He stood closer to me than before, picking at a crusty scab on his cheek. Fresh blood oozed out of it, and still, he scraped and clawed, reddening his fingertips and mixing with the dirt caked under hisnails.
“I don’t have anything for you,” Isnapped.
“Give me your wedding ring,” Shericroaked.
She stepped forward, still fumbling with the wires. As she moved in, her little thug of a friend pulled out my big ratchet from the bag of mytools.
Was he kidding me rightnow?
“Daddy?”
No.No, no, no, no. Addison, my sweet little girl, I don’t want you to see your mother likethis.
My gaze floated to her. I wanted to tell her it would be okay. I wanted to make her feel safe; instead, I watched as her eyes widened at something behind me and her shrieks of terror screeched out as the ratchet came up over myhead.
Sheri's voice gurgled up in a series of bubbling rasps and giggles. Without thinking, I moved toward the giddy sound and an explosion of white-hot pain slammed into my shoulder, just missing myhead.
"Just give me the fucking ring, Dylan!" Her voice wasraw.
“Mommy! Mommy!” Addisonscreamed.
I watched in horror as her little arms rose up toward her mother, her fingers clawing at nothing but air. The cries from her small body were so intense, her limbs shook with the effort. Then the sick fuck with the ratchet set his drugged out eyes on my daughter andsmiled.
My shoulder was nothing but fire, and the flames of pain licked down my arm and across my chest. I bit through it and rushed at Addison, covering herbody.
Steel collided into my rib cage, and I spun into the pain, slamming my body into his arm. A sickening crack sounded between us, and the ratchet thudded with one hard clank to the carpet, one end smeared withblood.
My daughter dropped to the floor, screaming for hermother.
“Addison!” my voice grounded out. I took a step toward her, and the room spun violently around me.He couldn’t have hit me that hard. It didn't matter. I just needed to get to Addi. I needed her out of here away from them. I needed her locked in a room.Did she know how to call911?
Of course she didn't. That’s why she went across the street and got Callie thatnight.
Sheri was yelling at the douchebag to get up. She called himG, just a stupid letter. She probably didn't know his name. She moved quickly, scrambling and crawling across the rug, reaching for the bloodytool.
Grolled around next to it, groaning in pain. The stark white of his bone jutting through the blood drenched rip in his skin. I laughed at him, but all that came out was a choked gurgle and the thick, rusty tang ofblood.
“Mommy! Mommy!” Addison screamed, over andover.
She cried with her whole body—eyes full of horror—blanched knuckles into tiny fists at her side. Her voice tore through my ears like a shard of glass, turning into static, pure white noise, shrill and deafening until all I heard was my heart beating high in mythroat.
Sheri yanked the asshole up by his good arm, her eyes still fixed on mine.She doesn't hear Addison screaming, doesshe?
"Just give me whatever you have on you. Money. Rings. Give it to me!" Spit flew out of her mouth as she made her demands, lunging forward, flailing her fists against mychest.
Addison watched it all. Her pale, frightened face watched itall.
I grabbed onto Sheri, stopping her punching, pulling her into my chest. “Stop,” I growled as she struggled against me. Her fists were full of blood now, and I couldn’t tell where she’d gotten hurt. “Addison is right there. She’s watchingyou.”
"I don't care! Give me mymoney!"
Her hands were pinned between us. I tried to hold onto her, wanted to get her to stop, but she leaned into my shoulder and bit down into my skin. My mind roared out in searing pain, but I clamped my teeth shut. I didn’t want Addison to know. I didn’t want her to see what her mother was doing to me. Instantly, I shoved away from her, and there was a sharp stinging warmth along my arm. I frantically searched Sheri's face to see if a chunk of my shoulder was dangling from her lips, but there was nothing there but a sinistersmile.
“I can’t fucking believe you,” Iseethed.
“Just give me themoney!”
"I thought this whole time you were sick, but you know…you know exactly what you're doing and who you're hurting." I stepped in front of my daughter, blocking her from the train wreck in front of me. I had to protect Addison. I couldn't let her see any more of this horror. "You know damn well what you'redestroying."
