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The drive out of town would either be smooth sailing because they’d gotten out before the gunmen knew the road was open, or it would be a shit show because they didn’t. He turned over the engine and eased the vehicle out of the driveway. Either way, their fate would be decided in the next thirty minutes.
CHAPTER14
Allegra hadno idea if her stomach was rumbling due to hunger or terror. Likely both. The road was dark and quiet. They were the only vehicle out at this time of night…morning. Whatever. The fact the motorway was deserted brought her a degree of comfort. Silence weighed heavy in the truck, which was peachy by her. She was too nervous and eager to put this situation behind her to make idle conversation.
She stole a glance at Xavier. Thanks to the muscle popping in his jaw, she knew he was also tense. It worried her to see him shift his shoulder every so often. His hand must be going numb. Nothing she could do about it now. That wasn’t really true. She could shock the hell out of him and give him a blow job while he was driving but she was guessing that sort of distraction would be bad. She turned and looked out the side window to hide her grin.
What the hell was wrong with her? She ran a hand over her face. Where did thoughts like that come from? Too much time on her own? More and more she was starting to believe her mother was right, although the admission didn’t make her as happy as it would make her mother. Being at the top was not the be-all and end-all it was supposed to be. She might be at the top, but she wasn’t happy, and her passion for success certainly wasn’t keeping her warm at night. She needed to get a life. There had to be more than just work.
Time spent with Xavier had proven that despite the awful circumstances they’d met under. She wanted to go out and do fun things like hike and go dancing, even go out to dinner. The problem was she wanted to do them with him.
That thought knocked the wind out of her. She and Xavier couldn’t be together. He lived in the States and she lived in Vienna at least for the next year. Except…she might not have a job at the end of this, so physical distance didn’t really factor into a possible relationship with the sexy man driving her to her fate. The sigh she released fogged the window she’d been staring through.
Regardless of what happened, the next few months were going to be hell for her. She would either be working to rebuild the company or to rebuild her reputation. Neither one of those options included time for a life.
“You warm enough?” Xavier asked.
“Yeah.” She was a bit too warm in fact. She wanted to take off her jacket, but Xavier advised her to wait until they hit the highway. Another subtle nod to the fact he wasn’t at all sure they were getting out of this.
The road curved up ahead and there were flares along both sides of it. Heavy equipment had been parked off to the side. A front loader and a dump truck. “This must be where the road was closed.”
“Yes,” Xavier agreed but didn’t take his eyes off the road.
If there had been a line of traffic, it was long gone. The place was empty. The mountain rose on the right side and on the left was a drop-off. The steep pitch downward caused Allegra’s nerves to jump. “I thought we were in the valley. Why is there a cliff?”
“We were only part way down the mountain. There’s a bit more to go but not much and then we’ll hit the highway to Bern.”
It sounded so easy for him to say but she was freaking out. The road was dark as sin and she couldn’t tell it if it was just wet or there was ice. The temperature was hovering around freezing so it could be either. Whoever was in charge of snow removal had done a great job There were just a few patches here and there, but the snowbanks were large, blocking the view around them.
They passed the avalanche site and kept going. The tension in the truck was intense. Xavier’s knuckles were white where he gripped the wheel. Five minutes. Then ten. The road behind them was still as clear as the road ahead, no headlights or taillights in either direction.
“Do you think we made it out?” she asked in a quiet voice.
“It’s a possibility.” Xavier did not commit to anything, but the lines on his face seemed more relaxed. His grip on the steering wheel had slacked, which she took as a good sign. The highway was only a few kilometers ahead. She let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding.
They were coming up to a roundabout. The last one before the highway entrance. Allegra needed to use the restroom but she figured she’d wait until they were on the highway to ask. The more distance between the crash site and them, the better. She covered her mouth as she yawned. Nothing a few hours of sleep in a soft bed wouldn’t cure.
“Do you think—”
The impact came out of nowhere. They were struck on the passenger side, which spun the vehicle around in a circle. Allegra’s head whacked against the door frame as she was tossed around. The truck came to a stop in the middle of the roundabout facing the way they’d come. An SUV with blacked out windows had stopped a few feet away, and armed men were climbing out.
“Xavier,” she said but it came out as a mumble. “Xavier,” she called in a louder voice.
“I see them.” He gave his head a shake and then tried to start the truck. The engine had died from the hit. He tried again but it wouldn’t turn over. There were three men, all of whom had handguns aimed at their truck.
“Xavier,” she yelled this time.
He tried one more time and the engine caught. He floored the gas and swung them around hitting one of the gunmen with the back of the truck. They lurched forward over the middle of the roundabout and back onto the motorway.
Gunfire hit the truck as they careened toward the highway entrance.
“Get down,” Xavier yelled as he weaved the truck back and forth on the roadway.
Allegra hunkered down in her seat. A bullet went between the two seats and through the windshield. She let out a scream. Then they were speeding up the ramp to theautobahnen. They skidded into the turn and Allegra grabbed the dash to stop from sliding in her seat.
“Fuck,” Xavier said as he fought with the vehicle. The back started sliding out to the left but Xavier managed to correct and they lurched forward again, merging onto the highway where there were lots of trucks going by.
Allegra glanced in the rear-view mirror. “Did we lose them?”
