She grunts and cries out as I cover her body with mine.
“Whatare youdoing?” She presses her hands on my chest and tries to shove me off her while scowling up at me.
“Stop moving.”
“But I?—”
Pop.
I flinch as it comes dangerously close to my left shoulder.
Her face turns stark white.
“What is that?” she whispers.
Someone is shooting at us.
I twist around to look up the mountain, but I can’t spot anyone. The ravine is on our left, and we can’t afford to stay on this road. We’re sitting ducks.
“Makhi, is someone shooting at us?”
Pop.
I roll us to the left, just avoiding the dust blowing up at the spot where we were lying.
Keeping a tight hold of her, I keep rolling across the road and toward the bushes on the side. My thick leather jacket and jeans protect most of my skin, but when my jacket rises, I wince as gravel digs into my side. With my arms wrapped tight around Byrdie, who is only wearing sweatpants and a hoodie, I hope this ground isn’t tearing up her skin.
We tumble over the side of the road, fall about a foot, and I grunt as we land in a bush. Batting aside leaves and branches, I wiggle about a bit, turning so I have Byrdie tucked under me in case whoever was shooting down at us follows.
Wedged under a prickly bush on the side of the road, I keep still.
Above us, there is silence.
Byrdie stares up at me, eyes wide with fear.
Reaching behind me, I yank my cell phone from my back pocket, relieved I have it and the screen didn’t crack from all this rolling around. A faint jingle means I didn't lose my bike keys. Something else to be thankful for.
I dial a number from memory and tuck my cell phone against my ear.
“What?” Vonn snaps.
He’s had good reason to be pissed at me lately. I’ve been pushing his buttons more than usual, and he’s sick of it.
“I’m with Byrdie,” I say, holding her gaze as she lies quiet and still beneath me. With my left hand on the ground beside her head, I’m not in danger of crushing her with my body. “I took her out for a ride, and someone is taking potshots at us.”
“Where?” he demands.
I feel his alertness stretch down the phone line. No one else can go from a state of relaxation to 100% focused and ready to go to war like Vonn.
“The road out of town. We’re about forty minutes down it. My bike is on the side, and I rolled us into a bush.” I avoid Byrdie’s gaze as I admit something I’d rather she didn’t know. “I could ride us back, but I have to be in front, and I can’t protect her.”
“Stay where you are. I’m on my way.”
He hangs up before I can, and I set my phone down on the ground beside my head with the ringer off and vibration on. If someone comes after us, I want it close and quiet.
Byrdie’s eyes are full of fear.
“It’s okay,” I reassure her. “We’ll be okay.”
