N. Walters - Alexandra's Legacy

His lips pursed into a grim line. “Don’t tell anyone else that.”

“Joshua—”

“Hold on.” He cut her off.

She could hear the roar of a powerful engine moving up alongside them. Joshua slammed on the brakes and the truck went into a skid. Tires squealed. Rubber burned. Alex’s entire body jerked and she tried to brace herself. The muscles in both Joshua’s arms strained as he struggled to keep them on the road. When he had the truck back under control, he pressed down on the gas pedal once again. Now they were behind the other vehicle. Holding the steering wheel with his right hand, he grasped the handgun with his left and held it out the window, firing off a series of quick shots.

Alex peeked over the dashboard, her fingers digging into the seat to help her keep her balance. She was just in time to see the dark green truck go into a skid and roll into the ditch, finally landing upright at the bottom.

They didn’t slow down.

As they passed, a man was already dragging himself out of the front seat. Blood was dripping from his forehead, but his hands were steady as he fired off several shots with the rifle he held.

“Get down,” Joshua roared. This time, she didn’t think, just ducked. The window behind her shattered and shards of glass exploded into the air around her. She covered her head with her hands, protecting herself as best as she could.

Two more shots echoed. Alex knew that the rifle had a much farther range than either of their guns. A tire exploded and the truck lurched. “Hang on,” Joshua shouted.

Alex braced one hand on the dashboard. The other still had a death grip on her gun. The truck pulled to one side as Joshua wrestled to keep it under control. It skidded off onto the soft dirt shoulder and the world tilted around Alex. Her stomach lurched as the vehicle rolled. Alex was jerked forward, then back, smashing her head against the side window. The seatbelt bit into her shoulder and chest, keeping her from flying through the windshield as the truck flipped over again. They weren’t as lucky as the men in the other truck had been. When they finally came to a halt, Alex was hanging upside down.

Shocked, she hung there, trying to get her bearings. Her mouth was dry. She opened her mouth to speak, swallowed and then tried again. “Joshua?” she croaked.

She turned her head slowly, biting her lip to keep from crying out when she caught sight of him. He was hanging upside down like she was, blood dripping down the side of his face. His eyes popped open as she watched him. He blinked twice, then immediately turned to face her. “Are you all right?” His voice was little more than a rough rasp.

She nodded and then groaned and grabbed her head. She groaned again when she accidentally struck her temple with the gun that was still grasped securely in her hand. Through it all, she hadn’t let go of it.

She heard a click and then Joshua half fell, half lowered himself until he was on the roof of the truck, which was really the floor now that they were upside down. Alex wondered about her own state of mind that her last thought had made perfect sense to her. As she watched, he levered himself out of the driver’s side window, which had been smashed out during the crash. He’d made it look easy.

She fumbled with the buckle on her seatbelt and it came unsnapped just as Joshua appeared on her side of the truck. She barely had time to register his grim expression before she fell. With all the strength leached from her arms, she was unable to support herself as he had. Instead of lowering herself out of the seat, she ended up in a crumpled heap. She’d be sporting a few extra bruises after that, but she was free.

Joshua was swearing as he all but ripped the door off its hinges and knelt beside the opening, carefully helping her out of the tangled mass of metal and alloy that had been their truck. Where Joshua had levered himself out of the truck almost effortlessly, she had to be practically dragged from the wreckage. His strong arms gently eased her toward him.

She closed her eyes and leaned against Joshua, trying to absorb some of his strength as she sucked in a deep breath. She was glad to be sitting on the ground, even though it was hard and rocky. Anything was better than being tumbled around in the truck. Her head was pounding and her stomach was none too steady, but she knew they couldn’t stay here. The men from the other vehicle wouldn’t be far behind them. Although she wanted to bury her face against his chest and rest there, she knew there was no time. It wasn’t easy, but she forced herself to push away from him. “We have to get going.”

She opened her eyes and got her first really good look at him as he stood. She’d thought he’d appeared dark and dangerous before, but she’d been mistaken. The man before her was almost a stranger. There wasn’t an ounce of softness anywhere in him. His rough-hewn features and the blank stare on his face reminded her of a picture of a barbarian warlord she’d seen in a history book once. This was a man who would have no trouble killing his enemies. In fact, he appeared as if he’d enjoy doing so. He looked ruthless, powerful and deadly.

She was damn glad that he was on her side.

Joshua felt all his emotions turn cold as he watched Alex gather herself. Tiny cuts dotted her arms and there were several other nicks on her face. A huge bruise was forming on the right side of her face and he wouldn’t be surprised if she had a mild concussion.

The hot fury churning within him had quickly solidified into molten ice. They had hurt his woman. His! They would pay for that mistake. Watching her as she rolled over onto her hands and knees and struggled to stand made him want to howl with rage. But rage would work against them. He needed to be clear-headed and detached if they were going to survive.

His job was to protect her and he had failed her. Kneeling in the dirt with her face and arms bloody, her shirt ripped and her jeans torn, she glanced up at him and gifted him with a wan smile. “I could use some help here.”

Shaking himself from his grim thoughts, he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her to her feet, not releasing her until she was steady. “We have to move.” He hated to have to rush her, but they had no choice. Thankfully, their seatbelts had kept both of them from serious injury. Otherwise they’d be sitting ducks.

“I know,” she reminded him. “I was the one who told you that. Remember?” She reached out and placed her hand on his cheek. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

He thought his heart would surely burst it seemed to swell so large in his chest. This woman in front of him was everything. There was nothing he would not do to protect her and to keep her. If he’d ever had any doubts about that, they were gone. He was in awe of her courage. Any other woman would be crying or screaming at him for getting her into this mess. Instead, Alex was worried about him. “I’m fine.”

He ignored her concerned gaze as he stepped away and returned to the truck long enough to grab her jacket and a lightweight windbreaker he’d found stashed behind the driver’s seat this morning. The nights would be cold and right now he had no idea how long they would be out here.

Yanking his cell phone out of his back pocket, he flipped it open. No service. He wasn’t surprised. Cell phone service was spotty at best in the mountains. There was also the possibility it had been damaged in the crash. Closing it, he jammed it back into his pocket.

Alex was still standing in the same spot waiting for him and he took her hand in his and started to pull her toward the trees. They would be safer there than they would be on the road. The woods were his domain.

He moved as quickly as he could. Alex did her best to keep up, but she was still shaky. Still, she kept moving and didn’t complain. She knew the score as well as he did. “Do you think they were alone?” Her question didn’t surprise him. She had a quick, intelligent mind.