Page 85 of Chasing Justice
“I can’t believe you did that!” Carson screamed.
“You caused this! This is your fault!” Jenna said.
Cody clutched his stomach. Blood spread out, contrasting with his white shirt. He screamed in pain. The cries quickly diminished to groans as he collapsed to the floor.
Carson grabbed Jenna and marched her back out of Wayne’s sight, but the door remained open. Cody still lay on the floor, no longer moving. Loud moans echoed throughout the room. As the storm clouds rolled in, they blocked the sun. The room darkened.
Cody continued wailing like a hurt animal. Wayne scooted his chair back again, desperately trying to find a spot where he could rub the baling twine until it broke. There was no way the Rays would leave him alive. He’d witnessed Cody being shot and that put a target on him. Not to mention Jenna kidnapping him. She never meant to do anything but bide her time and use Wayne as a pawn when it best suited her—she didn’t care if he lived or died.
He had no doubt Carson would be back soon to shoot him. Anyone who left their son bleeding on the floor with a gut shot wouldn’t think twice about killing a sheriff. Cody needed immediate medical attention. Wayne could help him if he wasn’t tied up.
I need to get out of here. Fast.
“Cody. I’ll help you, but you need to free me,” Wayne said.
Cody quieted for a moment.
“Just help me cut this baling twine. Come on. Put pressure on that wound too.”
“Am I going to die?” Cody asked. Tears streamed down his face. Wayne saw another side to Cody—the scared side.
“I don’t know,” he answered. “But if you can keep pressure on where it’s bleeding, that will help. Try to use your hands or see if there’s a towel anywhere around you. The fact that you’re still conscious is a good sign. That means the bullet didn’t hit something like your abdominal aorta. You’d be dead by now if that was the case.”
“I’m not ready to die,” Cody said, pushing down on his belly.
Wayne was hopeful that Cody was listening to him. Maybe they could get out of this.
“Good,” he said. “No one wants you to die, and I’ll help you, but first you’re going to have to help me. It’ll hurt like hell to move, but your sister left the safe keys on the counter. Do you think you can make your way over there and get them? Open up the safe? I think there’s a knife in there. You cut me loose and I’ll help you.”
“Yeah, I’ll try.”
“Good.” Wayne waited, and when Cody didn’t move, he thought that maybe he had passed out. “Cody?”
“I’m sorry, I can’t move. I’m trying, but my legs aren’t responding.”
Wayne leaned back and closed his eyes. The bullet had probably paralyzed Cody. If he even lived there was a good chance he’d never walk again.
Carson had ahold of Jenna by her ponytail, pushing her ahead of him, when Lana appeared. Her timing was terrible. He was tired of her showing up unannounced.
Carson forced Jenna out into the drive, holding her gun in his right hand while pushing her with his left. Lana stood in front of her Tahoe. She’d brought one of her men with her.
Jenna stopped suddenly, throwing Carson off balance. She reached in her duffel bag and grabbed a fistful of money, waving it in front of Lana.
“My father has been stealing from you!” she yelled.
Carson had been so mad at Jenna after shooting Cody that he didn’t notice the bag of money she had carried out. He shoved her to the ground, giving her a kick in the ribs. Jenna responded with a small yelp, but much to his surprise, she scrambled to her feet and stepped a good distance away from him.
Before Carson could stop her, Jenna started yelling again. “My father has the sheriff too! He’s in the back room. My father had him the whole time and is a liar.”
“Jenna,” Carson said. “Shut up. Why are you doing this?”
Lana took a step forward and pulled a gun from her holster, aiming it at Carson. “Is what your daughter telling me true?” she asked. “Is the sheriff here and you’ve been holding out on me all this time?”
Carson aimed Jenna’s Sig Sauer at Lana. “You’ll have to excuse my daughter,” he said. “She’s lying.”
“No,” Jenna said. “Go look in the back room. The sheriff is there, and this money is some of what my father stole from you.”
Lana nodded to the man and told him to go check the back room. Carson swung the pistol toward Jenna, fury coursing through his body. He would shoot her. He didn’t care anymore.
