Dangerous Ground 3: Blood Heat by Josh Lanyon Page A
Authors: Josh Lanyon
Tags: LGBT Action/Adventure
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Kelila up the hill without being seen…
That still left the problem of Taylor.
One thing at a time. Getting up that hill unseen. That was the first thing.
And it was liable to be the last thing. They"d be sitting ducks all the way up that hillside.
He glanced at Kelila"s drawn face. If ever a girl was game, it was this one.
* * *
Hiking down, the hills had seemed reasonably gentle. Climbing up felt like scaling Everest. Their progress was agonizingly slow. Hedwig labored ahead of him, Dangerous Ground 3: Blood Heat
87
mostly on hands and knees, panting hard. The bare stretches with only the gold-tipped grass swaying in the breeze for cover seemed miles long.
It was inevitable that they would be spotted. Will knew it, was prepared for it, but the first blast sent his heart into overdrive. Kelila let out a shriek and scuttled away.
“Get down!” Will yelled.
She was a slow-moving target, awkward as an anteater, but for some reason neither Gretchen nor Victor took the shot. In fact, all their firepower seemed to be trained on Will. Bullets chewed up the earth around him, took bites out of the sparse vegetation, nibbled at the rocks and sent them flying.
Will flattened himself to the warm soil, locked both hands around his SIG, and laid down a steady return barrage. It was only a matter of time before one of them nailed him, but he would give Kelila every possible second. He was aware of her making her spiderlike way up the slope to the left of him. Panic in slow motion.
Will changed clips.
Sorry, Taylor. Sorry, sweetheart . If it was going to end like this, Will was actually glad Taylor was safely trapped belowground, no chance of him doing anything stupid and suicidal until the danger was past.
His finger tightened on the trigger, squeezing—he was down to his last rounds.
Like a thunderclap from overhead came the loud bang of a .357 SIG.
Will"s heart jerked with each bullet crack.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
That rapid, even staccato was as familiar, as welcome as the voice of a lover calling down the mountainside.
It was his ticket home. He turned, relying on Taylor to cover his retreat, and sprang up the hill in a couple of bounds, catching Kelila a few yards ahead and half dragging her along with him.
88
Josh Lanyon
They reached the top. Taylor was lying in the deep grass, looking remarkably unruffled. He had that tight-jawed, implacable expression Will recognized from other tight corners, and though his eyes flicked briefly over Will, making sure he was still whole, his attention was focused on the two he had pinned down below.
“Can she make it to the car?” he asked.
“She"ll make it.”
“I"ll cover you.”
“Don"t be too long about it.”
“I"m right behind you.”
By now Kelila had reached the end of her strength, and all the panic and adrenaline in the world couldn"t drive her any faster. Will put an arm around her waist and towed her along over uneven ground. A few yards from the SUV, he picked her up and carried her, his back muscles screaming protest.
Reaching the SUV at last, he tumbled her into the rear seat. Hair spilled over her face, she sprawled on the pseudoleather, gasping out little moans and convulsively rubbing her belly.
Will ran around to the driver"s side and slid behind the wheel. He patted frantically for the keys. Christ . He could have dropped them anywhere at any time…
No. There they were. He jammed them into the ignition. He had just long enough to wonder how badly the SUV had been damaged by the sedan crashing into it, and then the engine roared to life.
Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Taylor cresting the hill and running for the SUV.
Will reversed sharply, rolling back a few feet. He lunged across the console and shoved open the passenger-side door. A second later Taylor jumped in, hauling the door shut behind him.
Dangerous Ground 3: Blood Heat
89
“They"re right behind me. I think I winged the guy. Go .”
“Gretchen will kill you for
That still left the problem of Taylor.
One thing at a time. Getting up that hill unseen. That was the first thing.
And it was liable to be the last thing. They"d be sitting ducks all the way up that hillside.
He glanced at Kelila"s drawn face. If ever a girl was game, it was this one.
* * *
Hiking down, the hills had seemed reasonably gentle. Climbing up felt like scaling Everest. Their progress was agonizingly slow. Hedwig labored ahead of him, Dangerous Ground 3: Blood Heat
87
mostly on hands and knees, panting hard. The bare stretches with only the gold-tipped grass swaying in the breeze for cover seemed miles long.
It was inevitable that they would be spotted. Will knew it, was prepared for it, but the first blast sent his heart into overdrive. Kelila let out a shriek and scuttled away.
“Get down!” Will yelled.
She was a slow-moving target, awkward as an anteater, but for some reason neither Gretchen nor Victor took the shot. In fact, all their firepower seemed to be trained on Will. Bullets chewed up the earth around him, took bites out of the sparse vegetation, nibbled at the rocks and sent them flying.
Will flattened himself to the warm soil, locked both hands around his SIG, and laid down a steady return barrage. It was only a matter of time before one of them nailed him, but he would give Kelila every possible second. He was aware of her making her spiderlike way up the slope to the left of him. Panic in slow motion.
Will changed clips.
Sorry, Taylor. Sorry, sweetheart . If it was going to end like this, Will was actually glad Taylor was safely trapped belowground, no chance of him doing anything stupid and suicidal until the danger was past.
His finger tightened on the trigger, squeezing—he was down to his last rounds.
Like a thunderclap from overhead came the loud bang of a .357 SIG.
Will"s heart jerked with each bullet crack.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
That rapid, even staccato was as familiar, as welcome as the voice of a lover calling down the mountainside.
It was his ticket home. He turned, relying on Taylor to cover his retreat, and sprang up the hill in a couple of bounds, catching Kelila a few yards ahead and half dragging her along with him.
88
Josh Lanyon
They reached the top. Taylor was lying in the deep grass, looking remarkably unruffled. He had that tight-jawed, implacable expression Will recognized from other tight corners, and though his eyes flicked briefly over Will, making sure he was still whole, his attention was focused on the two he had pinned down below.
“Can she make it to the car?” he asked.
“She"ll make it.”
“I"ll cover you.”
“Don"t be too long about it.”
“I"m right behind you.”
By now Kelila had reached the end of her strength, and all the panic and adrenaline in the world couldn"t drive her any faster. Will put an arm around her waist and towed her along over uneven ground. A few yards from the SUV, he picked her up and carried her, his back muscles screaming protest.
Reaching the SUV at last, he tumbled her into the rear seat. Hair spilled over her face, she sprawled on the pseudoleather, gasping out little moans and convulsively rubbing her belly.
Will ran around to the driver"s side and slid behind the wheel. He patted frantically for the keys. Christ . He could have dropped them anywhere at any time…
No. There they were. He jammed them into the ignition. He had just long enough to wonder how badly the SUV had been damaged by the sedan crashing into it, and then the engine roared to life.
Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Taylor cresting the hill and running for the SUV.
Will reversed sharply, rolling back a few feet. He lunged across the console and shoved open the passenger-side door. A second later Taylor jumped in, hauling the door shut behind him.
Dangerous Ground 3: Blood Heat
89
“They"re right behind me. I think I winged the guy. Go .”
“Gretchen will kill you for
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