“I’m here behind you. Are you all right?” Trisha cleared her throat. Her voice had broken as she spoke.
Slade twisted his head to look her over. “Fine. Are you injured badly?”
“Hurt but alive. Can you see Bart? All I can glimpse from here is the back of the seats and you.”
Slade moved slightly and groaned as he lifted his head. “I see him. He’s belted in upside down but moving. I can hear him breathing.”
A pained moan came from the front of the SUV. Trisha licked her dry lips, instantly tasting blood. She started to inch toward the dirt, intent on climbing out of the wreckage.
A hand gripped her thigh. “Don’t,” Slade ordered. “They had guns. I don’t know how far we rolled but they could be up there. You crawling out of here could make you an easy target.”
“Oh God,” Bart sobbed softly.
“I have to help him.” Trisha met Slade’s gaze.
His nostrils flared. “Fine. Crawl over me to get to him. There’s a lot of broken glass under me and I don’t want you getting cut up. You stay inside the cover of the vehicle. If you can’t reach him through the seats, forget about it until I go out there and scout first. I need to find out if we’re safe from them shooting down at us.”
“You want me to crawl over you? But—”
“Do it, Doc. I’m not kidding about the broken glass. The windows shattered. Safety-glass my ass. This wasn’t one of our security vehicles that have been specially built for us. This is tempered glass but some of it is sharp. Crawl over my body to him first and I’ll inch out there to take a look at where we stand once you do. Hopefully we rolled far enough down the hill that they don’t have a bead on us but they might be coming down on foot to finish us off. Either way, I don’t want to stick around here for long. They know where we are or can find us easily enough. I’m sure we left an easy trail of debris for them to follow.”
Trisha turned onto her side. She had just enough space to wiggle under the backseat before she met Slade’s gaze. He gave her a grin but it didn’t reach his eyes.
“You know you want to crawl on top of me, Doc. Here’s your chance.”
Trisha frowned at him. “You’re such an ass.”
He winked. “It’s not my ass I’m worried about when you’re on top of me. Watch your elbows and knees, sweet thing.”
Her mouth opened to tell him that now wasn’t the time for him to start his crap but Bart sobbed from the front. Slade’s smile faded.
“Move it, Doc. They could be climbing down to search for us and I don’t feel like being shot at like fish in a barrel.”
Trisha carefully reached to put her hands next to Slade’s head. He suddenly moved, holding out his hands to her.
“Put your hands inside mine. There’s glass. I’ll lift you over as much of me as I can. Then keep your hands on my legs. Watch the knees, Doc. Seriously.” He winked at her. “As much as I know you want to see how big I am, I’d prefer you feel me with your hands.”
“Bastard,” Trisha whispered, not really meaning it.
She gave him a brave smile, knowing at this point he was being an ass just to distract her. She’d be freaking out over their dire situation if it weren’t for Slade. They’d just rolled down part of a mountain, men with guns might be on their way to the crash site, and Slade tried to focus her attention on him instead of the danger.
“Thanks,” she whispered softly, putting her hands inside his large ones. She curled her fingers through his, their fingers locking, palms together, as Slade took her weight. He started to pull her over his body. Trisha lifted her lower body with her knees. She tried not to notice when her breasts rubbed over Slade’s face and how her stomach moved close enough to feel his hot breath through the thin layer of her shirt.“You might want to consider a diet when we survive this,” Slade suggested softly.
“Kiss my ass.”
He chuckled. “It’s not your ass over my face right now, Doc. That’s as far as I can pull you. As much as I enjoy where you are, move it, sweet thing.”
Her knees reached his shoulders. She gripped his thighs with her hands, knowing she’d have to either pull her body down his body toward his feet by her hands or crawl over him with her knees.
“Hurry, Doc.”
She carefully put her knee on his shoulder. His hands suddenly gripped her hips as he lifted her lower body similar to a pushup off his body. He shoved her forward. Trisha was nearly thrown into the gap between the front seats but instead it was just her head that ended up between them with the center console above her. She squeezed tighter into the narrow space. She could see Bart now. Slade moved from under her legs, which were still on him.
“Stay put, Doc. I’m going outside. It was nice knowing you if you hear gunshots.”
“Be careful,” she warned.
Chapter Three
Trisha’s gaze turned to Bart, studying him. He was still strapped into his seat where the belt held him in place. He appeared to be unconscious now and his hands hung limp against the roof. She saw blood covered his left hand and she reached for it carefully. It was hard to do since it was on the other side of his body.
She inwardly cursed, realizing it appeared to be a crush injury. The skin was torn and she guessed his hand must have been thrown through the window that had been smashed out when they rolled. Her fingertips brushed up his arm, feeling for injuries, and she determined his wrist had also been broken. He’d caught a break there, no pun intended, since the bone hadn’t popped through the skin. He jerked awake.
“Bart?” She swallowed. Her voice kept breaking on her. “Where does it hurt besides the seat belt and your arm?”
“My leg,” he gasped. Tears drowned out the brown of his eyes when he started to cry.
Crap. Trisha couldn’t get any farther into the driver’s area since his body was in the way and the steering wheel was above. She could have seen better if she’d had a flashlight since the sun was going down, making the interior dim.
“Can you move both feet?”
“It hurts,” he cried softly.
“Do it, Bart,” Trisha snapped. “Those men could be coming after us. Move your feet. I need you to work with me.”
He moaned in pain. “I feel them and I think they moved.”
Trisha nodded, looking up at where his feet would be. No drips of blood were coming down to hit the roof she lay curled on. Another good sign. She forced herself to remain calm and think. Her head throbbed, her body ached and she was in pain. She still tasted blood and didn’t even want to guess the cause. She’d assess her own injuries later but right now it was all about the younger man in front of her.
“Listen to me, Bart. I need to find out if your legs are pinned or if we can get you down. I need you to move your legs to see if they are free. Do you understand me?”
“It hurts,” he whined.
Trisha clenched her teeth. “I’m in pain too. Come on. Did you hear me about those men who ran us off the road? They could climb down here and kill us. You need to work with me. I can help you better if we can get you free. I can’t do much for you right now since there’s not enough room to treat you where you are. I have to assess your injures but I need you out of that seat to do it.”
“Okay,” he hissed softly, “I’ll try.”
Trisha strained to listen for any sign of Slade but she hadn’t heard any gunshots. Where is he? She experienced a little fear suddenly. She and Bart weren’t New Species. Would Slade just leave them behind to save his own ass? She really hoped not. Maybe he’s gone for help but wouldn’t he tell me first? She just didn’t know and that really bothered her.
“I can move them.” Pain sounded in Bart’s voice.
“Terrific. I know you only have one usable hand but you need to use your good arm to try the door. See if it will open.”
“I can’t.”
Trisha twisted, looking at the passenger side. The glove box had snapped open and things had fallen out. She inched her way to the small area under the passenger seat. The window remained intact on the passenger side but it was cracked and spider-webbed. She used the paper that had spilled out of the glove box to cover the broken glass that had flown around the interior when the SUV had rolled to protect her body. She reached for the door handle. It moved but the door didn’t.
“Crap,” she sighed. She looked, realized the door was still locked, and reached up. She had to work to get the push-button lock to release. She tried the door handle again and this time she heard a click. She twisted until she rested on her back and pushed with one hand while gripping the door handle. The door moved open a few inches before it jammed into the ground outside. “Double crap.”
“Hey, Doc.” Slade leaned down to peer inside the wreckage at her from the passenger window. “Do you want out? I don’t see any of those assholes coming down here after us so far.”
“Can you get the door open?”
Slade lifted his head to study it instead of her. “I don’t know. I’m going to have to push against the side to see if I can lift it a few inches because the dirt is loose here and it’s stuck on it.” He paused. “Maybe. Get ready to feel some movement.”
It sunk in what he meant to do when she saw him turn around and plant his feet by the back passenger door. His back pressed against the side of the SUV. She opened her mouth to tell him he wasn’t strong enough to move the SUV even an inch but then the vehicle shifted a little under her. He pushed back enough to tip the SUV away from the ground.