“Not a chance, baby. Not a chance.” My weapon was in my lap, something small to be grateful for. Climbing out, I realized the asshole had seen me. He ducked. I ducked.
He shot first. And missed.
I moved toward the edge of the vehicle, counting to five before I threw myself away from the back bumper, diving onto the pavement.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
After rolling three times, I finally came to rest on my back, immediately smelling gasoline. Fuck. Jerking up, I was rewarded with the sight of both men from the truck no longer an issue, the driver tossed through the windshield upon impact.
I spun to face the vehicle that had gone into the bayou, the front end already sinking. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a huge tail of one of the friendly alligators returning to the deeper waters.
No doubt with his belly full.
The sight of a trickle of gasoline coming from under the Blazer put the fear of God into me. Fleur. I lunged forward, trying to open the passenger door. With rear of the Blazer crushed in, the door was inoperable. It was also the reason the gas tank had ruptured.
She pressed her hands against the glass then realized what I was doing. But I could tell instantly she was fighting with her seatbelt. It was stuck.
Before I had a chance to react, a puff of smoke coming from under the Blazer drew my attention. There was no time to waste. I reacted without thinking, thankful I had my hunting knife in my back pocket. After securing my weapon behind my back, I crawled in through the driver’s side, offering her a smile.
“Okay, baby. I’m going to get you out of here.”
She was panicked but nodded. “There’s smoke.”
“Nothing a little barbeque meat couldn’t handle. Don’t worry. Just let me cut this off you and we’ll get out of here.”
Licking her lips, her entire body was shaking. Meanwhile, I was struggling to cut through the tough material. What the fuck did they make seatbelts out of twenty some years ago?
Sweat tickled my forehead, but I ignored it, concentrating.
“Montgomery. Flames. There’s a fire.”
“Don’t think about it. Look at me. Concentrate on me.”
She finally lifted her head and even with tears brimming her eyes, I sensed the resolve within her was stronger than ever. I was finally making headway just as the single flame burst into a wave. Fuck. We had maybe ten seconds.
As soon as the blade finally made it through the belt, I reached for her. “You need to help me, baby.”
“I’m trying.”
“I know.” She crawled over the console and into my arms. Together, we raced down the side of the road to get as far away from the vehicle as possible.
The horrific explosion tossed us forward by several feet, driving us into the ditch. The rush of heat was incredible but gone almost instantly. I pulled her even closer, keeping her as safe from flying embers and pieces of glass and metal that flowed across the area like a spring rain.
The clatter of metal hitting the road caused her to shake uncontrollably.
“I’m not letting you go,” I told her, keeping my arms wrapped around her.
She clung to me taking gasping breaths.
Maybe a minute later, I cupped her face, waiting until she opened her eyes. “My God, you’re beautiful.”
She half laughed. “And you look like shit. Is it over?”
I wanted to answer the question with a promise but knew better than to dare try. “For now.”
“Good enough.” She finally looked behind her at the hunk of blazing metal. “You need to purchase a new Blazer for Walt.”
I managed to laugh. “I’ll buy one for everyone in Stowe if that’s what you want.”
