“I want everyone back!” Willie shouted. “Anybody gets close to me, and I will blow her brains out.”
The women from the clinic all stepped away, giving Willie the space he requested. Nancy had her weapon drawn, but Mrs. Riker approached with both her hands up in a passive gesture.
“Take it easy,” Mrs. Riker said. “Why don’t you put down the gun, and we can talk about what it is that’s bothering you.”
Willie kept hold of Carolina tightly and made sure to press the end of the pistol against her head harder. The pressure causing Carolina to wince in pain.
“You want to know what I want?” Willie asked. “I want the damned respect I should have been given the moment I walked into this place!”
Nancy struggled to lineup her shot. Willie was doing a good job of keeping Carolina in front of him as a body shield. She had hit smaller targets like this before, but never with the stakes so high. One wrong move and the bullet could hit Carolina and kill her.
“You know how much work I’ve done for this woman?” Willie asked, keeping the pistol jammed against Carolina’s temple. “You know how much I’ve given her? And all I ask in return is the respect that I deserve. Respect she has forgotten all about now that she’s come to this fucking place and gotten her head filled with a bunch of ideas that she never would have gotten otherwise!”
Mrs. Riker maintained her distance but slowly and progressively inched forward. “I can understand all of that frustration. Really. But this isn’t the way to air all of those grievances, Willie. So why don’t you put down the gun—”
Willie raised the pistol and fired a round into the air and everyone jumped, a few of the women screaming. He placed the pistol back against Carolina’s head, who was trembling out of control at this point. “I will do whatever the hell I want, however I want to do it. No one here, no woman, is going to ever give instructions to me ever again.”
Nancy saw the madness on Willie’s face. That mask he was able to wear so well for most of his life was discarded and this was the real person underneath. This was the monster Carolina had been so frightened about.
Whatever thread of civility Willie had been holding onto was now severed, and he had completely lost control. He was going to kill Carolina if they didn’t step in, but Nancy couldn’t bring herself to pull the trigger lest she might hit and kill Carolina herself.
Nancy took her eyes off the target and looked up at the tower, where she saw the end of the sniper rifle sticking over the side. Whoever was up there might have a better shot, but Nancy didn’t know if they were skilled enough to take it.
Mrs. Riker never stopped inching forward, always keeping her attention on Willie. “I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with all of that.” She was placating and submissive, and Nancy knew it was all just for show. “Sometimes women become emotional. You know that, right?”
“Yeah,” Willie responded with a scoff. “Too fucking emotional.”
“That’s right,” Mrs. Riker. “My husband hates it when I talk back, and I know I shouldn’t, but sometimes when it’s that time of the month, I just can’t help myself.”
“Yeah, you turn into some real bitches when you’re on the rag,” Willie said.
“We do,” Mrs. Riker said. “But a man like you knows how to put us in line, don’t you?”
Willie nodded, becoming slightly less agitated. “That’s right. I do.” He leaned his face away to show the marks on his neck where Carolina had scratched him. “That’s what she did to me.”
Carolina whimpered. Nancy couldn’t believe how fragile she looked. She was like a twig caught in the paws of a bear. All it would take would be one quick movement, and she would snap in half.
“That’s terrible,” Mrs. Riker said, continuing to lay on the sympathy as she inched closer. There was probably only six feet separating the two of them now, and the closer Mrs. Riker moved toward the danger, the more high stakes the standoff became.
“You deserve a woman who knows how to treat you like the man you’re supposed to be.”
“That’s right,” Willie said, buying into the bullshit Mrs. Riker was feeding him. “Someone who appreciates what I do for them, not like her.”
“No, not like her,” Mrs. Riker said. “Would you consider letting me be that for you?”
Nancy watched as Willie was now completely consumed by Mrs. Riker. He was buying into everything she was saying, but he continued to keep Carolina close, and the gun was still pressed against her temple.
Mrs. Riker extended her hand, maybe only a few feet from the two of them now. “Why don’t you take me instead. My husband hasn’t been around, and I’ve been desperate for attention. Do you think you could give me some attention?”
Willie was practically drooling, licking his chops. He nodded, fixated on Mrs. Riker. “Yes.”
Mrs. Riker smiled, holding up the rouse very well. “Why don’t you let her go. And then you and I can spend some quality time together. Doesn’t that sound nice?”
Mrs. Riker was within a foot of them now, and Nancy really thought she was going to pull this off. But then Nancy saw something change in Willie’s eye; she knew the threat of danger was far from over.
“I think there’s just something missing,” Willie said.
“What’s that?” Mrs. Riker asked.
Willie leaned a little closer, and his playful expression of desire transformed into anger. “You think I’m a fucking idiot.”
“What?” Mrs. Riker asked. “No, I don’t—”
“Liar!” Willie retreated out of reach, keeping Carolina even closer now, making any shot from Nancy’s angle impossible. “What kind of fool do you take me for? You don’t think I know when a woman
