Beverly Barton - Keeping Annie Safe.html by Elisa Jingco

Author:Elisa Jingco
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2012-01-17T20:56:01+00:00

Chapter 9

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Beverly Barton - Keeping Annie Safe.html

ʺAre you hit?ʺ Dane asked.

ʺNo.ʺ Her voice quivered. ʺAre you?ʺ

ʺNo, Iʹm fine.ʺ

The gunman fired again, splintering wood off the shingles on the house.

Dane felt Annie shivering beneath him. He heard the boom-boom-boom of his own heart Adrenaline pumped through his body like water through an open floodgate.

He eased his hand beneath his jacket, undid his hip holster and pulled out his Ruger. ʺStay down. Donʹt move until I tell you to.ʺ

Dane scanned the wooded area across the street from the lake cottage.

Whoever was out there might be using a rifle with an ungodly range, and that could mean he was a good distance away. But Daneʹs instincts told him that the shooter wasnʹt a professional—if he was, he wouldnʹt have missed.

And that probably meant he was close by and using a hunting rifle.

ʺWhen I start shooting, weʹre going off the porch and toward the car.ʺ As they dashed from the porch, Dane fired off several shots toward the unseen enemy in the woods. They landed in front of the Navigator just as their attacker retaliated, peppering the porch and house. Then he fired several bullets into the side of Annieʹs sport utility vehicle. Dane maneuvered Annie down to the ground, keeping his body between her and the shooter.

He exchanged more fire with the gunman. Suddenly an odd sound, like a muffled cry, came from the woods, followed by the crunch of footsteps over dry leaves and underbrush. And then everything went eerily quiet.

Deadly still. A faint rustle of wind through the trees. A whispery mumble from the lake behind the cottage. The hum of springtime insects.

And the roar of a carʹs engine.

ʺI must have hit him,ʺ Dane said.

ʺIs he gone?ʺ

ʺYeah, Iʹd say heʹs leaving.ʺ Dane grabbed Annieʹs arm and brought her to her feet along with him, when he stood. ʺWeʹre going after him.ʺ

ʺWe are?ʺ

ʺGive me the keys,ʺ he demanded.

She didnʹt think twice, didnʹt question his barked order. She just dug into her purse, pulled out the keys and handed them to him.

He unlocked the doors, shoved her into the passenger seat, fastened the safety belt and then rounded the hood. He jumped in the Navigator, slammed the door, swung the safety belt around him, and started the motor.

ʺIs there more than one road out of here?ʺ Dane asked as he backed the vehicle into the road.

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Beverly Barton - Keeping Annie Safe.html

ʺNo, just this one, coming from town and going farther out into the country.ʺ

ʺThen heʹll have to leave by this road.ʺ

ʺBut how can we know which way he went?ʺ

ʺWeʹll have to guess.ʺ Dane turned the car in the direction that lead to town. If the guy was shot, heʹd go toward civilization, go to someone who could discreetly take care of his wound.

Pressing his foot on the accelerator, Dane put the Navigatorʹs V-8 engine to the test. He glanced at Annie. She looked as if she were holding her breath.

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