by Susan Bliler
Exclusive Excerpt
Hunted
by
Susan A. Bliler
Trudging through the thick brush, Sia barely noticed when her rifle slipped from her left hand and landed with a heavy thud in the tall wet grass. Annoyance bunched her brows together over her thin nose as she glared down at her weapon. What the fuck?
Bending to pick up the rifle, she was too slow. Andre, who’d been pulling up the rear, reached down and snatched it out from under her cold wet fingers. He stood and held the weapon out to her while shaking his head, derision curling his lip.
Annoyed more that Andre had witnessed her folly than at herself for actually committing it, Sia reached up and grabbed her rifle, all the while glowering up at the much taller Andre.
With her hand on her rifle, Sia made to pull the rifle to her, but Andre held strong.
“Hey!” Sia yelled trying to draw Andre’s eyes up from where they were focused, but his eyes didn’t move. Sia looked down to see what was so damn important that Andre refused to release her rifle. Shock washed over her as she realized that Andre was staring at her left hand as it gripped her rifle. Her small knuckles were coated in blood and dripping crimson droplets down the length of her barrel. Sia’s eyes traced up her arm and she reached over with her right hand to finger the fabric of her sleeve at her left shoulder where a hole gaped open. She pulled the hole open revealing a wound. She’d been shot. She looked up at Andre, her expression confused.
“COLBY!” Andre shouted for the medic. Andre yanked the rifle from Sia’s grip and leaned it against the nearest tree before he dropped his pack and set his rifle on top. Standing he reached up and pulled both arm loops of Sia’s pack off her shoulders.
“I got it!” Sia barked at Andre annoyed. Andre dropped her pack next to his and reached up to quickly unbutton the front of her camo shirt as Colby stepped through the brush.
“What’s up? Who’s hurt?” Colby questioned as he tried to catch his breath.
“She’s been shot.” Andre answered in a thick Russian accent, without taking his eyes off his task.
Colby’s eyes flashed to Sia, “What…When?”
As Andre unfastened the last button, he opened Sia’s shirt and pushed it off her shoulders. Blood stained the form fitting green tank top she wore underneath.
“Last firefight.” Andre answered.
Sia pulled away from Andre, trying to pull her shirt back on, “Jesus Christ, it’s just a flesh wound. I didn’t even feel it.”
Colby grabbed her elbow and spun her to him, “Whoa, let me look at that.” Colby leaned in and inspected her wound, “Shit! That’s more than just a flesh wound.” Colby looked up at the much taller Andre, “This is gonna take a minute.”
Nodding Andre grabbed his rifle and disappeared through the foliage. Sia heard a faint, “Set up a perimeter, Sia needs medical attention.”
“Jesus, Colby! Can’t you just bandage it up? We can’t get caught out here.” Sia plopped down on the fallen log that Colby led her to. Colby straddled the log as he pulled off his pack and unzipped it. He pulled out a bottle of antiseptic and poured it on Sia’s wound causing her to inhale in a long hiss of pain.
“Bullet went clean through, but we’ll need to stop the bleeding.” Colby doused her arm again with a second slosh of antiseptic.
Andre returned, rifle at the ready when Colby looked up at him. Colby’s serious look halted Andre and Sia watched as Colby looked at Andre then glanced her way and inclined his head at the same time.
Whoa, what’s going on?
Whatever it was Andre understood. Andre used his boot to clear a spot on the forest floor before he left and returned with an armload of kindling.
“No way!” Sia jumped up and was pulling her shirt on when Colby grabbed her arm.
“Sia, we’ve gotta get it closed.” Colby pleaded. “You’re losing too much blood and there’s no other way.”
Andre never stopped his work, he was now on his hands and knees with his flint, sending showers of sparks raining down on the kindling.
Angrily, Sia reached down and grabbed Colby’s pack, shoving it into his chest, “Put some fucking gauze in it and let’s get rolling, it’ll be night soon.”
Colby grabbed the pack and looked at Sia apologetically through his thin wire framed glasses, “I’m sorry… this is gonna hurt.”
Sia was grabbed from behind by Andre who easily wrestled her to the ground. “Are you fucking kidding me? Get the fuck off me!”
Andre wrapped an arm around her throat in a half rear-naked choke while his other pinned her right arm in place. His legs were wrapped around her hips and crossed at the ankle over her knees. Andre held Sia in place as he rolled slightly to his right, exposing his hunting knife to Colby.
About the Author
I’m a Paralegal by profession and when I’m not working or volunteering I’m writing.
I am one of six children and I am blessed to have a twin sister. She and I work for the same agency, in the same office, and are inseparable…my poor husband! I’m married and have a step-son who adores my sister. We also have two dogs, one black lab and one yellow, (Zena and Jimmy) I did NOT name the dogs.
I’m a huge fan of MMA, boxing, hockey, 30 Seconds to Mars, the Killers, and DMX. I also love to read because it encourages me to write. ( I always hate it when authors add that they love coffee and chocolate. Really? Who doesn’t love coffee and chocolate.) Anyway, I love beer…kidding. I don’t love beer but we are engaged in a very serious relationship. (Mom, please don’t call me when you read this.)
Please visit me at SusanBliler.com for exclusive excerpts of soon to be released works. Also, please leave feedback. Believe it or not I actually read your opinions/suggestions and try to adapt my work accordingly.
ps: I have the best fans in the world! Keep e-mailing and leaving comments on my site and check back for soon to be implemented free reads and book give aways and stay tuned there are more Skin Walkers to come!