Page 69 of Mountain Rescue
“Oh my God!” Rachel peeked around him at the man who was again on the ground. “I thought you were going to kill him.”
“Just gave him a flesh wound, enough to discourage him from running again.” Never mind that this was one man he wouldn’t lose sleep over killing, but he’d never shot anyone in the back and never intended to. He’d grazed the man’s thigh, where the bullet would pass right through him.
Now the trick was to get the man down the mountain and get Rachel safely locked away before the dude’s buddies showed up.
“You shot me!” the man screamed. “You could have killed me.”
“If I’d meant to kill you, you’d be dead.” He glanced at Rachel. “You know how to shoot a gun?”
Her eyes widened. “You want me to shoot him?”
Any other time, he would have laughed at her deer-in-the-headlights look. “No, but his friends might be around. We’re both going to have to be ready for anything. Have you ever handled one before?”
“I’ve shot blanks at bad guys in a movie.”
“Good enough. If you see any of his friends, you don’t hesitate to shoot.” He gave her his gun and kept the man’s.
“Um, okay.”
“I mean it, Rachel. You don’t hesitate. It could mean saving my life, Bella’s, or your own.”
She swallowed hard enough for him to see her throat flex. “I won’t.”
“Good.” Because he needed to, he kissed her. Hard. “Stay next to me.” He walked over to the man, who was still screaming his head off. “Get up.”
“Go fuck yourself.”
Dallas sighed. “I should just shoot you and leave you out here to rot. Get up or I let the dog gnaw on you.” He had no intention of doing that, but the guy needed to believe he would.
Apparently, the threat of Bella going at it on him was enough motivation for the dude, and he stood. “Hands on your head, fingers clasped together, and spread your legs apart.” He stuck the weapon in his waistband, then glanced at Rachel. “Keep the gun on him while I pat him down.” The only thing on him was a phone, and Dallas took it. As much as he’d like to send it to Carter, it was evidence and would have to be turned over to the police.
“Let’s go,” he told Rachel. “And stay alert.” He stayed behind Robert’s man, who was barely limping, silently daring him to run. He didn’t. Maybe that was because Bella growled at him until they got back on the trail. “Sit on your hands,” he said to the man when they stopped.
Keeping Robert’s man in his sights, he stepped next to Rachel. “You okay?” She nodded, but he could tell she was close to a meltdown. Dealing with movie bad guys was a lot different from dealing with real life ones.
What he wanted to do was pick her up, take her somewhere safe where people trying to kill her would never find her, and hold her until she gave him that special smile again. But she was close to losing it, and any tenderness he showed her would send her over the edge. So he kept the command in his voice. “Get Jack on the phone for me.”
“Okay.” She seemed relieved to have something to do besides holding a gun.
“Whiskey, how close to the cabin are you?” he said when she handed him her phone.
“Five minutes. SITREP.”
“Rachel and I are unharmed. We’re on the trail behind the cabin with one slightly wounded tango in custody. I don’t know if he’s alone. Can you clear the cabin, make sure there’s not a surprise waiting for us inside?”
“Copy that. I’ll buzz you with an all clear.”
Their prisoner was trying to crawl away, and Dallas rolled his eyes. He stomped his foot down on the man’s back. “What’s your name?”
“Fuck off.”
“Your mama didn’t like you very much if that’s what she named you.”
Rachel snorted. “Robert called him Ebers. I assume that’s his last name.”
“Ebers, my man, you’re not going anywhere but straight to jail. You try to sneak off again, I’m gonna let my dog have you, and I won’t call her off this time.” Bella looked up at him as if to say, “Yes, please, can I have him?”
“Do you think any more of Robert’s men are around here somewhere?” Rachel said.
