Glancing around, she saw that they’d almost reached the other side of the field, which meant the highway was just ahead. The ground became firmer. Jeremy moved closer to the trees as the grade increased.
He suddenly reached back and clamped her wrist, pulling her down.
A pair of headlights appeared in the distance. Kira crouched low beside him as the vehicle drew closer. It was a sleek silver gas rig. The truck roared past, sending dust swirling. Kira blinked and turned away, trying not to cough.
Jeremy leaned close, and she felt the heat of his body. “We’ll cross the highway. There’s a clump of bushes east of the guardhouse. We should be able to see the cars from there.”
She nodded.
“On my count.” He craned his neck, looking for traffic. “Three . . . two . . .” He clasped her hand in his, and they darted across the street. When their feet touched grass again, he went straight for the trees and ducked behind them.
Kira immediately saw the advantage of this location. In addition to the mesquite bushes, the guardhouse provided a nice dark shadow for them to hide in, with an unobstructed view of the two cars parked beside the trailer.
Both cars were still waiting, engines running, and she heard a thump of bass coming from the stereo inside the pickup.
“Get your shots quick,” Jeremy ordered.
She was already zooming in and adjusting the focus. Click. Click.
She cringed at the noise, which may as well have been cymbals clanging. But she was being paranoid. No way someone could hear a camera shutter from inside a vehicle probably fifty yards away. She took several more shots, just in case something turned out blurry.
Jeremy touched her arm. Time to go, his look said, and she nodded.
Suddenly, the trailer door opened, and a tall man stood in the rectangle of light. He trekked down the steps and went for the pickup. Without a word to the driver, he heaved a long black duffel bag into the truck bed.
Click.
Kira waited until he turned and tried to catch his face. Click. Click.
He walked to the Mini and passed something through the driver’s-side window, then turned and trekked back up the stairs and into the trailer.
Both sets of taillights glowed red. The pickup backed out first, cutting in front of the Mini as it veered around the oil drums. Kira’s nerves skittered. She crouched low as headlights swept over the bushes between their hiding spot and the fence. The truck zoomed through the gate and barely slowed as it skidded onto the highway. The Mini followed but turned in the opposite direction and sped away.
Kira crouched there, heart thudding. Jeremy peeled her fingers from his arm, and she realized she’d had it in a death grip.
He gave her a nod, then signaled with his fingers this time. Three . . . two . . . He took her hand, and they dashed across the road. They ran back to the cover of the trees, and this time, she welcomed the cool water in her sneakers, because it meant they’d almost made it. She tucked her fingers into his jeans again.
Jeremy jerked her down beside him and pressed her head against the grass.
“What—”
“Shh.”
Kira waited, her knees sinking into the cold mud.
The light shifted, and she turned her head slightly. Jeremy crouched low, shoulders hunched forward as he looked and listened intently.
Light skimmed over the tops of the reeds, and Jeremy pressed her head down. She was on her hands and knees now, mud oozing between her fingers as she ducked as low as she could without putting her face in the muck.
Had someone seen them? Did they have a flashlight trained on them? A spotlight?
Seconds ticked by. Jeremy was as still as a stone, a big warm rock beside her, and his hand on the back of her head kept her from looking around. She tried not to move a muscle or even blink, but her heart felt like it would pound right out of her chest.
A minute ticked by. Two. Three. Kira’s mouth felt dry.
Finally, his hand disappeared, and she turned her head to look at him. His eyes were dark and serious.
He pointed toward the trees and nodded. She nodded back. He eased close, and she felt his hot breath on her ear.
“Stay low.”
She nodded again, and he took her arm, helping her off her knees. He laced her hand through his and moved toward the trees, ducking as low as his tall frame would allow. She didn’t dare look around. She focused on the pockets of his jeans and on trying to keep her footing as he towed her behind him. The marsh gave way to firm ground, and they had to be nearing the truck.
Pop!
Jeremy yanked her to the ground and shoved her head down. His body pressed against her back, compressing the air from her lungs.
Panic surged through her, and she bucked against the weight. Someone was shooting. Shooting. It was happening all over again, and she wanted to sprint for the trees—not wait here until she was riddled with bullets. She tried to wiggle free, but Jeremy was heavy. Immovable.
Don’t panic. Don’t panic. Don’t panic.
She squeezed her eyes shut.
Stay still. Stay still. Stay still.
She could hear the words, but he wasn’t moving or making a sound, so maybe it was all in her head. Opening her eyes, she saw his big forearm beside her hand. The muscles were taut, and she realized he was holding himself up, supporting his weight to keep from crushing her completely, but she could still feel the pressure against her hips and the solid heat of his chest against her shoulder blades.
Her lungs felt tight. She was going to suffocate here in this stinky swamp. Or else someone was going to hunt them down right here and spray them with bullets. Panic zinged through her as she pictured it. Her fight-or-flight instinct kicked in, and her brain was screaming Go! as loud as it could. She pushed against Jeremy, but his body didn’t budge except for the curl of his big fingers on the back of her head.
“Shhhh . . .”
The word was a low whisper in her ear, barely a word at all. More like a warm breath.
Kira closed her eyes, fighting the tears. She didn’t want to die tonight. Not here in this vile swamp.
Jeremy’s body was warm, and she tried to focus on that instead of the icy fear pulsing through her veins. He could get them out of this. He was armed and trained and loaded with quiet confidence. She just needed to trust him.
Suddenly, the weight shifted and disappeared. She turned her head to see Jeremy crouched low beside her. She searched his face and then noticed the black gun gripped in his hand. She didn’t remember him pulling it out.
With his free hand, he helped her up and nodded toward the trees, and this time, she hunched so low she was practically duckwalking as she hurried for cover. She didn’t look back, didn’t even dare look over her shoulder, for fear of seeing some man standing on the road and pointing a gun at her.
Jeremy’s grip was firm as he dragged her alongside him, and she realized he’d positioned her closest to the trees, putting his body between hers and any bullets.
Kira’s shoes squished despite her efforts to keep quiet, but finally, they reached the far edge of the field. Jeremy pulled her behind a mesquite tree and stopped, standing upright. He released her hand and dug his keys from his pocket, and only then did she realize they were standing right beside the gravel road. She glanced behind him, and there was his truck, a dark shadow within a shadow. He steered her toward it, still surrounding her with his bulk as he guided her to the passenger door and opened it.