Watson - Kathi S. Barton Page 0,29
lips now. “You’re not going to get any help from anyone in this room, Tina. I’d learn quicker if I were you.”
“I’m going to—” This time, Rayne hit her with her doubled-up fist. Not only did his mother’s head snap back, but blood splattered down the front of her and Penny behind her. “Hit me again and—”
So Rayne hit her again. “I can do this all day. And I’m sure if I get a little tired, Abby or Amy will take over for me. Won’t you, ladies?” They both stood up. Abby pulled off her sweater and started shadow punching like she was getting ready to have her turn. “See? We’ve all learned that you’re not going to get out of prison. As soon as you learn it, we’ll be on our way. And you should also understand this. None of us will return. Not for any of the three of you. There will be no funeral for the three of you. I’m going to talk Wats into donating your body to science. I’m sure they can find out what the fuck made you such a terrible person. Or not. I don’t know. But you can bet that no one will make a fuss about your deaths, nor will they…well, they might well have a celebration. We might even have the town’s mayor make it a holiday. No kiddies in school that day. The mail will be paused. Yes, I can see that happening. What do you think, Clayton? You can do that when you’re mayor, right?”
“You’re nothing but a cheap piece of ass.” Rayne laughed and told her now that she was Wat’s wife, she didn’t have to be cheap. They had all kinds of money. “Watson, you’re to get this piece of trash out of my sight. I have had enough of your little fun with me.”
“No. And if you call her trash or slut once more, I’m going to take over where Rayne left off and beat you until you scare small children when they see you. If you were to ever be able to see small children.” Wats stood up, and the rest of them did as well. “I’d like to say this has been fun—some of it has been—but it certainly gives us all a sense of freedom. You’re dead to me, Tina. I have no mother. As far as I’m concerned, Holly was my mother, and you—you’re nothing. We, none of us, will return. You are, as of the moment we leave here, on your own. The warden is going to treat you like any other inmate behind bars. No more pacifying your sense of entitlement. Good luck with your life. Or not. I don’t give a shit what happens to you from now on.”
They left then. He and Rayne were the only two left behind when first his uncles walked out the door, then his cousins. Wats turned to his mother once more before he and Rayne left as well.
“I hate you. I thought you should know that before I’m out of here. I hate you with a passion that I will never have for another being. You took the life of the greatest person I’ve ever known. You even took years from my being with my father that I won’t ever forgive you for. My children will never know you. None of us will name our children for any of you. As far as we’re all concerned, you died the moment you took the life of Holly.” He walked out the door holding Rayne’s hand.
His mother and the other two were screaming at them to come back. The more steps he took away from the room they’d been in, the more stress was lifted from his shoulders. By the time he was in his dad’s car, getting a hug from him, Wats knew that he was going to be all right. They survived their mother. A great many people couldn’t say that, sadly.
“I nearly wet myself when you hauled off and knocked his mother back off her butt, honey.” Dad was still laughing when he hugged Rayne, who was nursing her bruised knuckles. “I tell you, Rayne, you’re the best thing that has happened to me in a good long time. I hope you never change. Never.”
“What if our children are like me? What will you say then?” Dad looked at him, then back at Rayne. “We do want a lot of kids, Wesley. I hope you don’t mind that.”
“I will never