Line of Fire by Cindy Dees Page A

hard as he could.
    The rebel dropped like a rock.
    Jeez. That had been close. Way, way too close.
    “Kimberly, honey, are you all right?” he panted.
    She crouched in the opening of the shelter, her eyes huge and frightened as she peered up at him. He held open his arms and she all but leapt into them. She hung on like her life depended on him. Of course, it probably did.
    Her shudders gradually subsided and she looked up at him. “Did you kill him?” she choked out.
    He glanced down at the unmoving rebel. They guy’s nose was mush. He’d probably cracked a few of the dude’s facial bones and the guy’d probably lose a couple teeth out of it. Not that it was going to matter when he was done with the bastard.
    His first inclination was to cause the rebel a whole lot of pain before he waxed him. But, given the need for quiet, he’d have to settle for slitting the guy’s throat. He realized Kimberly was staring at him, waiting for an answer to her question.
    “No, I didn’t. But I’m going to.”
    “You’re going to…” Her gaze flickered to the unconscious man at their feet, then back up at him. “You wouldn’t!” she accused.
    He leaned down and plucked the bowie knife out of the guy’s limp fingers. “I’ll drag him away from here before I slit his throat because the smell of blood’s going to attract some nasty visitors. I don’t want packs of predators parking on the front steps of our shelter.”
    Her eyes went wide and black, and fine trembling enveloped her entire body. Good. Maybe the seriousness of their situation was finally starting to sink in. He pressed the point. “I’m not going to bother burying him because it would take too much time. And besides, when the animals are done with him, nobody will be able to tell if he was human or not.”
    Even in the near total darkness, he saw her face go white as a sheet. He hoped she didn’t faint on him. He already had his hands full with the rebel.
    Kimberly grabbed him by the arm. “Tex. You can’t kill this man!”
    “Sure I can. Besides the fact that he deserves to die for attacking you, I can’t let him run back to his buddies and tell them where we are. I’ve got to silence him.”
    Words tumbled out of Kimberly’s mouth, stumbling over one another as she spoke urgently. “I believe you. This is all real. You don’t have to kill that guy to prove it to me.”
    “I’m not killing him to prove anything,” Tex answered reasonably. “I’m killing him because he found us and he represents a threat to your safety.”
    She wrung her hands, keeping pace beside him as he commenced dragging the soldier’s limp body out into the jungle. “Tex. You can’t kill a man on my account. It’s wrong to slaughter another human being like this! I couldn’t live with this guy’s life on my conscience. Please. For me. Don’t do it!” she begged.
    Tex let the guy’s feet drop to the ground with a thud. He stared hard at her. She looked desperate. “Are you for real?”
    She nodded frantically. “Yes. Absolutely. For God’s sake, don’t kill this man!”
    He closed his eyes for a moment in sheer frustration. “You’re asking me to make a huge tactical mistake. My job is to keep you safe. At all costs. Including this guy’s life.”
    “I understand. But spare him anyway. Please?”
    Her eyes were so soulful, so pitiful. He felt his resolve slipping. And then she put her soft, supplicating hand on his arm. He cursed viciously under his breath. “Mark my words, I’m going to live to regret this,” he rumbled. He tucked the knife in his belt and pulled out a length of rope. “Help me tie him up, will you?” he asked in resignation.
    She took breath to speak and he interrupted her before she could say a word. “There’s no way you’re talking me out of this, Kimberly. I am binding and gagging him so he can’t get loose for a day or two. By then we’ll have a big enough head start so he can’t give away our location. I