Chapter 34
Chapter Thirty-Four
Emma
I wanted to move my toes, but I couldn’t feel them to even try. The blindfold was cutting into my temples as well, giving me a horrible headache. I had been transferred from the shitty van to some other place but had no clue as to where it actually was. The men were laughing and cutting up outside of the room—or maybe outside the shed?
It was hard to tell if it was a house or a shed, given that the smells around me were musty and stale. Another nostalgic fragrance of my grandparents’ house after it had been left abandoned for nearly a decade… So, wherever I was, it wasn’t being used often. I tried to take deep breaths, reminding myself that Mason would find me…
But as the hours—well, I think it had been hours—ticked by, my hope was waning as quickly as the feeling in my fingers and toes.
“They’re going to find her,” I heard one of the men say, his voice strained. “I know they are. And we don’t wanna fuckin’ be here when they do.”
“It’s just like the last time,” another one grunted. “I don’t know why the hell they decided to do this again. Mason Hewitt and Emma Fisher have absolutely nothing to offer when it comes to his business.”
“I think it’s just to send a message,” the first man replied. “And it doesn’t help that his damn wife is still swooning over the idiot.”
“Wait, what? She’s hung up on the sheriff?”
Brittany.
“Yeah, I think he never had any real interest in her and burned her. You know how psycho people over unrequited love or whatever can be—especially hotheaded women. I know that she’s one of those. I think she’s more dangerous than Graham.”
The other man burst into laughter. “Yeah, right. I don’t think that’s true at all. Graham has no qualms with killing someone that gets in the way. Brittany wouldn’t have it in her.”
“Touche.”
The words sent a chill down my spine, and my heart began to pound in my ears, leaving my chest rattling with every beat. And as my fears mounted, the sound of vehicle tires against gravel caused me to catch my breath.
“Oh shit!” One of the men shouted, just before Mason’s voice boomed across the yard.
“Where the hell is she?” he roared, his deep voice leaving me feeling nothing but relief. I hoped he had brought the entire freaking team with him, but the next voice made my stomach hurt.
“See, all is well, Mason,” Graham laughed. “All we had to do was get away from the dogs at the gala, and now you get your woman back—but this is it. No more trying to save the Lowe Ranch, got it?”
“You’re going to fucking jail, Graham.”
“Oh no, no, I’m not. You try to put me in jail, and I’ll drop you right here. Don’t even start with me.”
“Kill me and they’ll hunt you down,” Mason growled.
Whatever happened after that, I couldn’t make out, but the doors of the shed or house were ripped open, light flooding the room.
“Emma!” Mason was there beside me before I knew it. I was blinking my eyes, freed from the blindfold. He quickly undid the binds and set me free while my eyes adjusted to the light….
“Where are they?” I choked out, just before catching sight of Graham in the corner of the room.
Mason leaned forward, placing a soft kiss on my lips. “You’re gonna be fine, okay?” There was something in the blue hue of his eyes that made my stomach hurt.
“So, no more problems, yeah?” Graham’s gaze bounced from me to Mason, who shook his head.
“Whatever it takes,” Mason muttered.
“Uh huh,” Graham said, the disbelief oozing from his tone. “You know, that’s the thing, I don’t think you’ll let this go.”
“I said, I’ll let it go,” Mason turned to meet Graham’s eyes…
But the sirens in the distance caused his face to drop.
“Fuck you, Mason,” Graham growled, and within seconds a pistol was in his hands, pointed at the two of us. “Go!” he shouted at, who I assumed were the men outside.
And everything after that turned into a blur except for one thing…
A gunshot .
A scream slipped from my lips, though I didn’t even recognize my own voice, as I watched Mason crumple to the ground. Two officers tackled Graham to the ground, the gun clattering to the wooden floor. I fell forward from the chair, crawling across the floor to Mason, who lay on the ground, blood spilling from his chest.
Tears poured from my eyes as my trembling hands rolled Mason over. “No,” I gasped, sobs quaking my entire body.
“We need paramedics!” I heard Jackson shout before he went to his knees beside me, leaning over Mason. “Now!”
I could hardly breathe as I took in the scene: the blood, the police shouting, and Graham being dragged off toward the police car. “Is… Is he okay?” I choked out, looking at Jackson as he placed two fingers on Mason’s neck.
“It’s faint,” Jackson muttered as he added compression to the chest wound. He wouldn’t look up at me, not even as the paramedics rushed in, loading Mason onto a stretcher. Everything in my body felt numb as I grabbed Mason’s hand, following him toward the ambulance.
“I’ll meet you at the hospital, Emma,” Jackson said to me, his expression blank as I climbed into the back of the truck. “Tell him to hold on.”
It’d been hours.
I stared at the door, where Mason had been taken back for surgery. I had lost track of time, and still hadn’t picked up my phone when it rang. Based on the texts I’d been sent, I knew that Lily and Jess would be here any time… But I just… I just couldn’t bring myself to answer the phone.
“Emma,” a hand landed on my shoulder, waking me from the daze.
I looked up to see Jackson in the company of another man in a Texas Ranger uniform. “Yes?” I choked out, gripping the tissue in my hand.
“I’m Nick Matthews,” he began, taking a seat beside me. “And I was hoping that we could maybe chat for a few minutes. I know that it’s tough right now, but I need to get your statement… We need to keep Graham behind bars.”
I took a deep breath, squeezing my eyes shut. “I don’t really know what to tell you. I was in the kitchen talking to Brittany, Graham’s wife, and then she left…”
“What happened after that?”
Shaking my head, my memory was a blur. “A couple of men came in and attacked me. They shoved me into a van, maybe? And then I was bound and blindfolded. I had no idea where I had gone.”
“Did you see the men’s faces?”
“No,” I shook my head. “They wore masks.”
“Did you hear them mention anything about Graham?” the ranger asked me, his voice staying soft and even.
“No, well, kind of. They just eluded that he was responsible for it. They said he had done it before though.”
“Any implications that anyone else was involved?”
I thought about it for a moment, recalling the conversation about Brittany. “No, I don’t think so. His wife was mentioned, but they didn’t say that she did anything.”
“Hmm.”
I glanced up at Nick and Jackson, who exchanged glances. “What?”
“Somehow she and his son were kept in the dark the entire time,” Jackson mused, folding his arms across his chest as he hovered above us.
“He’s always kept his wives in the dark,” Nick said, scribbling something down on his notepad. “I always thought that was nearly impossible, but apparently, he’s a conniving kind of guy. It’s amazing how well he can manipulate people.”
I didn’t make a comment, my mind still stuck on the way that Mason’s face had lost its color as we had gotten closer to the hospital. I could still hear the paramedics shouting that they were losing him, and I could still feel my back pressing into the wall as they rushed to Mason, pushing me out of the way.
“Emma?” Nick’s voice sounded distant.
I shook my head, looking back up at him. “I’m sorry, what?”
“I was asking you if you were okay.”
“Um,” I hesitated, shrugging my shoulders. “I don’t know. I’m hanging in there.”
“Lily will be here soon…” Jackson’s voice trailed off. “I called her for you—and for Jess. I know a lot is up in the air right now, but I couldn’t put off telling them. Jess needs to be here with you.”
I nodded. “I know. Lily texted me and told me that she was coming.”
“Good,” Jackson said, his lips turning up slightly but not in a smile. “We’ve got to head back to the station… But I’ll be back later, once we settle everything down.”
“Okay,” I sniffled, my head dropping back into my hands as Nick rose to leave with Jackson.
“Are you sure you’re all right by yourself?” Nick asked me, his hand back on my shoulder. “We can stay until someone gets here to support you.”
“I’ll be fine,” I muttered, wishing they both would just go away. My stomach was churning with worry. Mason and I had never gotten a chance to work things out before everything had happened, and now all I could think about was what if I never got the chance to? I held back fresh tears as Jackson and Nick left me there in the waiting room, surrounded by no one other than the TV playing an obnoxiously loud soap opera.
He's going to be fine.
He’s going to be there to meet our baby.
Sobs burst from my chest as the thought hit me, and ultimately, the fear of him not being there filled my mind. I had real feelings for Mason, and the chance of never getting to explore the love that was growing for him was terrifying. And what about Jess? My heart broke for her, too, knowing that she could lose the only parent she had in her life.
Stop thinking that way.
I took a loud, ragged breath, my gaze transfixed on my feet. The trauma from the last twelve hours made telling Mason about the baby seem so miniscule in the big scheme of things. I wished more than ever that I had told him right from the beginning, so he’d have known sooner, and had a chance to celebrate.
I owe him an apology.
“Emma?” a voice called from behind me. It was meek and tired, but I recognized it.
“Hi, Lucas,” I greeted Mason’s best friend, who was standing a few feet away. “I don’t know anything yet. He’s still in surgery.”
“Okay,” he said with a nod, taking a seat in a chair two seats over from me. “I’m just gonna hang around, if that’s okay.”
“Of course,” I said, giving him a soft smile. “I’m sure he’d want you here.”
“Nah, this is all my fault.” Lucas shook his head, his voice thickening with emotion. “All of this,” he paused, meeting my gaze with cloudy eyes. “It’s because of my ranch. I put Mason in this situation. He was so damn determined to save it, and it could’ve gotten you hurt, too, Emma. It kills me. I’m so sorry.”
I swallowed the new lump in my throat. “Lucas, it’s not your fault. We never could’ve known that all this would happen over land. It’s… It’s insane.”
He nodded. “Graham Hudson was a dangerous man, but I don’t think that’s some secret. Apparently, the Rangers have been tracking him for some time.”
I opened my mouth to say something just as a man in a white coat emerged from the doorway, a grim expression on his face.