Page 133 of Wish You Were Mine

Robert crumpled.

Connor knocked the gun from Robert’s hands, yanked them behind his back, and pinned him in place. I rushed to Summer’s side. She didn’t look good. Her skin was pale, her eyes had closed, and her breathing was shallow.

Part of me wanted to panic, but I shoved it into a box in the back of my mind. She didn’t need a scared boyfriend. She needed a paramedic.

I could do this.

I could save her.

If I failed this time, I might as well lie down in the snow alongside her.

62

ASHER

I peeled Summer’s shirt back to expose the bloody mess of her abdomen. The bullet had hit just below her ribs, near the center but slightly to the left. I wanted to check whether it had gone all the way through but was wary of moving her too much.

I considered removing her shirt completely, but she was lying on the ground and would be cold enough without me taking away the only barrier between her and the snow. I glanced around, my mind working furiously, then remembered the blanket she’d carried out.

I raced over to her discarded things and yanked the blanket from under her clothes, then I retrieved her pants and brought both items back to her. Using the pants as padding, I compressed the wound. Hopefully the low temperatures would slow the bleeding, and between that and whatever I could do, I just had to pray she’d survive.

A murmur of voices became audible in the distance. I glanced up, maintaining pressure on the wound. A group of people emerged from the forest. Nate was in the lead, rushing toward us. Several officers accompanied him.

“She’s injured,” I called to them. “Gunshot wound to the abdomen. Connor is restraining the shooter. She’s bleeding heavily. I need a first aid kit and transportation to a hospital. ASAP.”

Nate paled, his gaze catching on Summer for a moment, but then, like me, he summoned a mask of professionalism and spoke to the officer nearest to him. The officer turned and ran back the way they’d come.

Another of the officers called for an ambulance and the fire department—although I had my doubts the fire engine would be able to get anywhere near here.

Mehrtens hurried to join Connor, a pair of handcuffs ready to go. Robert didn’t struggle as she cuffed him and told him his rights. He just knelt dejectedly, his head low, his shoulders slumped.

“How is she?” Nate asked, hovering beside me. “What can I do?”

I jerked my head toward the wadded up pants. “Maintain compression. I’m going to shift her onto the blanket, so she isn’t lying directly on the snow. In this state, it would be easy for her to succumb to hypothermia.”

He lowered himself to his knees and took over from me the second I let go of the pants. “Is anyone else here? Any other perps?”

“Not that I know of.” I positioned the blanket beside Summer, along the length of her body. At that moment, Officer Patton arrived, clutching a first aid kit and breathing heavily. He must have been the one Nate sent back earlier.

“Put the kit there.” I gestured to the side. “Help me lift her. We need to be careful to move her as little as possible.”

Patton nodded, his expression grim. He wasn’t a trained paramedic, and I’d prefer to have Maia here to help, but we had to make do. I took Summer’s upper half and Patton grabbed her legs.

“On the count of three,” I said, sliding my hands beneath her to stabilize her. “One, two, three.”

Together, we hefted her sideways and onto the blanket, putting her down as gently as we could. Nate shifted around, keeping firm pressure on the gunshot wound. I opened the first aid kit and searched for anything that might be useful. I continued to work, the movements brisk, almost mechanical, as I fought to keep myself calm.

“Fuck.” Connor’s voice. “She’s unconscious?”

“Seems to be.” I couldn’t let myself dwell on it. “How are you all here?”

“I came back this morning to see whether we’d be able to get through to you,” Connor said, watching as I treated his baby sister the best I could. “When I reached the tree that had blocked you in, I noticed it had been cut.”

I frowned, momentarily distracted. “Cut?”

“It didn’t fall without some help,” he explained. “My guess is, your buddy here didn’t want you to leave, so he made sure you wouldn’t be able to get away quickly. It seemed suspicious, so I radioed Nate for backup, but before he arrived, I noticed the smoke. I was worried because you weren’t answering the radio, so I came over on foot.”

“Thank you.” I meant it wholeheartedly. “Without you, we might both be dead.”

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