Page 114 of Break My Fall

She wasn’t sure who was more shocked, him or her. Gray shoved her out of the way. She slid, lost her balance, and rolled several feet as the man’s weapon came up and he fired.

Gray went down. Meredith screamed. The man turned toward her.

She tried to stand, but her legs gave out, so she crawled toward Gray. She couldn’t leave him.

The shooter raised his weapon again, and she knew it was over. She reached Gray and fell across his chest. She felt movement under her, and a shot rang out. Or were there two?

But she felt no pain. Was she dead? She really hadn’t expected heaven to be this wet. Or cold.

She looked up to see the man fall, but before he went down, she saw the hole in his forehead, and blood blooming on his chest.

Meredith didn’t know if she was next. She didn’t know who’d killed the man who’d shot Gray. She couldn’t think about it.

She turned to Gray. His chest continued to rise and fall. He had a heartbeat, but his eyes were closed.

A man knelt beside her. His weapon was drawn, but it wasn’t pointed at her. “That was some shot, man. Where are you hit?”

What was this guy talking about? He was the one who’d done the shooting. She tried to focus. Her brain was so fuzzy.

Gray stirred under her hands. “Meredith?”

“Gray!”

“You’re okay.” He reached up and pulled her against him. “You’re okay.”

“Yes, she’s okay, but we need to get her out of here.” The man pulled off his raincoat, then pulled a heavy sweater over his head. And without so much as a “Hello, my name is ...” he pulled Meredith to her feet, ripped her raincoat off of her, and slipped the sweater over her head. Then he manhandled her back into her raincoat.

She moaned in relief. The warmth was so intense it was almost painful.

Gray sat up and looked at a spot behind her. “Thank you.”

“You had it under control.” The man—she needed to get his name because she couldn’t keep calling him “the man” in her head—extended a hand and pulled Gray to his feet. Then helped steady him. “Can you breathe?”

Was he talking to Gray? Her? Who was he? What was happening?

Gray bent over at the waist, hands on his knees. “Give me a second.” He pointed to Meredith. “Meredith, meet Carlos. Carlos, Meredith.”

“Ma’am.” Carlos shook her hand.

Gray straightened. His face was contorted, and he rubbed his chest. “That’s gonna leave a mark.”

“Beats a hole.”

A mark beats a hole? Meredith didn’t understand what they were talking about. But when she tried to ask, her voice didn’t work right.

“No doubt.” Gray retrieved his weapon from the ground, then wrapped an arm around Meredith’s waist. “We’ve been cut off from all communication since we left the wedding. What are we walking into?”

Meredith leaned into Gray and tried to concentrate on what the man was saying. What was his name? Carl? No. That wasn’t right. Whoever he was, he was pointing into the trees. “I have a bike parked a few hundred yards back.”

A bike? Like they could ride a bike out of the forest. What good would a bike do?

“There’s a trail. It’s not much, but it will take you to the road and dump you out solidly in Gossamer County. You ride out, get your girl warm. I’ll hike out.”

Gray didn’t argue with him and followed the man where he led them. “I’ll send someone after you.”

“No need.”

Gray studied the man’s back, then nodded. “How about I put someone on the road who can give you a ride?”

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