Sniper Fire (Love in the Crosshairs) (24 page)

“Get back! Run!” Kyle shouted.

Then he saw it. The gun lay not two feet from Craddoc’s hand. The criminal saw it, too. He shot Kyle a satisfied smirk and dived for the pistol.

“Run Farrah!” Kyle pushed himself up, stumbled, then caught his footing. He cursed when he saw Farrah running toward him instead of away. The gun went off just as they collided at the edge of the road. Somehow, the shot went wide. Kyle wrapped his arms around Farrah and threw his weight toward the downhill side of the rockslide. He twisted to take the brunt of the fall, stones cutting into his back and shoulders as they hit. The scree exploded in a spray of rock and dirt, sending them both sliding down.

Another gunshot sounded, this one kicking up bits of rock where the bullet hit.

Kyle rolled, taking Farrah with him, trying to protect her. They needed to get out of Craddoc’s sight. They needed to…

The ground disappeared. Farrah screamed. Kyle had time to take a deep breath before the landslide dumped them both into a little river still fast enough to give them trouble. Cold water closed over them, taking their breath. He tried to hold on to Farrah, tried to push them both to the surface. The current whipped them around like a couple of twigs, tumbling them, slamming them into rocks, dragging them along the bottom.

At last, he was able to kick them both up with his good leg. They broke the surface, both of them coughing and sucking in air.

The third gunshot echoed through the mountainside just as they were swept around a bend in the river. Kyle’s heart stopped when he saw Farrah’s head jerk back. Her limp body sank into the water. He lunged forward, barely managing to snag a handful of her shirt before the swift water swept her out of reach. He kicked hard, damning his useless leg as he tried to get them into calmer water. He grabbed her and turned her over. Terror surged as he took in the bright red blood welling from a wound at her hairline. Her eyes were closed.

“Oh God,” he murmured, praying twice in one day. “Dear God, please, no. Farrah? Farrah, baby, come on, wake up.” He gently slapped her cheek. “Wake up for me, honey. God, Farrah, please, please be all right.”

He shook her, relieved when she suddenly sucked in a ragged breath and began coughing. “Thank you, thank you, God,” he whispered over and over as he pulled her to him and set out for shore. She remained limp once they reached the shallows. Kyle set her back so he could see her face. No haunting hazel gaze met his. He scooped up some water to wash away the blood and examined the wound on her scalp. Shallow, thank God it was only shallow, and not even an inch long. Just a kiss by a bullet, his old team would say. She should be awake soon. He wanted to stay there and hold her until she woke up, but knew better. He had to get her out of the cold water. And as long as Craddoc had bullets left, they weren’t safe out in the open.

He gently propped Farrah against a half-submerged rock and quickly tore a strip from the bottom of his shirt. Working fast, he wrapped the wet cloth around her head to try and stop the bleeding. Carrying her over his shoulder wouldn’t be good for that wound, but he didn’t have a choice. He couldn’t carry her in his arms like he wanted to. Walking without his cane was going to be hard enough. He’d have to find a sturdy limb as a substitute. Damn, why hadn’t he listened to the doctors and had his damn knee replaced? Why put it off? It wasn’t like waiting was going to change anything.

He continued to berate himself as he worked to get himself and Farrah out of sight of the river. He knew he wouldn’t be able to stay ahead of Craddoc for long if he came after them. Even with his own injury, the criminal would catch up to them long before Kyle could carry Farrah to safety. He had to find a place to hide her. And soon.

****

Farrah came awake slowly. The first thing her memory served up was the sight of Kyle lying still and broken halfway down the slope of the mountain. Fresh tears seeped from under her lids, painting warm trails down to her hairline and ears. She didn’t care. Her Kyle was gone. If not dead from Craddoc’s bullet, then the fire…

No, that wasn’t right. Another memory surged up. Kyle, alive and well and fighting Craddoc. He was alive. Her heart began to pound with joy.
He was alive!

She opened her eyes. Kyle, her Kyle, leaned over her. She tried to sit up, throw her arms around him, but slumped back down when her head began to throb in agony. She lifted a hand to touch her forehead, only to have Kyle stop her.

“You have a head wound. Don’t worry, it’s just a graze.”

“Hurts.”

“I don’t doubt it. Bullets are a bit—sorry, bullets have a tendency to do that.”

Farrah blinked up at him. She had to kiss him. Dear Lord, she had to. She reached up and buried a shaky hand in his hair. “Come here.”

The kiss was nothing long and luscious, just a sweet press of lips and a quick lick of her tongue against his. Still, she couldn’t stop the shiver that went through her as she let him go.

“What was that for?” he asked, his voice sounding husky, as if his throat was tight.

She kept it light, not letting him know how much that simple kiss had meant to her. She still couldn’t believe he was alive. “Call it a reward for remembering not to cuss.”

His body relaxed and he grinned. “Positive reinforcement. I can work with that.”

Farrah smiled back, then winced as pain stabbed through her head.

“Easy there,” Kyle said. “Try not to move your head.”

“Where are we?”

Kyle looked around. “An old bear’s den, I think. Probably abandoned this spring when the river rose. Don’t worry, it’s been empty a while from the looks of it.”

Farrah froze. They were in a hole in the ground? How could she not have noticed?

“Easy,” he said again. Warm hands rubbed her arms. “Don’t freak out on me, honey. It’s okay, there’s a nice big opening at your feet. Plenty of air getting in.” He moved a little to the side. “See.”

Despite the pain, Farrah leaned her head up so she could see the patch of forest through the opening. The air stirred, bringing with it the smell of dirt and growing things. And smoke.

“Where’s Craddoc?”

“Not sure. If we’re lucky, he’ll finish moving the damn boulder and be on his way.”

“I don’t think we’re that lucky.” She slipped a hand into the pocket of her scrubs and pulled out the key to Kyle’s truck. “Unless he knows how to hotwire a vehicle, he’s probably coming after us.”

Kyle took the key from her then brushed back her hair with a gentle hand. “I want you to stay here while I go check. If he’s out there, I can lead him away—” “No. Not without me.”

“Farrah, you can’t run right now. Head wounds are serious business. You’re a doctor. You know that. You have to rest. I’ll lead him away and circle back to you before the fire gets here, I promise.”

She grabbed his hand. “I don’t want you to go.” Large opening or not, she couldn’t stay in the bear den without him.

“Honey—”

“I’m cold.” She didn’t even have to fake the shiver that shook her body. Her wet clothes clung to her, leeching away what little warmth her body generated. “I have to keep moving, Kyle. We have to keep moving. Craddoc won’t stop, and neither will the fire.” Kyle stared down at her for a long moment. Then he blew out a breath.

“All right, but we’ve got a few minutes. You stay here and rest.”

She grabbed his arm. “Where are you going?”

“Easy,” he said, taking her hand in his. He kissed her knuckles. “I’m not going far. I don’t know how wood-wise Craddoc is, but I don’t feel like taking chances. I just need to make sure our tracks are covered outside.”

She started to nod, but stopped herself in time. “Okay.” A few minutes rest would be good. She could last a few minutes. She lay quietly, her eyes closed, listening for his movements. She hadn’t been kidding about being cold. As a doctor, she knew the dangers of lying on the ground in soaked clothes. Unfortunately, she also knew there was nothing to be done about it right now. She couldn’t undress, that was for sure. No telling when they would have to run again. She thought of Kyle, of his big, warm body, and hoped he would return soon. A few minutes lying in his arms would be heaven…

“Farrah!”

The urgency in that far away whisper made her heart speed up.

“Farrah, come on. Wake up, honey. I need you to wake up!”

Something shook her. Something tapped her cheeks. Farrah tried to open her eyes.

****

Kyle felt relief wash over him when Farrah’s eyelids fluttered open. He’d come back from covering their tracks and found her still and unresponsive. Panic had almost sent him over the edge until he realized she’d simply fallen asleep. He carefully pulled her into his arms.

“Damn, sweetheart, don’t do that to me again. You have to stay awake.” He forced a chuckle. “You know Joshua is going to kill me for getting you into this mess. And I won’t blame him. Guess we’ll be even when it comes to screw ups.”

“You…you didn’t screw up. C-Craddoc’s fault.” She pushed deeper into his embrace. Kyle obligingly tightened his hold on her, pulling her closer. “Joshua has no say in the matter,” she continued. “I don’t belong to him.”

She leaned her head back until he could see her face. The red-stained bandage around her head made his heart ache. His gaze dropped to her eyes, full of determination and wet with un-shed tears.

“I don’t belong to Joshua,” she repeated clearly.

Her chin tilted up in that stubborn gesture he loved so much.

“I haven’t been his since high school. Even then, there was someone else I was interested in, but he never gave the slightest indication he thought of me that way.”

Kyle stilled, feeling like he’d just been punched. She couldn’t mean what he thought she meant.

She touched his face. She seemed to like doing that. He liked it, too, leaning into the press of her fingers like a shameless kitten begging for more.

“Oh, Kyle, you silly man. How could you not know I liked you back then.”

“Ummm.” He cleared his throat. “As a friend, right? Just as a friend.” If it was more, if she cared about him even half as much as he cared about her…he didn’t want to think of the time wasted.

“That, too.”

Damn.
He let her stroke his cheek, not trusting himself to put anything more into words. Not now, when they were in danger. He wanted her safe when they had this conversation. Safe and warm and well. Not dizzy with cold and a head wound that might be making her say things she normally wouldn’t.

“I believe in you,” she whispered. “I know you’ll get us out of this.”

Oh, God, could he take any more?

She leaned forward, her lips an inch from his when he heard what sounded like the crackle of brush outside. He tightened his arms, whispering a quiet, “Shhh.”

He reached down with one hand and checked the buckles on his leg brace. The water had allowed the straps to stretch a bit and he’d had to tighten them while he was covering their tracks. They felt fine now, but he knew he still couldn’t trust the thing to hold him up for long. Not by itself. He’d saved the limb he scavenged to use in place of his cane which he’d lost somewhere on the road in his fight with Craddoc.

Moving as quietly as possible, he eased away from Farrah and inched his way toward the opening. She tried to hold on to him for a few seconds, but released him when he kissed the back of one of her hands and put it firmly away from him. She sat up, and he let her, knowing he didn’t have a choice. The noise could be only a passing animal, though he didn’t trust their luck. They might still have to make a run for it, but he hoped not. Dodging sniper fire was not on his list of favorite things to do, especially with Farrah.

At the opening, he paused to listen. The noise came from the left. More limbs snapped. As dry as the forest was, even a sniper would have trouble walking without being heard. Male muttering drifted on the breeze. Kyle tensed and closed his hand around the sturdy limb he’d left outside. Craddoc. Had to be. Though how he’d gotten on this side of the river was a good question.

Kyle eased out, peeking through the brush that hid the den. Yeah, it was Craddoc. He could just see the man’s red shirt through the brush about twenty yards away. He was bumbling through the woods like an idiot, that gun of his in one hand and, damn it, Kyle’s cane in the other. Kyle ducked back inside. If the criminal kept coming in the same direction, he’d stumble right onto their hiding place. There was nothing to conceal the opening any better, not without making too much noise. He glanced back at Farrah. She was looking at him in question. He appraised her, not liking how pale she was or the way her body swayed as she knelt. Change of plans. He couldn’t ask her to run in her condition. That left only one option.

Somehow, he had to get close enough to take Craddoc out.

Kyle waved Farrah to the back of the den and followed her. “It’s Craddoc,” he confirmed. “He’s coming this way.”

Fear widened her eyes. “We have to go.”

“No.
I
have to go. You have to stay here.”

“Kyle—”

“This is not up for discussion, Farrah. You’re staying hidden back here and that’s final.”

“Says who?”

He carefully wrapped a hand around the back of her head to hold her still and kissed her. Hard. When he was done, he closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against hers. “I say so. Because if something happens to you, I might as well be dead.”

“Don’t say that.”

“It’s true. I love you, Farrah Hastings. Always have, always will. Now you get back in that far corner and stay there. If you scrunch really tight, he won’t be able to see you if he looks inside.”

Then he let her go and scrambled back to the opening before she could reply. If she didn’t feel the same, he didn’t want to know right now. All he wanted was to kill Craddoc and take Farrah home. A good plan. Simply. Easy.

Kyle grimaced. Yeah, and next to impossible. Who was he trying to kid? With his bum leg, they’d be lucky to make it off this mountain alive.

Chapter Fourteen

Farrah waited until Kyle left before making her way to the opening of the den. No way could she stay tucked in the back of that hole. And not just because of her claustrophobia. No, she was far too worried about Kyle to stay put. What if something happened to him? What if she never got the chance to tell him she loved him, too? The infuriating man hadn’t even given her a chance. He’d just darted out, right into danger. Just like the soldier he was.