An Outlaw Valentine
Page 23
On a sob, she started toward the last outbuilding, which was about fifty yards away. Halfway there, she stumbled across a door sticking out of the ground with, of course, a padlock.
Gritting her teeth in frustration, she crouched down and listened. Nothing.
“Meggie?” she called, placing her ear back on the door.
Did she hear movement on the other side?
“MEGGIE! Are you in there?”
“Kendall!” a faint voice responded.
Or was that a whisper in the wind? A figment of her imagination. She wanted Meggie to be alive so bad.
“Meggie, is it really you?”
“Kendall, help,” that faint voice came again.
“Wait! I’m coming for you.”
“Are you now?” a voice from behind her said, just before two pairs of legs came into view.
The barrel of a gun pressed into the back of her head.
“You know what? I hear Outlaw won’t give us what we want if we kill his bitch, but we have to show them we’re serious in some way,” the man sneered.
“Wh-what do you mean?” Kendall asked in a shaky voice, her brain kicking into gear. Deny! Deny! Deny! “Who’s Outlaw?”
The man laughed. “Don’t play stupid, Kendall. Randolph told me all about you.” He fingered her hair. “Your gorgeous red hair. Your height. I know you’re John Boy’s old lady. Maybe, if we killed you and kept the blonde alive a bit longer, we might get some results.”
“Maybe, if you sent your demands to the club, you’d get results, too, asshole,” she snapped.
“I’m too busy having fun with her,” he said coldly. “Once I’ve used her to my satisfaction, then I’ll contact the club.”
“You’re a dead man, you stupid motherfucker,” she spat. “Fucking with Meggie.”
“You’re the bitch who told Randolph to take her.”
“Maybe, I lied. Ever consider that, bastard?”
For a moment, silence reigned, and Kendall gloated. Then, she heard the click of the gun.
“I love you, Johnnie,” she whispered, a moment before the bullet crashed into her skull, killing her instantly.
Stop and think about this! Do you really want Kendall dead? Didn’t your heart drop, just a teeny bit? Maybe, you thought about all my promises that I’d never kill Kendall? I’ve always contended she’s one of the heroines, therefore I can’t kill her, in all good conscience.
But, more than that, Kendall provides a source of entertainment and controversy that wouldn't be present if I actually went through with the previous scene and let her die. Think hard on this. PLEASE! She's the bad girl of the story and you would really miss her if I killed her. This is something that could not be undone. Therefore, I cannot in all good faith kill her off.
You may wonder why I can't kill her off, but she's present to remind us that love comes in all forms. Although she doesn't always show it, in her own way, she does love Johnnie. As a matter of fact, both characters are in the story to show that not all relationships are perfect but, somehow, they survive. We all know couples who’ve separated two million and two times. On the two millionth and third try, they find a common ground and make their relationship work. Yes, I know couples like this also get divorced, but I’m thinking with a glass half-full mentality.