“Yes, I can dothat.”
They needed to go now. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end, and he had enough experience to recognize the feel of sites being trained onhim.
“Go!”
He shoved up, Sam jumped to her feet, and he put all of his power on his good leg to push off. Sweat and blood dripping down them both, they sprinted for the truck. Cord tried to angle his shoulder slightly to provide a broader shield for Sam’s smaller body running next to him. “Almost there.” They were about 10 feet from the trucknow.
Whiz. Sunk. A chunk of dirt flew up right in front of them. Sam screamed. Cord grabbed her arm and propelled her forward, throwing her behind the truck. Ping. Ping.Ping.
Three more bullets hammered into the front end of the truck. Sam squatted and grabbed on to the bumper. Cord knelt next to her and quickly checked her over for injuries. “Anything hityou?”
She shook her head rapidly, her bloodstained face white as a sheet. “No, what are we going todo?”
“Wearen’t going to do anything. I’m going to get that gun out of the truck while you stay put.” That was their only hope. His quick glance earlier had revealed the rifle was old but well maintained, at least by outwardappearances.
With his back pressed against the hot, dented tailgate, Cord inched his way toward the driver’s side and waited. When no more bullets came over the next couple of seconds, he chanced a quick peek around thecorner.
The driver’s side door sat wide open, providing just enough cover for him to dive into the cab, hopefully without taking a hit at any majororgan.
“Don’t go.” Sam grabbed his bicep. “Please, it’s toodangerous.”
Cord took a deep breath and placed his hand over hers, giving her a reassuring squeeze. “This is what I do. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you’re safe.” And he would, even if it meant giving up his life. He knew he could make it to the cab of the truck and get that rifle. He knew it in hisbones.
“But,Cord—”
“Trust me, the door will protect me.” At the very least it would slow down the incoming rounds. It wasn’t like he hadn’t taken some shrapnelbefore.
“What if itdoesn’t?”
“It will,” he reassuredher.
He slowly peeled her fingers from his arm. “All I need is thatrifle.”
Samantha’s already round eyes grew even bigger, her lips parted, and she began to pant. He could recognize the signs of an anxiety attack fighting its way out. “You can’t,” she huffed, “go outthere.”
Cord took hold of her shoulders, and kept his gaze steady and rock hard, willing her to listen. “Slow down your breathing. I know you’re scared, but you having a panic attack isn’t going to help anything. Listen to my voice,” he kept his tone level and slow. “Do I sound like I’mafraid?”
She continued to pant and shook her head in a hardno.
“I’m not, because I’m trained to handle these types of situations. Before my injury, I was in much worse places than this. If we both keep calm and levelheaded, we’ll be fine. Now, slowdown.”
Sam pressed her trembling lips together into a slow, deep breath through her nose, her entire bodytrembling.
“Perfect, now do that again.” He kept his hands on her, studying her as she pushed the panic attack back. God, her strength and bravery amazed him. She had every right to freak out and lose it, and he wouldn’t be able to blame her one bit. He shouldn’t be surprised at her courage, any woman strong enough to start up her own business in a place like this had to have a backbone ofsteel.
“Good, I’m so proud of you. I want you to keep your body behind this tailgate, use the bumper for support. I’m going to dive into that truck and grab therifle.”
She sucked in a deep breath, and Cord rushed on, “He’s given away his position firing off so many potshots. I can take him out easily. The steel of the truck will protect me. But I won’t be able to concentrate on my task if I’m worried aboutyou.”
Knowledge is power, he’d learned that in his training too. People were afraid of the unknown, and when you filled in that gap, you took the power away from thefear.
“Can you do what I ask?” he askedgently.
She bit her lip, hesitating just before she answered. “Yes, I’ll do what youask.”
Cord carefully placed her hands on the bumper. “Thank you.” Without thought, he grabbed the back of her head and pressed a hard kiss to her lips. “I’ll be back in just aminute.”
A second later, his back was pressed to the truck and he eased his way to the corner. The shooter hadn’t taken a shot in at least a minute. If he had half a brain cell in his head, he’d be waiting on Cord to do exactly what he was planning, because that was the only option they had. Cord peaked around the corner and yanked back. An eerie silence, punctuated only by Sam’s harsh breathing, blanketed the desert. He could make that door in three goodleaps.
