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She’s being so damn brave and I couldn’t be prouder. “The bar on your right,” I direct her, pointing. “Use the open cupboards and climb up just like you would a ladder.”
“Okay,” she says and steps over, brushing the curls out of her face. Reaching up carefully, slowly, she steps onto the side of a cabinet and pulls herself up.
“That’s it,” I encourage her. “Just like that. Slow and steady.”
Heart in my throat, I keep a close eye on her as she makes her way higher. Every step brings her closer to me, right where I need her. Very slowly, I stretch down through the opening and extend my hand.
“You’re almost there. Just a little quicker, okay?” I can feel the limo shifting, starting to slide free of whatever is holding it up here. The moment she’s close enough, she reaches for my hand and I snake my fingers around her wrist and pull. She pushes off the cabinet shelf and I heave her up through the opening and into the front seat. At the same time, a loud crack followed by an eerie crunching sound fills the air.
With no time to spare, I grab Lake and shove her through the broken windshield. My hands push that sweet ass of hers out and I’m right on her heels, scrambling across the hood of the car with her. We slide off it and drop down onto the side of the cliff. It’s steep, but the shrubs, small trees and endless roots give us plenty of things to hold on to.
A moment later, the tree supporting the limousine breaks, snapping in two. We watch the car slide backward and pick up speed until it’s bouncing down the rocky cliff face, rolling a few more times, and finally crashing into the ravine below. A second later, it explodes.
That was way too close.
I reach over and offer Lake my hand. “C’mon,” I say, pulling her closer. “Let’s get out of here.”
The climb is steep and the loose rocks make it treacherous, but we make it. Once we’re standing back up on the road, I look down at the broken guardrail and realize how horribly this could’ve all just ended.
And I’m wondering who in the hell just tried to kill us.
Caruso,a little voice whispers.
“I think Caruso knows we rescued Mila,” I grumble.
Lake has a haunted look on her face, and I reach over and wipe the blood off her head with the edge of my sleeve. She flinches slightly and I frown.
“Hold still. Let me take a look.” The cut is a little deeper than I thought. “You could probably use a couple of stitches.”
“It’s fine,” she says, brushing my concern away. Wrapping her arms around herself tightly, she looks out over the ravine, watching the black smoke rising into the air.
The adrenaline is wearing off and I can’t miss the way she’s shaking. “C’mere, Red,” I say and pull her into my arms. I hold her close and tight, cocooning her in my warmth. “You were so brave.”
“I was terrified,” she mumbles against my chest.
“You were brilliant,” I assure her. Her entire body is racked with trembles and I rub my hand up and down her back, trying to soothe her. The last thing I want to do is jump on the jet and drag her into another potentially dangerous situation when she’s so upset. I have to remind myself that Lake isn’t former military like me and the women I work with. She’s a preschool teacher and not used to dangerous, action-packed and death-defying scenarios.
Making a decision, I reach for my phone and call Finn. “Change of plans. We’ll be staying the night here and flying out at 0800 hours. We had a bit of an incident.”
“Are you okay?” Finn asks.
“Yeah, luckily. I’ll fill you in tomorrow.”
“If you need anything, call me.”
“Thanks, Finn.” I hang up and Lake is looking up at me inquisitively. The sun performs a beautiful magic trick, making her stunning golden-brown eyes appear sparked with copper, nearly the same shade as her hair.
“We’re not leaving?” she asks.
Brushing a hand through her wild curls, I shake my head. “I think we both should rest up tonight. There’s a safehouse nearby. I don’t want us going to Russia right now after what just happened. You’re shaken.”
“Well, we did almost die. So there’s that.” Her mouth edges up and I smile.
“You’re a fucking trooper, Red. I’ve never met another teacher even a fraction as brave as you.”
“Preschoolteacher,” she emphasizes, smirking. “We have it a little harder because we still deal with diapers. Three-year-olds, you know? So I’d like to think that helped prepare me a little better.”
“Changing diapers helped prepare you for driving off the side of a mountain?”
