shoulder.
“What do you have here that I can use to pull this thing out?”
“Needle nose pliers. Josh!” Erik called.
One of his workers shouted back.
“I’m here! You want your tool bag?”
“Yes.”
“I found it.” Grace said, she held her finger inside Ainsley so as not to lose the bullet’s location.
Josh ran back and the crowd parted for him. He was carrying Erik’s familiar brown tool bag.
Erik grabbed it and rifled through. He handed the pliers to Grace.
“Hold her still. If she wakes up we still need to get it out,” Grace said.
Erik wasn’t sure it would be possible for Ainsley to wake up with the bullet still in her. Or wake up at all, if she lost any more blood.
No, no, no…
He suspected Grace was giving him something to do to keep him busy. He wasn’t scared of the blood, but he was grateful to have some role in helping.
He rested his hands against Ainsley’s lifeless torso, ready to hold her down hard if he had to.
Grace was already easing the pliers into the hole in Ainsley’s shoulder.
Thoughts of a life without Ainsley flashed through his mind and he tried to block them out. He could wake up without her tomorrow. Right now she was still warm under his hands. He’d better savor each heartbeat.
Grace pulled and slipped. She pulled and slipped again.
She cursed under her breath.
“Erik, push her shoulder away from her back. I need it opened up.”
Erik drew in a breath and was glad Ainsley wasn’t awake for this. Then he leaned his weight against her shoulder with one hand and her back with the other.
The wound gaped open a little and Grace tried a third time to catch the bullet in the pliers. This time he could tell she had locked onto it.
Grace pulled slowly. Her face was set in an expression of fierce concentration. Her hands began to shake.
Suddenly something gave way. The bullet slipped the rest of the way out of the wound with a wet and sinister sound.
Grace fell back on her heels, holding the clotted pliers in front of her. In them, the silver bullet was dotted in blood and bone – but the exposed bits glittered in the moonlight.
Erik ripped his shirt off and used it to apply pressure to Ainsley’s shoulder.
“When will we know if she’s going to…?”
“I don’t know,” Grace said. “It was in there too long. Some of it is bound to have gotten into her blood. And if I didn’t get the whole thing out…”
Erik felt the blood drain from his face.
“If you’re not a praying man, Erik, this might be a good time to start.”
CHAPTER 17
A insley awoke from a deep sleep.
Her body ached and she was too warm. Something important had happened. But she couldn’t think what.
She opened her eyes.
She was in Erik’s bed. Erik was wrapped around her tightly, one muscular arm across her chest, one leg thrown possessively over her hip.
She moved to slip out of his embrace and turn to him.
He clenched around her with a piteous moan.
“Erik?”
She could hear his breath let out. His limbs loosened and she turned to face him.
His molten brown eyes were filled with love and pain.
“Ainsley.”
In that one word Ainsley heard all she needed to know. He loved her. Erik loved her and she was the luckiest woman in the world.
She reached up to caress his face softly.
It reminded her of something.
Her mother.
The memory of the whole night descended on her at once. Ainsley gasped and reached for her shoulder.
“Easy,” Erik said.
She pulled her hand back.
“Want to risk a trip to the bathroom?” he asked.
She smiled and nodded gratefully.
He eased himself out of bed and lifted her in his strong arms. When they reached the bathroom he kissed the top of her head and set her down.
“I’ll give you a minute,” he told her.
Ainsley stared into the mirror. She was naked and dirty in stark contrast to the clean white bandage that curled over her shoulder. But her ribs felt completely healed. She was sure she would be feeling that for a
“What do you have here that I can use to pull this thing out?”
“Needle nose pliers. Josh!” Erik called.
One of his workers shouted back.
“I’m here! You want your tool bag?”
“Yes.”
“I found it.” Grace said, she held her finger inside Ainsley so as not to lose the bullet’s location.
Josh ran back and the crowd parted for him. He was carrying Erik’s familiar brown tool bag.
Erik grabbed it and rifled through. He handed the pliers to Grace.
“Hold her still. If she wakes up we still need to get it out,” Grace said.
Erik wasn’t sure it would be possible for Ainsley to wake up with the bullet still in her. Or wake up at all, if she lost any more blood.
No, no, no…
He suspected Grace was giving him something to do to keep him busy. He wasn’t scared of the blood, but he was grateful to have some role in helping.
He rested his hands against Ainsley’s lifeless torso, ready to hold her down hard if he had to.
Grace was already easing the pliers into the hole in Ainsley’s shoulder.
Thoughts of a life without Ainsley flashed through his mind and he tried to block them out. He could wake up without her tomorrow. Right now she was still warm under his hands. He’d better savor each heartbeat.
Grace pulled and slipped. She pulled and slipped again.
She cursed under her breath.
“Erik, push her shoulder away from her back. I need it opened up.”
Erik drew in a breath and was glad Ainsley wasn’t awake for this. Then he leaned his weight against her shoulder with one hand and her back with the other.
The wound gaped open a little and Grace tried a third time to catch the bullet in the pliers. This time he could tell she had locked onto it.
Grace pulled slowly. Her face was set in an expression of fierce concentration. Her hands began to shake.
Suddenly something gave way. The bullet slipped the rest of the way out of the wound with a wet and sinister sound.
Grace fell back on her heels, holding the clotted pliers in front of her. In them, the silver bullet was dotted in blood and bone – but the exposed bits glittered in the moonlight.
Erik ripped his shirt off and used it to apply pressure to Ainsley’s shoulder.
“When will we know if she’s going to…?”
“I don’t know,” Grace said. “It was in there too long. Some of it is bound to have gotten into her blood. And if I didn’t get the whole thing out…”
Erik felt the blood drain from his face.
“If you’re not a praying man, Erik, this might be a good time to start.”
CHAPTER 17
A insley awoke from a deep sleep.
Her body ached and she was too warm. Something important had happened. But she couldn’t think what.
She opened her eyes.
She was in Erik’s bed. Erik was wrapped around her tightly, one muscular arm across her chest, one leg thrown possessively over her hip.
She moved to slip out of his embrace and turn to him.
He clenched around her with a piteous moan.
“Erik?”
She could hear his breath let out. His limbs loosened and she turned to face him.
His molten brown eyes were filled with love and pain.
“Ainsley.”
In that one word Ainsley heard all she needed to know. He loved her. Erik loved her and she was the luckiest woman in the world.
She reached up to caress his face softly.
It reminded her of something.
Her mother.
The memory of the whole night descended on her at once. Ainsley gasped and reached for her shoulder.
“Easy,” Erik said.
She pulled her hand back.
“Want to risk a trip to the bathroom?” he asked.
She smiled and nodded gratefully.
He eased himself out of bed and lifted her in his strong arms. When they reached the bathroom he kissed the top of her head and set her down.
“I’ll give you a minute,” he told her.
Ainsley stared into the mirror. She was naked and dirty in stark contrast to the clean white bandage that curled over her shoulder. But her ribs felt completely healed. She was sure she would be feeling that for a
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