Page 78 of Sheriff's City Girl

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.”

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