“Good for you,” I replied. “You need to be strong. You ARE the best thing for Norah and I’ll tell anyone who cares that they’d be fools to give him any more time with her than he already has.”
“I just can’t believe he’s interested now because of HER!” Kate said, deflating a bit as she spoke. “Norah is so amazing, and he only wants to see her more because of Tracy. It makes me so angry!”
“What?” Norah’s squeaky voice called out from behind us.
Kate’s eyes widened. Neither of us had heard her come down the stairs. How much had she heard?
“Why does Daddy want me to spend more time over there because of Tracy?” she asked, looking very confused. “Do I have to?”
“Of course not,” Kate answered immediately, looking back at me with a panicked expression. “Daddy and Tracy want you to come over a little more, but it’s something we’d need to talk more about before anything changed.”
Norah started crying. “I don’t want to spend more time there!”
Kate rushed from her seat and wrapped Norah up in her arms. The young girl was sobbing, and from the look Kate flashed me, she didn’t know why any more than I did. At first I’d assumed she had just been picking up on the fact that her mother was upset, but now her reaction seemed too strong for that.
“What’s wrong, Norah?” Kate asked.
“I can’t tell you,” Norah sobbed.
“What? You can tell me anything, sweetheart. What’s got you so upset?”
Norah pulled back and looked her mom right in the eyes. Her cheeks were red and wet from the tears that had also soaked Kate’s shirt. “Daddy told me I couldn’t tell you. He said you’d get mad at me.”
Kate looked alarmed now, and her voice was strained. “Baby, tell me what’s wrong! There’s nothing you can say that will make me mad, I promise.”
Norah hesitated, rubbing her nose and looking unconvinced. “But what if Daddy gets mad?”
“Daddy won’t be mad! He wants what’s best for you, just like me, so he would want you to tell me what’s wrong!”
Norah huffed a few times, trying to get enough air to speak. Finally, in a barely audible voice, she said, “Tracy hates me.”
Kate pulled her even tighter and held her daughter’s head against her chest. “Why do you think she hates you, baby?” Kate asked.
“She yells at me all the time. She hates me!” the girl exclaimed again, a little more vehemently than the first time.
Kate shook her head, though the girl couldn’t see it, and said in a soothing voice, “Norah – Tracy is the one who wants to see you more. I’m sure she doesn’t mean to yell. Maybe it’s just a misunderstanding.”
I knew what Kate was getting at – Norah was so sensitive that she often interpreted negative emotion from other people as anger toward her.
“No! It isn’t!” Norah cried, “Tracy yells at me all the time! She says I’m bad and make her yell. And Daddy says I have to try really hard not to make her mad, or I’ll get in big trouble. But I do try! I always try to be nice, but she just yells whenever I do anything.”
Kate looked angry and broken hearted. She opened her mouth to respond, but Norah wasn’t finished talking.
“On Friday,” she sniffled, “I left my shoes out. Tracy always says to put them away, but I forgot. She got so mad, madder than I’ve ever seen her. Then she hit me.”
She pressed her little hand to her cheek, as if remembering the pain of a slap.
“What?” Kate’s voice sounded like the crack of a whip. “Did your father know?”
“Yes,” she admitted, casting her eyes down, as if she was ashamed. “He yelled at me for making Tracy mad and made me go to my room so she could have some quiet. Then he said I’d get in even more trouble from you if I told. Am I in trouble?” she asked.
“Of course not!” Kate exclaimed. “Norah, you listen to me… you did absolutely nothing wrong. It was Tracy and Daddy who were wrong. You did the right thing telling me and I will make sure that… that… that woman never touches you again.”
This was no misunderstanding, and Kate knew it now.
I’d disliked Tracy the moment I’d met her, and now I understood why. It was the distant, irritated look she’d given Norah when the little girl had said ‘hello.’ Tracy was terrible to Norah, and David knew it. But instead of protecting his daughter, he’d intimidated her into silence. Not only that, now he was trying to get Norah to spend more time with a woman who didn’t even like her… and why? Because Tracy wanted the world to see her as the perfect little mother? Because she and David wanted help around the house and a future babysitter? After everything else, this was a new low and I couldn’t take it. Kate was pacing the floor, probably trying to decide how to handle this situation. I had no doubts about what needed to be done.
Getting up from my seat I stormed toward the door.
“Where are you going?” Kate asked.
“To see your ex,” I replied as I walked out, pulling out my phone to get an Uber.
I couldn’t kill him. Not now at least, but I wasn’t about to stand by and let him treat them this way. Not Kate, and especially not Norah, who was just a little girl. Kate might be mad at me, but something had to be done.
I looked David up on my phone and was glad to find his address listed. I’d been there once before and knew the street name, so I was confidant I could find him, but it would definitely be easier this way. I walked the short distance to a corner store and ordered an Uber. Had I waited at the house, Kate might have tried to stop me. I didn’t want to give her that chance. I jumped in the backseat of the car when it arrived and fumed the entire ten-minute drive to his house. I told the driver to wait for me and pounded on his door incessantly until the bitch answered.
“What are you doing here?” she asked in a condescending tone that only made me angrier.
I pushed her back through the door and stepped inside, swinging it closed behind me.
“WHAT THE HELL?” she cried as she stumbled back into the coatrack behind her.
“What’s going on?” David called from somewhere else in the house.
I grabbed Tracy by the hair and dragged her into the living room. Knowing she was pregnant, I wasn’t going to actually hurt her, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t scare her. I shoved her onto the couch and yelled, “Stay there if you know what’s good for you, you bitch!” I could hear David running now.
“What’s going on???” he yelled again as I saw him rounding the corner into the living room.
His eyes were on Tracy and he didn’t even see me before I hurled a table lamp across the room. It shattered when it hit him square in his fat face and he dropped to the ground, where he stayed, clutching his head and moaning.
Convinced that he was immobilized for a moment, I turned back to Tracy. She hadn’t moved from her spot on the couch, but she was screaming and wringing her hands in the air. I grabbed one of her hands and wrenched it to the side, twisting her arm into an uncomfortable angle. She cried out, more from surprise and fear than pain. She was lucky I wasn’t actually trying to break her arm.
“Is this the hand you hit Norah with?” I screamed, putting a little more pressure on it as I yelled.
She blanched, and seemed to sink further back into the cushions.
I took her silence for a confession. “You don’t ever…” I began, but I was interrupted by David.
“Stop!” he shouted.
“Shut up!” I yelled, dropping Tracy’s hand to stand over him menacingly. “You don’t get to talk. You walked out on the best woman you could’ve ever hoped to find… you walked out on your own daughter! And for what? A string of whores?? And now you move your latest slut into your house and let her yell at your daughter, terrify her, and on top of it all you threatened her not to tell! You don’t deserve to be a father. And you,” I spat at Tracy, “God help the baby who has you for a mother.”
Tracy started sobbing and looked like she was going to get up.
&nb
sp; “What did I tell you?” I screamed.
She slumped back down and I crossed the room to face her again. “Now you listen you piece of trash,” I hissed, “You ever raise your voice to that little girl again, and I’ll know. If you so much as touch a hair on her head, I’ll come back and break every finger on this hand! You got it?”
She nodded her head emphatically. “And you,” I added to David, “you may have no interest in protecting your daughter, but I do. If I hear of this happening again, I’ll be back. Understand?”
He nodded his head, and the sick look that washed over his face disgusted me. It wasn’t Norah’s wellbeing that mattered to him; it was fear for himself that he couldn’t handle. I shook my head and stormed out before I lost control and killed them both.
The driver was still waiting for me, but he had wide eyes when I climbed back in the car.
“Is everything okay?” he asked. He must have heard some shouting.
“Just take me back please,” I answered. He was smart enough to leave it at that and we made the drive back.
I had him take me right to the house this time. Kate came running out when she heard the car.
“What did you do?” she asked, a slight tremble in her voice. I must have frightened her when I marched out so suddenly.
“I’m sorry,” I said, taking her hand in mine. “I couldn’t listen to that and not do something. Those two can’t treat her that way and get away with it. Some stern words just weren’t going to cut it.”
“What did you do?” she asked more forcefully, but with an edge of fear.
“I went to their house and made sure they knew that anything they do to Norah is coming back to them. That bitch will never touch her again – I promise you that.”
Kate’s eyes went wide, and I couldn’t tell if the shock was mixed with disappointment or gratitude. A noise distracted me before I could figure it out. The whoop of a police siren sounded once as a cruiser pulled up and blocked the driveway.
Two officers jumped out and called my name.
“Which one of you is Emily?” they asked.
“I am,” I replied confidently, at which time the female officer cuffed me.
She was saying something as she led me to the back of the cruiser, but I wasn’t paying attention. Norah had come out and was watching me with big, tearful eyes. I felt a jolt of guilt. She shouldn’t have to see this, I’d been too impulsive. I should have thought this through! I feared that I’d made a huge mistake, but there was nothing I could do now. The male officer spoke with Kate for a moment, likely explaining what I had done, and then he returned and we pulled away.
“I’m not supposed to say this, and I’ll deny it if you tell anyone, but well done,” the man said with a smile in the mirror. “Sadly, you broke the law and I have to take you in, but for what it’s worth, it sounds like they had it coming.”
“Oh yeah?” the woman asked. “What’d they do?”
“They thought it was okay to treat a little girl like shit, scare her, then force her to lie about it,” I replied.
She shook her head. “That’s a shame, but you still can’t just go assaulting people when they do the wrong thing.”
“I understand,” I said. “I knew what I was doing and I’d do it again, but you have a job to do.”
The rest of the ride was silent. I meant what I said. I’d do it again if I had to, I was sure of that; but I did feel a sense of regret. Not about what I’d done, but about what I was going to lose. I’d likely just ruined things with Brandon, and I wasn’t really sure how Kate would handle it either. Tears pricked my eyes and I leaned my head back in the seat, closing my eyes and shutting out the world. I repeated to myself the same mantra I used to chant after my first kills. I did the right thing. I did the right thing. I did the right thing.
Chapter 9
The darker, musty atmosphere of the concrete jail cell at the police station felt strangely reminiscent of my castle. It was far from comfortable, but just that one aspect of familiarity sent me crashing back into memories of my true home. There was a time when I longed to be back there, when I would have been grateful for this rush of memory, but now, it felt lonely. Empty. What I found myself really wanting was to return to my new home, into the arms of my family.
I desperately hoped that Kate would not banish me for this. Regardless of how sure I was that it was justified, I recognized that Kate might not see it that way. From her perspective, I may have just lost control, and would she trust me with her daughter after that display? The thought that this could cost me so much pained me. My chest ached as time passed; slowly, just like in the dream world. I wondered whether Kate would bail me out or if I was on my own. I could do nothing but wait.
Some time later, I heard my name being called and then the jingle of keys from around the corner. My heart leapt. Although I knew it was not likely how it would work, I imagined Kate and Norah appearing in front of me, ready to take me home. An officer came around the corner, and trailing just a step behind him, was Brandon. I didn’t know what to say. His face was hard to read at first, and I was afraid of what he might be thinking, but he cracked a smile that set my mind at ease a little.
“I’ve never had to bail someone out of jail after just one date before,” he joked. “Well – I’ve actually never had to bail anyone out of jail at all.”
“I didn’t expect to see you here,” I replied, still not sure exactly how he was feeling or what he knew.
“Well, when I heard what you did, I had to come and see for myself. Did you really break a lamp over a guy’s head?”
“Yes.” I replied flatly. “But he deserved it!”
“Oh, don’t worry. I know all about that,” Brandon said with his hands lifted. “Kate filled me in on everything. I didn’t believe it at first, but I read the report for myself and here we are. I’m sorry it took so long… your situation is a little trickier than most, Ms. Something.”
I nodded my understanding. I think they’d booked me as ‘Emily Doe.’
“You’re not upset?” I asked.
He looked at the other officer and smiled. “I’m really not supposed to condone the kind of thing you did, but honestly, I wish we could drop all the charges and give you an award. It sounds like that jackass got just a little of what he had coming to him!”
My whole body had been tense until that moment, and I felt my back and shoulders relax as I stood up. It was like a weight had been lifted, I could breathe again. The uniformed officer opened the door and Brandon offered me a reassuring hug that I needed far more than he knew.
“So, you spoke with Kate… she’s not mad?” I asked.
“She’s worried about you, but no – I don’t think she’s mad. I’m not done with work yet, but I’ll take you home so you can get some rest before our date tonight. If you were trying to get out of it, you’ll have to do more than a little aggravated assault!”
I pulled him a little tighter into the hug and he took my hand as we walked out. He clearly had no issues at all being seen with me.
“You have to tell me what it was like,” he said as we pulled away from the station in his car.
“Attacking him?” I asked. “Why do you want to know?”
“Are you kidding?” he asked with a jovial laugh. “Do you have any clue how many jackasses I’ve wished I could go off on like that? You’re my hero right now. You’ve got to tell me what it was like.”
Stunned at his response to my actions, I gathered my thoughts and began to tell him about the experience.
“It was exhilarating,” I said. “Neither of them had any clue what was coming, and knowing how they treated Norah, and being able to give them a little taste of being mistreated like that… It was very satisfying. My only regret when it was done was thinking that I might have ruined things with you.”
“Not a chance!” Brandon exclaimed. “Like I said before, you’ll have to do better than assault to get rid of me. Now, if you’d killed either of them, we might nee
d to talk.”
We both laughed, but the feeling of acceptance I’d had just a moment ago quickly evaporated. Brandon might be okay with the fact that I’d thrown a lamp at a veritable child abuser, but that was a far cry from murder. Especially the brutal murder I had committed just the day before. If Brandon really knew what I was like, he wouldn’t be so understanding. For that matter, neither would Kate. I doubted anyone else would ever really understand what I did or why I had to do it.
“It’s really okay,” Brandon said, with concern rather than amusement in his voice now. He had picked up on the sadness that had suddenly descended on me. “You’ve been through a lot in the past few months, and I can only imagine that getting arrested only added to your stress level, but don’t worry too much about it. Honestly, you’ll probably get off with some community service or something. I doubt a judge will make an example of you for doing what most people would want to do in the same situation.”
“Thank you,” I said, putting my arm on his.
I was only just beginning to adjust to having people in my life who genuinely cared for me, and to have a man in that position was a brand-new experience. Seeing him recognizing my mood and paying attention to how I was feeling was unlike anything I’d known from a man before. He’d stopped walking and his eyes were searching mine. A week earlier, I would have assumed he was trying to lure me to his bed as appreciation for his kindness, but Brandon wasn’t like that. He was looking to see if I was okay.
I squeezed his hand to let him know I was okay, and we continued to the car. I was glad to be able to sit down; Brandon was having a strange effect on me. My stomach was tied in knots, it suddenly felt like someone had turned the heat up, and even my palms were sweaty. My heart fluttered excitedly, like moth wings nearing a light. My whole being seemed to be responding to him. Could I already be falling in love with a man I’d only just met? The whole concept of romance and love felt foreign even just the other day, but here I was, experiencing all the things that I’d thought were only true in fairytales.
Evil Unbound- Death's Mistress Returns Page 15