Sarah threw her arms around Ryan's neck and held on for dear life while he moved past Damien, out of the door and down the stairs, into the living room.
However, it was not until he put her down on the edge of the sofa and straightened up, and she reluctantly let go, that she noticed the bright red stains on his T-shirt.
"Oh, my God!" She choked out, staring. "Is that your blood?" Sarah asked him.
"What?" He followed the direction of her eyes. "Oh, this? The bullet nicked me on the way past. No big deal," Ryan said.
"You are bleeding!" Sarah exclaimed.
"It is just a scratch." He sounded like the larger-than-life hero of the book currently snuggled in her bag, but she could not summon enough air to say so. He must have seen her eyes turn glassy because he added, quickly, "Look, I wil
