Part 26 (2/2)
”Why? Because your rat made a run for it, that's why. Now get your b.u.t.ts down there, both of you. He's waiting and he ain't happy. Don't bother dressing.”
With that, Claude stepped aside, brushed past me, and headed toward the white truck which had pulled in behind us.
Kathryn could see me now, that much I knew. But I couldn't bring myself to look at her face. I couldn't bear to see her accusing eyes boring though me.
It took a few seconds, but she finally spoke, and the low, biting tone of her voice did the job plenty well, anyway.
”What have you done to us?”
”I showed Eden how to drive the truck,” Bobby said, stepping up beside me.
Mother shoved her arm back into the house. ”Get back in your room this instant, you little runt!”
Bobby scurried up the steps, ducked into the house, and vanished into the hall. I started to follow, eager to get away from her.
”Not you,” she snapped.
I finally found the courage to look her in the eyes and they were as fired as I could remember seeing. She glanced at Wyatt's truck, then found me again.
”Where did you think you were going?”
What was I supposed to say?
”Answer me!” she screamed.
”Away from you,” I said.
She blinked. I could see her jaw flex. I knew that hitting her in the face would be kinder than the words I'd just spoken, but I was done with not telling the truth. So I said some more.
”I don't want to be your slave anymore.”
My mother stepped forward, trembling. She lifted her arm and pointed a finger back into the house. ”You get back in that closet this very instant and you get down on your knees and you start begging G.o.d for mercy and you don't stop until you have accepted the full weight of your repentance. Go! Now, before G.o.d strikes you down where you stand, you hear me?”
I looked at Wyatt who was dressed-maybe he knew this was going to happen the moment he heard Claude's voice. He certainly knew that I was in trouble and his eyes showed me great empathy.
But that look gave me the courage I needed to set my jaw, step up onto the porch and walk past Kathryn into the house.
I knew that I was done. That I was going to face a new kind of h.e.l.l. But I also knew that I wasn't going to get down on my knees and repent for trying to run away from a monster.
Not this time. Not ever again.
[[SECTION BREAK]].
THE NIGHT was hot and the air heavy, but something far more threatening suffocated Kathryn as Wyatt guided the truck down the gravel road.
Dread.
”How dare she?” Kathryn breathed through gritted teeth. ”How dare she do this to me!”
Wyatt stared out the winds.h.i.+eld, silent.
”Why? How dare she?”
Tears gathered in her eyes. Every st.i.tch and seam that held her life together seemed to be unraveling.
Zeke was waiting. Dear G.o.d . . .
”There'll be h.e.l.l to pay for this,” she said. ”h.e.l.l to pay for all of us.”
Kathryn's mind spun. ”How'd she get the truck? It doesn't make sense. I told you to keep your keys in the nightstand. How could she have gotten her hands on those keys?”
Wyatt kept his eyes straight ahead.
”Answer me! Don't just sit there like a wart. Say something.”
He glanced at her nervously.
”Don't you dare tell me you knew about this.”
”No. No, of course not.”
”We're all in a world of trouble here. How'd Bobby show her how to drive? He can't drive.”
Wyatt shrugged. ”I showed him a few things.”
”If you know anything, it's gonna come out. Zeke will know. You realize that, don't you?”
He began to speak, then stopped.
”What? Spit it out.”
”I can't remember what I did with the keys. Maybe I left them on the kitchen counter by mistake.”
”Maybe?”
”I'm sorry, sugar. If I'd known . . .”
”Shut up, Wyatt! Just shut up!”
He offered no response.
”All that matters now is that I failed. Zeke told me there would be consequences if she ever got out of line.”
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