Danger at the Border Read Online Free

aiming the weapon at Tessa.
    Horror flooded Jeff’s system. He grabbed his sidearm. “Tessa! Get down!”

TWO
    A startling bang followed by an even louder pop jolted through Tessa. One side of the Zodiac deflated like a balloon pricked by a needle. She was being shot at!
    She dived to the floor of the boat. More gunfire erupted. The shocking sound vibrated through her, making her heart pound so hard she thought it would explode out of her chest.
    Jeff jumped over the still-inflated side of the Zodiac, landing with a thump beside her. He log-rolled onto his back, his gun in front of him, aimed toward the lake. “You okay?”
    “Yes. You?”
    He fired off two rounds. The deafening noise reverberated inside her head. She reached beneath the bench seat for the Zodiac’s emergency kit, grabbed the flare gun and clutched it to her chest.
    “Please, God...help.” The whispered prayer slipped out, dredged up from a suppressed place deep within her soul.
    She flipped onto her back and aimed toward the boat, preparing to fire.
    Jeff shook his head. “No. We may need that.”
    The speedboat roared away. They were leaving. Relief made her melt into the floor.
    Jeff jumped to his feet and tugged on her arm. “They’re circling back. Get up. We have to run for the trees.”
    Galvanized by fear and adrenaline, she scrambled out of the boat. Her ears rang, and her temples throbbed. Jeff grabbed her duffel bag and tugged her along.
    “Wait! The walkie-talkie!” She’d dropped it on the bottom of the boat. It was the only way of reaching help. She turned to run back.
    The speedboat raced toward the shore.
    Bullets slammed into the ground, spitting up pieces of sand that bit her flesh through her pant leg. She let out a yelp as she skidded in the loose soil, her arms windmilling as she fought to keep her balance. Her mind screamed, Run for your life! while her practical side yelled, Get the walkie-talkie! It could be the only way they survived.
    “Leave it!” Jeff’s shouted command overrode her inner conflict. He captured her by the waist, hauling her off her feet, and ran with her in one arm and her duffel gripped in the other hand.
    More bullets whizzed past, hitting the earth, the trees. Tessa gripped Jeff’s arm with a fresh wave of panic. What if he was hit trying to protect her? She hated the thought of someone being hurt on her account.
    Once they reached the shelter of the forest, he set her on her feet. “Go!” he urged, giving her a slight push.
    She ran, charging through the underbrush, not caring that branches snagged at her clothes and twigs snapped beneath her heels. They were running for their lives. But at least they were alive to run.
    Finally, Jeff tugged her behind the huge trunk of a Douglas fir. Dropping the bag on the ground, he pressed close to her, his six-foot frame crowding her personal bubble. Normally, she didn’t like when anyone invaded her space, but she found comfort in the protection he so easily and willingly extended. That it was part of his job didn’t matter. She’d take it.
    Her breathing came in ragged gasps. She willed her heart rate to slow. Blinking up at him, she asked, “What do we do now?”
    He leaned sideways to peer around the tree toward the lake, then straightened to meet her gaze. “Pray. And thank God for the forest.”
    Was he being glib?
    Looking into the depths of his blue eyes, she saw sincerity. “Praying’s good.”
    Holding her gaze, he said, “Lord, we ask for Your protection. We ask that You would guide us out of these woods safely. In Your Son’s name, amen.”
    Quick and painless. But would the words be effective? She’d had so many unanswered prayers in her life, she wasn’t sure God really listened. At least not to her. “Amen.”
    Jeff stepped back and surveyed their surroundings. “We can’t go back the way we came. Obviously, someone isn’t happy we’re investigating the contamination.”
    Tessa dropped to her knees and dug through her bag.