Free Holding Her in Madness by Kimber S. Dawn

the house to put it on the front porch for Grands to go through when she gets a chance. I’ve just rounded the corner, the sun blinding me for a second. When I hear a car skidding to a stop in our gravel driveway, I lift my hand to block the sun.
    I know exactly who it is as soon as I lay eyes on David Shaw. The box in my hands slips from my grasp and hits the ground. “You motherfucking piece-of-shit punk!”
    The lump of brick lodged in my throat causes my words to come out choked. “Mr. Shaw, I was actually just about to hop in the shower and head to y’all’s house. I...ah... I’d like to speak to you and Mrs. Shaw if that’s okay. Is Mrs. Shaw with yo—”
    That’s all I get out before my head is splitting open on the concrete curb of the driveway. I go to open my mouth to tell him, “Mr. Shaw, I’m in love with your—” but my well-planned declaration is cut off by a barrel of a handgun being shoved so far into my mouth I’m gagging on it.
    Tears are flooding my eyes as the pressure from the gun in my mouth shoves the back of my head against the curb, pushing pieces of gravel and bark into the open wound.
    My fuckin’ world tilts off its axis.
    My damn vision tunnels.
    I shake my head, trying to stay conscious, but it only drives more grit and dirt into my head wound. I feel warm blood seep across the arch of my neck and run in rivulets down the skin, covering my spine.
    I gag more forcefully around the pistol’s barrel, trying hard to heave breaths in around both the barrel and my gagging.
    I’m not succeeding, and I feel myself being pulled into unconsciousness before Mr. Shaw’s words yank me back.
    “If you ever come near my daughter again, statutory rape charges won’t be your problem. As a matter of fact, you won’t have any problems at all. Listen to me, ‘cause I’ll only ever say this one time, you piece of shit. The next time my nine millimeter is in your mouth, I won’t just be putting a bullet in a chamber. I’ll put a bullet in your worthless head.”
    I’m still dry heaving and on the verge of passing out when he stands, jerking me up by my hair.
    Then I’m slammed against my car with the gun to my forehead when he delivers the final blow, the one that destroys whatever hope I ever had of keeping my firecracker. It shatters every-fucking-thing I ever thought was my life and future with Lillian.
    With these words, the man standing in front of me rips out my soul and throws it aside like the disgusting piece of trash that I am.
    “You didn’t really think Lillian would ever really want you, did you? Shit even as young as she is, she knows you’re nothing but a piece of shit trash. You’re white fucking trash, kid. She knows it. You know it. She doesn’t want anything from you. She never wants to fucking see you again. SHE called you white trash. SHE said she was never serious about you.”
    The motherfucker might as well have launched a torpedo into my chest and just sat back and watched. Unbearable, crippling pain explodes in my chest, shredding my insides like fucking shrapnel.
    I’m hollowed out of anything remotely resembling the man I was ten minutes ago. But he just keeps on letting his words crush and smear the wasted remains of the man who fell in love with the one, his one, his little firecracker.
    “Now if you hadn’t treated her like some low-life, piece-of-shit trashy bitch, the way I’m sure you treat all the other girls you hang around, I wouldn’t have to go to the extremes that I am—that I will—to ensure your trashy ass never speaks to my daughter again. See, I know that she said she doesn’t care about you, nor does she ever want to talk to you, much less see you again. But just to make damn sure that happens, I’m going to tell you what will be my first move as soon as I hear or find out that you’ve even tried to call Lil, tried to send her a note, any communication at all with my daughter. I swear to you that I’ll send her ass away, FAR away,