Undying Destiny Read Online Free

was a seedy part of town, and she wasn’t thrilled at the thought of maneuvering through there in the middle of the night. But if she kept her doors locked and kept moving, she’d be safe and shave ten minutes off her trip.
    She’d been through there twice before, and each time the area had made her nervous. This trip didn’t feel any less intimidating. The shortcut consisted of several turns through narrow cobblestone streets lined with bars, strip clubs, and streetwalkers.
    With a death grip on the steering wheel, Emily made her third turn. This one onto Anchor, another one of the bumpy streets. Her Corolla rumbled and bounced on the uneven pavement, making her bones feel much older than their twenty-eight years.
    A fine mist covered the windshield, creating murky, shadowy images. Emily tapped the wipers to clear the haze. To her right, the dark form of a man lay slumped on the sidewalk, his upper torso tilted in an awkward position, facedown. Probably drunk out of his skull . She shrugged but found herself slowing the car for a better look.
    Emily clicked on her high beams. The wide berth of white light flooded the narrow corridor. An unmistakable trail of dark crimson ran from beneath him. She hit the brakes.
    Stopping on one of these streets late at night was not the smartest move, but her internal need to help the man overrode her instinct for self-preservation. No way could she drive off and leave someone alone in the street to bleed to death. She quickly dialed 911 on her cell before grabbing her first-aid kit from her dash and exiting the vehicle.
    The car’s high beams cast a veil of white light around the man and her. God, there was so much blood. She placed two fingers on the side of his neck and checked for a pulse. His skin chilled her fingertips, but there was a faint thump. Shallow breathing warmed the palm she’d placed near his nose and mouth.
    He was alive.
    Her heart raced, each beat like a bass drum in her ears. Hello, adrenaline rush.
    She ran to her trunk and pulled out an old wool blanket. Granted, she’d never expected to use it to cover a stranger who lay bleeding to death on the sidewalk, but hey, kudos for being prepared for anything.
    First priority, she had to find the source of all the blood. After pulling on a pair of latex gloves from her emergency kit, she eased him onto his back, allowing gravity to aid her with his dead weight.
    Bandage scissors made easy work of slicing up the center of his black shirt. An expanse of hard muscle brushed her knuckles as she worked. With his shirt pulled back as far as his leather coat would allow, Emily started her assessment at the top of his head, working her fingers along his scalp.
    All clear.
    A blast of cold wind stole her breath, reminding her of the urgent situation.
    “Come on, Mister. You need to hang on for me.”
    Moving south, she found an open neck wound, but judging by the slow rate of seepage, no artery appeared to be nicked. It couldn’t be the source of the large amount of blood. There had to be another injury.
    Running her hands down his flank, her fingers slid into a deep, penetrating wound. “Found you.”
    Emily ripped open a stack of gauze sponges and one by one packed them into the wound. Afterward, she covered his torso with the blanket. Satisfied she’d done all she could, Emily shuffled on her knees to recheck his pulse and respirations. With her cheek to his face, she felt for his breath on her skin and for his heartbeat with her fingertips. Warm puffs of air passed through his lips. Thank God . His pulse, though still weak, continued to beat.
    The wail of distant sirens echoed through the narrow street.
    “Not long now,” she said, stroking damp raven curls off his forehead, her own breathing returning to a more natural pace. Emily traced the outline of his face down to the coarse whiskers of his chin. The fine hairs on her arms stood on end as she brushed the stiff hairs with the pads of her fingers. She shivered,