Page 9 of No Escape

“No!” he said against her ear. “They’re still back at the house. They’re shooting wild, hoping to scare us out in the open. We still have a good head start,” he finished in a calm tone.

“You sound like you’re used to this,” she commented, trembling beneath his weight. She cried out again when another bullet hit the ground in front of them.

Clint forced her head down, lying protectively over her, all the while knowing that if a bullet went through him, it would probably go through her too. “Pray, angel.”

It seemed a lifetime before the sound of bullets ripping through the air finally ceased. Clint cautiously raised his head and narrowed his eyes toward the house, keeping his ears alert for any sounds that indicated they had company coming. The only noise he could hear was their breathing. He moved to his feet slowly, offering his hand to help Sarah to hers. “Now they’ll come after us.”

He was glad he didn’t need to tell her to run. Sarah turned and took off like the devil himself was on their heels. Clint remained close behind, pacing himself to her speed because he could easily outrun her if he wanted. Occasionally, he put his hands on her to guide her in the right direction.

They ran blindly through the thick underbrush, quickly absorbed in the lush greenery surrounding them. The jungle was dense, which would aid their escape. Clint knew they would be hard to find, but not impossible. They could hardly see what was in front of them, moving at a speed he thought would be impossible for Sarah. Everything in their path was a thick blur. Everything but the pain of branches and prickly bushes slapping against them, tearing at their hair and clothes.

They finally broke through into a small clearing. Before Sarah could bring her wild speed under control, she tripped to her knees with a jarring force, crying out with pain. Clint was directly behind her, but he managed to stop just before running her over. He dropped to his haunches, remaining alert and ready for anything.

“We have a good head start, but there’s ways of hunting someone down other than on foot.” He was thinking about the possibility of dogs or an air search. His eyes moved over her, making her out with the help of the full moon above them. “You all right?”

Sarah nodded, obviously too winded to speak. Clint allowed himself the luxury of falling back upon the cool, damp earth and she followed suit, but not before checking the ground around her. He grinned, realizing she was probably looking for bugs or snakes. Those things were the least of her troubles. And Clint had a feeling that by the time he got Sarah off the island, she was going to experience an adventure she’d only read about in books.

“It’s dark now. Surely, Raul’s men can’t find us tonight.”

For a moment, all that could be heard was their rapid breathing and the early sounds of awakening nightlife. “We need to keep going, Sarah.” It was the first time he’d called her by name.

“Why?” Her voice was quiet and small, revealing her exhaustion. “How can they find us in the dark?” She let out a low groan. “Oh, God! Running full speed through a jungle while being shot at doesn’t compare to jogging on a treadmill.”

Clint knew enough about women to keep his mouth shut when it came to talking about the shape she was in. “They won’t be looking for us tonight, but between now and morning, we need to put as much distance between us and them as possible. I know you’re exhausted, but you’re going to have to find the stamina to keep going. Think you can do it?”

“If you can, I can. Just where are we going?”

Clint could hear the tiredness in her voice. She sounded like she was already half asleep, which meant she was too relaxed. “The other side of the island.”

“That sounds like a serious trek. How big is this island and how long will that take?”

“Three days.”

“Three days!” Sarah sat up, and turned toward Clint. “I can’t fathom escaping on foot if it’s going to take us that long to reach safety.”

Clint did more than sit up; he got to his feet, scooping up his duffel bag.

“What’s waiting for us on the other side of the island?” She rose to her feet, releasing a groan.

“Nothing yet. I’ve arranged for a plane to pick us up Tuesday, around thirteen hundred.”

“Military time, that figures. And when would that be?”

“One o’clock.” Lord, he hoped she stopped asking questions soon. He was almost tempted to inform her she was using up valuable air she’d need for running, but somehow Clint didn’t think that would shut her up.

“I didn’t know there was an airport on the island. I arrived by boat.”

There wasn’t, only he didn’t feel like going into any long explanations about it with her now. In less than an hour, he knew her well enough to recognize she asked too many damn questions, about everything. And talkative women irritated the hell out of him. But then, he knew a sure fire way of shutting them up and wondered how Sarah would react to his methods.

“What about the rest of your men? Where are they?” She stepped behind him as he turned to head back into the jungle. He halted so abruptly she bumped into him.

He spun around to face her. “The rest of my men? I’m all you’ve got, angel. If I don’t get you out of here, no one will.” He started walking once more.

“Great, a one-man army. I hope you’re good,” she half mumbled under her breath.

Tired of her smart mouth, Clint reacted without thinking, spinning around so fast Sarah jumped back with a startled gasp. He reached for her and jerked her up against him until they were suddenly nose to nose. Her eyes widened with alarm, meeting his easily in the darkness.

“You don’t have to worry about whether I’m fucking good or not. I’m very good at everything I do. You’ll want to keep that in mind the next three days. When I tell you to do something, you do it…got it?” They were so close he could feel her warm breath against his face.

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