Panting, I dropped my head back to the snow and tried to get myself together before I pulled out the other leg. With the extra space made from releasing my first leg, the second came out a lot easier. It also wasn’t broken, though my thigh hurt like a bitch from the bullet wound there.
With my body free from the snow, I held myself up by my arms and pushed myself out of the hole, rolling off to the side and slamming into Evan in the process. He grunted a little but didn’t say anything as I got up on my hands and knees.
I looked to him and observed his wary expression. This was it—the last real choice I had to make. Right now, I could easily kill him where he lay; there was no way he could stop me. I could break this allegiance and take him out, securing my victory.
But only temporarily.
If he lived up to his side of the bargain, Franks would be out of my way for good. It wasn’t an opportunity I was going to pass up.
I let him wonder for a minute, though, because I’m an asshole.
“Shall we get you out?” I finally said with a grin.
His shoulders relaxed, and he closed his eyes as he nodded.
Using one of the loose rocks as a shovel, I dug around one side of Evan’s trapped arm. It took a while to get through the ice and rock, but once his arm was free we both worked to release his leg, and he crawled out of the snow bank.
His shoulder was dislocated, but he stood still and silent as I shoved it back into place with a loud pop.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Yeah,” he said, “I’m good. Your leg is a mess.”
I looked down at it. It wasn’t just fractured but cracked, and I thought the tibia was likely crushed. I couldn’t even feel my foot, but that might be a good thing.
“How are you going to climb?” Evan asked.
“I’ll manage,” I replied. “How are you going to get out of here?”
“I’ll manage,” Evan said with a smile.
I laughed through my nose as I looked down the edge of the cliff. This was going to suck, no doubt about it, but at least I had the hope of someone finding me at the bottom. Evan was going to have to avoid that.
“Keep out of sight,” I said.
“I’m pretty good at that.” Evan looked me over. “You’re going to tell them I’m dead, right?”
“That’s the plan,” I said. “I don’t think they’re going to spend much time looking for you.”
“They won’t,” he said. “Rinaldo knows me too well.”
I didn’t know what he meant, but I was too cold and in too much pain to start asking a lot of questions now. Time was running out.
My leg hung loosely from the rest of my body. I couldn’t put any pressure on it at all, and I couldn’t see anything around to use as a splint. I thought about Hunter’s crossbow, the body of which might have worked, but it was too far away. Then I remembered the bolt I had grabbed during his fight with Reaper.
I pulled it from my waist and held it up to my calf. It wasn’t really long or thick enough, but it was better than nothing.
“I can do that,” Evan said.
I looked up at him, and my paranoia set in. Would he try to betray me at this point?
I shook the thought from my head. If he wanted me dead, all he had to do was bash me with a rock or something. I wasn’t in any shape to fight anymore.
“I do have some training as a medic,” Evan said with a shrug.
It was my only option, so I let him splint my leg using the bolt and one of the pieces of piano wire I still had on me. He wrapped it securely but not tight enough to cut off any circulation.
“The thick clothing should provide a little extra support,” he said. “Don’t put any weight on it if you can help it. It won’t hold you.”