Hunted (Dark Secrets Book 1) Read Free Page B

waterproof winter blanket and the third tarp. I opened the first aid kit and laid out what I would probably need: scissors, gauze, dental floss, a needle, alcohol, iodine, antibiotic cream, rubber gloves and duct tape.
    I pulled the pair of rubber gloves over my hands and wrists, covering the top of my thermal sleeves. He had managed to take off his own shirt, but must have passed out before he could remove his pants.
    Of course, I thought. I unbuttoned his muddy, wet, bloodstained jeans and squinted my eyes half-closed as I shimmied them, along with his river-soaked underpants, down off of his body. Not wanting his blood to get on everything, I threw his jeans, underpants and shirt into a pile on the other side of the incline, away from my clothes. I blew out a breath as I turned back to him and caught a good glimpse of his abs—this guy was ripped. Probably a quarterback , I figured.
    I covered him with my blanket from his torso to his thighs then went about checking his wounds. The bullet had entered and exited his right leg, leaving two round holes in the flesh. I washed the wound off with some of my drinking water then saturated it with iodine. Then I dabbed it dry with a pad of clean white gauze.
    Next, I sterilized my needle with the alcohol, threaded it with the dental floss and proceeded to make tiny stitches in the stranger's flesh. He moaned a little, but otherwise didn't stir.
    Nice and tight, my mother's voice in my head coached.
    When I was satisfied, I smeared the wound with antibiotic cream, covered it with fresh gauze and duct taped the gauze in place. I attended to the second wound the same way and felt more comfortable that the wounds weren't fatal. When I was finished, I removed the bloody gloves and set them onto his pile of clothes. I covered his full body with my blanket and laid the second tarp over that to trap his body heat. Then I put my stuff back into my pack and dumped the contents of his pack carefully, hoping there were some extra clothes in it. Sure enough, he had a few sets of clothes: jeans, T-shirts, a hoodie, a rain coat, a couple pairs of socks and underwear, along with sweatpants and a sweatshirt.
    I warmed my hands with my breath and reached under the tarp to feel his arms and fingers. He was warm. There was no need to disturb him or cause him pain by trying to yank up sweatpants, so I set them off to the side for later. I did slide a pair of clean, dry socks onto his feet. Then I took a moment to peek into the main pocket of his pack. He had a toothbrush in a travel case, toothpaste, a trial-sized mouthwash, a comb, a wallet and a Swiss Army knife. G ood, he takes care of his oral hygiene and doesn't have anything weird. Seemed normal.
    My stomach growled and I realized I hadn't eaten anything at all yet today. First, it was Piper's parents, then the Takers … and…
    Jodi, I thought, my heart sinking. I would call her first chance I got. She could have made it out , I reasoned.
    I put everything back into bookstore guy's pack, even though I was curious … I didn't even know his name and here I was performing surgery on him.
    I hadn't heard anyone crashing through the woods toward us, but I wasn't taking any chances. I rummaged through my pack again, took out a black silken bag and dumped its contents. From so many years of practice, I had my Take Down bow assembled in less than two minutes. I snapped together a dozen bolts and set them in my cloth quiver next to me on the floor for easy access. Then I pulled my belt around my waist and fastened the buckle with my hatchet and hunting knife looped through it.
    That Taker attack had been the closest one yet. A few minutes earlier and they would have had me for sure. Really, this stranger had just saved my life and he didn't even realize it.
    I swigged down some more water and then unwrapped my cinnamon roll, ripping a small piece off with my fingers and nibbling on it. Then I settled down for what was sure to be a long evening. I