“Why'd you do it? Why'd you kill your own daughter?”
He looks me right in the eye, a smirk on his face. He's got nothing to lose by gloating about what he did. “She never should have betrayed me. All she had to do was agree to come home and marry the man I chose for her.” What is this, the fuckin' 1800’s? “She refused like she had a choice!”
“You deluded fuck!”
“Stand down!” Shepard yells at BlackJack. He's my father, how does anyone expect him to behave in this situation? He's scared for me, scared that he's going to lose me. I know for a fact, Roman is feeling the same way. He'll be wanting to blow the pricks head off just as badly. I'm only grateful that Wrench isn't with us right now because he wouldn't be so calm. However, Shepard is right; we can't do anything that means this son of a bitch will kill me or anyone else here.
“Do as your boss says, ape lover.” Right now, BlackJack and Roman are sweating; teeth gritted, desperate to put this fucker down. I know the feeling all too well.
There is nothing in the world that hurts a man more than hearing such vile words spoken against the woman he loves. My mother is nothing but amazing, and this cunt will pay for what he's said about her, for frightening her, and for threatening to kill her.
“I'd think very carefully about your next words, Webster.”
He laughs loudly, sarcastically. “You fuckers don't get to tell me anything! You think I'm scared? My sons will be home at any moment, and then you'll be sorry!”
Every person in the room laughs so loudly the damn rafters are rattling. This stupid fuck really believes his sons are going to save him. Ain't no one saving his racist ass.
“Listen to me, old man,” His eyes or gun don't leave me, but I know he's listening to Shepard's words. The sweat of fear rolls down his temples. Having so many guns pointed at you would do that. Wouldn't be surprised if he ain't shit his pants. Literally. He smells like death already, so it isn't easy to tell. “You ain't getting out of this barn alive. You killed your own daughter, left a little boy without his mother,”
“She should have listened to me. I am her father!”
“She had a right to her own life! You took that life from her because she didn't believe your fucked up views. Now, it's over. Put the gun down and let us take Brooke's body home. She deserves a real burial, not to be wrapped up in tarp and dumped somewhere.”
I lock eyes with Ice as Webster argues back and forth with Shepard. I don't know what the point of it is, but I think the fact Shepard just yelled how we'd kill his wife and sons if he doesn't put the gun down has only exacerbated the situation.
Ice's eyes slide to the side of him to where Brooke is lying. I look down. Webster really did a number on Brooke; he even tore her damn shirt off. I can't stand that everyone can see Brooke in that white bra.
What the fuck are you even thinking right now, Hawk? The last thing on anyone else's mind is that they can see your girls chest!
I don't understand what Ice is trying to tell me with his eyes. I look at him, and he nods to the side with wide, urgent eyes. However, I'm too late to get what he's trying to tell me. There's too much shouting going on around me; the smell of fear is everywhere.
I'm ready to tackle this cunt and get it over with; I'm done standing here playing games with this prick! But... “Hey, Hank?” Every person's head turns in the direction of a croaky voice coming from behind Hank. He's stunned and turns also. The shock rushing through me is evident to anyone with eyes as Brooke smashes the spade across her own father's face with so much force, he's knocked out instantly. Hammer grabs the shotgun before it can hit the ground and go off.
Brooke sways on her feet. “Rot in hell, you piece of shit!” She spits on him, then falls to her knees. I grab her, laying her back in my arms. I stroke her face as her eyes roll. I can't believe she's alive. She must be in so much pain, yet she got to her feet to stop the man who tried to destroy us.
“Baby, talk to me.” I'm rocking her, tears in my eyes. Her beautiful face is a mess. “Brooke!”
“Let go of her!”
“Is this fucker still alive?!” I yell at my brother's.
“Get him up!” BlackJack yells. Webster is screaming, blood pouring down his face from where Brooke whacked him. Hammer and Jett grab his arms and hold him up. “Got any last words, fucker?” BlackJack points his gun at Webster.
“Go to hell, ape lover!”
“You first.” I hide Brooke's face in my chest; I don't want her to see her father die at the hands of mine. Not that she's even conscious, but I don't want to risk it. I close my eyes as the bullet enters Hank's stomach. However, the fucker is still not dead. BlackJack knows what he's doing, and he wants that piece of shit to suffer.
I hold Brooke to me, and my brothers take turns in beating the living crap out of that man until there's nothing left of him to beat. It should have been me. I should have gotten my revenge, but all I care about right now is Brooke and making sure she comes through this.
Please come through this, baby, I need you, and Gabe needs you. I'm nothing without you.
“Please,” I kiss Brooke's head hard. I'm not ashamed to say that I'm crying. She's not waking up. What if I'm losing her right at this moment and there's nothing I can do to save her?
“What do we do with this mess?” I hear Hammer asks.
“Feed him to the pigs?”
“No, Tank, not this time.” Shepard answers. “I want his racist family to know what happens when you mess with us. Stage the place to look like...”
“You okay, son?” I block out the words of my brothers and look at my father. “We need to get her out of here.”
“What if I lose her, Dad?”
He cups my face and wipes a tear from my cheek. “You won't lose her. We're gonna get her to the hospital, and they'll fix her up good as new.”
“She was pregnant,” I confess. BlackJack looks at me with deep sympathy in his eyes. He knows the pain of losing a child. He knows how hard it will hit both Brooke and me when the dust has settled.
“Let's get her out of here.”
* * *
They took Brooke from me the moment I rushed into the hospital with her in my arms. I'm a nervous fucking wreck. I couldn't even call Marnie to let her know what happened because I couldn't speak. Wrench called her when he got to the hospital.
Marnie arrived not long after, and she's waiting with the rest of us for news. I can't stop pacing. I don't understand what's going on, why it's taking so long. What the hell could they be doing?
My head is swimming with scenarios that I don't want to think about. Brooke could be in that room dying from the injuries Webster inflicted on her. God, I hope it's nothing that serious. I hope it's just my mind playing tricks on me. However, isn't that the first thing that runs through everybody's mind in situations like this?
“Are you okay, Mom?” I look over at my mother. Wrench is staring at her. He's always worried about her these days, so for a second, I thought he was worrying for nothing. However, looking at her with her eyes closed, her hand on her back, and breathing harshly through her mouth, I know something is very wrong.
“Mom?” I narrow my eyes.
“Jack,” She mumbles, Dad's name, still with her eyes closed. She's in real pain, it's written all over her face.
“It's okay, Taylor. Everything will be okay.” Lynette strokes her now wet from sweat hair back from her forehead. You know a person is feeling physical pain they can't handle when they being to sweat profusely.
“My back,” My mom groans. “I can't... hurts so much, Lyn.”
I watch Lynette rubbing circles around the bottom of my mom's back. “Sweetheart, you need to see a doctor; this is getting worse.”
“I need Jack, please!”
“Get Dad.” Wrench nods and jumps out of his seat. My mom drags herself out of her seat, her hand grabbing at Lynette's. “Mom, what's going on?”
“Hawk, she needs a doctor. Something is very wrong, and she can't hide it
any longer.”
“Oh, God!” My mom screams so loudly; every person here with us is shocked. My mother never complains about anything, she won't let anyone see her ill, so this is shocking to all of us.
I wrap my arm around my mom's waist, and she clutches at my shirt, her eyes rolling as she struggles to stay on her feet. “Someone, get a doctor! Mom, it's gonna be okay.”
“I can't!” She screams again. “It hurts so much! It's ripping me apart!” She's sobbing, hunching over, begging my dad to help her.
He finally rushes towards us. I don't know where he's been, outside with Shepard and the Sheriff knowing him, but the ashen look on his face tells me he's terrified. “What the fuck is going on?” Mom is sobbing and screaming in pain as he grabs her. I don't know what the fuck to tell him. I'm in shock.
“Please, help me, Jack!” He lifts her in his arms and disappears down the corridor, and I'm left here gobsmacked.
I sink into the nearest chair with my head in my hands. The two women that mean everything to me are in pain, and I can't do a damn thing to help them.
“What's going to happen to her, Hawk?”
I look at my little brother sitting next to me. Right now, he reminds of the little boy he once was — the little boy who would look to me when things seemed scary. “I don't know, Wrench. I really don't know.”