she shook her head no. This time, Mia pointed to something behind Ryleigh.
Fear clenched Ryleigh’s stomach, and she whirled to face her attacker. Something sharp scratched her face, and she threw her arm up to ward off the ambush. The branch caught her arm, tore through her sleeve, and drew blood.
The alley stood empty, save for Jackson’s crumpled body.
“What were you pointing at?” The harsh whisper barely made a sound.
“We can’t leave him,” Mia whispered back, voice trembling, tears running down her cheeks.
“I mean it, Mia. You’d better listen. Get over to that wall behind you and crawl toward the walkway. Now.” Ryleigh pressed her mouth against Mia’s ear as her whispers grew more urgent. Anger replaced some of the fear holding her paralyzed, and she gritted her teeth even tighter, grinding them together. Pain burst through her temples. Great.
“We can’t leave him.” The plea in Mia’s eyes touched Ryleigh’s heart, but no way was she going out into that courtyard.
“We’ll send help as soon as we get somewhere safe. Please, Mia. Please. We have to get out of here, before it comes back.”
“Jackson saved your life. What if it comes back and gets him before we get help?” Sobs wracked her fragile body. She still spoke softly, but her volume increased with every word.
“Mia, please. I have to get you out of here.”
Mia shook her head.
Why does this child have to be so stubborn? Ryleigh massaged her temples. Damn. She lay on her belly, pressing her body flat against the cold, damp ground. Dodging the branches and prickers clawing at her, she crept toward the edge of the bushes, peered out from her hiding place, and searched the alley for the lunatic. Nothing.
Mia moved up beside her. “Do you think he’s all right?”
“I don’t know.”
She struggled to see the rise and fall of his chest, or any movement. That thing shot fire from its fingers, hurled the flames into Jackson’s body, and threw him all the way across the courtyard and into the alley wall. For all she knew the fireball had killed him. Maybe he’d already been dead when his body had hit the wall. Was she supposed to risk their lives for someone she didn’t know, a stranger who was most likely dead…a man who’d saved her life and probably Mia’s as well?
Ugh. “Stay here.” She turned a glare on her sister and lifted a finger in warning. “I’m not kidding, Mia. You stay hidden. If anything happens, you wait until it’s safe and then run for help. Do you understand?”
Mia chewed on her bottom lip. “I’m sorry, Ryleigh. You don’t have to go.”
Exasperation and fear shortened her temper. “Make up your mind already, will you.”
Mia threw herself against Ryleigh and wept. “I’m scared. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“It’s okay, Mia. It’ll be all right.” She rubbed Mia’s back in an effort to soothe them both. “All right.” She inhaled, and the rich smell of dirt mixed with the smoke from Mia’s hair scratched her raw throat. She swallowed the urge to cough. “I have to go. You’re right. We can’t leave him. I have to check and see if he’s alive. If he’s unconscious, he’s too vulnerable lying there like that. I have to hurry, though, so we can get out of here. Promise me you’ll stay put.”
Mia nodded.
Ryleigh crawled deeper into the shadows beneath the bushes and positioned herself against the wall. Her heart raced erratically, pain throbbed through her body, and tears blocked her vision as she crawled quickly toward the alley. Stray branches grabbed her hair and clothing. Claustrophobia threatened to suffocate her. Until she reached the edge of the bushes and had to leave their protection then she wished fiercely to remain beneath their cover.
With a quick glance in each direction, Ryleigh launched herself from the illusion of a safe haven. Crouching low, she raced awkwardly toward the alley. Though her feet were bandaged, the local anesthetic had begun to wear off and each step sent a million shards of glass stabbing into her feet. When she reached the wall of the alley, she pressed her back against it, resisting the urge to slide down the wall and sit, to rest her feet for even the briefest moment, knowing she’d never get back up.
Squinting into the darkness, she strained to see if Jackson appeared to be breathing.
He lay curled in a ball on his side.
All right. She was going to have to get closer. With one last, anxious glance around, she headed for his lifeless form. She used the wall for support, tried to ease some of the pressure off her feet. Was he alive? She really, really didn’t want to find a corpse.
Images of his crooked smile and his mischievous eyes filled her mind.
Hesitation warred with impatience as she edged closer.
When she finally reached him, the coppery scent of blood assailed her. She knelt beside him, restraining a small sigh of relief at finally getting off her feet and alleviating the worst of the pain.
She held her breath and placed her hand against his chest. A heartbeat. A new flood of tears and a small sob escaped before she wrestled her emotions under control. He was alive. Now, how would she get him out of there?
She gingerly shook his shoulder. “Jackson.” The fierce whisper did nothing to elicit a response. She shook him again, a little harder this time. “Jackson. Wake up.” Still nothing. She thought of screaming for help but dismissed the idea just as quickly.
If his attacker realized he’d left Jackson alive, he might return.
Her blood ran cold, and a shiver coursed through her. All right, enough of this. She grabbed Jackson’s arm and shook him ruthlessly back and forth. When she called to him this time, it was no whisper. “Jackson, you have to wake up. Now.”
No response.
She hobbled to his head, turned him on his back, and grabbed him under both armpits. By the time she turned him around so his head faced the desired direction, she was soaked with sweat, breathing in short, harsh gasps that burned her throat, and bent at the waist with a stitch in her side. “I can’t do this, Jackson. You’re going to have to wake up. Please.” She bent to grab him again.
“Here, let me help.”
Mia. “I thought I told you to stay hidden.”
“You did, and later we can argue about it. Right now, let’s just get out of here.”
Ryleigh didn’t have the strength left to argue. Instead, she grabbed Jackson with both of her hands beneath one of his arms.
Mia did the same on his other side.
Together they dragged him to the bushes. They pulled, shoved, and pushed until they managed to conceal him beneath the cover.
They crawled in beside him. “We can’t pull him any farther. We’ll have to leave him hidden here and hope for the best until we can send help.” Ryleigh worked to slow her
