Chapter Fifteen
Leigh got a quick flash of images from when the SUV had rammed into her cruiser. Those had been some terrifying moments, but at least she and Cullen had been in the vehicle. There’d been some protection.
Not now though.
They were out in the open, where they could be mowed down and killed.
“Run!” she shouted.
That order wasn’t just to Cullen but to Bowen and Jamie. They weren’t in the barn yet, and they were out in the open, too, where they’d be easy targets. Especially since Bowen was carrying Cecile and Jamie obviously wasn’t in any shape to outrun a truck with a driver hell-bent on killing them.
Leigh didn’t dare take the time to look back to see how close the truck was to them. Every second counted now, and the moment she reached the back porch, she cursed the railing. It was too high to vault over, and if she tried to climb it, she could be sideswiped. That meant going around and up the steps.
But she didn’t get a chance to do that.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Jamie fall, but it was just a blur of motion because she was moving. Or rather Cullen was moving her. He caught onto her arm, jerking her away from the porch.
And it wasn’t a second too soon.
Because the truck rammed into the exact spot where she’d just been.
Neither Cullen nor she had had time to fire at the driver, but Cullen’s momentum got them away from the impact. They fell, but immediately scrambled to get up. However, Jamie wasn’t doing the same. He was still down, and Bowen must not have even noticed because he was still barreling toward the barn with Cecile in tow.
The railing on the porch gave way. So did part of the porch. However, the truck didn’t seem damaged at all. The driver spun it around, taking aim at Cullen and her again.
Leigh had to make a quick decision. If Cullen and she ran toward Jamie, they might not be able to get him up in time to stop him from being run over. Obviously, Cullen had the same concern because he took hold of her arm and started running toward the front of the house.
Where the cruiser was.
And Dawn.
The truck would almost certainly follow them, but if they could get the deputy into the cruiser, then they stood a chance of protecting her. Then, they could drive back around to the barn to help Jamie and Bowen.
Leigh braced herself in case someone fired shots at them. After all, the driver could be working with a partner. But the only threat came from the truck itself. The driver managed to get it turned around and came at Cullen and her again when they reached the front yard. Because the windshield was so heavily tinted, they couldn’t see who was trying to kill them.
Once again, Cullen and she had to dive out of the way of the speeding truck. It whipped right past them, so close that Leigh could feel the heat of the engine. They fell again. Hard. Leigh rammed into some rocks, causing the pain to shoot through her. The impact also knocked the breath out of her, and she lost critical moments of time fighting for air. No way could she stand when she couldn’t breathe.
Cullen helped with that though. He got to his feet, hauling her up and practically dragging her out of the way. Good thing, too. Because the driver threw the truck into Reverse and came at them again.
Leigh was thankful that Cullen still had hold of her because he got them out of the way again, this time diving behind some landscape boulders. Still, they’d just come close to dying, and it was obvious the driver wasn’t finished. He did a doughnut in the yard, the tires slinging up dirt and rocks. Obviously, taking aim at them again.
But he didn’t hit the accelerator.
He just sat there, revving the engine. Waiting. But for what? Maybe he thought it would shred the tires if he hit the boulders. And it might. But the two-foot-high rocks wouldn’t give them enough protection if he started shooting. That’s why Leigh had to try to stop him from doing that. She still had hold of her gun so she pointed it at the windshield.
And she fired.
Just as the driver sped forward. Her bullet tore through the safety glass, and she cursed when she realized her shot had been off. Not directly at the driver but a little to the left. She might have injured him, but it likely hadn’t been a headshot. Right now, she figured killing him was the only way for the rest of them to survive. If this killer managed to take out Cullen and her, he’d take out the rest. No way would he want to leave witnesses behind.
Cullen pulled her to her feet again, and they darted to the left. But not far. The driver would have to at least clip the boulders to get to them. That would certainly slow him down.
However, he didn’t come at them again.
The driver spun around, speeding not toward them but rather in the direction of the barn. Leigh’s stomach went to her knees because she was pretty sure she knew what he was doing. He was going after Jamie, Bowen and Cecile.
“No!” Leigh shouted, hoping to draw the driver’s attention.
But she didn’t. The truck kept going, past the house and into the backyard. Straight to Jamie. He was still on the ground, but he was conscious, because he was struggling to get up and out of the way.