Читать книгу Storm Clouds - Cheryl Wolverton - Страница 13

David Lemming pushed the Jeep as fast as he could away from their pursuers, not worried if he broke an axle. He only wanted to put distance between them and the men chasing the crazy woman.

Glancing into the rearview mirror, he saw the car was still following. It hit a bump, bounced up and then back down, smashing against the open range of the reserve. “Care to tell me why they’re after you?” he shouted over the loud roar of the engine and wind as they raced madly across the rocky terrain. He swerved to avoid a particularly stout bush and then swerved back to avoid a dip in the landscape.

“I don’t know,” she shouted in reply. She fell back into the seat and grabbed at it to keep her balance while her left hand searched his vehicle. David cast a wary glance at her as she rummaged about, bumping him, distracting him…Her eyes suddenly gleamed. She’d found his rifle under the seat. “Hey!” he cried, his utter shock at being shot at suddenly replaced by the fear of this crazy woman getting hold of his gun. “I don’t think you should use that.”

Sweat broke out on the back of his neck. How had he gotten himself into this situation? He’d been out doing his rounds for the National Park Reserve and then this woman had fallen out of a car. In all of his years and all of his jobs he’d never had something like this happen.

Now he was being chased across the reserve and the woman he’d rescued—or who had hijacked him, he still wasn’t sure which—was getting ready to shoot at the people behind them, the people who were trying to kill her…no them, he corrected, since he was in the car with this lady. On top of it all, he was having to use every bit of his skill to keep from overturning them as he cut out across the land.

“I know what I’m doing,” she warned him as she turned in her seat and braced herself, one knee wedged in the seat as she fought for steadiness and shouldered the rifle.

He suddenly realized the woman wasn’t from here. She had a different accent. He tried to place it and groaned when he realized she was one of those loony Americans. Yeah, she probably did know how to use it. They all had guns over there.

They hit a nasty bump and the woman’s arm bounced. The rifle went flying.

She let off with a loud shout, very unladylike. “Idiots!”

He winced. “Er, be that as it may, lady, I’d hold on.”

She looked at him. “Don’t tell me my word choice bothers you? We’re about to be killed.”

He shrugged. He’d done plenty of drinking and name-calling in his life as a teenager, but now…not now. That wasn’t what he’d been wincing over, however. It was the fact that he’d almost lost the woman out the door. Forcing his heart back down out of his throat, he croaked out, “Hold on,” and cut sharply to the right.

“We’ve got to get rid of them!” the woman ordered working to twist back around.

The lady was good at keeping her balance as fresh bullets whizzed by them. He said a prayer that God would protect them.

That’s when an idea came to him. “I think I know a place we can lose them,” he called out.

“I’m open to suggestions,” she shot back.

He nodded, not understanding what she meant, since he was the one driving. “We’re coming up on these canyons.” He nodded to where the terrain was rising up on each side of them. “I know a path through…”

“They’ll follow,” she argued.

He glanced at her and thought that for someone in trouble, she was pretty argumentative. She had turned and was putting her seat belt on.

“Trust me,” he said.

She glared at him. “I don’t trust anyone.”

He wasn’t sure how to take that. He concentrated on the curves instead of the woman. The shooting had stopped for the time being since the other car couldn’t get a clear shot. “When we get around this next corner I need you to hold on,” he called out.

She nodded and braced herself.

He took a deep breath and prayed he didn’t kill them both.

A sharp U-turn and he took a path opposite to the way he’d been going and continued, right to the edge of the road—and then over.

The woman screamed.

He couldn’t help but let out a shout as adrenaline rushed through his body.

They crashed down over the side, rattling him from his feet to his teeth. He slammed on the brake and the woman slid forward.

With quick agility, David shoved the gear into Reverse and backed up until he was inside one of the numerous caves in the area. He kept going until they were back beyond anyone’s ability to see inside to where they were.

Above them, they heard the car racing past.

He held his breath, waiting, but didn’t hear them returning. He could only hope they’d bought it.

Turning toward the woman, he started to say something, pausing when he suddenly realized she was awfully calm considering what he’d just done. His curiosity turned to alarm when he realized the woman was lying back against the seat, still and quiet. “Lady?” He reached over and touched her cheek.

It was wet. And she didn’t respond to his touch.

Cold fear shot through him as he realized the passenger was injured.

He opened the glove compartment and found his flashlight. Flipping it on, he saw instantly she’d hit her head. Blood trickled from just below her hairline.

He released his seat belt and turned to grab the first aid kit he kept in the Jeep. It was too easy for things to happen out there so he always kept a kit with him. Fishing through it, he found what he wanted.

Heartened when the woman next to him groaned and moved, he asked, “Can you hear me?” He pulled out some gauze and bandages.

She groaned again.

He reached up to push her long dark hair back behind her ear so he could examine the wound more closely.

She grabbed his hand and nearly broke his fingers.

He jerked back and she pulled him forward.

Immediately he leaned into the fight and pinned her. “Calm down, my little wombat,” he whispered.

It must have been his voice or maybe she was finally regaining consciousness completely because she stiffened and then relaxed, releasing him. “Sorry,” she muttered and in the dim light, he saw her wince.

“Be still. Let me bandage that head.”

It was cool in the cave and he felt the woman shiver. He reached behind her seat and grabbed the jacket he’d worn earlier. “Here, sweetheart, wear this.”

“I’m no one’s sweetheart,” she objected.

He smiled slightly. “Still feisty.” Tearing open the gauze, he pulled it out of the package and then placed it over the small laceration. Taking the second one out of the package, he started wiping up the blood from her face. “I don’t think this is as bad as it looks.”

“You’re not the one with the pounding head.” Her deep voice echoed, a bit put off at the moment. He would be too, he reminded himself, if he’d just been hurt as she had.

As he wiped her face, high cheekbones revealed themselves on a long angular face. She was quite beautiful. And those deep-brown eyes…

“Done yet?” she grouched at him.

Pulled back to the business at hand, he tossed the bloody gauze and grabbed the roll of first aid tape. Firmly taping the fresh gauze over her wound, he paused to reach out and pull her hair from behind her ear.

Her gaze shot to his as if he’d done something of which she didn’t approve.

He admitted it was a very intimate gesture, but he’d had to touch the soft hair once again.

Sitting back, he studied the woman carefully, working to break the intimacy of his gesture. “I’m David Lemming. And you are?”

“Hurting from head to toe,” she answered. “Got any painkillers in that box?”

He lifted a brow at the way she’d avoided answering then reached in and pulled out some medication, which he handed to her. She didn’t blink, but slipped it into her mouth and swallowed without water.

He swallowed, his own throat dry. He felt a bit like choking as he watched her.

She glanced ahead and then finally cut a quick glance at him. “Angelina Harding.”

He nodded. Turning around to face the front as she did, he stared toward the bright dusty exit to their inner sanctum. “You were unconscious when they passed, but they have long since gone on down the road.”

“They’ll be back,” she warned.

He thought about that. Curious, he asked, “Why are they after you?”

She sighed and leaned back against the headrest. “I honestly don’t know, but I’m afraid it might have something to do with my brother.”

Though that made no sense to him, he didn’t ask for more information. “I need to call the authorities.” He snagged the radio in the car to call in—and saw the bullet holes. Consternation forced a temporary scowl to his face. “Well, that’s out.”

“Don’t you have a cell phone?” she asked. “I need to check on my brother.”

Incredulous he turned to look at her. He shook his head. He wasn’t even going to answer that one. “Where is your brother?”

“Wallabee.”

Surprised, he said, “Here in Australia? But you sound American.”

She nodded and raised a hand to her sore head obviously regretting the action. “He lives here. A missionary.”

David felt shock down to his toes. She’d said her name was Angelina Harding. Harding. He knew that name well, at least the last name, but until she’d said what her brother did, he hadn’t made the connection. Still, he couldn’t believe this beauty might be connected to the sweet quiet and yet homely man he knew. “Not Marcus Harding?”

She glanced at him and there was acknowledgement in her eyes. “You know my brother?”

Slowly, he nodded. “He led me to the Lord just about ten years ago.”

Her face twisted up as if she’d just tasted something sour.

“Great.” She looked him up and down. “So you’re one of those Christians too.” She leaned back into the chair and muttered “Just great.”

Surprised, he sat back. Marcus didn’t mention his sister much. Only that she’d moved, not keeping in touch with him and that he only heard about her occasionally. Things of that sort. “You’re his sister.”

“We’ve already established that.”

“What were you doing in that car?”

She sighed again, definitely in a worse mood than only a moment before—and all because he’d said he was a Christian.

“Okay. Here’s the quick version. My brother called me yesterday and insisted he needed me over here as soon as possible. It was some national emergency or something. We don’t talk much,” she added acidly. “Anyway, I rushed over here. Instead of him meeting me at the airport, these two goons show up and say my brother has sent them. Obviously, my brother hasn’t taken a hit out on me so he didn’t send them. Which means something must have happened to my brother. I need to get in touch with him as soon as possible.”

He watched the fluctuating emotions in her eyes and felt for her. Though she sounded angry and sarcastic, there was an underlying edge of worry in her voice and hurt in her eyes.

Compassion flooded him. “I can get you there. First thing first, however, sweetheart. I think we should get your head examined.”

She shot him a look.

He lifted his hands. “What?”

“That’s not a good way to say that. And I don’t need this small bump examined anyway. I need to see my brother.”

He frowned. “We’ll need to call the authorities.”

He could tell she wasn’t thrilled with that idea. “Fine. But we’d better get out of here before those men find us.”

He nodded. Reaching for the key, he turned it—and nothing happened.

“What’s the matter?” Angelina asked immediately.

David shrugged. He turned it again and there was only a low grinding sound. Battery light showed fine, temperature was okay…“We’re out of petrol,” he said and stared at the gauge.

“You’re kidding!” She scoffed and then leaned forward to peer at the gauges. Impatiently she tapped the glass over the gauge. It definitely registered empty.

“I just filled up this morning.” He shook his head. “That’s impossible.” He thought about tapping it himself but resisted the urge.

“Yeah,” the woman muttered and then groaned when her movement caused fresh pain in her right arm.

He turned the key off and got out of the Jeep. Going around to the side of the vehicle, he reached to open the gas tank and saw the problem.

“What is it?” Angelina asked lowering her hand from her eyes as the pain eased.

She knew already, he thought. If she was used to this, she surely knew. She was simply mollifying him. “Petrol tank was shot up. Our petrol is all on the ground—what was left, that is.”

She sighed. “Figured as much. Well, we can’t stay here.”

He disagreed, but then thought, if those guys had any brains they would come back looking. He nodded. “Very well. I know the cavern system here. It’s a bit cool, but we can follow this for two kilometers and come up away from here which might give us a safer chance to hitch a ride back on the main road.”

She shifted and pulled herself out of the Jeep.

David went around and helped her out. Catching her arms, he steadied her as she lowered her feet to the rocky ground. With concern, he asked, “The question is—can you make it, sweetheart?”

She glowered at him. “I can make it, but if you call me sweetheart one more time, you just might not.”

He found himself grinning. “A feisty sheila is better than an unconscious one. Follow me, stay conscious and we’ll be okay.”

She grunted something under her breath, and his smile widened. Despite the fact that this normal day had turned crazily upside down, he thought he might just enjoy the next hour or two with this woman.