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A flash of light caught the corner of his eye. His military instincts kicked in, and he strode to the window, peering through the narrow opening between the drapes. He was just in time to see the red glint of taillights as a vehicle disappeared down the road.

A false alarm? Maybe.

Rolling his shoulders to ease the tension, he moved from one window to the next, searching for a threat. If he were one of the bad guys and had figured out the location of the rental house, he’d come in under the cover of darkness on foot.

Darkness had fallen, but it wasn’t the pitch black of the hours between midnight and three in the morning. A time frame he was very familiar with from his time in the Afghani desert. That was when he would strike if he were looking to hit a target.

But if the gunmen were out there scoping the place out and were impatient to get the job done, he anticipated they’d make their move earlier.

Especially after so many failures.

Decision made, he turned to head to Fiona’s room. He didn’t like invading her privacy, but he didn’t see an alternative. She was sound asleep, clearly needing the rest.

Lowering his voice to a whisper, he bent close, resting a hand on her shoulder. “Fiona? Can you wake up?”

Her eyelids fluttered open, and she stared at him in confusion. “Is it morning?”

“No, I’m afraid it’s only ten o’clock at night. I need you to get up and pack your stuff.”

“What happened?” She sat upright, pushing her hair out of her face. “Did Rex call with an update?”

“No, I just don’t think we should stay here all night.” Saying the words out loud made him feel foolish. He was making her leave a warm bed because his nerves were on edge.

“Okay.” She pushed the covers aside and sat on the edge of the bed. “Give me a minute to get dressed.”

“I’ll grab the computer and antibiotics.” Having made the decision to leave, he was eager to head out. He debated calling Rex. Since Rex wasn’t close, there was no point in bothering him until they were on the road.

In the kitchen, he tucked the laptop computer, extra gauze, and antibiotics into his bag of clothing. Pulling out his keys, he peered once again through the window.

A hint of movement put his senses on high alert. Much like that first night outside his cabin, he glimpsed the dark shadow of a man moving from one tree to the next.

He swallowed hard, realizing he should have acted on his instincts sooner. Now it might have been too late.

“Fiona? We gotta go.” He tried to keep his voice down so it wouldn’t carry.

Fiona hurried into the kitchen carrying her bag of clothing. Their rental car was in the garage, and he wished now, he’d parked it out back. Or that he’d have backed the car into the structure.

Too late for useless wishes now.

Wrenching open the connecting door to the garage, he quickly stepped into the dark space. “Keep the light off,” he whispered, taking her bag and his and tossing them onto the floor of the back seat. “We need to take them by surprise.”

“How?” She looked scared to death as she opened the passenger-side door.

It was a good question. If he opened the garage door, the gunmen would start firing before they could get clear. He took a moment to scan the aluminum garage door. It wasn’t as flimsy as he’d have liked, but at least it wasn’t made of wood.

Once they were both seated in the car with their belts fastened, he looked at her. “I’m going to slam this car through the garage door while going in reverse. The guys outside will open fire, so you need to keep your head down below the dashboard. Understand?”

Her eyes widened with horror. “That won’t work. You’ll never make it all the way through the door.”

There wasn’t time to argue. Especially since he didn’t see another alternative. This was their only chance to escape. The gunmen were on foot. Once they cleared the garage, Doc hoped they’d be miles away before the bad guys climbed back in their car to follow. “Keep your head down, Fiona.”

She gave him one last worried look before bending at the waist so that her head was down. He heard her praying the Our Father as he turned on the car engine, shifted into reverse, and slammed his foot down on the accelerator.

The SUV flew backward, slamming into the garage door. For a second, he feared they wouldn’t make it, but then the aluminum garage door broke free. The door stayed along their back end for several feet before the wind snatched it away.

He didn’t stop, just kept going in reverse. Gunshots rang out as they barreled down the driveway. Then he hit the brake while cranking the wheel, spinning a full 180 degrees. Once he was facing forward, he shifted into drive and kept going.

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