TAKING COVER by Catherine Mann

Author:Catherine Mann
Format: epub

* * *

Chapter 10

«^»

Fishtailing, the car swerved right, then left. Tanner's hand fisted around the wheel as his body strained against the seat belt. The Taurus hurtled off the road.

Tanner's other arm shot in front of Kathleen to brace her. "Drive into the spin, O'Connell!"

"I know!" Her elbow nudged his arm away. "Let go!" The car pounded over dips and trenches. Damn, but he wished they'd been traveling the more sedate Kathleen speed on the smooth, paved highway.

A second tire blew.

"What the—" His hand reached again for Kathleen. Too late. She slammed against the door. Her head smacked the window.

Her limp body sagged from the seat belt. "Kathleen!" he shouted. Horror thumped him in the chest harder than the constricting shoulder harness.

The car pin-wheeled out of control into a dried-up lake

Forcing himself to block out distracting emotions, Tanner steered. Fly the jet. Don't think about Kathleen slumped beside him.

Damn near impossible.

Grinding metal sounded as rocks ripped at the undercarriage. Focus and fly. He manipulated the wheel by instinct, battling a flat in the front as well as the back. He combated ruts and rocks, tried not think of Kathleen's limp body swaying like a rag doll.

A small pyre of rocks loomed ahead. Unavoidable, but at least it would act as a brake from nature. The car plowed over the stones, jolting the vehicle more than a teeth-jarring landing.

Airbags inflated. Masked Kathleen.

The spin slowed, the car sliding sideways. Stopping.

Dust swirled beyond Tanner's side window. The radio crooned "Jingle Bell Rock" in the aftermath, everything else an echoing silence. Too quiet, as he listened to music and his own labored breathing.

No sounds from beside him.

The airbags began a hissing deflation, spurring Tanner into action. He punched the bag until he could unsnap his seat belt. "Kathleen!"

He flung aside the belt and leaned over the console. Too damned big console. "Answer me!"

She didn't respond. Not even a moan. He cupped her face, afraid to move her until he knew how badly she'd been hurt. "Kathleen, honey, wake up. Come on. Wake up."

He patted her cheeks. Her damp face.

His fingers came away with blood as red as her hair, crimson like the fear darkening his vision. With shaking hands, he examined the cut on her temple. Small, but bleeding like a son of a bitch. "Damn it, Kathleen! Open your eyes. Now! Wake up and yell at me for making you take the detour!"

Still no response. He hung his head, gasping in air to calm his thoughts as well as his heart rate.

Think. Breathe.

His nose twitched. Gasoline hung in the air. Stung his nose, his eyes. Rocks must have torn the undercarriage, causing a leak in the fuel tank.

His head shot up.

The car could blow.

He lunged for her seat belt. Forget waiting, he had to get Kathleen out now and just pray she hadn't broken anything.

Tanner jabbed her seat belt release. Nothing happened. Damn. He grabbed the strap. Mashed the button. Forced it. Still nothing.

For one interminable second, fear for Kathleen and the very real sense of her mortality bit him.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.