Chapter 10 #2
Rowan hit the gas, the van kissing her bumper as she followed Buck down the driveway. The impact slipped her back tires sideways for a moment before she countered the motion, got them straightened out and barreling down the road.
Buck turned right, jumped a curb, then swerved onto a nondescript road, stones kicking off the mud flaps. Rowan followed, her Tahoe creaking as the suspension bottomed out, something on the undercarriage scraping against the concrete.
The van paralleled them, some asshole sliding the side door open, AR-15 notched to his shoulder. He fired off a few trigger pulls, pelting both vehicles with a sweep of his arm. Bodie turned, covered her from any possible hit, his body practically hugging hers.
Her heart kicked over.
She’d never had anyone stand between her and danger the way he had since that first night. When he’d shoved her beneath him as the grenade exploded nearby. It messed with her head. Had her looking at him from a whole new perspective. She’d already been crushing on him. Seeing him in his element…
It had her reconsidering how she’d pictured her future playing out.
The road veered, forced the van to pull back. Buck seized the opportunity and fishtailed the truck onto an old logging road, heading up a steep incline.
Rowan glanced at Bodie. “Does Buck know where he’s going? Because I’m pretty sure this leads to an old trestle bridge.” She looked back at the road. “Last time I checked, some of the ties were cracked. Missing.”
Bodie clenched his jaw. “Buck’s not the type to leave our lives up to chance. If he’s headed this way, he’s got a plan. Not sure it’s a sane one, but…”
“Ride or die, right?”
Bodie flicked his gaze to her, smiled. “Ride or die, sweetheart.”
That endearment.
What she suspected had started as a slip had quickly become something more. Something dangerously intimate.
Lights glared in her rearview, the van still trailing behind, though the rough terrain had cost them any advantage they’d had. Even the guy with the rifle had retreated inside.
They reached the top of the incline and slipped down the other side, that trestle rising like an omen out of the fog, just the first half visible amidst the mist. Buck didn’t slow, picking up more speed as he barreled toward it.
No hesitation. No swerving, just the truck bouncing along the rutted track, the headlights cutting a swatch across the bridge.
Rowan clenched the wheel. “Bodie…”
“You’ve got this. Just shadow Buck.”
She took a breath, shoved down the doubt, then rode her Tahoe onto the tracks, not varying more than an inch from Buck’s route.
The creosote-drenched ties shook beneath the tires, a couple loud cracks making her insides jump.
The truck tilted as it reached the section she swore had collapsed, the right wheel balancing on the thin metal rail when the wood beneath vanished, nothing but fifty feet of air showing below the track.
Rowan inhaled, thought about pumping the brake, until Bodie placed his hand over hers on the wheel.
Held it steady. They hit the opening going way too fast, the rubber slipping on the rain-slick metal.
The Chevy shifted, nearly tumbling off when they reached the other side, bounced down onto the wood.
He squeezed her hand, keeping his layered over hers. “Nice job.”
She coughed, nearly puked. “Remind me to punch Buck in the jaw, later. That was insane.”
“Maybe, but it looks like our friend’s not as competent as you.”
She glanced in the rearview. Twin beams tunneled through the fog, the right side noticeably lower. The chassis rocked, the bumper dipping as the front wheel clawed at the air.
Rowan shook her head. “That could have been us.”
Bodie merely grinned. “Never doubted you, sweetheart.”
One word shouldn’t spike her heart rate the way it did. His obvious approval fluttering her stomach.
Buck veered off onto another path, bramble and salal slapping the sides until they reached the main road, hopped on some asphalt. Rowan checked the mirrors, cycling through them as they headed back to town, finally turning into Bodie’s parking lot.
She pulled into the garage, let her head fall against the seat rest. “Did I miss a tail?”
Bodie leaned over, got impossibly close. “Nope.” He lingered for a few moments, staring at her as if he’d never seen her before, then opened the door, stepped out. “You were amazing.”
Rowan snorted as she closed the door. “Remind me to kick Buck’s ass for that trestle decision.”
Buck leaned against Bodie’s truck. “I’m standing right here.”
She glared at him. “I know.”
“It worked.”
“You’re lucky I didn’t plow my Tahoe into the water.”
“You didn’t even hesitate.” Buck straightened. “Are we gonna go through those files, boot up that hard drive? Or do you two have something else in mind?”
Rowan rounded the Chevy. “You’re an ass.”
“It’s a step up from what everyone used to call me.” Buck smiled. “And you wouldn’t be blushing if I hadn’t struck a nerve.”
He pushed off, headed inside.
Bodie came up behind her, his hand landing on the small of her back, the simple touch stealing her breath, just like Buck had hinted at. “You okay to go through everything, or do you want to get some rest? Start fresh in the morning?”
She looked up at him, his blue eyes far too mesmerizing for her own good. “No way I’ll be able to shut down after all that, so let’s see what these assholes have been hiding.”