Forgotten Memories

“Hurry up,” the guy said with impatience.

The truck sat high off the ground, forcing her to jump down awkwardly. She stumbled and staggered off to the side, remaining bent over as she stayed on her feet, hiding the fact that she was still gripping the scalpel.

“Where do you think you’re going?” the guy growled, crossing over to where she was standing.

She obviously couldn’t answer with the gag in her mouth. There was no one else in the clearing, and the second guy was still making his way out of the car, so when the first guy came closer, she figured it was now or never. His jacket was open and he only wore a thin T-shirt beneath it. Gabby brought her bound hands upward, shoving the tip of the scalpel into his upper abdomen with all the force she could muster. He let out a howl of pain and doubled over, so she immediately turned and ran toward the trees.

Pop! Pop! The sound of gunfire echoed around her like fireworks on the Fourth of July, and she braced herself for searing pain even as she ducked behind the trees.

No pain yet, or maybe she was just too numb to feel it. She kept going, frustrated that she couldn’t get out of the lab coat with her hands tied in front of her, and worse, she’d inadvertently dropped the scalpel. Desperately she pushed farther into the woods, not even caring that she probably sounded like an elephant barging through the forest. She purposefully chose the dense areas in an attempt to use the brush for cover.

And while she normally wasn’t the type to pray, she found herself doing just that.

* * *

Shane crouched in the bed of the truck closest to the passenger side, watching and waiting for the right time to make his move. One guy got out from the backseat first and then told Gabriella to do the same, waving his gun at her in a way that made him clench his teeth in anger. If that guy hurt her... He couldn’t bear to finish that thought.

Moving slowly, Shane rose to his feet, plastering himself against the black truck in time to see Gabriella jump down and then stumble off to the side, putting space between herself and the first assailant.

Good job, he thought proudly, willing her to keep her distance if possible.

When the man who’d gotten out of the truck first moved closer to Gabriella, Shane pulled his weapon from his shoulder holster and waited for the second guy to get out, knowing that he’d have a better chance if he took care of both gunmen at the same time.

He was concentrating on the second perp, so he missed what happened. But when the guy closest to Gabriella howled in pain, Shane couldn’t help feeling a surge of satisfaction. Using the distraction to his advantage, he turned and fired at the second kidnapper, who’d just gotten out of the truck. When the perp fell backward, Shane turned his attention to the man who was doubled over in pain. He didn’t know how badly the guy was hurt, but since he was still on his feet, Shane shot him, before jumping down to the ground. Gabriella was already running into the trees, her white lab coat shining like a beacon as it flapped behind her.

He sprinted after Gabriella as more gunfire erupted from behind him. No doubt the driver, along with the two guys who must not be as injured as he’d thought.

Shane let her run for a bit, knowing they needed to cover a lot of ground, but when she glanced back at him, obviously afraid she was being followed, he understood she assumed he was one of the bad guys.

He caught up, reaching out to grab Gabriella’s arm. She swung at him with her bound wrists, her eyes wild.

“It’s me, Shane Hawkins,” he whispered, hoping she remembered him. “I’m a cop and I’m here to help.”

For a moment she stared at him, as if trying to see his face clearly in the dark. His SWAT uniform must have helped reassure her, because suddenly she sagged against him.

He was tempted to hold her reassuringly, but there was no time. Shane gripped her arm and urged her to continue moving. He’d caught a glimpse of the gag around her mouth and her bound wrists, but right now, putting distance between them and the gunmen was more important than freeing her.

Gabriella must have understood because she kept pace alongside him as they made their way farther into the woods. He wove a zigzag path going as fast as he dared, finally stopping behind two trees at what he estimated was a good seventy yards from the clearing.

He holstered his weapon and reached for his knife. “We need to get you out of that lab coat,” he murmured.

She nodded, her eyes wide as she held up her bound wrists. He cut through the rope, feeling helpless at the way she winced as blood rushed back into her fingers. He then reached up to untie the gag. She dragged in a harsh breath and it occurred to him that running while being gagged must have been grueling. When Gabriella was finally free, she shucked out of the lab coat, shivering in her thin dark green scrubs.

“Here,” Shane whispered. He quickly removed his black jacket and guided her arms into the sleeves. Then he balled up the white lab coat and tucked it deep in the brush. He kicked dirt over it and then straightened. “I’m sorry, but we have to keep moving.”

“I know,” she whispered back, drawing the edges of his jacket close.

Shane was impressed by Gabriella’s determination and fortitude. Her training as a surgeon must be helping her to keep calm in a crisis. Which was a good thing...because they couldn’t afford to slow down now. He didn’t hear anyone moving through the woods, but that didn’t mean the gunmen weren’t out there tracking them.

He quickened his stride and urged her to do the same. There was no way he was going to assume the two he’d shot at were too injured to move. His goal had been to wound them enough to get away, not to kill them.

No doubt, the uninjured driver was still out there, searching for them.

Shane turned to the right, hoping they could double back toward Highway 60. His backup should be arriving any time now, but the deputies wouldn’t know he and Gabriella were hiding in the woods. And he wanted to warn his team members about the gunmen.

Gabriella stumbled and fell to her knees, breathing hard. His heart ached for her and he dropped down, placing his arm over her shoulders and leaning close. “Gabriella, are you all right?” he asked.

She rubbed her hand over her eyes and nodded.

“Let me help you,” he said, gingerly urging her upright. When she was back on her feet, he anchored his arm around her waist. She leaned heavily against him as they continued moving through the woods.

Did he dare use the radio? The last thing he wanted was to broadcast their location to anyone close enough to hear them. Even the slightest sound would travel in the night.

“Maybe we can hide over there,” Gabriella murmured.

He turned to the left and saw what she meant. A huge tree had fallen, but instead of hugging the ground, it was propped up at thigh level by the massive branches at the far end.

Not the ideal place to hide, but it might work long enough that he could radio for help. He took Gabriella’s hand and silently led the way to the fallen tree.

“Right here,” he said, indicating the thickest area of the tree. Gabriella didn’t argue, collapsing to the ground and leaning against the rough bark.

Shane stayed right next to her, using his body as a shield as he took a few minutes to sweep his gaze across the area.

The night was eerily silent.

He flipped on his radio and cupped his hands over his mouth and the speaker. “This is unit twelve. What’s the status on backup?”

“Two squads have gotten off on Highway 60,” the dispatcher informed him. “Please provide your location.”

“Roughly two miles west on sixty, there’s a dirt road off to the right.” Shane wondered belatedly if the deputies had passed them by. The dirt road might not be easy to see.

“Ten-four,” the dispatcher responded.

Gabriella looked up and lightly grasped his arm. “Tell them to look for a red fire marker, number 271,” she said quietly.

He lifted a brow, wondering how on earth she’d managed to notice that detail, but repeated the information for the dispatcher.

“Ten-four,” the dispatcher said.

Shane flipped the radio off and hovered over Gabriella. There was a part of him that wanted to keep moving, just in case, but at the same time, their backup was so close they only needed to hang on for a little while longer.

“Do we have to move?” she whispered, obviously exhausted.

“Not yet, you can rest for now,” he replied. He wanted Gabriella to be safe before he could begin to figure out why she’d been kidnapped in the first place.

He crouched protectively over her and waited, hoping his teammates would arrive soon.

* * *