Twin Peril by Laura Scott Page B

place to jump, he could feel Mallory edging closer behind him. He angled backward, so she could hear him better. “Do you want to go first?”
    “Not really.” She sounded less than enthused by the idea.
    “There’s no easy way to get off the train, just like there was no easy way to get on. You’re going to hit the ground, so keep your muscles loose—don’t tense up. Tuck your head and roll, going with the momentum instead of fighting against it. Understand?”
    “Tuck and roll,” she repeated faintly. “Got it.”
    He hated the way he kept putting her in danger but he had to stay focused on what needed to be done. Soon, very soon, he’d have her someplace safe. “Okay, watch me.” For a moment he closed his eyes and prayed.
    Please, Lord, keep us safe!
    He opened his eyes and crouched low, so he was closer to the ground. Gauging the distance carefully, he sprang off the train like a broad jumper, trying to use his feet to break the force of impact on the ground before going limp and rolling, his momentum sending him through several rotations. As soon as he stopped, he jumped to his feet, sparing only a quick glance at his shirt. The open stitches in his incision weren’t going to heal if he kept doing acrobatics like this. Trying to ignore the ache in his side, he searched for Mallory.
    He heard her cry out before he saw her. She’d apparently jumped right after he did—he caught sight of her rolling across the grassy embankment.
    “Mallory! Are you all right?” He ran to her and dropped to his knees. He quickly ran his hands over her arms and legs, hoping, praying she didn’t have any broken bones.
    “Lost—my—breath,” she wheezed, as she stared up at the sky. “But I’m fine.”
    He dropped his chin to his chest. “Thank you, Lord,” he murmured.
    “Amen,” Mallory added.
    He jerked his head up to look at her. Was she poking fun at him? At God?
    “Why are you looking at me like that?” she demanded. “I thought you were supposed to say Amen at the end of a prayer.” She shifted uncomfortably and ran a shaky hand through her hair.
    He nodded slowly. “Yes. You’re right. But I thought you didn’t believe in the power of prayer.”
    She shrugged and glanced away as if intensely interested in their surroundings. At least the open fields covered in high grass wouldn’t make her claustrophobic the way the cornfields had. “Honestly, Jonah, I’m so confused right now, I’m not sure what I believe anymore. I find it hard to accept that simply believing in God will actually help us, yet on the other hand, every time Caruso seems to get close, we manage to get away, relatively unscathed. Are we just plain lucky? Or is God really watching over us, giving us strength?”
    “God is really watching over us and giving us strength, Mallory. I promise if you open your heart and your mind, you’ll be rewarded. And there’s no risk to believing, right?”
    “I’ll try,” she promised. She groaned a bit and then frowned as she staggered to her feet. “Hey, why does the town look farther away now than it did on the train?”
    “Hopefully the walk won’t be too bad.” The town seemed farther away now that they were on solid ground. “If you’re sure you’re not hurt, we’d better get going. The earlier we check into the motel, the better.”
    “Why do you assume I’m hurt when you’re the one recovering from surgery? Maybe you should take a look, make sure it’s not bleeding.”
    “I’m sure it’s fine.” He glanced down and checked his dressing beneath his shirt, trying not to grimace at the dampness of blood. He was glad blood hadn’t seeped onto his shirt since he didn’t have a change of clothes. A bloody shirt might cause the motel clerk to become suspicious. “I’ll get more gauze and tape tomorrow.” In the big scheme of things, his injury was the least of his concerns.
    Mallory gamely fell into step beside him. When their fingers brushed by accident, he curled his