“This is madness. He’s your son.” Cora stepped back from Jacob, taking David with her.
“I’m not going to kill him, just a scratch to show him what pain is.” Jacob closed an eye and took aim. “He doesn’t deserve to be my son. He’s too much of a coward. A bullet will strengthen him.”
“Stop this madness.” Her voice reached a high pitch that sounded unfamiliar to her own ears.
Her pulse spiked. What should she do? Jacob blocked the way to the door. If she managed to grab the heavy vase on the console table and hurl it at him, creating a diversion, David might have enough time to flee.
“Move aside, Cora, or I’ll shoot you too.”
Cora shielded David, moving closer to the vase. “You’re mad.”
“See, rat?” Jacob snarled. “Your mama defends you, and you hide behind her skirts like a stupid child. That’s what I mean. Stop behaving like a damn coward, boy. Stop hiding behind your mother.”
Cora inched her hand towards the vase, but Jacob stared at them too closely for her to act.
David shoved her out of his way strongly enough to send her a few feet away, anger etching his features. “So be it. Leave Mother alone. Here I am. Have it your way then. Shoot me.”
Jacob raised his gun. “Finally some sense. Take your punishment, boy.”
“No.” Cora raced and shielded David.
The gunshot thundered in the entry hallway, and a burning, scorching pain tore at her chest and shoulder. She gasped for air and tried to scream, but only a soft whimper came out. Her muscles contracted so hard her back arched. The room tilted and blurred. Jacob came in and out of focus.
“You silly woman.” Jacob marched towards them.
“Mama.” David couldn’t hold her weight, and they fell to the floor when her knees buckled.
Warm blood soaked her shirt and pooled beneath her. What worried her the most was her head becoming light and the sounds coming muffled as if from a distance. If she fainted, David would be alone with his deranged father. There would be no one to protect him from Jacob. She had to stay conscious.
“I told you to move. Look what you’ve done.” Jacob seized her hair and yanked her head up.
Her scalp burned, but she didn’t have time to swat Jacob’s hand away.
“Don’t touch her.” With a mighty roar, David shot up and shoved his father.
Jacob fell over backwards with a loud thud and a sickening noise, like that of broken bones.
David punched him in the nose. “I hate you!”
Jacob let out a muffled groan and then remained still, his head turned towards the wall.
Oh no. Cora crawled towards Jacob. Nausea left a bitter taste in her mouth and her body trembled. Her vision was blurred. She didn’t trust her hearing either, so she wouldn’t know if David was shouting for help. The important thing was that Jacob was alive because David couldn’t have possibly killed him.
Please be alive.
“Mama, we must go.” David coiled an arm around her waist and tried to haul her up. “Help!”
“Did you… is he alive?”
“I don’t know.” His voice broke with a sob that tightened her chest. “Mama. I didn’t want to… I wanted him to stop.”
“I know, I know.” She paused in front of Jacob and moved his head.
A red spot marred his cheek and forehead, and a shallow cut crossed his eyebrow, but aside from that, his chest rose and fell rhythmically, his pulse was strong, and there was no blood under him. She sagged in relief. She couldn’t care less about Jacob, but her David shouldn’t be the one who killed him.
“He’s alive,” she said, grabbing the console table to stand up.
“Mama, let’s go.” David helped her stay up. “We must leave.”
