She was frozen. An unforgiving Wisconsin had dropped the temperature to twenty degrees after receiving two more inches of snow. Her black heels were not made for this kind of walk. Her sleeveless dress offered no warmth. Her hands, already sensitive from frostbite years ago, were screaming in agony. Violent convulsions wracked her body to the point she could barely put one foot in front of the other.

Steve's hand gripped her arm tighter, pressing the gun deeper into her side ...