Marked For Revenge. Valerie Hansen

FOUR

      Daniel was more than ready. He’d already thought through the moves that would put him in the passenger seat with the least effort or pain and proceeded to execute them. He pulled himself to his feet against the door, looped an arm over the side mirror and balanced on one leg while he reached for the door handle. Gave it a jerk. It didn’t budge.

      She’d locked the door! An instant swell of anger took him by surprise and he tamped it down. Of course Kaitlin had locked her vehicle. A shift had to be at least eight hours and anybody who knew what she drove would have had that long to steal her truck. If they wanted to.

      He almost smiled. Who in the world would take this beater truck when there were so many others to choose from? Nobody, that’s who. To say that their erstwhile getaway vehicle was less than perfect was to compare a Ferrari to a rusty bicycle. Still, any port in a storm, as they said.

      Momentum took Kaitlin into the tailgate. She bounced off as if that was the way she always approached. “I thought I told you to get in!”

      “Door’s locked,” Daniel yelled back.

      “It just sticks. Give it a yank,” she told him as she made her way, gasping for breath, along the edge of the truck bed, then pulled open her own door and threw herself behind the wheel.

      Following her directions almost landed Daniel on his back pockets in the lot. Hopping on his good leg he managed to round the gaping door and turn his back to the interior, intending to sit, then push himself up.

      Instead, a strong pull on the neck of his scrub top threw him totally off balance. The engine roared to life. He made a grab for the steering wheel and used it for leverage, swinging both legs inside just in time.

      Kaitlin’s grip was surprisingly strong. “Turn around and hang on. They’re coming,” she shouted at him. That was all the extra incentive Daniel needed, and a good thing it was, too, because she was already backing out.

      Getting the seat belt fastened was difficult but he figured if he wasn’t belted in he was liable to break apart from her wild driving. He pulled the strap across his chest and almost succeeded in clicking the buckle in place several times before it finally caught.

      That gave him more freedom to brace himself and try to baby his wound. By this time his leg was throbbing so badly the pain had affected his temper, which had been stretched pretty thin to begin with. “Are you trying to kill us both?”

      “Not presently, no.”

      He saw her knuckles whiten from her grip on the wheel and noted her determined expression. Her chin was raised, her arm muscles flexing, her spine stiff despite the way she was leaning forward, peering ahead.

      “Where are we going?”

      The instantaneous glance she shot him was incredulous. “You care? After everything we went through to escape you’re worried about where I’m taking you? I don’t believe it.”

      Daniel had to admit she had a point. “Not worried. Curious, okay? You aren’t planning on turning me over to the police, are you?”

      “Because...?” Slowing on the two-lane road as they approached a small town square, Kaitlin peered over at him. “Look at me.”

      He obliged. “Why?”

      “I want you to tell me again that you’re one of the good guys. Straight up. Honest. Nothing held back.”

      Daniel raised his right hand in position for an oath. “I’m one of the good guys. My problem is I can’t tell who else is at the moment.”

      “But you trust me?”

      “Obviously.”

      All he could see was her profile as she turned back to navigating the narrow streets of the town. That was enough. She was definitely smiling. He just hoped that being associated with him never spoiled that smile or brought tears to those amazing blue eyes.

      Glancing in the side mirror he checked traffic behind them. It was impossible to tell whether or not his assassins had followed them from the hospital. But one thing he did know for sure. They were out there somewhere. And they would never quit until they were stopped. Or they stopped him.

      * * *

      Adrenaline helped Kaitlin stay on top of things for a while. She could tell it was wearing off when her hands began to tremble and her body felt as though a thief had made off with most of her bones.

      The reason she hadn’t told Daniel where they were going was simple. She didn’t know. If she took him into the hills and hid him there, the way he had been when she’d first encountered him, how could she be certain she wouldn’t be making matters worse? Yet, if they stayed around Paradise they were sure to be spotted, particularly if his pursuers had seen her truck leaving the hospital.

      That left a bigger city as the only sensible choice, at least for the present. In the Ozarks, a pickup truck was the vehicle of choice for probably half the population. Hiding a tree in a forest had to be easier than making it invisible when it was the only one left standing in a farmer’s field.

      A quick peek at her passenger confirmed her decision. He wasn’t complaining but there was perspiration dotting his forehead, and the muscles of his jaw showed that he was clamping his teeth together, presumably to mask pain.

      “Your leg,” Kaitlin began. “How is it now?”

      “Feels like it has a hole in it. Why?”

      “How about the rest of you?”

      “Rotten. Just keep driving until I figure out what to do.”

      “Rest that overworked brain of yours. I already know,” she shot back.

      The look he gave her in response would have been funnier if he hadn’t been suffering. “Who made you sheriff?”

      “I got the job by attrition,” Kaitlin said. “If you want to take my badge you’re going to have to prove you’re sound enough to wear it.” She reached across and lightly touched his forehead with the backs of her fingers. “Right now I’d say you need sick leave.”

      “Yeah, well, that’s not an option.”

      “Sure it is.” Pulling into a gas station along the way she slipped a credit card from her purse. “I’m going to fill up, get us something to drink and see if they have an ATM. From now on we’ll need to use cash.”

      “TV cop shows again?”

      “And street smarts from long ago. You’re the one who reminded me of my past. I may as well use what I learned.” Pausing at the open window of the driver’s door she leaned in. “Anything else you need?”

      “Yeah,” Daniel said, lifting his hand off his thigh and displaying a fresh crimson blot on the leg of the scrub pants. “I could use more gauze and some aspirin. The stuff they gave me in the hospital is wearing off.”

      “Not aspirin unless you want to bleed more. I’ll find something,” she promised. “You stay put.”

      His cynical chuckle followed her. “Good idea.”

      As much as she hated to leave him, even for a few minutes, she knew she must plan ahead. Her mental list of necessary supplies kept growing. Above all, the man needed proper medical care whether he liked the idea or not. While he’d been in the hospital his doctors had run antibiotics through his IV. Now that they were on the run she’d have to find an oral substitute.

      Done filling her gas tank, Kaitlin pushed through the door to the little store and headed straight for the ATM. Her next stop was the coolers. Cheap foam ice chests were stacked nearby, so she picked up one of those before choosing bottled water, a power drink containing electrolytes and plain orange juice. The more necessities she could charge on her credit card, the better since this was the last time she’d use it.

      Not knowing how long