Reawakened By The Surgeon's Touch

She reached the truck at last and gasped when she saw that Jude had found Ezra, the driver. He was lying on the ground beside the cab with Jude crouched down beside him. She ran forward and dropped to her knees, staring in horror at the bloody mess that was the man’s head.

‘Is he dead?’

‘No. He’s hanging on—just.’

Jude’s tone was grim as he elbowed her aside so that he could finish examining the man. Claire didn’t protest as this was hardly the time to worry about the social niceties. Long, dexterous fingers tested the man’s scalp with a delicacy she had witnessed only a couple of times before in her nursing career. Surprisingly, a lot of surgeons had big, clumsy-looking hands, but Jude’s hands were as finely tuned as a pianist’s as he felt his way across the driver’s skull. He looked up and something warm and sweet rose inside her when she saw the concern in his eyes. Despite appearances to the contrary, Jude Slater possessed more than his share of compassion for his fellow man, it seemed.

‘His skull’s a mess. There’s at least two deep depressions, so heaven only knows the extent of the damage. It looks as though he’s been clubbed over the head because he certainly didn’t get injuries like these from sitting in that truck, minding his own business.’

‘It must have been the rebel fighters,’ she said shakily, struggling to get a grip. Thoughts like that certainly weren’t ones she wanted to encourage. ‘Maybe they thought he was transporting equipment to the airport and that’s why they ambushed him. They’ve been doing a lot of work on the runways recently.’

‘You could be right.’ He sighed. ‘I don’t know how we’re going to get him to hospital but it certainly won’t be on the back of that motorbike of yours. It looks as though I’ll have to drive the truck back—if it’s still working.’

‘I wonder why the rebels didn’t take it,’ Claire said, frowning. There had been a number of similar incidents recently and on each occasion the vehicle had been stolen.

‘Probably because it doesn’t work,’ Jude suggested with a grimace. ‘In which case, we’re up the proverbial creek without the proverbial paddle.’

He didn’t say anything else as he stood up and climbed into the cab. Claire heard the engine screech as he attempted to start it and her stomach tightened with fear. If there was anyone hiding in the trees then now was the time they would show themselves.

The thought had barely crossed her mind when there was a loud cracking noise and she felt the air shiver as a bullet whistled past her ear. She dropped flat on the ground, her heart pounding as more shots were fired at them. Some hit the truck, others ricocheted off the trees, and all were far too close for comfort.

‘Hell’s bells! These guys really do mean business, don’t they?’

The shock in Jude’s voice as he dropped down beside her made her smile despite the precariousness of their position. ‘This isn’t a theme park experience, Dr Slater. This is the real thing, bullets and all. We really are being shot at by the bad guys.’

‘That tongue of yours is going to get you into serious trouble one of these days.’ He ducked as another volley of shots whined over their heads. Rolling onto his side, he glowered at her. ‘OK, Ms Know-it-all, what do you suggest? Do we wave the white flag and appeal to the goodness of their hearts? Or do we try to outmanoeuvre them?’

‘I don’t think they’re very big on the milk of human kindness,’ she retorted. ‘We have a choice. It’s either fight or flight, and I know which I prefer.’

‘I’m with you there, although I don’t know if this thing is up to it.’ He shot a disgusted look at the truck. ‘That engine doesn’t sound exactly tuned for speed to my ears.’

‘Probably not if you’re used to something more luxurious but we’re not so choosy here,’ she snapped, pressing her face into the dirt as more shots whined over their heads. Her voice was muffled as she continued. ‘We only have one criterion when it comes to a vehicle: does it work?’

‘In that case, we have the prince of trucks at our disposal. It works, although I can’t guarantee how fast it goes.’ He ducked as another bullet hit the truck then scrambled to his feet. ‘I’m going to get the driver into the cab.’

‘I’ll help you.’

‘No, you won’t. You stay there and keep your head down. I don’t want to have to rescue two casualties, thank you very much.’

Claire fumed as he scuttled on all fours to the cab and wrenched open the door. As the newbie member of the team, he seemed rather too keen to hand out orders. She started to get up then dropped back onto her stomach as another hail of shots pierced the side of the truck just above her head. She could only watch as Jude dragged the driver to the cab and somehow managed to bundle him inside. Sweat was streaming down his face by the time he had finished and there were damp patches on his shirt but he still managed to grin infuriatingly at her.

‘So, are you coming, then? Or are you going to stay there and enjoy the scenery?’

Claire gritted her teeth as she belly-crawled to the cab. She wasn’t going to fall into the unseemly habit of trading insults with him. Fortunately their attackers didn’t appear to know that they had moved because they were still firing at the rear of the truck. It meant they would have surprise on their side when they set off.

Jude gripped her arm as she went to climb into the cab. ‘I want you to get into the footwell and stay there. Understand?’

Claire did understand and she wasn’t happy about it, either. ‘So you can play the all-action hero and get us out of here?’

‘Yes.’ He grinned at her, a lazy, sexy grin that managed to slip past her defences before she realised it. ‘There’s no bigger boost to a guy’s ego than being able to save a damsel in distress, so don’t spoil this for me, sweetheart.’

‘I am not and never shall be your sweetheart,’ she shot back, hunching down so she could scramble aboard the truck without giving the gunmen an easy target.

‘“Never say never” is my motto,’ he replied, putting his hand under her backside to give her a boost up.

Claire would have slapped his face if the situation hadn’t been so dire. Not just for the cocky remark but for manhandling her as well. She shot into the cab, rolling herself into a ball so she could squeeze into the footwell. The driver was slumped in the passenger seat, mercifully unconscious. That was the one and only good point she could find about the situation, in fact; they wouldn’t have to deal with a hysterical patient when they beat a retreat. How they were going to outrun the rebels in this clapped-out old truck was anyone’s guess but they didn’t have a choice. Handing themselves over to the rebels was a definite non-starter and there was no point trying to fight when...

‘I’ll take that.’ Jude leant down and took the pistol out of her hand. He placed it on the seat then put the truck into gear, swearing colourfully when it failed to engage at the first attempt. There was a hail of shots and the windscreen exploded, showering glass all over the cab, but by that time he had managed to get the truck moving.

They shot out of the trees and careered towards the road as Claire desperately tried to wedge herself into the footwell and hold on to the driver to stop him falling off the seat. They hit a rut and she yelped when her head connected painfully with the underside of the dashboard but Jude didn’t even spare her a glance. His face was set as he steered the truck across the rutted ground and she shivered. He reminded her of how Andrew had looked that night when he had forced himself on her; he too had been determined to get his own way. It was an effort to push the memory aside as they reached the road and Jude glanced down at her.

‘How far is it from here?’

‘Five miles, give or take,’ she told him, trying to subdue the sickness that had welled up inside her. He wasn’t Andrew, she reminded herself sharply because she couldn’t afford to fall apart.

‘Let’s hope it’s more give than take,’ he muttered, jamming his foot down on the accelerator. The rear end of the truck fishtailed before the tyres got a grip and Claire bit her lip. She wasn’t going to make a fool of herself by letting him see how scared she was...

‘It’s going to be OK.’ Jude took his hand off the steering wheel and touched her shoulder, and there was a wealth of understanding in his eyes when she looked at him in surprise. He grinned down at her, his handsome face lighting up in a way that made her breath catch but for an entirely different reason this time. ‘We’re going to make it, Claire. Cross my heart and hope not to die!’

He laughed as he made a cross on his chest then put his hand back on the steering wheel, but Claire didn’t say a word. She didn’t dare. If she said anything then she was afraid it would be far too revealing.

Her stomach rolled and she had to force down the wave of panic that rushed up at her. For the past two years, she had felt quite comfortable around the male members of the team. They were simply colleagues and she’d never had a problem working with any of them. However, she knew that state of affairs was about to change. There was just something about Jude Slater that made her feel more aware of him than she’d felt about any man in a very long time. He might not be anything like Andrew but he could prove to be just as dangerous.

* * *

Jude could feel the sweat trickling between his shoulder blades. He was scared witless although he had done his best not to let Claire see how he felt. Maybe it was ego which demanded that he mustn’t let her know how terrified he was, but he’d be damned if he would start whimpering like a craven coward even though it was what he felt like doing.

He glanced in the wing mirror and felt his stomach try to escape through his boots when he discovered that they were being followed. There were three vehicles behind them and they were gaining on them, too. He jammed his foot down so hard on the accelerator that the engine screeched but he ignored the sound of ancient pistons being put to the ultimate test. If those guys got hold of them then he didn’t rate their chances!

‘Are they following us?’

He glanced down when she spoke, seeing the fear in her soft grey eyes. He had a better view of her face from this angle and he realised in surprise that she was younger than he had thought, somewhere in her late twenties, perhaps. The cap had been pushed back and he could see strands of honey-gold hair peeking out from under its brim. He’d always had a thing about blondes and he would bet his last pound that she was a natural blonde, too. He would also bet that she had a great figure once she was out of those appalling clothes, although if he didn’t keep his mind on the job, he might not get the chance to prove that theory.

‘Yep,’ he replied laconically, determined not to let her know what he was thinking.

‘In that case then can’t you make this thing go any faster?’ she demanded, glaring up at him.

‘If I press down any harder on this pedal, my foot’s going to go through the floor,’ he retorted, not sure that he appreciated having her demean his efforts to save them. ‘It’s not my fault if this outfit of yours is too damned mean to buy itself any decent transport, is it?’

‘If you mean Worlds Together then it’s not my outfit,’ she snapped back, bracing herself as they hit another pothole.

Jude grimaced when he heard the crunch of metal because the last thing they needed was a broken axle. He kept his attention on the road although her comment had intrigued him. ‘So you don’t work for the agency?’

‘No. I work with them but not for them.’

He wasn’t sure he understood the subtleties of that distinction but it didn’t seem the most propitious moment to ask her to explain. The rebels were gaining on them and he grimaced when he heard shots being fired. ‘How much further is it now?’

‘About a mile, maybe less,’ she told him, peering over the edge of the dashboard.