Page 123 of Dirty Cowboy

“What…happened?” My voice barely makes it out, hoarse and weak.

Grace and my mom exchange a look before Grace swallows hard.

“Huntz shot you,” she says carefully. “And you fell off the bridge.”

The memory surges back in jagged fragments—Misty, Huntz, the gunshot, the icy plunge into the river. The pain of it crashes into me all over again. I try to move, but the sharp agony in my abdomen stops me cold, and I suck in a breath through clenched teeth.

“Misty?” I gasp.

“She’s okay,” Grace reassures me. “She managed to climb back onto the tracks.”

My mom tightens her grip on my hand, her thumb brushing over my bruised knuckles. “Huntz is dead, sweetheart. He fell from the bridge. They found his body down the river.”

Dead.

I let the word settle in, heavy and final. Huntz is gone and he can’t hurt anyone anymore.

But it doesn’t feel like a victory. Not when my body feels like it’s been through a shredder. Not when my father is still dying somewhere in a hospital bed. Not when I wake up in a room without Eric.

My mom’s voice wavers, her fingers trembling against my skin. “Emma, you had no heartbeat,” she chokes out. “When Tristan called… I thought we lost you. You’ve been in an induced coma for a week, honey.”

A week? I’ve been unconscious for an entire week? And Eric’s not here?

The realization sinks into my bones, cold and unforgiving. I fought for him, for us. I gave him everything. But when I need him most, he’s not here.

A hollow ache spreads through my chest, twisting with something sharp and painful. Why isn’t he here?

I squeeze my eyes shut as her words sink in.

“You almost died,” my mom whispers.

The thought chills me in a way the river never could.

“I’m okay,” I whisper, even though I’m not. Nothing about this is okay. My body hurts, my head throbs, and my heart feels hollow.

My mom strokes my hair, whispering reassurances, but her touch can’t ease the tightness in my chest, and the gnawing feeling that something’s missing.

I swallow past the lump in my throat. “Where… Where is everyone?” I whisper.

My stomach clenches as I force myself to ask the one question that’s been clawing at the back of my mind since I opened my eyes.

“Where’s Eric?” My voice cracks, barely above a whisper.

Grace glances toward the door, shifting in her seat. “Your brothers have been waiting to see you. I’ll go get them,” she says.

She stands quickly, like she’s been waiting for an excuse to move, and gives my mom a reassuring look before slipping out of the room.

I swallow, my throat raw, as I repeat, “Mom? Where’s Eric?”

My mom’s face shifts, her expression carefully neutral. “He’s in Lords Valley, honey. He… He was busy.” She strokes her fingers over my hand, but I don’t miss the hesitation in her voice.

Busy.

The word settles like a stone in my stomach.

I lock eyes with her, searching for the truth. “What aren’t you telling me?”

She shakes her head like she doesn’t want to answer, then squeezes my fingers, her eyes shining with unshed tears. “We’ve been so worried about you, sweetheart,” she murmurs, voice raw. “But you’re awake now, and that’s all that matters.”

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