After the Ashes(108)
Lorelei’s face loomed above his. He wanted to smile but doubted those muscles worked either.
“Oh, my God, Christopher. My God.”
She fumbled with his clothes, expanding the pain in sharp jolts. He weakly tried to push her hands away, but she easily overpowered him.
“Please be still. We have to stop the bleeding.”
She probed around the wound, and then he felt pressure as she pushed down hard with both hands. He moaned softly, glad he didn’t have the energy to scream as he intended. Miraculously the pressure she applied eased the fist that had been squeezing his lungs, and he was able to draw a steady, calming breath. Lorelei’s presence made it all all right. She was alive. Ricochet hadn’t killed her. Relief flooded his tight muscles. Maybe he would close his eyes for a while.
“Is he dead?” Braddock heard her ask softly.
“Yeah, he is. I never killed anyone before, Lori.”
Braddock pried his eyes open. He wasn’t dead yet, but he didn’t have the strength to tell them so. Corey knelt in front of him, a shotgun clutched in his right hand. He looked pale, as if he had been hit too. But Braddock didn’t see any blood. The kid had obviously never killed anyone before. At least he had been telling the truth about that. Since Braddock knew Corey didn’t shoot him, he gladly assumed they were talking about Ricochet.
“Thank you. You saved Christopher’s life.”
Braddock watched the expression on Corey’s face as the boy gazed at his wound. He didn’t seem to think he had saved Braddock’s life at all.
Corey’s gaze darted back to his sister. He gently touched her taut arm.
“Lori,” he said softly.
“Go to the barn and gather up some cobwebs. We need to get the bleeding stopped. The bullet passed through his back. I saw the wound. He has a chance.”
Corey studied Braddock’s chest again. He chewed his bottom lip, his eyebrows drawn together. If his expression weren’t enough, Braddock noticed he was in no hurry to follow his sister’s orders. “Lori,” he said again softly.
“Dear Lord!”
Braddock recognized Beth’s voice. Through hooded eyes he watched her stop in front of him. She held little Rachel to her chest, cradling her head in her palm, keeping her face buried in her shoulder. He closed his eyes, not wanting Beth to see him like this but unable to do a thing about it. For the first time in his life he was completely and totally helpless.
“What happened?” asked Beth.
“It’s a long story. Could you bring some hot water and bandages? And hurry, please,” pleaded Lorelei. Her voice sounded rough with unshed tears.
“Where are Jay and the kids?” Beth’s voice shook with fear instead of sorrow. Before Braddock could think what he was doing, he pushed up on his elbows. He assumed Jay was in the field. Lorelei, Beth, Rachel, even Corey were all safe. Nobody had died except Archie, whom Braddock didn’t grieve for too much, since he had led Ricochet to Lorelei. Apparently Ricochet had died—but that was justice at work, not the Braddock curse.
Corey forced Braddock’s shoulders back to the ground. The silent tension left in the wake of Beth’s unanswered question forced Braddock to lift his head. He couldn’t rest until he knew what had happened to Jay and his kids.
Lorelei’s face was red when she leaned over him. Her tensed arms strained to keep his blood from leaving his body. “Keep him down, Corey.”
Corey pushed on his forehead, forcing his head back, but not before Braddock saw the blood coating Lorelei’s hands and wrists.
“Ma! Ma!”
Jason stopped next to his mother, his chest heaving from running hard. “We heard the gunshots.” His gaze fell to Braddock. And, as if he didn’t already know, the boy’s wide-eyed look of horror proved to Braddock that he was a goner.
Beth grabbed the boy’s shirt with her free hand and tried to pull him away. “Where are the others?”
“They’re coming.”
“All of them?”
The boy nodded, unable to tear his gaze away from the sight of a dying man.
Braddock let his eyes drift shut. His breath came in ragged gasps despite Lorelei’s best efforts to hold him together. Each rise and fall of his chest hurt like hell. He didn’t even want to keep on breathing. Not that he wanted to die. He couldn’t actually believe that he was. But the timing seemed appropriate. He had cheated death so many times; finally his time had come. Saving Lorelei was worth it. Braddock could live with that. Actually, he was going to die with that. His curse had been broken.
“Jesus Christ!” He heard Jay above him. He took Corey’s place and cradled Braddock’s head in his big palms.