Kate was more monster than woman at this point, but still...
Suddenly, a very familiar voice from the doorway sounded off. “Wow, Penn. What’re you doing with that lady? I thought you were a one-woman type of guy.”
Preston.
“Shut up, asshole. We’ve got a situation here, in case you hadn’t gathered that.” Penn still sounded like he was walking a fine line between serious and laughter, and I wondered if he was possibly experiencing a bit of shock at the extreme nature of the situation.
I personally wanted to smack Preston and hug him. Possibly at the same time.
“Uh yeah, I’m aware. I knew something was up by the way you sped off from the ranch, that’s why I followed you. And I met part of your ‘situation’ out back. He was just coming to his senses.” Preston’s voice was unaffected, like this was story time at the library.
“And?” Penn demanded, his muscled arms locked tight as he continued to hold Kate’s freakishly strong body to the floor.
“I don’t know. He looked like trouble. I got a really bad feeling about that one. So when he managed to sit up, I gave him a bit of a kick to the head. Dude went straight back down.”
“You kicked a guy in the head – that you didn’t even know?” Penn’s voice was full of reprimand, but personally, I was pleased. And a little jealous.
“He was bad news. I told you guys, I call it like I see it.” Preston replied, shrugging. Pres pulled his phone out of his pocket, and I distinctly heard the 9-1-1 being entered. A split second later, “Hi, yes, I’d like to report a... actually I’m not sure what in the hell is going on here. But someone has a gun and there are people all duct-taped up, and a lady on the floor is threatening to kill everyone... It’s a goddamn mess and I’m pretty sure it’s not normal human behavior.”
I shook my head as Preston gave the address to the operator and slid his phone back in his pocket. Was it more disturbing that he could attempt to be funny at a time like this, or that I found him funny at a time like this?
“I’ll grab some scissors.” He disappeared and was back in moments, cutting first Murphy and then myself completely loose.
I ripped off the tape from my mouth and did the best I could to prepare Murphy for the momentary shock of having his own ripped off.
Murphy, understandably, was a sobbing wreck. He clung to me like a baby koala. As for me... I was beginning to think I had a touch of shock myself. I couldn’t stop staring in horror at Kate, the woman who had taken me in.
“Duct tape!” Penn shouted, and Preston took off running.
Between the two of them, they had Kate’s arms and legs completely bound within a couple of minutes. They’d also been called nearly every name in the book by a shrieking, out of her mind woman. Repeatedly.
Penn turned to me. “We’re gonna go do the same to the douche in the back, okay? I’ll be right back.” He kissed my forehead, kissed Murphy’s forehead, and followed Preston out of the room.
I was still staring at Kate, and now she was staring back. We hadn’t duct-taped her mouth. It hadn’t seemed necessary.
“I trusted you,” I said quietly, bouncing Murphy and patting his back. He’d stopped crying, but I knew it would be a long road for Murph. This wasn’t the type of shit a kid should see. Or hear. Ever.
And he’d already seen enough.
“That’s your problem, not mine.” Kate spit the words at me.
“I trusted you with my life – with my son’s life.” Anger burned through my veins. There was a part of me that knew, if Murphy hadn’t been present, I could have possibly killed Kate simply for what she put me and my child through.
“Pretty careless parenting, in my opinion, Valerie. That’s something you should work on. But also, that’s just one of many reasons why you shouldn’t be a mother. You’re too young. You’re not ready. You don’t know what you’re doing.”
“Shut up, Kate.” My voice was emotionless, my body was not.
“And why you just stayed there in that goddamn trailer with that piece of shit Randall – do you know how quickly I woulda killed that son of a bitch? Do you? All those years of abuse – you did that to yourself. You should have taken a stand sooner. Maybe then Murphy wouldn’t have ever gotten that first backhand.”
Kate was evil. She was going for the softest part of my heart and stabbing it violently with her words.
The guilt and shame and absolute horror over Murphy ever having a hand laid on him hit me like a tsunami, just as she knew it would.
“Shut up, Kate.” I repeated calmly.
“Just because I’m speaking the truth and you can’t handle it doesn’t mean I have to stop talking. You’re a bad mother, Valerie. Bad. And you’re a weak human being in general. Do you know how sick it made me to pump you up and make you feel all good about yourself all of the time? That was all bullshit. You are nothing. You have always been nothing. And you will always be nothing.”
I almost smacked her. But that would be the first time Murphy ever saw me being violent to another human.
I had sworn to myself that he would never, ever see that behavior from me. He had to know that wasn’t how all people were. That wasn’t how normal people handled life.
And even though Kate more than deserved a good slap in this moment, I refused.
I sat Murphy down calmly. “Hold on one sec, bud.” He looked at me with fear in his giant green eyes, but he trusted me. And he would always trust me, because I would never give him a reason not to.
I turned and picked up the duct tape the boys had left on the floor. Tearing off a decent sized strip, I turned to Kate and smiled widely. “We made a mistake before. I think this absolutely is necessary.”
With that, I silenced Kate’s hatred. But more so, I silenced my past. Every awful word that had ever been thrown my way – I was moving on. My arms went out to Murphy and he came straight to me, hopping up and squeezing my neck with his chubby little arms.
“I love you, Murphy.” I whispered, nuzzling his nose with my own.
“I wuv you, Mommy.” He nuzzled me back, and I carried him out of the room.
Before the cops took Tim away, I managed to get close enough to where they had him handcuffed to exchange a few words.
“I didn’t kill your brother, Tim,” I said levelly, looking him straight in the eye without fear for the first time since I’d met him.
“Why the hell would I believe a piece of trash like you?” He clearly wanted to attack me and was one hundred percent unable to do so.
“Because I’m telling you the truth. Randall fell. He fell while he was chasing me. He hurt me every single day – every single day. But I didn’t kill him. He did that to himself.” Even though my insides were trembling, my voice didn’t shake at all.
“You’re still trash, Val. I don’t give a fuck if you say you didn’t kill Randy. You’re a used-up whore and you haven’t even seen thirty yet. You think that rich boy is gonna keep you around? You’re outta yer mind. He’ll get bored, and eventually he’ll find someone worthy of love. Ain’t nobody ever loved you, and nobody ever will.” Tim’s eyes were aflame with malice.
I shook my head. “That’s not true. But you can believe whatever you want. In prison. Have a nice life, Tim.” I turned from him and walked calmly away.