seen in movies or read about in novels.
And he still had a faint pulse. Should she even do CPR? Probably not if his heart’s still beating . She could break his ribs or something, couldn’t she? “Shit.”
Damn it, I have to do something . Artificial respiration? Yeah, that might work. Even though she wasn’t quite sure how it was done, she jumped on the bed and straddled him. She pinched his nose closed, took a big breath, and blew it into his mouth. Repeated the breath and blew it into him again. Next, she pressed gently on his chest to make him exhale. Then she started the process all over again.
She kept at it, though sweat rolled down her back and fear for Max gnawed at her insides. “Come back. Please .”
This shouldn’t have happened. His injury didn’t look that serious. Her tears dropped onto his chest as she fought to revive him. He was too young to die, damn it, and if he did, it’d be her fault. She should’ve taken him straight to the doctor in El Nopal.
Suddenly, he jerked and drew in a small, ragged breath on his own. Then another. Breaking into sobs of relief, Tess collapsed on top of him.
The heat radiating from his skin made her back away. He shouldn’t have a fever. He didn’t appear to have any infection. But then, the day had been very warm, and the cottage was stifling.
Well, whatever the reason, he’s burning up and I have to cool him off . She rolled off him and went to the kitchen for ice, rags, and a pan of cold water. Taking them back to the bedroom, she wrapped part of the ice in two rags, and stuffed the bundles in his armpits. The remaining ice she dumped in the water. Then, soaking a cloth, she bathed his skin.
Dark fingers of doubt picked at her mind. How much trouble was Max in? Who was after him? And would they show up here before she could wake him and explain things? If the men after him were anything like Nick, they’d kill her right along with Max.
Still, regardless of the consequences, she couldn’t leave today as she’d planned. He might stop breathing again. She’d made the decision not to take him to the doctor, and she couldn’t risk going back to the village now. Though she wanted to deny it, she was responsible for him. She had to stay and make sure he lived through the night.
Sitting beside him on the bed, she cringed as the survival instincts she’d developed in the last nine months screamed, Danger . All around her. So thick in the air, she breathed it in. Only this time, she couldn’t run.
***
6:14 p.m., Hotel La Siesta, La Paz, Baja California Sur :
“I still don’t see why we have to stay in a dumpy little motel in some stupid little village when Nick’s Folly is at the marina right here in La Paz.” Tired, cranky, and dissatisfied with life, Nick bitched non-stop as Tony parked their rental car outside the elegant hotel where Special Agent Tanner was staying. He knew he was acting like a spoiled child, but he didn’t care.
Certain that a village motel couldn’t provide much in the way of comfort or amenities, he added, “Or if not on the boat, why not in a nice hotel like this?”
Tony sighed in that way he had. “There aren’t any nice hotels in El Nopal. And if you don’t want Tess to slip away again, we’ll need to be in the village to supervise the search for her.”
Outgunned by logic, Nick switched subjects as he followed Tony through the hotel’s double glass doors and across the lobby. “I hope Tanner has some information for us on what the CIA’s doing about her. I don’t want them to get to her first.”
“So you’ve said. Frequently.” Tony stepped into the elevator and pushed the button for the fourth floor. “Stop whining. I’ve told you, Tanner can handle the CIA.”
The minute Tanner opened the door to room 416, Nick asked, “Any news?”
Tony rolled his eyes. “He’s worried the CIA will find the bitch first. Were you able to find out anything?”
“I talked to my source at their
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