I catch a glimpse of her out of the corner of my eye and watch as a stray tear slides down her cheek. Don't let it fool you, she's just as bad as you are, Lars.
We pull up to Anderson's house and I’m still at a rolling stop when Willa jumps out of the SUV. She slams the door shut and runs toward the house. I sit there watching her, wondering how I ever fell for her bullshit sob story. My right foot digs into the brake so hard that I can feel it grind against the floorboard. I’m such an idiot.
Leaving this house today, I thought I was having a baby with a girl that I was pretty sure I could fall in love with if I was given the chance. I was planning to take her to a baby boutique in the city today. Wanted to buy her a car and fill it up with everything she needed for the baby. Once I got the results, I was gonna go finalize everything at the bank and set up an account for her that I could transfer money into when she needed it. I was prepared to take care of them, forever.
Now we're back and I've lost the baby, and I've lost Willa.
My palms slam on the steering wheel. "Fuck!" I shout. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck." Slamming the gear into reverse, I back up and then pull forward into the garage, parking the SUV, just as it was before I took it.
My feet hit the pavement of the garage and I go inside with a heavy heart and an unclear head. As soon as the door shuts, I hear her. Whimpering, sniffling, and panting from the next room over. With light steps, I creep into the living room where Willa is sitting with her knees to her chest and her arms hugging her legs. She rocks slowly back and forth while she sobs with her forehead pressed to her knees.
Weightlessly, in an attempt not to startle her, I walk over to her. She doesn’t lift her head, but she knows I’m here.
“The night the video surfaced, Rick raped me.”
What did she just say?
I freeze. Unable to move. My heart drops deep into the pit of my stomach and I’m not sure that it’s coming back up. I don’t say anything. Wouldn’t even know what to say.
“Every chance he got, he’d physically and verbally abuse me because of it.” Her head lifts and her waterlogged eyes look back at me. “It’s Rick’s baby.”
Drawing in a deep, yet unsatisfying breath, I close my eyes. “Shit,” I mutter under my breath.
“Yeah. Shit is right. Now do you understand why I need to leave?”
Pressing my fingertips into my eyeballs, I rub aggressively as I try to comprehend what the hell I just heard. “He fucking raped you?” I deadpan.
She nods her head as tears slide onto the white sofa.
“He fucking raped you?” I say again, only louder. “Fuck.” I scream.
My body turns around and I have no control over my feet as they take me out the door to the garage where my car is parked. My mind is in a constant state of fog.
“Lars. Stop!” Willa yells as she chases after me. “Stop! Don’t do anything stupid. You’ll make it worse. Please, I’m begging you.” She sobs uncontrollably. The rest of it’s a haze. I have no idea what she’s saying as I get in the car, her words become muffled and strained. As soon as the garage opens up, I pull out, and this time, I’m out for blood.
What I once looked at as a home full of love, stands there as a broken house with rusted gutters, a cracked window, and cement slab steps that lead to walls full of secrets, lies, and abuse. Pastor Jeffries’ white pickup truck sits out front, so I know he’s here.
Ripping open the metal screen door, I turn the handle to the main door and push it open. His back is to me as he sits in a recliner with a newspaper stretched out in front of him.
Snapping his head around, he stands up, letting the paper fall to the ground. Long strides on both our parts bring us face to face. “I thought I told you to—”
One punch. Straight to his fucking nose.
“You raped her, you son of a bitch. You hit her and you raped her.”
His hands cup his face and his eyes widen in fear. “Lars, let’s talk about this.”
Another punch. Same spot. Only this time, I hear a satisfying crack.
“I’m calling the—”
Curling my arm, I drive an uppercut into his stomach, feeling the bone of his rib against my knuckle. He balls over and drops to his knees and I use it to my advantage. Giving his head a push, I knock him down onto his back.
His cries ring louder as I kick him repeatedly in the head. One kick after another, assaulting his face with the toe of my boot. “You sick motherfucker,” I scream at the top of my lungs. “Even God can’t save you from what I’m about to do to you.” I lose complete control of my mind and body. Adrenaline takes over and my leg lifts, ready to stomp on his face and end this madness once and for all. Squishing his face so hard that his brains squirt out of his eyes. He’ll never be able to touch her again.
But a hand hits my shoulder. My body stiffens. Thoughts of a life in prison for attempted murder run rampant through my mind. Is it worth it? Yes. If it meant that Willa would be safe from this sick fuck forever. I turn, expecting to see a police officer, but instead, I see Zed standing there.
“No more. I have plans for him,” he says with a calm and collected voice. It’s almost like I’m looking at Zed from a year ago. A
