Stay close and stay quiet, Clayton warned her.
Lenora would, as well as keep watch. But she also prayed that all of this was overkill.
He unlocked the door and stepped out ahead of her. Lenora didnt miss the grunt that he tried to muffle. Pained from the sun, no doubt. Still, he didnt let the pain or the sun slow him down. He eased her out behind him, shut the door, and they hurried toward the cemetery.
Clayton kept watch, too, his gaze firing all around them. There was a chain-link fence that surrounded the quarter acre or so of graves, and it was obviously meant to keep out deer rather than people, because there were no
locks on the gate. He opened it and immediately pushed her behind a large angel headstone.
It wasnt her first choice of hiding place. In fact, the whole cemetery gave her the creeps. It reminded her of her fathers grave, which shed visited onceand only onceon the day shed found out that he was dead. Lenora hoped they didnt have to stay crouched here for long.
She peered out and saw the men make their way toward the front of the church. They stopped by her car first, looked inside the windows and then continued to the front door. Because of the angle of the building, they disappeared from view. Maybe they would just knock and when no one answered, theyd leave.
But the thought had no sooner crossed her mind than Lenora heard something she didnt want to hear.
No knock.
There was a loud bashing sound, quickly followed by a shot. Not in their direction, but the bullet made an unusual metallic sound.
Lenora knew exactly what it meant.
The men had shot through the lock on the front door and were no doubt already inside the church. It wouldnt take them but a minute or two to realize she wasnt there.
And theyd come looking for her.
Lets move, Clayton ordered in a rough whisper. Now!
Chapter Five
Clayton waited a split second, until he was sure the two men were actually inside the church, and with his hand still gripping Lenoras wrist, he hurried across the cemetery.
Stay low, he warned her.
She did, and he kept ducking them behind the larger tombstones, hoping that theyd become good cover if necessary. Most were marble, which should stop a bullet or two, but he didnt want to take the risk of a shot ricocheting and hitting Lenora.
Or him.
Because if he was out of the picture, it would leave her a sitting duck for whoever was inside the church. Yeah, she had a gun, and Clayton knew from the surveillance tapes of his own shooting that she was a good shot. However, those guys could be better.
Clayton took out his phone, and he made a whispered 9-1-1 call and gave the dispatcher their location. Maybe it wouldnt take long for the local authorities to respond, and even if it did, he had plans to get Lenora out of there anyway.
He cursed, not just over the fact that there were probably assassins mere yards away from them, but also that Lenora and his baby were right in the middle of the danger.
Again.
And worse, there was the possibility that hed brought the danger right to Lenora. He hadnt been followed, he was sure of that, but obviously these men had found her, maybe the same way he had. He should have anticipated that would happen and gotten her away from the church the minute he showed up.
Of course, Lenora hadnt exactly cooperated with his demand that she leave with him. But Clayton was betting shed cooperate now.
If they got out of this alive, that was.
He dragged her behind another tombstone that was closer to the far side fence and gate, and he listened and watched for any signs of the men. He also drew in some hard breaths, trying to fight off the pain that was stabbing through his head. The sunglasses helped, but nothing would help if he had to stay out in this blaring light too long. Not good. Because there was no way he could focus if the pain closed in on him.
Ironic, that a migraine could get them killed.
The pain and his plans to get her out of there did a short mental stutter, however, when he felt the movement against his back. He glanced over his shoulder at her to see what was going on.
The baby was all she said.
Oh.
He hadnt forgotten that she was pregnant, no way, but it was a jolt to feel his child moving around inside her. Once they were out of here, he really had to take some time to deal with everything hed just learned.
Whered you park? Her voice was shaky. She was shaking, too, and her breathing was so fast that she might hyperventilate.
Clayton tipped his head to the other side of the cemetery, where the trees were thick. She wouldnt be able to see his truck, but it was there on an old ranch road about a fourth of a mile away.
He heard some bashing around in the church and figured the guys were tearing apart the place, looking for Lenora, but as long as they did that, theyd be inside. And they wouldnt be able to see Lenora and him. That was the cue hed been waiting for. He hadnt wanted to run with her in the open, in case the men had plans to make a hasty exit from the church.
Lets go, Clayton told Lenora.