Presumed Dead. Angela Strong Ruth
waited for his footsteps to fade.
Holly rested a forearm on the sill to lower herself enough to look Preston straight in the eye. “You told me you would stick around until you knew I was okay.”
He sighed. This wasn’t an easy choice, and she wasn’t making it easier. “You’re safer with police, Holly. As much as I want to protect you, I’m just one man.”
“Officer Shaw is just one man.”
“He has a gun. And backup. You could have been killed today.”
She searched his eyes through the steam floating from the shower. “When will I see you again?”
He started to shrug, but the gesture fell flat. This wasn’t something he could shrug off. “After I figure out who sabotaged the helicopters.”
She leaned forward. Did she want to kiss him goodbye? Like the last time he’d said goodbye? It had been different when he’d left for his tour overseas. They’d had hope for a future together. A kiss now would break through the walls that kept his heart from hurting. And yet the touch of her lips to his might be what brought healing and kept him going. It had been so long since he’d made any good memories.
Her hands clamped down on his shoulders. She leaned all her weight into him. Definitely not the most natural position for a goodbye kiss. He rocked forward.
Her face lowered toward his. She grunted. “I’m coming with you.”
She hadn’t been trying to kiss him after all. She wanted to use him for balance to climb through the window. Her torso already hung halfway out of the cottage. Why did she have to be so tenacious?
“No, you’re not.” He gripped her ribs to push her back in.
“Ouch.” She pulled her injured arm to her chest.
He released her automatically to keep from hurting her any more. “You okay?”
“No, I’m not okay. You’re the only one who really knows what I’m going through, and you’re trying to leave.”
He stepped closer to the window to push her back in. “For your own good.”
She used his proximity to wrap her good arm around his neck. Was that the heat from the shower or her embrace that warmed his skin? “And for your good, I’m going to tell police everything.”
His insides burned. After all he’d done for her, she was going to hand him over to go to prison?
“Holly, please.” The whole world would turn on him. His parents would be harassed. That was, if they lived that long. Whoever had hanged Sergeant Beatty could also take out anyone else who might believe in Preston’s innocence.
Her eyes softened. “Even if I try to keep it a secret, it’s going to slip out. So take me with you. I can help prove you didn’t sabotage the operation. I’m a defense attorney, and I’m really good at my job.”
He wanted to believe she could help, but she was already in enough danger. He couldn’t ask her to sacrifice her future. That had to be his burden alone. “Holly—”
A pinecone skittered across the ground toward them. Preston’s muscles tensed. Was the shooter back? Had he just put Holly in the enemy’s crosshairs?
The blue light from a cell phone floated around the side of the house, followed by muffled cursing. The communication device flew to the ground. Officer Shaw stepped forward into the light from the living room window, fumbling for his gun. “Stop!”
Holly jumped at the sound of Shaw’s voice, shifting more of her weight into Preston. The officer drew his weapon. Blood raced through her veins like a dam had burst. Preston didn’t know the police had his description and had falsely assumed he was the one trying to kill her. And now it would look like he was kidnapping her. She had to get him to the ground before he got shot, too.
Panic pushed through her toes onto the lid of the toilet seat, sending her hurtling out the window. Preston tipped backward with her sudden weight. His arm wound around her waist, but it wasn’t enough to slow her descent.
Solid dirt rushed up to meet them. Preston took the brunt of the landing, softening the jaw-jarring impact, but a nearby bush scratched against her injured arm, setting it on fire all over again. “Oh,” she moaned without meaning to. She clamped her mouth shut, despite the fact she was still tumbling along the ground.
“Stop,” Shaw called again into the blackness.
But the momentum of the crash kept them sliding downhill. She rolled after Preston over a rock and through the pine needles. Small plants and shrubs knocked them about like pinballs.
“Let the woman go.”
Holly slowed to a halt, the bare skin below her shorts burning from the scrape of stone. A flashlight beam sliced through the dark, forcing her to lift her good arm to shield her eyes to keep from being blinded. But it didn’t keep her from hearing the report of gunfire as Shaw fired what she hoped was a warning shot. But what if it wasn’t?
Her heart drummed against her lungs. She couldn’t handle any more gunfire. Especially not from the person supposed to be protecting her. “No. Don’t.”
A second shot drowned out her words.
She couldn’t wait and hope Shaw realized he was after the wrong guy. She darted to her feet, reaching through the darkness for Preston. Had he been hit?
The beam of light flashed over Preston’s form running toward her. He was fine. But they had to get out of flashlight range if he was going to stay that way.
His hand caught hers. Tugged her toward the trees. Toward the road. Where would they go?
Third shot. Leaves rained down from overhead. That one came a little too close to be a warning shot.
She couldn’t move fast enough. Her feet seemed to trip over every pebble, her ankles twisted on uneven ground. Yet the wind brushed against her as if she were riding the Jet Ski. Her pulse certainly roared louder than an engine.
She held her injured arm up as high as she could to protect herself from running into something or falling on her face, though a stabbing pain reminded her how weak her shoulder muscle was. She probably wouldn’t be able to catch herself if she tried. Please, God, get us out of here.
* * *
They were almost back to his truck. But that didn’t change the fact a police officer was chasing them. As if running from the bad guy wasn’t terrifying enough.
Shaw must have thought he was the bad guy. And it didn’t help that they couldn’t stop sliding down the hill when the officer yelled for him to stop. He would have gladly turned himself in rather than dodge bullets.
He couldn’t blame Holly for freaking out at the sight of a gun after what she’d already been through. He’d just blame her for trying to climb out the window in the first place. This was exactly why he’d needed to say goodbye. Now the people who were supposed to be helping her were hunting her.
Holly panted next to him as they burst from the woods onto the road. He pulled her arm to guide her toward the Chevy with one hand and dug in his pocket for keys with the other.
Grass crunched and footsteps pounded behind them. Static crackled. “Code eight. Requesting backup. Kidnapping in progress at Cedar Glen.” The voice wheezed between sentences and grew faint.
They were going to make it. Preston would have to drive into the mountains and lie low for the night—after he got Holly to the police station. She could report him if she wanted to. At least he’d know she was safe.
Preston swung Holly toward the passenger door and let go of her hand so he could run around to the driver’s side. She stared back into the woods as he turned the key in the lock and reached across