Love Inspired Suspense April 2021--Box Set 2 of 2 by Laura Scott (christmas read aloud TXT) 📗

and clothing would be great, but he was prepared for the worst. He was hungry, his stomach rumbling loud enough to be heard by the bad guys following them, and he knew Chelsey was hungry, too.

The cabin or whatever structure they found would be better than nothing, at least providing enough protection that they could start a small fire without being noticed. Food would come next. With the gun and knife he’d taken from the assailant, he had a decent chance of successfully hunting something for them to eat.

He headed out through the dense foliage, keeping his pace slow enough for Chelsey to follow him. The best thing about the cabin was that she might be able to remain safe there for a while. He was very concerned about her feet—any cut she sustained might become infected and that would hamper their ability to keep moving out of harm’s way.

He’d carry her if needed; it wouldn’t be the first time as he’d carried fellow soldiers far heavier than Chelsey out of Afghanistan. Yet moving quietly through the brush with her over his shoulders would be extremely difficult.

Duncan told himself not to borrow trouble, they were doing okay so far. The cabin looked to be roughly a hundred yards away drawing a straight line, which wasn’t at all how they’d be traveling.

Chelsey sucked in a harsh breath. He turned to look at her. “You okay?”

She grimaced and nodded. “Found another rock, that’s all.”

He hesitated, wondering if he should carry her now before she seriously injured herself. He judged the condition of the path between them and the cabin and decided they could keep walking.

Ducking beneath a low hanging branch, he heard another muffled groan at the exact same time a shot rang out. He twisted and threw himself over Chelsey.

“Are you hurt?” he asked anxiously. In his mind the gunfire had come after her groan, but he couldn’t be certain.

“Other than you being on top of me?” she whispered. “I’m fine.”

He eased his weight to the side so he wasn’t squashing her. Relief that she hadn’t been hit by a bullet made him a little light-headed, but he shook it off. “Come on, we need more cover.”

“Okay.”

He moved backward along the ground with agonizing slowness, hoping and praying Chelsey would be able to follow without giving away their location.

The bullet had come from a distance, likely the shooter using a rifle with a scope. Any rustling of leaves could potentially draw another shot.

They weren’t far from the base of a tree. With infinite sloth-like movements, he made his way to the tree, using the trunk as meager cover.

Chelsey joined him a minute later, and he was impressed by how well she’d been able to follow his example, slithering along the ground.

When he had her tucked behind his body, he found a rock, lifted it up and tossed it off in the direction from where they had been, watching as it ruffled the leaves on the trees before hitting the ground with a thud.

Instantly the crack of a rifle echoed around them.

Duncan blew out a breath. Okay, then. There was obviously a sniper out there, watching the area for any sign of them.

“What are we going to do?” Chelsey asked in a hoarse whisper.

It was a very good question, and he desperately needed to formulate a plan. The gun he’d taken off the assailant was of little use against a sniper sitting off in the distance using a high-powered rifle.

He stretched out his arm, snagged another rock and tossed it off in the opposite direction from where he’d thrown the first one. Again, another gunshot rang out.

Leaning over, he pressed his mouth near Chelsey’s ear. “I’m going to continue drawing their fire while you make your way to the cabin.”

“Me?” Her voice was laced with panic. “Alone?”

“Yes.” He glanced around their hiding area, wondering how many more rocks and pinecones he’d need to use so that she could get safely to the cabin.

To what he hoped and prayed was a cabin. And not a figment of their imagination.

“I can’t leave you here alone. I think we need to stick together.”

Normally he’d agree with her, but not under these circumstances. “Chelsey, you can’t stay here. Eventually they’ll figure out where we’re located.” He paused long enough to toss a pinecone. The resulting crack of the rifle came like clockwork, as if the sniper had every intention of sitting there and firing no matter how much ammunition he used.

Which meant the shooter had a significant amount on his person.

No rationing needed.

Chelsey picked up a rock and threw it, but it didn’t go very far. Another gunshot rang out, and Duncan put a hand on her head, keeping her down.

“The best way you can help me is to get to the cabin.” He couldn’t hide the pleading in his tone. “For me, Chelsey. You have to do this for me.”

“I’m scared,” she whispered.

“I know, but I’ll keep diverting their attention until you’re safe.”

“And then you’ll meet me there?”

“Yes.” He met her gaze with his. “I need you to trust me on this. Once you’re at the cabin, I can move quicker without worrying about your ability to follow me.”

A long minute passed before she reluctantly nodded. “Okay, I’ll do it.”

“Thank you.” He couldn’t hide his relief. “Here’s how we’re going to do this. The second I throw the rock, you’re going to move, but stay on your belly, crawling like we did in order to get here, okay?”

She drew in a deep breath and nodded. “Yes.”

“Each time I throw something, they’re going to shoot. That’s your cue to keep moving.”

“Got it.”

He hesitated, then added, “I want you to take my phone.”

Her gaze clouded with worry. “Why?”

“Just in case.” He didn’t want to worry her, but there was the slim possibility that they might eventually start shooting within the diameter of the moving trees.

It was what he’d do, if he was the one sitting in a tree with a rifle and a scope.

“In case what?” Her