Intrusion (25 page)

Not now. Freakin’ craptastic.

He ignored the pain that cramped the damaged muscles and pushed harder. The stairwell loomed five feet ahead. He didn’t bother to slow down. His body crashed into the metal door and sent it slamming against the concrete wall.

The sound echoed through the stairwell. He winced.
Shouldn’t you use a little stealth, pal?

Screw stealth. Audra needed him.

He took the stairs two at a time, his knee crumbling when he reached the landing. His breath scraped from his lungs, his muscles hummed with taut energy that propelled him back to his feet. He reached for the door.

Locked.

A sharp bark rang in his ears. He shook his head. What the hell? Where was the noise coming from? The barks grew louder—in his ear. Realization fisted in his gut. His headset was once again picking up sounds from Audra’s mic.

“Audra!”

He yanked his pick out of his belt and jammed it into the lock. Damn it, their communications were still whacked. He could hear her, but she couldn’t hear him. Each one of her ragged breaths sliced across his heart.

“Oh, God, no, please stay away.” Audra’s whispered words jumbled together in a torrent of indistinguishable syllables.

The pick slipped in his fingers. He gripped it tighter and shoved a shim into the lock. A low canine growl erupted in a continuous stream in his ear as if the police dog now circled around her. He gave the pick a vicious twist and the lock finally gave.

About damn time!

Without hesitation, without plan, he yanked open the door and burst into the hallway. Audra stood frozen behind the glass wall of the floor’s checkpoint, a German Shepherd circling around her feet. Her head snapped up, wide amber eyes fixing on him. She opened her mouth to speak.

The dog lunged.

***

Pain lanced across Audra’s arm as the canine teeth sunk into her flesh. She couldn’t hold back the involuntary scream that ripped across her throat.

Oh, God. The beast was going to kill her.

She jerked her arm left then right then left again. “Get off. Get away from me.”

But its jaws locked around her like a vice. She shuddered, the scar beneath her right eye started to tingle. Though she knew this wasn’t the rabid pit bull who’d bit her behind the homeless shelter the night her mom had disappeared, she couldn’t shake the dread that iced her heart.

Her eyesight wavered, dark spots crowding their way into her line of vision, every muscle in her body tensed. Saliva dripped from the dog’s mouth. She waited for the inevitable slice of incisors into skin, but it never came.

Cam shouted a string of muffled curses and slammed his body against the glass partition. It shook like thunder, distracting the dog into loosening its grip. She ripped her arm out from between its strong jaws and ran for the door.

“Stop!”

The command brought her up short, leaving only her heart racing. From the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a tall man clad in black raising a gun out of his holster. Not a cop. Who the hell was he? Moisture fled her throat and she was forced to dry swallow a painful lump of fear.

Cam.

She snapped her eyes to his. A storm raged in them, but he held her gaze for a long moment, reassuring her of his presence. She drew a steady breath. He was here. He wouldn’t let her down.

His eyes shifted to the door. When his attention strayed back to her, he lifted a brow.
Open the door.
His command vibrated through her as if he’d spoken in her ear.

Behind her the dog growled at the man’s feet, its powerful body ready to lunge if she so much as flinched. She’d have to do more than that to get through the door.

But it was her only option.

She sent a tight nod to Cam. He returned it with one of his own. She hesitated, trying to calm her nerves, but the man continued to approach with slow, measured steps. In a few seconds she’d lose the chance.

Her heart kicked her in the ribs, jumpstarting her. She leapt for the door, colliding with the glass. The emergency lights glinted off the barrel of the man’s gun like a flash of lightning. Her sweaty palms slid down the smooth surface until they connected with the handle, depressing the release. The door swung open, she slipped to her knees next to Cam.

A shot rang out and hit the bulletproof glass. Hot fragments rained down on her head. A tremor of pain trembled up her thighs, but she ignored it, scrambling to her feet. Oh, God, if she hadn’t slipped, that bullet would have found its mark in her head.

Bile flooded her throat, but she forced herself to swallow it. Any second now the man would lunge through the opening. They had to hold him off. She darted behind Cam and tried to help him shove the door shut. The tension springs resisted the pressure, another bullet exploded into the air, fragmenting against the glass right in front of their faces. She clenched her teeth and pushed harder, but the man’s arm suddenly plunged through the slim gap in the door.

He reached around and grabbed Cam by the throat.

She slammed her shoulder against the door, pinching the man’s arm. “Let go of him, you bastard!”

He grunted, wedging his arm further in the door.

“Audra!” Cam strangled out her name, his hands clawing at the man’s arm. “Back…pack.”

Backpack?

She blinked. At her feet. Throwing her back against the door and bracing herself, she snagged his bag off the floor. She shoved her hand in the unzipped compartment, rooting around his laptop until her fingers closed over a bulky object.

A taser.

She yanked it out of the pack, brought it up to the man’s exposed arm, flipped the safety switch and pushed the trigger. Two electrodes shot out from the gun and hit their target, sending a shock of electricity through the man’s body. His arm went limp, and he lost his footing, crashing to the floor, unconscious.

“You all right?”

“Yeah.” Cam rubbed his throat then bent to turn the man over.

He patted him down, stopping when he reached his breast pocket. He yanked out a sleek, silver cell phone. The screen was smashed from the man’s fall, but Cam popped open the back and pulled out the phone’s SIM card.

He dropped the broken phone to the floor. “Let’s go”

“Lead the way.”

She tossed him his backpack and he slung it over his shoulder, shoving the SIM card in one of the pockets. The calm modulation of her voice stunned her. She sucked in a breath, sending additional oxygen to her hammering heart as she followed Cam out of the door and into the stairwell.

“Oh, God, I just tasered someone.”

He grinned, but it didn’t erase the tension around his eyes. “You’re such a badass.” The scratchy words were filled with affection. “We’re not out of the woods yet. There’s more of ‘em.”

Not what she wanted to hear. “Where?”

“Not sure.”

They scrambled down to the first floor. Cam slid the metal door open a fraction and peered around it.

“Hall’s clear. Stick close.”

Like glue.

She focused on mimicking his pace, scurrying down the hall in a half-crouch. He held up his hand. She stopped, listening for footsteps, voices—any noise other than her harsh breathing.

Nothing.

Cam waved her on with two fingers. So far so good. They turned left and traveled through another long corridor until the lobby’s tall glass entrance came into view straight ahead. Urgency darted through her veins. Cam picked up his own pace and she adjusted her stride.

Ten more feet. Just ten measly feet and they’d be out the door.

“Freeze! Police!”

Audra threw a glance over her shoulder, but the darkness concealed the identities of the two men racing down the corridor. Were they actual cops? Or in league with the man she’d tasered upstairs? She wasn’t about to stop and find out.

A gun discharged in the silence. Cam grunted beside her. She ducked. One of the panes of glass shattered in front of her, tearing a scream from her throat.

“Are you hit?”

“Run!”

She pumped her legs faster. He hadn’t answered her question. Was he hurt? God, please, don’t let him be hit. Her palms slammed into the door and plowed it open. She burst outside, veering in the direction of their vehicle. Cool air flooded her lungs, making them ache.

Cam ran alongside her, his face contorted. Exertion or pain? She couldn’t tell. Her feet smacked dirt and she scrambled up the hill behind Coburn Industries. The tiny sliver of moonlight kept them in the shadows until they reached the top.

“Get in the truck.” Cam tossed her his keys.

Gunfire rang out across the desert. She hunched her shoulders, yanked the handle on the vehicle and dove inside. Shoving the keys in the ignition, she brought the engine to life as Cam ducked behind the wheel.

He slammed the door shut and gunned the motor, yanking the gearshift into drive. She gripped the dashboard, heart in her throat. The tires squealed against the pavement, the back end of the vehicle fishtailing before the wheels caught traction.

The truck rocketed onto the street.

Chapter Eighteen

Cam gripped the steering wheel and gave it a vicious twist hard right, sending the truck careening around the corner. The accelerator bucked under his foot and he jammed it down to the floor. The vehicle shot forward, swaying slightly.

“Damn it!” He slapped the steering wheel. “What the hell just happened back there?”

He chanced a quick glance at Audra.

She hunched her shoulders. “Who were those men?” Her knuckles went white against the dashboard. “How did they know where to find us?”

Excellent question. One he didn’t have the answer to.

“I don’t know who the hell they were,” he flicked a glance in his rearview mirror, “and we haven’t lost them yet.”

A set of powerful hi-beams reflected their piercing glare straight into his eyes. He blinked, trying to gauge their distance in the mirror. Close and moving closer. Fast.

He pumped the accelerator, but the truck was already maxed out. He scanned the lonely stretch of Sun Valley Parkway surrounded by desert terrain. They were sitting ducks until they reached Buckeye.

The SUV loomed mere inches behind them, the black night making it difficult to tell whether the driver was alone. Cam floored the accelerator once more, eeking out one small burst of speed.

Kiss my bumper, dickheads.

A bullet pinged their rear window, and the glass shattered on impact. Audra’s scream vibrated through the vehicle. He reached over and shoved her head between her knees.

“Stay down!” He hunched against the wheel, snaking one arm beneath the seat for his .40 Browning Hi-Power. Where was it?

Before he could wrap his fingers around the grip, the SUV slammed into them. The truck jerked, throwing his body forward until his seat belt caught and dug into his shoulder.

Shit!

His hand slipped on the steering wheel and the truck swerved out of control for several precious seconds. Sweat drenched his forehead and soaked his palms. He wrapped his fingers around the pistol’s cool metal and snagged it off the floor.

Audra’s scream had subsided leaving nothing between them but a tense silence he couldn’t cut with a machete. He rolled down the window and the glass slid into the door. Flicking off the safety, he twisted his body and leaned out the window, his other hand clutching the wheel in an awkward grip.

No time to take proper aim. His finger squeezed the trigger, his arm absorbing the recoil without hesitation as he popped several shots in the direction of the SUV. It swerved, then shifted into the oncoming lane and accelerated.

His fingers dug harder into the steering wheel.
Keep it steady.
He aimed the gun out the window but before he could get off another shot, the SUV slammed into the side of the truck. It zigzagged towards the shoulder. Cam jammed his foot on the brake, his heart pumping a deafening roar of blood into his ears. The SUV rocketed ahead of them.

He spun the truck’s wheel. The vehicle shook and fishtailed like crazy in protest to the hasty u-turn. Tires skid across the graveled shoulder, the shocks bouncing and jostling them like popcorn in a popcorn maker.

His head struck the roof. He shook off the dull pain that shot through his skull and wrestled the truck back onto the road. A glance in his mirror confirmed what he already knew. These men weren’t giving up so easily.

Headlights barreled down on them again. Beside him, Audra stiffened her spine.

“Give me the gun.”

The stubborn tilt of her chin and the narrowing of her eyes would’ve elicited a chuckle from him if they weren’t on the verge of being run off the road and pumped full of lead.

“Ever shoot one before?”

Her chin jutted further in the air. “All I have to do is point and pull the trigger, right? Their car’s a big enough target.”

She had a point. But he wouldn’t expose her any more than he had to. “Just keep your head down. Neither one of us can hit anything at this speed.”

She held out her hand. “No, but I can at least provide a distraction.”

Damn it. She was right. He needed to focus on his driving.

“Point. Pull the trigger. Watch the recoil.” He handed her the pistol. Then checked the rearview mirror.

The SUV was gaining on them. Closer. Too damn close.

Audra undid her safety belt, leaned up in her seat like some sort of Charlie’s Angel, and fired off a couple of shots through the shattered back window.
Hooyah.
His heart stuttered in his chest. The recoil kicked back at her and threw her off balance. He reached out to snag a fistful of her shirt to steady her, but the skin-tight neoprene suit thwarted his attempt. She fell, striking her back on the dashboard and crumbling to the floorboard.

Helpless anger speared through him. “You okay?”

She gasped in a breath and nodded.

His jaw tightened. No, she wasn’t. “Try again.”

“I’m…fine.” The words wheezed past her lips.

Yeah, right. “Buckle up and head down. I’ve got to try and lose this bastard.”

“No.” She grabbed the edge of the seat, his Browning still clenched in her grip, and crawled to her knees.