“Rhoades, if you value your fucking tongue, you won’t finish that sentence. Or so help me God, you’ll choke on it when I rip it out of your mouth and shove it down your fucking throat,” Luke growls out as he takes a step closer to Jackson.
Jackson may be an older man but he has been careful with his health and fitness. He obviously still works out and looks much younger than he is. He is still no match for Luke in a fair fight, but I don’t expect Jackson to fight fairly. I know Luke’s time as a street fighter will help him. I just don’t want to take any chances with his life.
“What do you want Jack-,” my question is suddenly cut off when Jackson lunges at Luke.
He throws a right jab and connects with Luke’s nose. Blood sprays out from the impact then runs down his face. If Jackson thought that would knock Luke off-kilter, he is sadly mistaken. It only serves to make Luke madder and more dangerous. Luke counterpunches with a right hook to Jackson’s jaw followed by a left uppercut to the chin. Jackson loses his balance and goes down with Luke quickly jumping on top of him to pound him into the ground.
Jackson gains some leverage underneath Luke and they roll around in the floor, each getting close shots in on the other. Jackson is the first back to his feet in an attempt to flee but Luke isn’t finished with him. He hits Jackson with a right cross, his power punch, on Jackson’s left cheek, which spins him around. Just as Luke is about to hit him with a straight right and end the brawl, the sound of a revolver hammer clicking draws our attention.
Thewicked foster-bitchsteps into the room and has her .22 magnum aimed at Luke. “That’s enough, Woods. Step away from him.” Then she looks at me.
Luke steps away from Jackson and steps over in front of me, using his massive body to shield me from the gun aimed in our direction. His left handslowly reaches back to secure me behind him while he holds his right palm facing Delia Rhoades.
“I’m really sorry to break up this little party,” Delia says mockingly, “but The Speaker and I have previous engagements we simply must attend to. Darling, if you’re ready to go?” She speaks as if she’s leaving early fromthe country club instead of the stark reality that she’s threatening to shoot us both in my own home.
Jackson straightens his clothes and starts to back away when he says, “I don’t think I’m done with Andi yet, darling. It’ll be good for Luke to watch.”
Delia thought it over for a second before conceding, “You always did have a crush on her. Just this once, then.”
I stand gawking at her, completely speechless at her flippant attitude towards what her husband just said. And her response! Before I can even form an intelligent response, Jackson is striding towards me with an evil gleam in his eye and a wicked smile on his face. I intuitively take a couple of steps backwards.
“Ah, Andi. I’ve waited for you for a long time now,” he drew out each word and each step, increasing the anticipation and anxiety as he approaches me.
“Over my dead body, Rhoades,” Luke bellows.
“That can easily be arranged,” Delia’s reply sounds completely uninterested. She levels her gun at Luke’s chest and put her finger on the trigger.
I knew instantly from the satisfied look in her eye and the triumphant smirk on her face, she is going to kill Luke. My heart is about to pound completely out of my chest – my chest that is in a vice and it’s as if the life is being squeezed out of me.
I can’t watch him be shot. I can’t watch him die!
“Not yet, dear. I want him to see what I do to Andi. I want him to hear her scream over and over when I finally take her.” He looks pointedly at me, locking eyes and slightly lowering his head so that he’s looking at me through his eyebrows. “You sang to me tonight about ‘a real man.’ I’ll be more than glad to show you what a real man is.”
Luke steps forward and Delia threatens him again, “I don’t have tokillyou yet, Luke. I can merelywoundyou and still let Jackson have his fun. Move again and I’ll show you exactly what I mean. Don’t try me.”
I see the rise and fall of his shoulders, signaling that he’s taken a deep breath. Luke doesn’t move as Jackson takes another step towards him and intentionally bumps his shoulder as he walks by. It’s an act of utter disrespect andit’s killing me that Luke has to take it. I know he’s trying to figure out a way to fight back without getting shot and leaving me alone with these two lunatics.
Jackson is intent on me and it’s as if there’s no one else in the room. He’s licking his lips and rakes his eyes from my head to my feet, undressing me as he goes. It’s sickening and I would like nothing better than to snatch his eyes out of his head. With his next step, a shot rings out followed by a blood-curdling scream. After a second, I realize I am the one screaming and running towards Luke.
There’s blood on his shirt and he’s lying on the floor. I drop to his side and start searching for the entrance wound. He grabs my hands as he sits up and I finally hear him speaking to me, “Andi! Andi – stop, baby! I’m ok – it’s not my blood. Rhoades knocked me down when he fell into me.”
What?
I look up just as Jackson and Delia are leaving through the back door. Jackson is leaning on Delia and blood is gushing out of his arm with every beat of his heart. I cut my eyes back at Luke, still confused, and he’s looking at something over my shoulder. He lowers his voice to an easy, soothing tone as he says, “You’re ok now. He’s gone. You can put the gun down.”
What the hell is happening?
I snap my head in the direction Luke’s looking and see a young girl, maybe sixteen years old, standing in the doorway. She’s still holding the gun and her finger is still on the trigger. Her eyes are wide, her skin is ashen, and she’s shaking uncontrollably. The adrenaline dump she just experienced is taking a toll on her body. The fact that she just shot someone is weighing heavily upon her now.
Wait a second.
“Kelly?” I say as I rise from the floor – very, very slowly. “Kelly, sweetheart, is that you?”
She finally moves her eyes and looks at me. At first, it’s as if she’s looking through me. I’m not sure she’s really here with us until her eyes start to focus again.
“Kelly?”
She chokes out, “Andi,” before sobbing and her knees fold under her.
