Page 69 of Trapped

Now that she had a better look at the guy who stood over her, she saw that he was dressed like a hiker wearing boots, rough pants, and a plaid shirt. But his hair was cropped military short and his face had the hard look of the guards she’d seen in the bunker.

Apparently, he was the only one of the security men behind the cabin. The others were all closer to the building and in front where they hadn’t seen anyone exit. And it appeared that this guy hadn’t seen Cash.

Too bad she’d tripped. Did the guard have a radio? Would he call for backup? Or did he figure he could handle one lone woman on his own?

“How did you get out?” he demanded.

Seeing no point in lying, she said, “through a hole in the floor.”

“You mean there was an escape hatch.”

“Yes.”

She caught a flicker of movement and risked a quick glance behind the man. It was Cash. He had realized she wasn’t behind him and turned around. She tried to keep her eyes off him, struggling not to give him away.

His gun was drawn. But if he fired it, the other guards would come running.

As Cash crept closer, she moved the rock under her hand, getting ready to hit the guard in the leg.

Trying to buy Cash a little time, she wavered where she sat, putting her other hand to her head. “I feel sick.”

“Yeah. Sure. Get up. We’re going back to the front of the cabin.”

“I can’t.”

He was about to give another order when something inside the cabin exploded. When his hand and head jerked up in surprise, she slammed the rock into his leg. He cried out, just as Cash sprinted the last few yards to him and brought his gun down on the back of the man’s head.

The guard slumped to the ground, but in the process, he squeezed the trigger of his gun, firing off a shot.

“Run for the tangle of brambles in back of me,” Cash ordered.

Without stopping to look back, she scrambled up and ran for the thicket. He was right behind her. When they reached the tangle of underbrush, she spared a glance behind her to see another one of the guards running toward his fallen comrade.

Behind him the cabin was engulfed in flames that were shooting toward the trees, and she hoped they hadn’t started a forest fire.

Cash cursed under his breath and looked wildly around. They were only partially screened. And the underbrush in this part of the forest wasn’t thick enough to allow them to fade into the landscape.

“I hoped we could get away clean. Now we’ve got to put distance between us and them. Come on.”

She didn’t spare the breath to reply. Instead, she took off after him, amazed that he could run so fast with his injured leg. Even though he’d been in the bunker for three weeks, he was in better shape than she was.

She was soon breathing hard, and she had a stitch in her side, but she kept going.

After what seemed like miles, he stopped, and she saw he was trying to breathe quietly.

“What are you doing?” she puffed.

“Listening.”

She did the same, but she heard no one behind them.

He allowed them a few minutes of rest, then said, “Come on.”

They had started off again when she picked up a noise somewhere above them.

“Down,” Cash ordered.

She got down, flattening herself under a tangle of brambles, the way he was doing.

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