Deadlock

TWENTY-TWO

WHEN THEY ARRIVED BACK AT the road, Irana was kneeling on the ground beside Joslyn applying a pressure bandage. "Thank God," she said as she glanced up and saw Emily. "Are you hurt?"

"No, but Garrett is wounded. I don't think it's serious." She looked down at Joslyn. He was obviously unconscious and appeared stark pale in the light of the lantern sitting beside him. "Is he going to die?"

"Not if I can help it. He's lost a lot of blood, and I don't know if the bullet clipped an organ yet." She glanced at Garrett. "I told Dar¬don to phone for an ambulance. He went to the monastery to meet them and bring them here. I'm going with him to take care of him."

"I'm not arguing," Garrett said.

"You were angry with all of us when you got here." She looked at Emily. "And you blamed Joslyn enough to use him to bring us here. He may be dying because he wanted to make amends for what he did wrong."

"Are you trying to make me feel guilty?"

"No, I'm not judging you. I helped to make sure he'd come with us. Who knows? Maybe Joslyn was looking on you as his own messen¬ger to help him make peace with himself." Her lips tightened. "I'm just saying that no matter how you feel about him, it's not going to stop me from helping him."