“Laura, girl. It’s me! Your pa
has come to see you.” His voice was oily and sinister.
He reached for her arm, but
she recoiled. A horrible weakness overtook her, and Laura found herself feeling
like a child again, as she always did in Brian’s presence. She hated him
deeply, yet had feared him for most of her life. Her entire personality had
been constructed around her terror of this man, who was worse than Gorch in
many ways—certainly just as bad. This man had caused nearly all of her fear.
Her muscles turned almost
limp. He seized her by the throat, as he always did to assert his control over
her, and shoved her against the wall. She trembled violently, her legs turning
to water. Helpless in his presence, she wondered why she couldn’t move. What
was wrong with her?
“I’ve missed you, Laura,” he
said, his face inches from hers. His breath reeked of an acrid mix of
cigarettes, coffee, and unclean teeth, just as it always did. He kissed her
hard, thrusting his tongue as far into her mouth as he could. That was the
trigger that set her off.
As his free hand slipped into
her shirt, she reached over the arm holding her against the wall, seized his
wrist, and twisted it with all her might.
“What—!” was all he managed to
utter before his face hit the floor. She kicked him hard in the ribs and was
about to kick him again when he rolled away with surprising quickness. He
stood, looking both alarmed and furious.
He cursed at her wildly, then
shouted, “I’m gonna beat the living hell out of you!” Rubbing his sore wrist,
he fixed her with a deadly gaze. Laura regretted not breaking his arm when she
had the chance. This was her moment to run—hit and run. She headed for the door.
“Like hell you’ll get away
from me!” he yelled, lunging forward but stumbling over the edge of the coffee
table. On his knees, he looked up at her with fire in his eyes. In that
instant, she knew he intended to kill her. He cursed again.
She gripped the doorknob with
time to spare. Hit and run. Without
taking her eyes off his, she reached for the top lock on the door and bolted it
shut. She followed with the second lock, her hands instinctively finding the
locking mechanism. The last thing she secured was the chain.
In an instant, the fear that
had consumed her dissipated, replaced by an icy hatred that transformed her
shaky legs into steel.
“What’re you doing?” For the
first time, Brian looked unsure. Laura glared at him with all the hatred she
could muster. She advanced in long, sudden strides and kicked him in the face
before he could regain his footing. Hit
and run.
Not this time.
M.C.V. EGAN ❧Defining Ways❧ 