Page 40 of SEAL's Promise
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The impact of the blow shoved Cal’s SUV across the intersection, over the grass-covered shoulder, and down into the ditch.
He glanced at Rachelle as he drew his Sig. His heart sank. Her head lolled toward him, blood covering the side of her face. “Rachelle!”
No response.
Praying she was still alive, he touched his fingers to the side of her neck. Cal breathed a sigh of relief when he found a strong pulse. Gunfire echoed in the still night air and bullets smacked into the side of his SUV.
Hoping he wouldn’t cause further injury, Cal lowered the back of her seat until Rachelle laid flat. The SUV’s armor-plated exterior would offer better protection. While the glass was bullet resistant, if enough rounds impacted the windows, they’d shatter.
Cal opened the driver’s door and slid out. Using his vehicle for protection, he fired two shots at one of the men sent to grab Rachelle and dropped him.
Another attacker fired multiple rounds at Cal, forcing him to crouch near the wheel well for protection. The sound of booted feet running across the asphalt alerted him to another possible attacker coming for Rachelle. Cal scrambled around the front of his vehicle, using the incline for concealment.
When the man raised his weapon to fire at the SUV, Cal fired two shots, one bullet to the chest and one to the head.
The night grew eerily quiet as gunfire ceased.
“Cal,” Eli called. “I’m coming in soft. We’re clear.”
Cal kept his weapon up and ready until Eli appeared alone.
“Rachelle okay?” his teammate asked.
“No. Jackson!”
A moment later, the medic hurried down the embankment and around the hood. Jackson crawled into the damaged vehicle with his mike bag as Cal scrambled into the backseat.
Rachelle groaned and batted at Jackson’s hands as the medic checked her for broken bones and internal injuries.
Thank God she had come around. Cal captured her hand in his. “Jackson is checking you for injuries.”
“Head hurts.”
He glanced at the side of her forehead and hissed in fury. “I’ll bet. You have a gash on the side of your head. As soon as Jackson says it’s safe to move you, we’ll get you out of here.” The sooner, the better. He didn’t know how many more members of this crew were in the area. He didn’t want Rachelle caught in the middle of another firefight.
“Does anything hurt besides your head, Rachelle?” Jackson asked.
“Ribs.”
“Right side?”
“Yes.”
The medic ran his hands over her ribcage, eliciting more moans from her. He glanced at Cal. “Cracked. Doesn’t feel like they’re broken. When we’re in a safe place, I’ll tape them. She’s going to be uncomfortable for a while.”
Jackson continued his examination, asking questions to determine if she had more injuries. Finally, he sat back. “We should be able to move her.”
“Internal injuries?” Cal asked.
“Not that I can find.”
“Let’s get her out of here, then. My skin is crawling.”
The medic’s expression was grim. “Same here.” He laid his hand on Rachelle’s shoulder. “Let us do the work.”
“Is Amy okay?” she whispered to Cal.