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Lord Jesus, please keep us safe in Your care!
The prayer didn’t work, probably because her heart was lodged in her throat as Steele zipped between cars, changing lanes. Then he crossed three lanes of traffic to get back into the right lane.
“I lost him,” he said, slowing to a reasonable speed. “It was a black SUV without front license plates.”
She willed her pulse to settle. “How were we found?”
“Not sure.” He scowled. “I’m nervous about heading back to Timberland Falls.”
She shared his concern. He quickly took the next exit, then had to hit the brakes. There was a large semitruck in front of them, moving with what seemed like excruciating slowness.
“Hang on!” The urgency in Steele’s voice alarmed her. She risked a glance over her shoulder to see a large SUV coming down the exit ramp toward them.
They were going to die. For some strange reason, she was eerily calm. Almost as if she could hear Jesus calling her home.
Then Steele had his gun out, his window down, and was shooting at the SUV. She gasped as a bullet struck the driver’s side of the windshield. The SUV veered off to the side, barely missing their rear bumper. It was going so fast that it flipped over, rolling along the side of the ramp.
Steele ducked back inside the car, put the gearshift in reverse, and backed up. Then he drove up and over the opposite curb to get around the semitruck.
To her horror, another cramp tightened around her abdomen. No, please, no. Not again!
Steele was too preoccupied with getting far away from the crashed SUV to notice. She desperately smoothed her hands over her stomach, struggling to regulate her breathing. Being upset wasn’t going to help.
But knowing that didn’t stop the tears that filled her eyes. She sniffled and fought them back. But they still rolled down her cheeks.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Steele asked. He was driving insanely fast, taking dozens of turns to put distance between them and the overturned SUV.
“I can’t do this anymore...” She stifled a sob. “I can’t, Steele. I’m going to lose my baby!”
He abruptly turned into a parking lot, driving around to the back side of the building. Then he stopped the car, threw the gearshift into park, and gathered her close. Well, as close as the center console allowed.
“Don’t cry. You’re safe. Please don’t cry.” He sounded more upset now than he had when the SUV had been barreling toward them.
She pressed her face into his shoulder, seeking strength. Steele pressed a warm kiss to her temple and continued whispering reassuring words into her ear.
Slowly, she relaxed against him. The cramping in her abdomen eased, which helped. The danger was over. For now.
Ridiculous to wish she could stay cradled in Steele’s arms forever.
* * *
WatchingHarper dissolve into tears had hit hard. He felt as if he’d failed her. They’d barely gotten out of the hospital only to land smack in the middle of danger again.
And they were too close to Timberland Falls for comfort. He needed a real safe house for her. This time, he wasn’t accepting no as an answer.
After a few minutes Harper sat up, wiping her hands over her face. “I’m a mess.”
“You’re beautiful.” He reached up to tuck a long strand of damp hair behind her ear. “I need to make a few calls, okay?”
She glanced around fearfully. “Are we safe here? What if the police come looking for us? We caused that car to crash.”
He had taken shots at the SUV, not her. But he appreciated her concern. “This will only take a minute.” He pulled out his new disposable phone, wondering how the black SUV had found them. Had they been tailed from the hospital? The precinct?
Or all the way from Timberland Falls?
“Steele, will you pray with me?” Harper’s tone was tentative.
How could he deny her request? He dropped the phone in the center console and reached for her hand. “Yes, Harper. I’m no expert in the prayer department, though.”
