Page 18 of Lone Star Protector

It was, but there was still a good ten yards of space between the SUV and them. And the route was littered with burning debris. It’d be like running through a fiery obstacle course. Still, there weren’t a lot of options here. Bodie, or whoever had set fire to her house, probably wouldn’t have gotten the chance to plan an IED or some device on Nash’s SUV.

She hoped.

“Stay between Ruby and me,” Nash instructed.

That was all he said before he got them moving. Fast. He darted outside into the nightmare, weaving and dodging both the ground obstructions along with the ash and thick black smoke that was already billowing toward them. They were still a few feet away.

When their luck ran out.

Caroline heard the sound. And instantly knew what it was.

Gunfire.

Not a single shot, either. This was a barrage of bullets that slammed into the ground around them.

Her mother made a sharp gasping sound, and Caroline risked glancing behind her. Not hit. But rather shot in the Kevlar vest. It must have hurt, bad, because Ruby’s face was sheathed with pain. That didn’t stop her from moving though. She closed in, covering Caroline from behind.

The moment they reached the front end of the SUV, Nash pushed Caroline to the side of it. That’s when she realized the shots were coming from the woods. A sniper maybe. So, the SUV could offer some protection from bullets.

But not from the fire.

A sudden gust of wind caused the blaze and sparks to fly. Hot little embers sailed out at them, and Caroline had to duck all the way down and cover her head.

“Get in the SUV,” Nash told her. “And lay all the way down on the seat. The glass can resist bullets, but some might get through. Ruby, you get in, too.”

Ruby immediately shook her head. “I’ll be all right,” she insisted, convincing absolutely no one that it was true. She was still grimacing and sucking in some hard breaths.

And she was on fire.

Caroline cursed when she saw one of the embers land in Ruby’s hair. It flamed up, and Caroline did the first thing that came to mind. She grabbed a handful of dirt from the nearby flower bed and used it to extinguish the fire.

“In the SUV,” Nash repeated, and this time it sounded like an order.

Caroline listened, mainly because she didn’t want Nash distracted by her not doing as he’d said. Added to that, the embers were still landing, stinging her exposed skin. They were likely doing the same to Nash as well, but he stayed put, partly behind the cover of the SUV, while he scanned the woods for the shooter.

Ruby tapped her earpiece and requested help from the drone. Good. Maybe the drone could pinpoint who was doing this.

Was it Bodie?

Maybe.

Or maybe someone he’d convinced to create this kind of carnage. In fact, the carnage could be a ruse all so she could be shot.

But she immediately rethought that.

Bodie would want to do the kill himself. He wouldn’t want to hand that “pleasure” to someone else.

The shots continued, slamming into the SUV and one skipped off the roof just as Caroline got the door open. She dived inside and moved to the passenger’s seat to give Ruby and maybe even Nash some room to get in.

They didn’t.

Damn it. They didn’t.

They stayed there, shoulder to shoulder, ducking bullets and looking for their attacker.

During her training, Caroline had learned a lot about firearms, and she was pretty sure the handguns they had didn’t have the range to return fire. Since Nash had had three Kevlar vests in the SUV, it was likely he had other things. Things that could help put an end to this. She climbed over the console that divided the front seats and checked the back.

And she found a stash of guns and equipment.

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