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Kara pulled the truck off the road Putting the gear shift in park, she slipped out of her goondering how she&039;d turn the engine off without the key Tearing the flied Alex&039;s arm, then made a thick pad and pressed it over the wound in his shoulder, tying it in place with another strip of cloth That done, she removed the heavy collar and chain from his neck and tossed the if it felt hotter than usual Fu on the dash, she turned on the heater, then put the truck in gear and pulled onto the narroo-lane road once more She drove with no destination in mind She didn&039;t knohere they were, didn&039;t knohere to go for help She couldn&039;t go hoo, couldn&039;t check Alex into a hospital even if she could find one The road was deserted Not sointo a gas station and asking for help, griet

She considered turning around Maybe there was a town behind her Maybe she should try and find a cop Too bad she didn&039;t knohere to find a donut shop, or a police station She felt a bubble of hysterical laughter rise in her throat as she pictured herself walking into so theet rich selling alien blood to wealthy sick people

She tried to rouse Alex, but he was unconscious Or dead

No! She put her hand over his heart, relieved by the faint but steady rise and fall of his chest He was alive, thank God Not knohere else to turn, shefor help, for a place to hide until Alex was better She was hungry and tired and afraid, so afraid

And then, as if in answer to her prayer, she saw a rustic cabin off the side of the road In the e Snow White&039;s house, she thought, or let&039;s It was a pretty little place, located on the edge of a small lake

"Thank you, Lord" She whispered the words over and over again as she pulled off the road, put the truck in park, and set the brake

Opening the door, she slipped out of the truck and went to look in one of the s Shivering with the cold, she walked around the cabin She found a note on the front door Ripping it free, she carried it back to the truck, squinting to read it in the headlights

Lucy, Tried to get hold of you, but you&039;d already left Soo back to the city Stay if you want Will call you next weekend Randy

Below that, was another scrawl

Randy, Sorry we etting suspicious Will call you before then if I can Love, Lucy

Cru the note in her hand, Karatried the door It was locked She frowned for a e above the door Nothing She glanced at the flower pot sitting on the porch, then grinnedas she lifted it and found a key

"Thank you, Randy," shethe door, she stepped inside

It was a quaint little one-room cabin, the perfect place for a rendezvous There was no phone, no electricity, a singlethat overlooked the lake A Coleroceries on the sink top She poked inside, finding a loaf of French bread, es, bananas, paper plates and cups, a bottle of rum An ice chest revealed a carton of milk, a couple of steaks, some lunch meat and a variety of cheeses There was also a six-pack of beer, and a two-liter bottle of 7-Up

A pair of sleeping bags were spread in front of the fireplace; there was a good-sized pile of wood on the hearth, a box of matches on the mantel, and a Coleman lantern

Pleased that Lucy had decided not to stay at the cabin without Randy, and grateful that she hadn&039;t gone inside and seen the groceries, Kara murmured another prayer of thanks, then hurried outside

Alex lay across the seat, his eyes closed, his breathing rapid and shallow He&039;d told her once that he&039;d never been sick, that he had always recovered quickly when he was hurt She wondered if his body&039;s ability to heal itself included gunshot wounds

"Alex? Alex, wake up!"

His eyelids fluttered open and he stared at her, his gaze unfocused

"You&039;ve got to get up I&039;ve found a place to stay"

He nodded, groaning softly as he sat up

"The engine," she said "Can you turn it off?"

Grunting softly, Alex reached under the dash and disconnected the wires The sudden silence see

"Put your arm around my shoulder," Kara said "It&039;s not far"

He didn&039;t argue Kara groaned as she shouldered soht Mercy, but he was heavy! One step at a tiet settled on one of the sleeping bags, then went to close and lock the door

She was surprised and relieved to find the cabin had running water and clean towels

She felt the bile rise in her throat as she began to wash the blood froly, and it didn&039;t go all the way through

"Alex? Alex, what should I do?"

He glanced at the bloody hole in his shoulder "Now ood time for one of us to faint"

"Very funny"

"Yeah Mind if I go first?"

"Don&039;t you dare faint on me!" The wound continued to ooze blood and she pressed the cloth against it in an effort to stop the bleeding "I don&039;t think the wound in your arm is too serious, but your shoulderI think the bullet&039;s still in there"

"I&039;ed a knuckle over her cheek "Think you can get it out?"

"I don&039;t know"

"I can do it if you&039;re not up to it"

"You!"

"It wouldn&039;t be the first tio"

"When? Where?"

"In the Dakotas" Alex frowned, re "You&039;ve heard of Custer?"

"Of course"

"I was fighting with the Cheyenne Beautiful people, the Cheyenne"

"The Cheyenne? You were fighting on the side of the Cheyenne at the Little Big Horn?"

"Hell of a fight Custer was an idiot to divide his troops the way he did" He griht?" Kara asked anxiously

He nodded "I missed the oing on after dark I was prowling around the hill where Reno and so I dug it out myself I don&039;t recommend it"

"Thanks," Kara muttered dryly

He mentioned the battle so casually, a battle that had taken place a hundred and twenty years ago She looked into his eyes, trying to iine the life he&039;d led America was an infant when compared to most of the countries of the world, and Alex had been here alot how old he was

"Kara?"

"I&039;ll do it" She spent the next fewto use as a probe, finally settling on a thin-bladed knife she found in a drawer She heated it over the Coleman stove, then rinsed it with ruested, offering him the bottle

"Why not?" Alex lifted the bottle and took a long s "Not bad" He looked at the knife, at the way it shook in her hand, and grinned "Maybe youshould have a drink Might steady your nerves"

Kara took the bottle and stared at it She&039;d never beenss, felt the expensive liquor slide smoothly down her throat

"Ready, doc?"

Kara nodded, and Alex lay back on the sleeping bag, his hands clenched "Go on," he said "Get it over with"