The two of them held the man down and turned him onto his front. Grace saw Will rip the knife from the raider’s hand and throw it across the terrace.
She had an idea.
‘Catch!’
Grace lobbed the discarded rope their way and Will bound the man’s arms and legs tightly, while the security guard knelt on his back.
‘Call 112, please, Grace.’
It was the international emergency number, which Grace had installed on her phone when she arrived, never thinking she might need it. She pressed the contact.
Will sat back on the path and in the dim light Grace gasped as she caught sight of the bloodstain on his white T-shirt. It was getting bigger by the second. He must have been stabbed in the fight.
The security guard shouted over to her as the operator answered her call.
‘He’s hurt. Ask for an ambulance as well as police.’
Grace gave the operator the details and rushed to Will’s side. She’d been one of the trained first-aiders at her school. She knew what to do. The ambulance would take a while to get to them on the cliff path.
The security guard looked like he was about to lose it. He was probably in shock, but she needed to keep him calm. He was no use to her as a quivering wreck.
‘What’s your name?’
‘Achilles.’
He got a phone out of his pocket.
‘I must ring the boss, to tell him what’s happened. It’s all my fault.’
‘Not yet… Listen to me carefully.’
The man managed to focus his wild eyes on her, rather than staring all round him. Will was slumped forward now, and his eyes were already shut, which made Grace’s heart miss a beat.
‘Take off your T-shirt.’
Achilles looked at her as if she was mad.
‘We need it to staunch the blood. Now!’
The man ripped off his top and Grace showed him where to hold it against Will’s body. His arms would be stronger than hers, and it would free her to direct the ambulance.
‘Don’t move. Keep up the pressure.’
Grace put her phone in torch mode and tried to examine the wound from above. It was on Will’s right side, but she had no way of knowing if it had pierced any of his vital organs. Blood loss was the most immediate worry.
She moved round to stroke his head and face.
‘Can you hear me, Will?’
There was a soft grunt.
‘Try and open your eyes. It’s important that you stay awake.’
Very slowly the brown eyes she knew so well opened and fixed on her. Will attempted to speak but Grace put a finger to his lips.
‘Don’t worry about talking. An ambulance is on its way. You’re going to be OK.’
She had no idea if it was the case, but positive thinking could work, couldn’t it? It had to work. She couldn’t cope with the alternative. The wail of screaming sirens cut through the night air and became louder and louder. Before she raced up the path to show them exactly where to go, Grace leant over and kissed Will full on the lips.
