Page 37 of Final Approach
“Thank God. Let’s get him out of there.”
A loud crack cut through the sound of the rain, and a spark shot off the hood of the vehicle.
“Someone’s shooting at us!” Andrew’s shout reached her at the same moment his hand clamped around her arm and pulled them to the ground. Wet soaked her jeans, chilling her, but adrenaline pumped and fear spiked. Then her training kicked in and she ignored the urge to run. Hank needed their help.
Andrew rose to his knees, and she did the same. He opened the driver’s door, which added a bit more protection from the shooter’s location. Two more pops sounded and the bullets bounced off the car.
“Can you get him?” Andrew asked. His breath whispered across her cheek, a brief moment of warmth in the cold she was now feeling in every pore of her body.
“I think so. I don’t want to hurt his neck if—”
Another bullet shattered the cracked windshield, sending glass throughout the interior.
“Don’t have time to worry about his neck,” Andrew said. “The guy is coming down.” He pulled his weapon and popped off a shot,sending the attacker ducking behind a nearby tree before Hank shifted, catching her attention. His head rolled toward her. Maybe his neck was fine.
Andrew growled. “Stupid rain is messing up my aim.”
Hopefully it was messing with the other guy’s too. “Hank’s coming around,” she said. She turned back to the dazed man. He had a gash on his forehead and who knew what other injuries. “Hank, come on. We’ve got to go. Can you walk?”
“What? Um ... yeah.”
“Someone’s shooting at us.” She glanced up the embankment. “Or they were. But we have to be careful. They might start up again.”
He blinked at her and his eyes finally focused. “They found me.”
“Seems like it.” Andrew looked around. “We could stay here and see who runs out of bullets first, but I don’t want to take a chance he’s got more firepower than we do. So, come on.”
Andrew grabbed his buddy’s arm and hauled him out of the vehicle. “Hang on to me. Kristine, lead the way.”
“I have no idea where I’m going.”
“Doesn’t matter as long as it’s away from the bullets.”
He had a point.
She slipped a shoulder under Hank’s armpit and wrapped an arm around his waist. He sucked in a harsh breath at her tough grip. Something else was hurting besides his head, but they needed to go. “I’ll help. You think he’s really going to come after us? Especially now that he knows there’s at least one weapon between us?” She had her gun as well but wouldn’t pull it out until she needed to use it.
A shot rang out once more and Kristine flinched. “Never mind. Let’s move.”
Andrew let go of Hank, turned, and fired back. “Stay down,” he said. “Keep the car between us and the shooter. There are plenty of trees to use as cover if we can get to them.”
Kristine looked around. And finally recognized where she was. “Down or up?” It was a ways down through a sparsely wooded area with a wounded man who most likely needed a hospital. But fromwhere they were, up would be even harder. Down it was, then across to a flatter hike back toward the lake.
Two more pops that Andrew answered with his own weapon again. “He keeps coming. He doesn’t seem to care that I can shoot back.”
“That’s seven bullets for him,” Kristine said. “I’ve got Hank. You cover us and let me get him down to that flat area. We’ll be wide open for a short time. Once we’re there, we can walk until we find a place to climb and head back to the lake. There are houses there. With phones.”
“Got it. Go.”
Kristine got a better grip on the groggy Hank who was, thankfully, able to support most of his own weight, and started down, stepping carefully. She didn’t want to lose her footing and send them both tumbling down the steep embankment. She glanced back to see Andrew a few feet behind her, moving sideways, weapon still in his right hand. While she paused to find her next step, she shot another look back over her shoulder and caught movement about twenty yards up.
“You see him?” she asked.
“Got him. Federal agent! Drop your weapon!”
Andrew’s shout earned two more bullets whizzing in their direction. Kristine flinched. That was too close for comfort. Unfortunately, the guy was a good shot for someone moving and shooting at the same time. In the pouring rain. It wasn’t as easy as the movies made it look. Andrew popped off two more rounds. She glanced over her shoulder. The guy had found cover once more.
She pulled Hank down next to a tree. He dropped to sit, back against the trunk, knees bent, body shivering. Hard. Shock? Pain? The weather? Probably a combination of all three. The rain still came down, but it wasn’t the deluge it had been just a few minutes ago. “Hang on, Hank.”
