“Did King take your phone?” Diesel asked, and Stone nodded wordlessly. Diesel let go of his hand to pick up the phone and immediately heard a tinny voice urgently calling for someone to respond. “Hello?”

“This is the operator. I asked Stone to stay on the phone. Who are you and what is his condition?”

“I’m Elvis Kennedy and this is my property.” Diesel glared at Stone, who was snorting and mouthing, “Elvis.” “The patient is Montgomery O’Bannion. Stone’s a nickname. He’s conscious. A doctor’s with me and she’s providing first aid.”

“Put it on speaker,” Dani commanded, so Diesel did, holding it out so that Dani could talk to the operator. “This is Dr. Novak. I’m a trauma doctor. The patient has two gunshot wounds, one to the right side of his chest and one to the upper thigh. He’s lost a significant amount of blood.” She looked at Stone. “What’s your blood type?”

“B,” Stone told her, then managed a grim grin at Diesel. “You two talked?”

Diesel nodded as Dani continued to speak to the 911 operator, telling her the extent of Stone’s injuries and that his pulse was thready. “Yeah,” he mouthed back. “Thank you, brother.”

Stone closed his eyes, lips curving in a soft smile. “Good.”

His grip abruptly slackened and Diesel panicked. Stone looked suddenly way too peaceful. “Stone?”

Dani immediately gripped Stone’s wrist, then dropped it to put the stethoscope’s eartips in her ears and listen to his heart. She pulled the eartips out. “Operator, how far out is EMS?”

“Less than five minutes.”

“Tell them to pick up the speed,” Dani said urgently, but somehow still calmly. “The patient has gone into cardiac arrest. Starting chest compressions.”

Diesel froze. Cardiac arrest? Chest compressions? “What?”

Dani placed her hands in the middle of Stone’s chest, one atop the other. She started pumping, her mouth moving as she silently counted. “Diesel, it’s better for Stone if one of us breathes for him. I can, but I’d prefer you do it.” She looked up, meeting his eyes directly. “Do you know how?”

He nodded, focusing on her mismatched eyes because he felt like he was going to throw up. “CPR certification was required to coach.” He propped the flashlight on Stone’s hip, aiming the light at Dani’s hands, then moved to Stone’s head and shoved the fear from his mind. He could do this. He had to do this.

He tilted Stone’s head back gently, closed his nose, and began breathing into his mouth, conscious of Dani watching him.

“That’s good, Diesel. Keep it up. Every fifteen compressions, you breathe for him once. I’ll count.” She began to count quietly and Diesel held on to the sound, letting it ground him.

Don’t die, Stone. Don’t you dare die.