Page 46 of The Rancher

“Marissa. Marissa!” Ray shouted out of her phone.

“Give me a minute, Ray.” She pressed a button on the phone.

Lyris assumed it was mute.

Marissa turned toward Ted. Her brows were furrowed; the hand not holding her phone clenched. “You did this. You’re the one who got us caught. You’ve always been the weak link.” She pressed her phone again. “Okay. Where do you want me to bring her?”

Suddenly, Ted pulled his weapon from its holster and shot Marissa in the left shoulder.

She dropped her phone.

Scott ran to her. “Marissa! Marissa!”

“Marissa! Answer me.” Ray shouted on the other end of the call.

Marissa’s eyes had widened so much, Lyris saw white around the entire iris. Her mouth dropped open, and her eyebrows shot to her forehead. She went from giving orders to utter terror in a nanosecond.

“You shot me. After all I did for you, you shot me.” Marissa’s knees gave way, as she dropped the gun and gripped her wound. She landed on her knees before slipping onto her right side. Her eyes closed.

Lyris dropped to her knees beside Marissa. She pressed her fingers to her throat and felt a pulse. “I can help her. She’s not dead. We just need to apply pressure to the wound. That will stop or, at least, slow down the bleeding until the EMT’s get here.”

Would she ever be able to go to sleep without seeing the terror on her face when she realized that Ted was about to shoot her.

Scott let out a wail and dropped next to Marissa. He lifted her head and shoulders into his lap.

Lyris continued to try to apply pressure to the wound. “Scott. Scott listen to me. If you want her to live, you need to press here.” She lifted her hand and the blood flowed faster. She grabbed Scott’s right hand and pressed it onto the wound. “Hold it there as hard as you can.”

Ted looked down at Marissa. His eyes were wild and darted back and forth from Marissa to Lyris. “I didn’t mean to shoot her. It was an accident. You saw that. Right?” He crouched across Marissa’s body from Lyris.

Lyris wasn’t getting anything out of Ted who seemed to be in shock. She stood and started opening drawers, looking for something to staunch the bleeding. She finally found one holding hand towels. Grabbing a few, she went back to Marissa’s side, turned her to her back, and applied the towels to her shoulder, pressing as hard as she could.

The sirens stopped.

Then she heard pounding on the front door.

Lyris looked over at Scott. “Go let them in.”

He didn’t move.

“Scott! Go let the police in.” Then she looked up at Ted.

He still held the gun in his hand, but his arm hung limp at his side.

“Ted. Place the gun on the table. You don’t have any need for it now.”

He moved in slow motion but did as she said.

Lyris realized he was crying. The man had feelings for Marissa. Was that why he’d shot her? Because he couldn’t have her? She shook her head and gazed back down at Marissa.

The police rushed into the room.

Two of the four sheriff’s deputies present clasped handcuffs on Ted and Scott, then led them away.

Another siren sounded.

She figured the ambulance had arrived.

Lyris didn’t let up on the pressure on Marissa’s shoulder until a young, blond, male EMT touched her shoulder.