With one eye on the retreating Nathan, Mandy crawled to Jed’s side. Oh my God. There was so much blood. It was welling out of Jed’s stomach, through the hands he’d clenched there, and into the dirty snow piled against the building. Jed stared up at Mandy, his brown eyes glazed with fear and pain. His hands fell away from his belly. His eyelids closed, and he went limp.

“No,” she whispered. She pressed her hands to Jed’s wound. The blood kept coming. Her rescuer scrambled to his feet and poised to give chase. Nathan’s car door slammed, and the truck took off down the alley.

“Help him, please.”

The man was on his knees beside her in a second, gently nudging her aside. She moved her hands, and he fumbled to open Jed’s jacket with one hand. The other he held out at an awkward angle. Had he hurt his arm tackling Nathan? Mandy unwound her flannel scarf, folded it up, and handed it to him. He pressed it over the wound and leaned on it with one hand and a forearm.

Shivering, Mandy glanced sideways. The stranger was lean and dark. He looked at her, and she drew back. His eyes were turquoise, clear as the Arctic Sea, and they were filled with nearly as much shock as Jed’s. In the subfreezing temps, sweat beaded on the stranger’s forehead.

“You have 911 service here?” His voice shook, but he worked through his obvious distress.

“Yes.”

“Call them. If you don’t have a phone, mine’s in my jacket pocket. Right side.”

Her purse had fallen somewhere. Mandy reached into his pocket and dug out this phone. Wet hands slipped on the cell.

“How far’s the hospital?” he asked.

“Forty minutes.”

The stranger frowned. His hands trembled as he worked to stanch the flow of blood. “He doesn’t have forty minutes. Tell them you need a medevac.”

Mandy made the call.

“What’s your name?” He swallowed hard. His eyes were too wide, his breathing rough and raspy.

“Mandy.”

“Please keep talking to me, Mandy,” the stranger said.

Mandy watched him fight for control. His determination and strength kick-started her brain. “Who are you?”

“Danny. Danny Sullivan.” He shifted his position. “He’s still bleeding a lot.”

Think. She knew basic first aid, but Jed’s injury went beyond any of her scout or wilderness training. Her gaze fell on the snowbank. Numbness and desperation temporarily suppressed her shock. “Snow. We’ll pack him in snow. Lowering his body temperature should help.”

Danny nodded. “It’s worth a shot.”

She tried not to look at the red smears in the snow as she scooped it with her hands to pack around Jed’s torso.

Jed moaned. His legs twitched. Mandy grabbed more snow.

He had to live. He just had to.

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER TWO

Four months later