She blinked. Once, twice. A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth followed by a gasp as they hit the wall of snow and ice outside. Ashley opened the rear compartment and Alex laid Laura gently in the back and covered her with his coat. “She’s unconscious.”

Ashley dove into the front seat as Shane slipped in the rear with Yael, pushing her laptop onto the floor.

Alex clambered awkwardly into the cargo area and pulled the door closed. Ashley drove smoothly away searching for the nearest medics.

“Where’s Yael been hit?” asked Alex.

Shane laid her flat on the backseat as he knelt in the footwell. “Right side near her hip bone.”

He had no idea if the bullet had shattered inside her or not but there was no exit wound that he could see. He didn’t know whether to risk undoing her pants or if the tight jeans could be acting like a bandage. His first aid training could get him through a lot of things but it couldn’t fix a bullet wound while in the back of a moving vehicle without medical supplies.

“Yael. Hey. Open your eyes, sweetheart.”

She blinked them open again, those gorgeous dark velvet eyes of hers recognizing him through the pain.

He needed to keep her awake.

“You got him, Yael. You stopped that son of a bitch even though you had to conquer your own demons to do it. That is the bravest thing I’ve ever seen.”

Her eyes narrowed in a mix of pain and disbelief but he was telling the truth.

“I am so amazed by you, by your strength.”

Her skin was clammy and pale and he was terrified because the last person he’d seen who’d looked like that had been Scotty, moments before he’d passed.

“Do you think I’ll have to stand trial again?” Her voice was reed thin.

“What? No.”

“He was starting to turn away from me to shoot at you.” She swallowed noisily. “Before that he was pointing the gun right at me.”

He couldn’t believe she’d been concerned about that and yet it wasn’t surprising considering what she’d been through in the past. “You killed him in self-defense. The guy wasn’t about to let anyone walk out of there alive. Not me, not you, not Laura. You nailed a serial killer and deserve a goddamned medal.”

Relief washed over her features and her eyes started to drift closed.

“Hey, stay with me, Yael.” He pressed his coat against her wound and she cried out making him die a little inside. “There are things I need to know.”

“Like what?” Yael blinked.

“Like what it feels like to ride pillion on Myrtle.”

“Sublime.” A small smile touched her lips.