Page 80 of Target Acquired
“If I didn’t want to find Butler, I’d pull him over,” Cole said. The 4Runner shuddered and tilted, then Kenzie heard the thwack of a flat tire rotating against the asphalt. “Ugh, seriously?” Cole groaned and pulled to the side of the road. He got out and Kenzie joined him. They stood there, staring at the flat. “I hate to admit this, but I have no idea how to change a tire.”
She choked. “What? You can’t be serious.”
He shrugged. “I’ve never had a flat before.”
She couldn’t help it—she gaped.
He laughed. “I’m sure I can figure it out, I’ve just never had to before.”
Kenzie shook her head. “Okay, the tire is underneath the car so you have to get the tools out and use the doohickey to remove the spare. Then you take the other tire off, put the good tire on, and drive to a service station, where they either patch the old tire or you spend a fortune on a new one.”
His lips quirked into a sideways smile. “Thank you, Google.”
He grabbed the tools from the small storage area in the rear. Once he had the two pieces of the thin rod put together, he turned and opened his mouth to say something. Kenzie saw his eyes widen and he dove for her.
Cole’s shoulder caught her in her midsection. Pain arced, but she also heard the crack of a high-powered rifle and the shattering of glass just as she hit the asphalt.
“Get under the car!”
Still gasping for breath, she rolled under the 4Runner and Cole dashed behind it.
Kenzie finally managed to fill her lungs. “I’ll call 911!” She pulled out her phone. “Shots fired,” she said, then rattled off their location. “Officers need backup. Now!”
Behind her she could hear Cole speaking on the phone as well. She waited for the next shot, hyperaware that the bullet had been meant for her, and if Cole hadn’t tackled her, she’d most likely be dead.
She scooted to the other side and came up next to Cole. “Backup’s on the way.”
“I called too.”
“What tipped you off? What’d you see?”
“A motorcycle parked just a little ways ahead with no rider. It looked very out of place to me, especially since it looks like the same one that buzzed us. Then there was a flash beyond the tree line. It spooked me.”
“Well, I’m very grateful you were spooked.”
She peered around the back of the 4Runner just in time to see a figure, rifle strapped to his back, dart to the motorcycle and hop on.
It wasn’t going to work, but . . . “Stop!” The engine roared and Cole ran past her, aimed his weapon, then lowered it when the bike rounded the next curve.
COLE SPUN TO RUN BACK to Kenzie. She leaned against the 4Runner and pressed a hand to her side while the other hand still gripped the phone. “They’re on the way. I gave the direction he was traveling, so we’ll see. They’re sending a chopper.”
“Good. How’s your side?”
“Painful, but not ripped open or anything. I’m good.”
“Sorry I had to hit you so hard. I didn’t mean to, I just reacted.”
“Don’t worry about it. I can recover quickly from this pain. Might not get the chance with a bullet.”
“Right.” He walked to the rear of the vehicle and squatted next to the tire. “It’s cut. Big enough to let the air out pretty quick, small enough to allow us to get away from the center of town.”
“The guy on the motorcycle obviously followed us from the restaurant,” she said, her eyes narrowing. “Butler has a bike.”
“Yeah, but I doubt he’d use his own to try and commit murder.”
“True, but he knows how to handle one. And he has access to a high-powered rifle.”
“So do a lot of people.”