Page 94 of Boss

Kassidy crawled over to the dead man. She tried her best to avoid his innards that were blown out of his chest, and spread everywhere. She wiped Daniel’s blood from her face and neck and held back the urge to vomit over the bile and coppery smell permeating in the air. She reached Cash. She went into his jean pocket and dug for his phone. Both of his pockets were empty.

“Where is it, damn it?” she groaned.

She had to touch him to reach inside his coat pockets. She tried not to look at the blood. She tried not to identify with her mind what the wet squishy stuff she felt when searching him was. And then she found it and her heart fluttered with excitement.

“I have it! I have it!” she shouted. She turned and looked back. Tarek had fallen over to his side. He was unconscious again. Terrified for him, she rushed back to him.

“Tarek? Tarek? Hold on.”

She rubbed her thumb over the phone. It required a password for access, but she was able to use the emergency call button. She checked again for a pulse. Tarek was breathing fine, and his pulse was strong.

“911 what’s your emergency?”

“Hello? I need help. Please. A man is dead and another one injured.”

“Where are you ma’am?”

“At the Marshall ranch, I don’t know the address. Please. Can you send someone? The police. A paramedic. Someone?”

“Can you find the address ma’am, anything to tell us where you are?”

“No, I can’t. Send help now.”

“Stay on the phone with me ma’am. We’ll get a lock on you and get help out to you. It might take a moment because of the storm. Did you say someone was in need of medical attention?”

“Yes. He’s hurt. He keeps losing consciousness. Please hurry.”

45.

Kassidy woke. She frowned. She could hear the distant sound of sirens. She lifted her head and her mind tried to identify the source. She’d fallen asleep waiting while cradling Tarek’s head rested in her arms.

“Tarek, do you hear that?” she asked.

He groaned.

“It’s help. They’re here,” she said.She eased up and limped toward the barn door riddled with bullet holes.

“Kassidy?” he wheezed.

She glanced back at him. “Yes?”

“Remember, say only what we agreed. Nothing more. Remember.”

She nodded. She pulled the door open and stepped outside into the daylight. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. The sun was so bright it blinded her. Kassidy smiled and laughed through her tears. The police had arrived and so had the paramedics. They were headed up the steps to the house.

“Help! We’re over here! We’re over here!”

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