Page 28 of Not This Place

A split second passed… and then a loud boom as one of the SUVs parked in the handicapped spot burst upward, carried by a ball of fire. Glass shattered, alarms screamed. And then, a second explosion as another one of the five SUVs exploded, shattering the motel's front window. The SUV had gone up in flames. The force blew them all back, and Rachel tucked her head down, using her body to shield Ethan. Debris scattered like a swarm of bees, clattering against the motel's exterior facade, and shattered glass rained down on them. Flames licked at the sky, illuminating the parking lot with an eerie spotlight.

Rachel shot up instantly, scanning the area for any immediate threats. Ethan was on his feet too, his gun drawn and ready. Alice's bodyguards were closing in around their charge when Rachel saw it: a faint glint of metal from the corner of the motel's neighboring building.

"Sniper!" she yelled over the roaring flames and screaming alarms. She grabbed Ethan's arm, pulling him towards a safer spot behind one of the still-intact SUVs. They crouched low as Rachel tried to get a bead on where the sniper might be positioned.

"Are you sure?" Ethan asked, his voice shaking from adrenaline.

"Yes," Rachel answered tersely, her own heart pounding in her chest.

As she peeked around the vehicle, she saw Alice Danvers being ushered towards another SUV while her bodyguards returned fire towards where Rachel had pointed out. She couldn't make out if they were hitting anything or anyone.

"We need to get over there," Rachel instructed Ethan. "On three."

One...two...three...

They sprinted across the open space between them and Danvers, bullets whizzing past their ears. A bullet hit the asphalt near Rachel's foot, sending chunks of debris flying up against her legs, but she didn't flinch.

Another round of bullets flew past.

A chatter of machine guns.

She cursed. Where had the assailants gotten machine guns? She supposed they were in Texas after all.

She sprinted towards the building, taking cover behind one of the burning vehicles. She noticed that their own small sedan had also been set on fire. The flames licked the

air and sent a thick smell of burning rubber into the clear night. Ethan followed suit, sliding in next to her. Both of them were panting heavily now.

"They're armed to the teeth," he managed to gasp out between breaths.

"I noticed," Rachel snapped back, her eyes scanning the scene.

The bodyguards had gotten Alice Danvers into the last remaining SUV. One of them was returning fire while the other one was frantically trying to start the vehicle. But it sputtered and died, failing to start.

"Shit," Rachel muttered under her breath. She could see that they were sitting ducks out here.

"We need to move," she said decisively. "We need to provide some cover for Alice."

Ethan looked at her like she had grown two heads. "You're not serious..."

"I'm deadly serious," she retorted, meeting his gaze with steely determination. "If Alice dies tonight, then our lead goes with her.

With that, she stood up from behind the burning vehicle, leveled her gun toward the building where she had spotted the glint of metal and started firing.

Ethan joined in after a moment's hesitation, covering their flank as Rachel provided suppressing fire for the bodyguards and Alice.

As expected, this drew return fire from their adversaries. Bullets whizzed past them like angry hornets, kicking up dust and debris around them. But it also drew their fire away from Alice and the bodyguards – which was exactly what Rachel had intended.

Unfortunately, it didn't last long.

A bullet grazed Ethan's shoulder, making him cry out in pain, and he wheeled like a top.

“Ethan!” she shouted.

“Fine, fine!” he said through gritted teeth. “Just hot. Is fine.”

She glanced at the graze along his ripped shirt sleeve. His shoulder boasted an angry burn. But he wasn’t shot.

She released a slow breath of relief. But it was short-lived.

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