Lost and Found by Dallas Schulze Read Free Book Online

same. If he died now, it would be on her conscience. If she survived to have a conscience. Her fingers ached with the pressure of her hold on the branch. Her palms were damp with sweat. If only she could be sure which one was Sam.
    One man gained the upper hand. Braced above his opponent, his hands around the other man's throat, he slowly choked the other into unconsciousness.
    What if it was Sam being choked? In the dark, the two men were little more than silhouettes. Babs raised the branch over her head, fighting the quivering in her arms, trying to decide whether to strike first and ask questions later. The man on the ground went limp, the battle over. The other man was still for a long moment, his shoulders heaving, his head bent forward on his chest. He seemed to gather himself and Babs tightened her grip.
    "Hold it. Don't move or I'll brain you." Her voice shook but she thought she sounded reasonably ferocious.
    He turned, ducking automatically at the sight of the branch poised to crack his skull. "That's a hell of a way to thank me for saving your life." The words were breathless, irritated and unmistakably Sam.
    Babs's fingers went weak and Sam cursed as he dodged the falling club. "Sorry. I thought you were him."
    Sam stood up, running one hand over his face. "I'm glad you waited to find out." He looked down at his vanquished foe.
    "Is he dead?" Babs didn't look down. She'd never met a body before and she didn't want to meet one now. But Sam was shaking his head.
    "Unconscious. And he'll have a hell of a sore throat for a while." He stooped to pick up his fallen pack and reached for her hand. "Come on. Let's get out of here."
    As he spoke, they heard someone approaching from the direction of the hotel. Sam didn't wait to find out who it might be. They didn't have any friends in the area. He tugged Babs forward at a stumbling run, no longer concerned about noise. A few yards beyond where they'd been jumped, they all but fell onto a dirt road. Sam pulled her across and plunged into the scraggly woods on the other side.
    He dropped her hand and began tearing at a wall of brush. Babs caught a glimpse of chrome and realized this must be where he'd hidden his truck. She helped him pull the brush away, spurred on by a shout that indicated the unconscious man had been found. The sharp branches jabbed through the thin gauze bandages on her tender palms but she barely noticed the discomfort.
    It seemed to take forever but it couldn't have been more than a minute or two before Sam was jerking open the driver's door. Babs started to step up into the cab but Sam's hands closed around her waist, lifting her in as if she weighed no more than a feather pillow. She scooted across the seat as Sam slid behind the wheel and pushed the key into the ignition.
    The engine caught immediately. Sam didn't bother with warming it up. He slammed it into gear. Babs banged her shoulder on the door as the truck rocked down the embankment and onto the road. She caught a glimpse of movement from the other side of the road and ducked as light caught on a rifle barrel.
    There was a sharp pop and then a loud crack as a bullet hit the rear window. Sam cursed between his teeth, crouching low over the wheel, flooring the gas pedal. The tires spun on the loose dirt and then gripped, and the truck lurched forward. Babs grabbed for the armrest as the movement threatened to send her onto the floorboard.
    Several more shots were fired but none of them hit the truck and, in a matter of seconds, they were out of range.
    Babs sat up cautiously, reaching for her seat belt as the truck roared down the old road, bouncing in and out of ruts with a fine disregard for the suspension. She glanced at Sam. His face was set, his eyes on the road.
    "I told you they wanted to kill me."
    His eyes slanted toward her briefly, leaving her with an impression of blue fire. "Didn't anyone ever tell you that you should never say T told you so'?"
    There didn't seem to be anything to