishies maybe.”
Knife laughed and gave Erin a salacious wink. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ll take care of ya.”
A shudder raced down her spine. She worked to form enough spit to swallow the knot in her throat as she swung her gaze back to the mirror. The truck was closer. Alec perched on the edge of the trailer, crouching. Springing.
Erin gasped, but the sound was lost as Alec landed with a thump on the roof of the SUV.
“What the hell was that?” the driver barked.
Trembling all over, Erin held her breath.
Knife angled his head, looking up. “Something hit the roof.”
Suddenly the window beside Knife shattered. Erin jolted as glass shards blasted across the seat.
“What the—!” The SUV swerved as the startled driver twisted toward the smashed window.
“It’s Kincaid!” Knife brushed broken glass off his shirt and surged forward to shout to his cohort. “He’s on the roof! Shake him!”
Erin gripped the edge of the seat as their driver snatched the steering wheel hard to the left then right again. Alec’s legs slid off the passenger side of the roof, scrambling to find purchase.
Panic roiled inside her. “No!”
The driver yanked the steering wheel again. Alec slipped farther down the side of the SUV. He needed help. Her help.
Snatching off her seat belt, Erin lunged for the front seat, the driver, the steering wheel.
“Hey, get back here!” Knife grabbed the back of her shirt. She fought like a wildcat to grab the wheel, steady the SUV.
Erin heard a thump, a smack. When Knife’s hold on her suddenly fell away, she darted a glance over her shoulder.
Alec hung over the other side of the car now. He reached in through the broken window to land a punch in Knife’s jaw.
Knife’s eyes rolled back. Before the man could even slump all the way to the seat, Alec slid, feet first, through the broken window.
“Manny?” the driver called as he checked the rearview mirror.
“Manny’s taking a nap,” her rescuer said.
“Alec!” Relief swamped her so hard and fast she nearly choked on the tears.
But her relief came too soon. The driver raised an arm, turned, and leveled a gun at her.
She saw the flash from the muzzle in the same instant the ear-shattering blast rang in her ears. She screamed and curled forward to protect her abdomen.
More glass rained on her as the passenger-side window shattered.
“Get up!” Alec shouted.
She glanced up and realized the command was directed to her. He struggled to restrain the driver, keep the thug from shooting again and steer the SUV at the same time. She met Alec’s blazing blue gaze, and instant admiration stole her breath.
He hitched his head toward the front seat. “Hurry! Grab the wheel!”
Erin scrambled to suit orders to action. Somehow Alec managed to hold the SUV in one lane. But as the thug struggled with Alec, the man’s foot moved on and off the accelerator making the SUV jerk, lunge and stall. They drifted toward the next lane and swapped paint with a school bus. Alec cursed.
Heart thundering, Erin clambered into the front seat, wedged her left foot over to the accelerator pedal and wrapped her hands around the steering wheel.
Freed of needing to steady the vehicle, Alec squeezed the driver’s throat, held him immobile until the man went limp.
Erin gawked and leaned out of the way as Alec dragged the man’s body into the back seat. “Is he dead?”
“No. I want these jokers alive to answer questions.”
Erin slid into the driver’s seat and brought the SUV under control.
“You okay?” Alec asked.
“Depends. Define okay.” She met his eyes in the rearview mirror. “If I were shaking any harder, my t-teeth would rattle, and I feel like I m-might throw up, but … I’m not hurt. Does that count?”
“Can you drive for a while?” His face was hard, his gaze razor sharp.
She nodded.
“Good
