Chapter 27

He veered to the left and dove into a hollow beneath a tree. He couldn’t stay there all night, but he needed to stop the bleeding. If she had hit his arm, he could have used his shirt as a tourniquet, but the wound was too high for that. The ground was damp enough to form in a ball, but it wasn’t quite mud. With a wince, he spit into his palm and made the soil more pliable before reaching under his shirt and packing the mud against the wound.

Darren forced himself to inhale and exhale slowly, trying to calm his rapid breathing and even faster heart. He couldn’t hear Jasmine, but he saw her shadow as she slowed and surveyed the area.

“I know you’re hurt, Darren. It’ll be easier for you if you just come out now.”

“Okay. I’ll surrender.”

She spun in the direction of his voice and Darren could see her hands were empty. “I’m sorry I threw a knife at you. But I needed you to stop.”