All four doors of the Jeep opened at once and his team came up firing, laying out a heavy barrage of bullets in the direction of the sniper and giving them the cover theyneeded.
Like a ghost, Diggs dropped to the ground and yanked Audra to her feet, slinging his rifle over his shoulder. “Run for the Jeep. Keep your head low. Now.” He shoved her in the direction of his team and reached for Trigger, drawing one arm across the carrier and lifting the dog on the stretcher like a sack of potatoes as he headed for the Jeep. “Sorry,boy.”
He couldn’t help but jostle Trigger around as he ran, but it was either cause the dog pain now or cost him hislife.
Bright bursts of bullets exploded in the darkness, Hicks was on the back-passenger side, using the door as a shield to his body. Audra scrambled in ahead of him, up and over the back seat. Diggs shoved Trigger in after her and followed. “We’re in,Hicks.”
King, who was on the driver side, stopped firing first and ducked into the Jeep slamming the door shut behind him. Juarez and Reaper were on the passenger sides; they followed his leadnext.
“Hicks, let’s go,” King calledout.
Hicks fired off a final arc of bullets and threw himself into the Jeep, slamming the door shut as King shoved it in reverse, throwing the Jeep into a wide arc as he spun around and drove back the same way hecame.
Bullets pinged into the back of the Jeep. King kept going, as the Jeep hit trunks and potholes, bouncing, and throwing them up and down. Audra flew across the back and landed in Diggs’ lap, and he wrapped his arms around her anchoring her in place. Thankfully she didn’t fight him off but clung to him, pressing her cheek against his shoulder as shudders worked through her fragilebody.
Adrenaline still pumped hard through his veins, the near-death experience making him feel alive. It was the adrenaline junkie in him that enjoyed these close calls. But not Audra. A woman like her should never be put in this type ofsituation.
They hit another pothole and Diggs’ butt lifted from the seat. He locked his arm like a steel band around her waist and used his other to hold Trigger steady. “Easy, King, we got an injured dog backhere.”
King didn’t even glance in the rear view mirror. He was driving at a rate too fast to be even remotely considered safe, with his headlights off, down what had to have once been an abandoned hunting trail in the woods. “Got a sniper on ourass.”
They hit another hole. Trigger let out a whimper when his broken ribs bounced against the hard, plastic stretcher. Diggs soothed a hand over Trigger’s shoulder. “Sorry, boy. Just a little bitlonger.”
Audra shuddered and shook. Diggs held her tighter, pressing his lips in her damphair.
Hicks glanced back at that exact moment and gave Diggs a once over and smiled. “All comfortable backthere?”
Diggs scowled at his teammate and didn’t respond to the barb. He knew he was in for some serious ribbing after the huge amount of teasing Diggs had given Hicks about Whitney. And any thought that Diggs had to pretending like he didn’t have feelings for Audra was completely gone. He knew he’d have to put up with some shit from his teammates, but she was worth it. Now that Diggs thought about that he realized that’s probably why Hicks had put up with so much of his ribbing. Diggs hadn’t understood it at the time—a piece of ass was a piece of ass—but now everything hadchanged.
* * *
Audra couldn’t stop shaking.Every time they hit a bump, her head throbbed like someone was pounding her brain with a sledgehammer. But she wouldn’t complain in front of Diggs’ team. She didn’t trust them yet even if she did trust Diggs. She sure as hell wasn’t going to embarrass herself by letting the rising tide of bile explode from her throat. She clamped her teeth together, holding back the growing need to vomit as King slung them around trees and ditches and barreled through the woods at a breakneckspeed.
Her face felt as bad as her head, swollen and throbbing. Everything on her hurt. The image of the dead bodies battered her senses as much as the physical pain. The worst was the man Diggs had shot through the eye. She could still clearly see the jagged bloody edges. She choked and Diggs squeezed her, whispering against her ear so that no one else would hear, “Youokay?”
She nodded, because if she opened her mouth to speak she really might throw up in his lap. It was all too much. Losing Jeremy. The kidnapping. The torture. The death. Audra moaned and a violent tremor shook her entire body. She felt so cold. Her shirt was soaking wet and so were her shorts and shoes. Her hands and feet feltnumb.
Audra was sure they were still driving, and that she was still in Diggs’ arms, but she started to feel like she was floating. The image of the dark interior of the cabin packed with dead men faded. Her eyelids grew heavy. If she could just go to sleep for a little while, maybe the pain wouldn’t be so bad when she wokeup.
Diggs shook her. “Audra, stay withme.”
Her lips felt thick and uncoordinated. “Sotired.”
“I know, honey, but you can’t go to sleep now. I need you to fight. Stay awake.” His voice was calm and gentle and steadfast. It was something she wanted to fight to hold on to, but she just didn’t have any strengthleft.
“King, step on it,man.”
Audra let her eyes drift shut, absorbing the small amount of heat she could from Diggs’ chest into her cheek. He felt so good. Like a heated blanket on a cold winter day. She pictured them snuggling up in front of a fireplace, a blanket wrapped around theirshoulders.
“Audra, we’re here.” Diggs was shaking herawake.
She mumbled, trying to fight her way through the fog. She didn’t want to leave her dream. “Leave me alone.” Her dream was safe. It was full ofhappiness.
“Audra Ann Wade, open your eyes.” Diggs’ gentle voice had grownstern.
The use of her full name hammered away the last remnants of her dream, pulling her back into the cold harsh reality of the night. They were parked in front of the mansion. Hicks and Juarez were carrying Trigger to the front door and she and Diggs were still sitting in the Jeep. Alone. Cradled in his lap and covered in drymud.
The dull pounding in her head turned to sharp jabbing pains like ice picks stabbing her skull. She groaned and cradled her temples between her hands, the light from the porch blinding her. Her stomach rolled. “Diggs, make itstop.”
