Free Line of Fire by Cindy Dees Page B

fast.
    “Give me your shoes,” he ordered.
    “I beg your pardon?”
    “You heard me. Pass them over.”
    Bemused, she sat down on a log and passed her shoes to Tex. She winced as he used the knife to saw off most of each heel. She was all in favor of anything that helped her move more easily, but she’d really liked those shoes. Not to mention they’d cost a small fortune. She sighed and slipped them back on. They felt a hundred percent more stable beneath her.
    “There. Now you can walk a whole lot faster and safer,” he said quietly.
    “How am I supposed to move at all when I can’t see a thing?” she murmured in consternation.
    “I’ll go first.” He moved in front of her. “Put your hand on my back if you need to. Slide your feet forward. Don’t pick them up. Feel your way with the soles of your feet.”
    She glided forward awkwardly.
    “Good,” he murmured. “There’ll be a little more light once we get out of this thicket.”
    He was right. Once they pushed out of the thick stand of plants, she was able to make out vague shadows along the ground. It was still very dark and made for slow going, but she managed to pick her way over and around obstacles and stay close to Tex.
    Before long the uncomfortable chill in the air felt good. How long she stumbled along, balancing herself against Tex’s powerful back, she had no idea. But eventually she became aware of a faint gray tinge to the darkness around them. Panic tickled her stomach. Daylight meant the kidnappers could see better.
    “Tex, it’s getting light. Shouldn’t we take cover or something?”
    “I wish,” he murmured back. “But we’ve got to keep moving. It’s our only chance. If we sit still, they’ll throw a ring of hunters around us and close the net until they find us.”
    Abruptly the fatigue of a short’s night sleep dissipated. Lovely. Now they were prey to a veritable army of hunters. More edgy than ever, she jumped at every noise.
    Tex stopped suddenly and turned around. “Kimberly,” he said very calmly, “I need you to do something for me.”
    “What is it?” she asked nervously.
    “I need you to take a couple deep breaths and relax. You’re kicking in your adrenaline, and you need to save it for when we really need it.”
    She frowned. “How do you know that?”
    “Your hand is shaking on my back and you’re breathing at about twice your normal rate.”
    “Oh.” She had to give him credit for being observant, at least. She took a couple deep breaths. And didn’t feel any calmer.
    Tex reached up and pushed a stray lock of hair back from her face. The gentle gesture startled her. It was incongruous coming from such a hard man.
    He spoke quietly. “Whoever’s hunting us probably figures we’ll panic and run if we hear them. They aren’t going to make much effort to be quiet. In fact, they’ll probably make noise intentionally to scare us into bolting.”
    She frowned. She wished she knew more about how this life-and-death game was played. She looked at him questioningly.
    He elaborated. “We’ll hear the bad guys coming long before they see us. You don’t need to worry about them jumping out from behind a tree and shouting ‘Boo!’”
    Ah. Well now, that was reassuring. Her breathing settled down a bit and her heart eased out of her throat.
    “Just so you know the plan. If we do encounter the rebels, we’re going to hide, wherever we are, and wait them out. Okay?”
    She nodded.
    “If they find us, I’ll take them all out with the rifles. After that, we’ll run like hell. But we’ll worry about that when the time comes.”
    The reminder about the pair of deadly rifles slung over his shoulders made her feel much less like a cornered rabbit. Her pulse started to calm down. What exactly did he mean by “taking their pursuers out,” though?
    Her mind skated away from the obvious answer to that one.
    * * *
    Tex walked along ahead of Kimberly, more worried by the minute. Each time her hand settled