The Man In The Mask

"If you're the u.s. cavalry, you're a little late." The badly battered man with the silver eyes and the ebony cane managed a rather grisly parody of a smile before sliding slowly down the brick wall of the alley. He sank to his knees on the dirty cobblestones, bracing his shoulder against the bricks behind him. "But better late than never, I suppose."The silver gaze was abruptly hidden by dark lashes as the man closed his eyes in pain. Although the extent of his injuries was obvious, he never relaxed the savage grip he had on the handle of the ebony cane.Tabitha Graham, who had rounded the corner of the old alley only seconds before, stood staring in horrified shock at the sight of the beaten and bloody man. Her eyes widened in astounded recognition, and then she dropped the huge armload of packages she had been carrying."Oh, my God!" she breathed, heedless of the small fortune in souvenirs and trinkets she was abandoning in chaos at the entrance to the alley. She rushed forward, crouching at once beside the dark-haired man."What happened?" Desperately she tried to remember her first aid.There was a fair amount of blood on the man's khaki shirt and slacks as well as on his face, but he didn't seem to be bleeding profusely from any one deep wound. Tabitha held her breath, struggling to control her own shock and anxiety so that she could deal with the physical shock and pain the man must have been experiencing. No severe bleeding. And he was breathing, albeit painfully.Taking a resolute grip on herself, Tabitha mentally ran through the list of vital signs to be checked first. It had been so long since she'd taken that first-aid class! Her hands moved on his kneeling figure, brushing gently over the broad shoulders and down to his waist, seeking the extent of the damage. When she lightly touched his rib cage, he gasped."Would you believe I walked into a brick wall?" he managed in an attempt at macabre humor. He didn't open his eyes. It seemed to be taking all his strength just to remain on his knees, leaning against the side of the alley."I might believe several people pushed you into that brick wall," Tabitha muttered as she finished the superficial inspection. "Here, lie down. You're not losing a great deal of blood and except for possibly a cracked rib, I don't think anything's broken. Are you feeling faint?""Hell, no. Women faint. Men pass out." He slumped a little farther down against the wall."Well, do you feel as if you're going to pass out?" Tabitha demanded, reaching out to steady him."Yes.""Please. Lie down." She tried to ease him onto his side. "I think we should get your feet elevated. Don't want you going into shock. As soon as you're more comfortable I'll go for help.""No!" The silver eyes flew open and she read the sudden command in them. "The ship sails in about half an hour, doesn't it?""Yes, but I don't think...""Listen. I'd rather be treated by the doctor on board the ship than risk getting stranded on this backwater island. Lord knows what kind of medical care is available here," he said urgently.Tabitha chewed on her lip. "I'm not sure you should be moved.""I'm damn well not going to spend the night in this alley!" He closed his eyes again and groaned as he changed position slightly. "Please. You're from the ship, too, aren't you?""Yes.""I thought I'd seen you on board," he muttered."Look, if you'll just help me get back to the wharf, I'd really appreciate it."Tabitha frowned, realizing how important the matter was to him. He really didn't want to find himself stranded on the small Caribbean island where the cruise ship had docked for the afternoon. She couldn't blame him, she decided. If their positions had been reversed, she knew she'd rather trust herself to the medical care available on board the huge passenger ship than to the unknown facilities available locally."All right," she said reassuringly. "I'll find a way to get you back.James, Stephanie is the author of 'The Man In The Mask', published 2007 under ISBN 9780373772643 and ISBN 0373772645.